“Under positive pressure”

Bochum are only one victory away from staying in the league. Of course, every single player as well as the head coach are highly motivated. On Sunday afternoon (kick-off 15:30 CET) VfL welcome FC Augsburg to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion. Ahead of the game against the side from the ‘Fuggerstadt’, head coach Thomas Reis answered the journalists’ questions.

Thomas Reis on…

… the squad: Konstantinos Stafylidis has been banned for the next three Bundesliga fixtures. All other players are available and fit to play.

… the 0-3 away loss against SC Freiburg: We performed badly against Freiburg. But the team has always recovered quickly from setbacks. We will be focussed, focussed on ourselves, not what’s happening with the other results. On Sunday we can achieve something great.

… FC Augsburg: They have improved, keeping it tight. They are confident with various basic tactics, both back three and back four. We are well-prepared. Augsburg have a high playing ability, the keep finding a good degree between playing solutions and long balls.

… Simon Zoller: Every single minute helps him. It was important for him to play one complete half in Freiburg. Zolli is so important for the squad, you can send him on anytime in a game. A place in the starting line-up would come early, but is not out of the question.

… the consequences for his suspension this Sunday: I’m going to be in the stadium, but will, of course, observe the rules. I will make contact with the team before the match, after that my coaching staff will take over. I have a fantastic team, Funny Heinemann and Markus Gellhaus will be very good substitutes. I am allowed to stay in the dressing room half an hour before kick-off, so I can deliver a speech. Like I said, I have full confidence in my colleagues, they will act on their own responsibility during the game, also when it comes to tactics.

… VfL‘s strong performances at home: Every home match is special as we have special fans who show a remarkable support. I hope that the home match against Augsburg will be a special one as well.

… a short summary on the current season: We have been improving constantly, have always recovered from setbacks. I stick to it: It is a real sensation that we can manage to stay up by our own efforts four matchdays before the season ends. We need to stay focussed and have to stay loose. Augsburg are under pressure, for us it’s positive pressure. We can achieve great success with a good result.