Seoane ahead of #BMGSVW: “Our development is the most important thing”

Head coach Gerardo Seoane answered journalists’ questions at the press conference ahead of the home game against SV Werder Bremen on Friday evening (20:30 CET). Here are his most important quotes.

Gerardo Seoane on…

…the squad situation: The long-term absentees are still unavailable. There’s also some minor doubt about the fitness of Tomáš Čvančara, who was partially integrated on Thursday. We’ll have to wait and see and decide early on Friday if he’ll be there.

…the previous away game at Union Berlin: In principle, we don’t want to look back at the past but instead want to look to the future. Nevertheless, we have to assess the game in a nuanced manner. We didn’t put in a good performance in Berlin, but it was a special situation against an Union side with a new coach. When a team’s bottom of the table, they often have the bit between their teeth, and if you don’t match them in terms of aggression and strength in individual battles, it becomes difficult. It was hard for us to bring our footballing qualities onto the pitch. Aggression, work off the ball, individual battles, aerial duels and defensive stability will also be important against Bremen.

…the team’s up-and-down performances: There was upheaval in the summer. We know where we’ve come from. We expected ups and downs. We don’t have an issue with that. They show us what we have to do to improve. Very few teams don’t have these in a season, maybe just the top four teams in the league. We’re currently not one of those. That’s why bad games and negative results are all part of the process. The idea is to work with the players available and talk with them to highlight the things we need to improve on.

…the next opponents: Home games are always important and results are a part of that. But it’s also particularly important to me that we put in a performance on Friday like we did in the last few games before Berlin, when we were a lot stronger defensively, worked more aggressively off the ball and also created attacking situations. We’re expecting an opponent who run a lot and can mix it up in their positional play and build-up with their two strikers who are very versatile and complement each other well. They’ll demand a lot from us. They can also stretch the pitch with Mitchell Weiser on the right flank as well as with their central midfield players. We’ll have to be alert so that we can defend the space in behind and stay compact in general.

…BORUSSIA-PARK: We’re very thankful for the support we’ve been given ever since the first game. We sense that the fans are with us on our journey. They’ve always supported us in difficult situations. That’s the telling thing for me. I believe that a fanbase shows its true colours based on how it supports the team through difficult situations and how they make themselves heard away from home. Here we have a fanbase right out of the top drawer. They’re not the only one, as there’s lots of great fanbases, but that’s the beautiful thing about football.

…Manu Koné: The game against Union came a day or two too soon for him. We made this decision because Manu’s fitness is extremely important to us. He was able to return to doing running drills as early as Sunday, whilst he trained on his own on Monday. He’s completed all the sessions with the team since then.

…Christoph Kramer: We all know Chris and know what he offers us. He gives our really young team additional personality and experience. I think that he understood this role very well in our last home game. The Union game wasn’t great from all of us. Everyone wasn’t aggressive enough out of possession and we also weren’t able to impose ourselves with the ball. However, that applies to everyone, including him. The overall picture has to be just right. Following his injuries, he needed a little bit of time to get back into his rhythm. He’s continued to do well during cameo appearances and he’s now made two starts for that reason. We are happy that he’s back fit and back available.

…Joe Scally and Luca Netz: Both of them have played more or less without any competition in the first half of the season. Stevie Lainer has been missing amongst others, whilst Lukas Ullrich has been absent with a shoulder injury. Of course we know that both have had some very good moments. Luca has certainly displayed his attacking quality out wide, both with assists as well as with shots at goal. Joe has showed his flexibility and reliability in a different position in the back three as the third centre-back. Both players somewhat paid the price away at Union for having played so many minutes in the last few weeks. We are aware of that.

…a possible summary of the first half of the season: The next game is on Friday against Werder Bremen. That’s where my focus lies and that’s what my work is focused on. There’s no point looking ahead to the future and trying to predict the next two or three games. Where we end up will be crucial for us. That will then also be the result of our development in all areas. That’s also the path that we want to follow. We don’t want to start assessing things after every game and every result. Our development is the most important thing. Obviously we’re not pleased when we don’t win. However, we also assess the performance very critically after a win so that we can develop in the longer term.