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Leonardo Genoni (36, Sz, Zug): “Everything is different – except me”
“In the play-offs we are on the road even more with the team, even more in the locker room. Everything is compressed. There’s a lot at stake, you feel the tingling sensation. Well, not me, but my teammates. I am the spectator and in the locker room I feel another shock going through the team. Because I know very well that this will happen, I always look forward to the play-offs. I really enjoy what’s happening in the team. I realize how busy everyone is with the play-offs. The game is actually a game like any other game, but in a different sport.
Everything is different – except me. Because for me it is important to keep a cool head, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to play my game. As a goalkeeper you don’t have to do jumping jacks in the play-offs. We have a lot of influence with our body language, it gives my team confidence, they count on me.
When I played the play-offs in Davos in 2008 at the age of 21, I learned a lot from the team leaders at the time. You knew that when things got tough, they were there. That was impressive, I tried to copy that charisma.”
Sandro Aeschlimann (26, Sz, Davos): “My first playoff series had everything ready.”
«Respect has turned into joy. I remember being nervous before our playoff debut two years ago against the Lakers. This series really had everything in store for me. From crappy goals to a shutout to the seventh game we managed to win after trailing 3-0 in the series. Thinking back now, Game 7 was less bad for me than my first quarterfinal. I just wanted too much.
I now try to hide everything around me as much as possible. It gets more emotional, but I can’t get involved. I go into both the regular season and the playoffs with the motto that this could be the last of my life. You never know what will happen. So I can enjoy it a bit. This helps me not to get too much pressure. I’m trying to put the whole situation into perspective for myself and live my life exactly the same way.”
Reto Berra (37, Sz, Fribourg): “Grateful that I have found confidence in the body”
“Confidence. A strength, a word that defines this season and these play-offs for me. If someone had predicted me at the beginning of August that I would play 41 qualifying matches and perform well, I would have signed up immediately. Because I already had doubted.
Last year I played the pre-playoffs in pain when I returned from my back injury. This forced me to rethink things over the summer. I have to take better care of myself than before. I now train much more consciously and with more focus, otherwise it would be dangerous for my back. I have intensified yoga and Pilates and am very disciplined in my processes, including when it comes to nutrition, regeneration and sleep. I know how to handle my body.
I’m at a point where I’m just grateful that I got through the season so well. And grateful that I have found confidence in my body again. That gives me a positive feeling. That’s why I’m really looking forward to these play-offs, because they will be special for me.”
Adam Reideborn (32, Sd, Bern): “I missed a semi-final match due to the birth of my son”
“In the play-offs you have to be so focused that if you don’t manage to relax between games, you get mentally tired. Sometimes I get on my bike in the hall, other times I spend time with my wife Nathalie and our son Ben. He will be five years old in April. Due to his birth I missed the sixth semi-final match with Djurgarden. Family always comes first. In the seventh game I was there again and we reached the final.
But I only won my first titles at CSKA Moscow. Last year I was a substitute in the first games while Alexander Sharitschenko played. Because things weren’t going well, coach Sergei Fyodorov changed and I played 25 games.
I’m not superstitious. But sometimes there are things I repeat when things went well. Especially in the play-offs. For example, I eat the same snack before the match because it makes me feel good.”
Connor Hughes (27, Sz/Ka, Lausanne): “Before the match I first take a hot shower, then a cold one.”
“In recent years I was number 2 in the play-offs behind Reto Berra in Fribourg. It was about staying ready and keeping everyone in a good mood. I have only played a play-off match once: in 2020 with Langenthal, when I came on as a substitute for Philip Wüthrich in Olten when the score was 0-6.
I won’t change anything about my routine: I sleep a little in the afternoon, usually play video games and drink my coffee. Two and a half hours before the match I go to the arena and tie up the sticks. After the team meeting, I put in my headphones with techno music and sit on the bike for exactly eight minutes, followed by my stretches and hand-eye coordination exercises.
In the hall I do visualizations on the couch in which I go through game situations in my mind. Then I take a hot and a cold shower. Then I relax and enjoy chatting with my teammates.”
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
