Rose: "We want and need the points"

Ahead of the upcoming Bundesliga away game against Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday (15:30 CET), head coach Marco Rose spoke at the virtual press conference. The head coach discussed…

… team news: Ibrahima Traoré didn’t train because of a cold, so we’ll have to see how that goes. Ramy Bensebaini is back with the team and is feeling good. I think there’s a chance that he travels to Bielefeld on Saturday and that we build him up through short appearances. Alassane Plea also trained again yesterday and has more or less recovered from his injury. We have to see how ready he is to do 90 minutes.

… the short winter break: It was important, both mentally and physically, to take a few days away from football. However, the boys went running at home, so while we had five or six days off, we didn’t lose much fitness. We watched the loss against Hoffenheim again, but we’ve put it behind us now. Of course, after a loss it’s important to play again quickly, which is what we did against Elversberg and we got a result there. Every game is important to us, whether in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal or Champions League. As is the upcoming match against Bielefeld. We can all read the table and see that we need the points.

… the upcoming opposition: Last season, Bielefeld were magnificent in the second division. After a tough start, they’ve since changed their style a little bit and like to get downfield through first and second balls – we have to pay attention to that. If you allow Bielefeld to play, they’re a team who play really well and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega is really good on the ball. Bielefeld are fighting for survival this season and want to stay in the Bundesliga. Every game is special for them. We all know that there is a risk of this game being a banana skin, but we want and need the points and at the end of the day, it’s about our performance.

… Jordan Beyer’s development: We’re in close discussion with Jordan. The first half of the season hasn’t been kind to him. In the final game of pre-season, he got injured and then tested positive for the Coronavirus after returning from injury. As he had symptoms, it took him a little longer to return to fitness. He was doing well with the U23s but then picked up a red card. Therefore, he’s had little chance to break through with us, but my advice to him would be to keep trying. Of course, he’s lacking the match practice at the moment. We’ll talk with him in the coming days and make a decision together. Like before, we still have a lot of confidence in Jordan’s ability and talent. One factor of that is always the ability to deal with setbacks.

… new signing Joe Scally: He will arrive here and complete all the medical checks, then we’ll take a look at him. The plan is for him to be training with the first team – that’s what we signed him for.

… the four-week break of sporting director Max Eberl: Max and I are staying in contact. He would like to take a bit of time away and he should get that. If there is anything important that we need to discuss, I know that I can always get in touch with him.

… a potential obligatory vaccine in the Bundesliga: The vaccination sequence in Germany is clear: people in care homes and hospitals are vaccinated first. As footballers, we come later. That shouldn’t change. Until then, we have to pay attention, even if things don’t always work as planned. We are still living in the midst of a pandemic and are pleased that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. With regard to a vaccination, us footballers should by no means take priority. A vaccination is something personal, and each person must decide for themselves whether they want it or not.

Head coach Marco Rose

31.12.2020

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