Matarazzo: “The focus is on our philosophy”

Pellegrino Matarazzo on…

… his personal summary of the first half of the season: “If I had to describe it in one word: decent. We got off to a good start, especially in terms of results. Towards the end, we picked up too few points. We are right where we deserve to be. But it is a very good starting position to attack the second half of the season. We have a hunger for more.”

… his expectations for the second half of the season: “I want us to defend in a different way – also as a unit. I want to feel that we are ready to work on ourselves. I want to feel that all players want more.”

… the opposition: “They have been successful for several years now, and that is in part down to the continuity in the head coach position. Freiburg’s focus is on a variable structure. When it comes to their build-up play, they are very flexible, which makes them difficult to press. They also work very meticulously on set-pieces, and they are very dangerous from them because they have Vincenzo Grifo. Recently, they have been keeping a lot of clean sheets. But our focus is on our philosophy and how we can be successful with it.”

… the game in Freiburg: “Every game is important when it comes to setting the course for the rest of the season. The fact is, however, that we want to get some momentum in general. We’re going there to get the win. The guys are making a very good impression.”

… his winless run against Freiburg: “There have been a lot of games in the past in which Freiburg have scored out of nowhere. But it’s time for a change.”

… his thoughts on the starting line-up: “There is a chance that Grillitsch will move higher up the pitch in place of Prömel, but someone else can also come in. It’s not up to an individual – it’s up to everyone. The game will not be decided by specific players, but rather how we approach the game. I have a few options in mind that we will look at in training. I will make a decision based on my feelings after that.”

… Max Moerstedt: “Max is doing very well. I watched him in our first international break in the autumn and identified his talent straight away. He has been training with us for a few weeks now and that has confirmed that he is a good young footballer. He will stay with us in the squad. He is eligible to play and also has a first team squad number. But he will still play games for the U19s. You can also see that he still has to get used to the toughness and the physical nature of this league. I can’t say if he will get games in the second half of the season, but I’m very happy with how he is doing at the moment.”

… Florian Grillitsch: “We all want to win. If we are successful with Flo as a centre-back, he will play there. He is also open to playing in that position and has a lot of the qualities needed to play there. Not only his ability on the ball, but also his leadership skills and footballing IQ. That can definitely be an option for the future.”

… Oliver Baumann’s 350th game for TSG: “I haven’t spoken to him about it. He’s an old man. (Laughs) He continues to do it excellently. I’m happy for him and hope we can give him a clean sheet.”

The personnel situation:

In addition to long-term injury absentees Marco John and Mergim Berisha, Grischa Prömel will also miss the game after being sent off in Munich. Diadie Samassékou is away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Mali. Bambasé Conté could be available once again. According to Matarazzo, Dennis Geiger is making a good impression, but he is not yet ready for the gam.

The opposition’s form:

Freiburg started the new year with a goalless draw against 1. FC Union Berlin. Going into the weekend, Freiburg lie in seventh place, one point and one place ahead of the TSG.

Head-to-head record:

SC Freiburg have the superior head-to-head record, having won ten of 27 meetings in the Bundesliga, with TSG taking the three points in six games. The other eleven games ended in a draw.