Rose: "We need to bring good form and a lot of energy"

Marco Rose spoke at the virtual press conference ahead of Saturday’s home game against FC Augsburg (15:30 CET). The head coach spoke about…

… team news: Except for Jonas Hofmann (muscle tear), all the players have come back fit and healthy from international duty. Of course, there are a few tired legs. Some will re-join training for the first time tomorrow. Also, Alassane Plea will not be available for Saturday, as he is the player who recently tested positive for Covid-19. Upon Lasso’s request, we didn’t disclose his name but we have since spoken to him and he decided it isn’t a problem for us to state it. We hope that he remains symptom free and comes back soon, to carry on his good form.

… the upcoming opposition: Augsburg are showing stability and are playing good football. In the opening phase of the season, their focus was the first and second ball. In Tobias Strobl, they have a fantastic footballer who can win the ball and impact the game – you can see that in Augsburg’s games. Daniel Caligiuri is in great form and they have a few players who run a lot. They are well organised – it will be a tough task, but that is the Bundesliga, and that’s what we’re in for every weekend. We have to try and find the solutions; we’ll need to bring good form and a lot of energy in order to be successful.

… the loss of Jonas Hofmann and Alassane Plea: We’re in a good way coming into the game, but we will be without the quality of Alassane Plea and also Jonas Hofmann, who was in great form. Jonas is doing well but is of course disappointed. I think he will be back available in the new year. In Valentino Lazaro, Hannes Wolf, Breel Embolo and Patrick Herrmann, we have enough options in attack. We will stick with our style and the way we want to play.

… Denis Zakaria: Denis will be back for the first time since his injury on Saturday, and will be on the bench. He’s in good condition, feels good and is pain free. He’s already played on a big pitch in training, to get a bit more sharpness back, but he still needs more time. Denis won’t immediately be the player he was before his injury, but that’s normal. The important thing is that he also accepts that. In the coming weeks, he’ll get some minutes under his belt. We’re all really pleased for him, that he’s back available.

… the returning international players: We are proud that we have so many international players in our ranks. Augsburg also have seven internationals – which is a recognition of their good work. I don’t spend time thinking about whether it is an advantage or disadvantage that we have more international players than Augsburg. I know my players and can assess them well. I am observing how fresh they are and looking at how much each player played in the international break. We have to make sure we manage their workload. The atmosphere among the players who stayed in Mönchengladbach is good. I’m also pleased that the international players are back and that we can tackle the coming challenges together.

… Valentino Lazaro and Hannes Wolf: During the international break, Tino picked up more match practice and is available. We know that he hasn’t played 90 minutes yet, but he is an option for the starting XI on Saturday. He is fit and training well. Hannes is also a candidate for the starting line-up. His form has been getting better and better and he’s demonstrated that recently, both with us and with the national team. He used the two games with Austria U21 to find his rhythm and managed to do just that. He scored three goals, which has done him good. I think he’s developed more self-confidence. However, we have to look at what kind of condition he has come back in, and how fresh he is.

… Rocco Reitz: Even with Denis Zakaria returning, Rocco will still play an important role with us. He is a young player who has made some great progress with Borussia. He’s fought his way to the first team and has performed really well with us in the first few weeks and months of the season. It was important for him to pick up some game time in yesterday’s U23 match against Rot-Weiss Essen; that did him good. However, he is still an important part of our team. We want to show him that he will get game time with us, even though it won’t be easy due to the competition. Rocco has made a really good impression, and we want to do him justice b integrating him into the first-team squad. However, he also needs to continue developing and that includes picking up experience in the U23s.

… Nico Elvedi: The minimum task of a centre back is to defend and prevent goals. However, it’s also his job to open up the game. At the same time, he has to carry the ball well and create overloads in midfield with his positioning. In these areas, Nico is a top player. Also, it must be said that he’s actually playing on the wrong side, as a right-footed player on the left side of defence. That means that he often looks for the safer ball, but he’s gaining more and more confidence with the long balls behind the defensive line. I’m pleased that with him we have such quality on the field. However, at his age, he can still improve.

Head coach Marco Rose

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