Seoane: “We want to embrace the challenge”

Head coach Gerardo Seoane answered the media’s questions in his press conference ahead of the Foals’ last game of the season away at VfB Stuttgart on Saturday (15:30 CEST). We’ve summarised his most important comments.

Head coach Gerardo Seoane on...

...the squad situation: Simon Walde, Grant-Leon Ranos and Tony Jantschke are definitely out for Saturday due to injury. Franck Honorat and Robin Hack haven’t been able to train with the team yet this week. They’re doubts for the game, as are Chris Kramer and Max Wöber. We need to wait and see whether all four are available for the match. We’ll assess the risks on Friday together with the medical team and then make a final decision.

...possible rotation: We’re taking the game on Saturday very seriously and we’ll try to play with the best possible team. There will certainly be an opportunity to give young players some minutes during the game and help them gain some valuable experience. However, we definitely won’t make wholesale changes and send out any false signals.

...the last Bundesliga game: Of course the game isn’t as important in terms of the table as the last few games. Nevertheless, we want to finish the season well and embrace the challenge of playing away from home against one of the best teams in the Bundesliga. We want to keep developing in every game – whether that’s tactically, mentally or physically. Therefore, we want to show the right attitude on the pitch on Saturday and produce another good performance against a top opponent in front of a great crowd.

...some players’ uncertain futures: We’ve been having conversations for weeks with the players whose futures are still uncertain. We’re making good time and are confident that all of their situations will be resolved soon.

...potential for improvement: There are enough areas where we need to improve both individually and as a team. Otherwise we wouldn’t have been in this situation. We’ve not managed to make the most of good situations often enough this season. We’ve let too many leads slip and have thrown some points away. This, in turn, has had a big influence on our setup and style of play. All of that will be part of our analysis of the season. We need to work on our defence and our stability. We need to retain our attacking strengths such as our quick transitions. However, we’d obviously like to have more control of the game. We’ll review these things in order to consequently define how the new season will look for us and what type of football we’re looking to play in the future.

...analysis of the season: We’ll come together next week and try to process the whole season. We’re certainly not satisfied with everything. There have been positives, but also less positive things. It’s important to find the right approaches and necessary measures for us to improve next season. Moreover, we need to think about additions to the squad in the summer.