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The young Austrian was one of the linchpins of our victory in Munich. It was also thanks to a disciplined defensive performance that SVW took three points back to the Weser. “It’s not just a reward for the defence, but the whole team,” emphasised the centre-half in the Mixed Zone. “I think that we’ve taken a step forward as a team as a whole. That starts up front and continues into midfield. We’ve intercepted so many passes in the past few weeks and not allowed them to get in behind our defence.”
Securing victory with cohesion
However, Friedl doesn’t see the change in their style of play as the only key to their success. The team’s attitude has also changed: “We push each other and cheer each other on following every successful action and every blocked shot,” he explained, describing the team’s cohesion. This was emblematic in the congratulations for Michael Zetterer after he prevented an equaliser with numerous saves in the closing stages of the game. “That’s not always been the case with us – we spoke a lot about it and that is now a mark of the team.”
He also had a lot of conversations with the match winner Mitchell Weiser, who is he hoping will stay with the club. “I’ve known Mitchell for eight or nine years. He’s a good friend of mine. Of course I desperately want to keep playing with him.” He still had further special praise for Weiser, who previously played together with Friedl for three years at FC Bayern. “Since he’s been here, he’s not only shown how good a footballer he is and the ability he has in the game against Bayern. He’s a difference maker for us.”
It’s now important to take self-confidence into the game against SC Freiburg and to “build on the weekend’s performance”. The game against SCF certainly isn’t to be taken for granted. “We’ve got the next really difficult challenge ahead of us on Saturday. The fact that we won in Munich at the weekend won’t be of any use.”
Securing victory with cohesion
However, Friedl doesn’t see the change in their style of play as the only key to their success. The team’s attitude has also changed: “We push each other and cheer each other on following every successful action and every blocked shot,” he explained, describing the team’s cohesion. This was emblematic in the congratulations for Michael Zetterer after he prevented an equaliser with numerous saves in the closing stages of the game. “That’s not always been the case with us – we spoke a lot about it and that is now a mark of the team.”
He also had a lot of conversations with the match winner Mitchell Weiser, who is he hoping will stay with the club. “I’ve known Mitchell for eight or nine years. He’s a good friend of mine. Of course I desperately want to keep playing with him.” He still had further special praise for Weiser, who previously played together with Friedl for three years at FC Bayern. “Since he’s been here, he’s not only shown how good a footballer he is and the ability he has in the game against Bayern. He’s a difference maker for us.”
It’s now important to take self-confidence into the game against SC Freiburg and to “build on the weekend’s performance”. The game against SCF certainly isn’t to be taken for granted. “We’ve got the next really difficult challenge ahead of us on Saturday. The fact that we won in Munich at the weekend won’t be of any use.”
