Tony Jantschke spoke about pre-season so far, the final friendly before the beginning of the new campaign and the DFB-Pokal first-round tie against FC Oberneuland.
Tony Jantschke spoke about pre-season so far, the final friendly before the beginning of the new campaign and the DFB-Pokal first-round tie against FC Oberneuland.
Tony, how would you say the pre-season has gone so far?
Jantschke: The pre-season has gone well, and is very intense as usual. Unfortunately we’ve had a few injuries, like new signing Valentino Lazaro. That is always very annoying. However, in Denis Zakaria and Marcus Thuram, there are players who are slowly returning from their injuries, which is very positive for us.
Over the course of pre-season, you’ve made four appearances. How did the team perform, in your opinion?
Jantschke: Up until now, I’d say our games have been solid. We got off to a good start against SC Verl but last time out against Fürth we didn’t play well. The start of the season is creeping up on us. On Friday we have our final friendly of pre-season against VVV Venlo and the international players in our squad have their first competitive games of the season.
How has pre-season gone for you personally?
Jantschke: The most important thing for me is that I haven’t picked up any injuries. I’ve tried to get myself in good shape, so I can be an option for the coach.
You’ve had your fair share of pre-seasons here at Borussia. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, this one has been a little different than usual…
Jantschke: It was certainly different. To begin with, we couldn’t head to Tegernsee for our usual training camp. In all aspects, this is a strange time at the moment, but normality is slowly coming back. We know now how we have to deal with a certain situations and therefore we’re finding a bit of momentum, even though things weren’t the same as they were before. Of course, we’re all hoping that the fans will be allowed back soon, but we have to wait and see how everything develops.
On Friday, you will face VVV Venlo in the final match of pre-season. What are you expecting from the game?
Jantschke: This year, our final match of pre-season is different to in previous years. Usually you would go into the game with the same team as you would in the season opener. However, this year a lot of players are away with their national teams. Therefore I think it is important that we all get 90 minutes and put in a good performance, after the game against Fürth. However, I’ve been at Borussia a long time and there have been seasons where we’ve won everything in pre-season and started the season badly, and vice versa. A friendly match is always totally different to a competitive match.
What will the focus be in the upcoming match?
Jantschke: We want to carry on working on pressing well from the front and putting the opposition under pressure. Defensively, we want the other players to have a good shape. These two things were what made is strong last season but we want to continue improving. It’s also good to have variety in your system, and in the friendlies we have mixed it up.
A week later the first competitive game takes place, the DFB-Pokal first round against FC Oberneuland. How much are you looking forward to the new season?
Jantschke: I always feel a lot of excitement before the start of a new season. The friendly games are always important, but once everything gets going properly, it is completely different. Therefore we’re all very pleased that it’s all starting again soon.
For an amateur team, Oberneuland has quite a lot of experience in the Pokal. Has that affected your approach to the game in any way?
Jantschke: No, it hasn’t. We can’t change that. For us, it is all about getting through to the next round. That is the only thing that matters in a cup game. Last season, we had a great game against Dortmund but were knocked out in just the second round. Therefore it doesn’t matter how much experience a team has or which league they play in.
What is your goal for the season?
Jantschke: I’ll keep it simple, like our head coach, Marco Rose: We want to win games, and if we win more than we lose, then things are going well. That is the how we will approach the new season. We will go into every game with the mindset that we can win, and want to win. Then we will see what comes of it. Last year, it worked really well.
And your personal aims for the season?
Jantschke: I simply want to stay injury free. When I’ve done that in previous seasons, I’ve been able to make appearances.
