Thorup: “I’m convinced of the team’s potential”
New FCA head coach unveiled
FC Augsburg have landed their top candidate for head coach in Jess Thorup. The 53-year-old Dane was officially unveiled in his new role at a press conference alongside sporting director Marinko Jurendic on Monday and answered questions posed to him by journalists.
Jess Thorup on…
…the first time he spoke with the FCA management: “It was an exciting couple of days. The first time we got in touch was on Wednesday. I had some good talks with the sporting director Marinko Jurendic and CEO Michael Ströll among others. I’ve read and heard a lot about the club. Now, here I am. I’m really excited to get to know the team and the club even more.”
…what he knows about the Bundesliga and FCA: “We follow the Bundesliga very closely in Denmark. I know two of the Danish players – Mads Pedersen and Frederik Winther. I also signed Niklas Dorsch when I was at Gent. I’m itching to work with the team on the pitch.”
…his initial impressions: “As soon as I heard about the project here, I had a good feeling. FCA have been in the Bundesliga for 13 years, have a lot of ambition and want to go to the next level. It feels like a family here.”
…the team’s potential: “It’s always about winning, but also about developing individual players. I’m convinced of the team’s potential and want to get everyone on board. At the end of the day, I’m here to steer the ship. I want to get the best out of the team along with the other members of the coaching staff.”
… his first game in Heidenheim on Sunday: “I read that FCA haven’t won away from home in over a year. We want to work on that on Sunday. It’s all about finding some stability and building on a good foundation.
FCA’s sporting director Marinko Jurendic was also very pleased with Jess Thorup’s appointment. The 45-year-old spoke at the press conference about …
…Thorup’s strengths: “After Enrico Maaßen’s dismissal, we sat down together and drew up a clear list of requirements for the job. Jess brings experience as a head coach at the highest level and has demonstrated that he can develop teams and lead them to success. He has helped lots of players to continue developing and he has great tactical nous.”
…the importance of the head coach role: “The most important person for a team is the head coach – I’m totally convinced of that. The head coach has a direct influence on our performance on the pitch. Therefore, we gave a lot of thought to the matter and asked ourselves: What kind of person suits FCA? What kind of leader do we need? What kind of authority does the team need? We have lots of players with potential and we need to harness that potential.”
