They form the best strike duo in the second division and also get along privately. Isac Lidberg and Fraser Hornby talk in an interview about their friendship, the strength of the lilies and rumors of change.
They are the dream duo of the second division: Fraser Hornby has four goals at the end of the first half of the season, Isac Lidberg has eleven. hr-Sport met them for a joint interview.
hessenschau.de: Isac Lidberg and Fraser Hornby, you form the successful attack duo of Darmstadt 98. How would you characterize the other?
Lidberg: Fraser runs a lot on the pitch and puts the opponent under pressure early on. This is also a strength of our entire team. He has many other strengths, his finishing and his wit come to mind straight away, you can play one-twos with him, he moves well between the lines and sets up goals. He has also become a friend and we exchange ideas in English. Not only do Fraser and I get along well, but there is good chemistry in the entire team. Everyone here has fun coming to training. This connection is really excellent.
Hornby: As Isac said, we all work a lot. I usually play a little bit behind him, and the way he gets involved is a support for me. Regardless of whether he scores or not, defenders will definitely have a tough time on the pitch against him. It benefits me to benefit from this energy and vice versa. I would also describe him as clever. He’s always in the penalty area, always wanting to score, being in the right place at the right time. Some say he’s lucky he’s standing right. But that is one of his strengths because he senses the spaces. Lastly: He’s a friend, I see it that way too. We get along on and off the pitch. I have never experienced such solidarity like this anywhere in my career. We all work for the same goal.
hessenschau.de: Is a friendship like this easier because you play in the same position – or does the competition make it more difficult?
Hornby: It was natural for us to develop this friendship. I speak English as a native speaker and Isac didn’t know much German when he arrived. So we found each other and share the same room during away games. It doesn’t even have anything to do with the game on the pitch or the position, we just get along well.
Lidberg: I totally agree. We’re ticking right away.
hessenschau.de: Let’s look at 2025: Was there a special moment for you personally and as a team?
Lidberg: Nothing in particular, it’s the overall situation. We are in good shape, have self-confidence and are simply enjoying the game. We’re also looking forward to what’s to come.
Hornby: At the end of last season, the transition to something new began for us in Darmstadt, and this season we have reached a new level. We go out on the pitch and no matter who we are playing against, we can react to any situation and have a solution ready. Like Isac said, we just have a lot of confidence in ourselves.
hessenschau.de: Is this self-confidence the biggest difference between the current and last season?
Lidberg: One change is the defense, where we are even better than last season. So a goal or a set piece can decide the game for us. This stability is a factor for success because we conceded too many goals last season.
Hornby: The confidence comes from our work in training. We had complete preparation with the coach in the summer – that made a big difference. We now have a clear plan and solutions for every game and can’t be surprised by the opponent. The difference from last year is clearly noticeable on the pitch.
hessenschau.de: And Darmstadt is undefeated at home…
Hornby: The fans are so important to us. Home strength is always a factor if you want to have a good season. The audience gives us energy and vice versa. It’s nice to play here at home.
Lidberg: Yes, things are very family-like in Darmstadt anyway. I get so much love from the people here. The whole city loves the club. They support us even when we lose, which is special.
hessenschau.de: You are referred to as the “life insurance of Darmstadt”. How do you find that?
Hornby: We’re not thinking about that. Others can describe us that way, but we can’t. Of course we are both happy to take on the competition. We don’t talk to each other that much on the pitch, but we still fight for every ball. And that’s exactly what people want to see here. All the better when the energy is transferred to others.
Lidberg: It’s always easier to deal with good players, like Fraser. This inevitably leads to assists and goals. At the same time, we have a good team and good coaches behind us who are pushing us forward.
hessenschau.de: What role does trainer Florian Kohfeldt play?
Lidberg: We get clear plans from him, we are totally tactically strong. Every single person knows what they have to do. Plus: We players believe in his approaches. The assistants also work hard with us, especially in video analysis.
Hornby: Since the coach has been here, he has made his style of play clear to us. For both of us, he is someone who can bring out the best of our abilities. But: The achievements are the result of hard work with the entire coaching team.
hessenschau.de: How do you look at the season so far? What’s inside?
Hornby: If you look at the league and our games, anything is possible. We have to stay focused. Because last year we didn’t get off to a good start in the second half of the season. This should be a warning to us. But we are really looking forward to the rest of the season.
Lidberg: The season is still long and the table is tight. Just look at Hertha, how quickly the signs change. We have a good squad and want to stay up there as long as possible.
Hornby: Isac is right, the table is so tight. You can fall down or come up quickly. We know where we stand. Of course we are proud of it, but it is still too early to look too far into the future.
hessenschau.de: Fraser Hornby, you were there in Darmstadt’s last Bundesliga season. Is the balcony for the lilies an “unfinished business”?
Hornby: So many of us from our Bundesliga season are no longer in the squad, and a lot has changed in the staff too. So we don’t have one unfinished business.
hessenschau.de: There are always rumors about possible changes. How do you perceive that?
Lidberg: We are getting a little older, so we can assess the situation. There are these rumors in every transfer phase. Personally, I’m just happy to be here and fit. This should not be taken as God-given. I don’t think about anything else.
Hornby: It’s part of the business. If we were always influenced by rumors, we wouldn’t be able to do our jobs properly. We are both grateful for what we have here. For me, it’s the first time in my career that I feel at home and that I have a club behind me that trusts me.
hessenschau.de: A few quick questions at the end: goal or assist?
Both: goal.
hessenschau.de: Evening game or afternoon game?
Lidberg: In the evening. Fridays, 6:30 p.m. is perfect for me.
Hornby: Yes, every footballer loves it when the floodlights come on.
Lidberg: The only problem is that you can’t fall asleep at night and sometimes lie awake until five o’clock.
hessenschau.de: English food or Swedish?
Lidberg: We are open to everything. We recently visited the Spaniard with Sergio Lopez, Hiroki Akiyama and Yosuke Furukawa.
Hornby: But we’re still waiting for our Japanese colleagues to invite us to the sushi restaurant. It’s about time.
The interview was conducted by Daniel Höhr.
