Rose: “That’s the task we’re facing”

At the digital press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg on Tuesday, head coach Marco Rose and centre back Nico Elvedi discussed the squad, the upcoming opponents and the current poor run of form. The match against Manchester City will take place at the Puskás Arena in Budapest.

Marco Rose on…

… the state of the squad: Christoph Kramer is back in team training, as is Ramy Bensebaini. Things look good for them both but we’ll have to wait and see how they cope with our final training session. We will remain without Julio Villalba and Torben Müsel.

…the second leg against City: The game against Manchester City is really important for us because we have worked very hard to get here. It’s a Champions League game where we have the chance to pick ourselves up. We are happy to go to Budapest. We want to mix it at this level and have a good game. We know the quality that awaits us - we lost the first leg 2-0. Now we will show an effort to put in a strong and stable performance, keeping the match open and creating more goalscoring opportunities than in the first leg. We will aim to get a grip on the match despite the quality City possess.

…the upcoming opposition: Man. City play some pretty complete football. In the first leg in Budapest we chose to set up in a way where we tried to play our way out from the back. Because of that, City were able to press us at times. When the Citizens have the ball it is then unbelievably hard to press them. Obviously there are phases in which you can put them under pressure but they always find solutions with clean, technical combination play. Then they bring their speed into play. When Manchester City lose the ball, there is barely a team out there who employ a better Gegenpress. And when they win the ball they get it forward quickly. They are a top class team in all aspects of the game.

…potentially progressing in the competition: The match offers the chance to reach the next round. City are playing at a top level right now and they have world-class footballers in their ranks. We are realistic in our assessment of the situation. We know what a difficult task awaits us due to the quality of the opposition and the result in the first leg. But anything is possible in football. On a really good day, with a one nil lead, anything can happen. But we are aware of the quality Manchester City have - that is the task we are facing. We have to try to get better chances than in the first leg, to get in front of goal but also defend nice and diligently.

…the current poor run: The results haven’t been great recently but there is nothing fundamentally wrong that we have to work on. We had a really strong first half in Augsburg, we missed a penalty and two open goals. In a different situation or time we would probably have scored those goals. It’s important to make sense of these things. I think that right now it would do us some good to be on the training pitch discussing the little things, the details and the fundamentals. At the moment we have been punished for a lot of our mistakes and so we have to do the little things better until we reach the point where we are getting positive results again. Then maybe we can afford to make those little mistakes.

...the schedule: We will have a team meeting after the press conference, then we will train and go to the airport. We won’t train again in Budapest but in the evening we will have a little time left to prepare for the game. There will be a small activation session tomorrow before the game in the evening. We will fly back on Wednesday morning and we will then train, recover and prepare for the game against Schalke.

…City boss Pep Guardiola: He is an outstanding coach and an outstanding personality. For years he has shaped top teams, won lots of titles and influenced world football at the highest level with his ideas. But he remains just a man. He is very studious and concerns himself with all things football.

…the role of the centre-backs and Nico Elvedi in particular: Centre backs have huge responsibility. They are the ones who are the last line of defence before the goalkeeper, the last ones to keep the opposition back. If you’re in possession yourself then the centre backs are the first ones to be involved with the build-up play. They should create a numerical advantage in midfield by stepping forward or playing long balls from deep. When we attack, they have to organise their own defence and be prepared in case we lose the ball. They have to do a wide range of things. Nico for example could be braver with his dribbling and better with his positioning when we have possession. He already does these things really well but he could be even more consistent on the pitch. If he does that then he is also an outstanding player in one-on-one battles. He has huge potential and is a big positive for the team. I think it’s great that he will stay with Borussia. He will be an important player here for years to come.

…the form of Alassane Plea: Lasso is a player with outstanding qualities. He is a guy we build around. In the last two games he has been unlucky with some chances, but when he hits the ball right then we are likely to be celebrating. At the moment he is finding things hard, just like some of the other lads. In Augsburg he played with intensity and put in a lot of work for the team. Even if he’s not been so successful with his finishing recently, I am sure that if we stick at it and keep working on things then he will score goals again soon.

Nico Elvedi on…

…the round of 16 second leg: We are looking forward to the game against Manchester City. These are unique moments for us players. It’s a match that we value and if we get a chance then we will take it. But it will be a very tough task. The most important thing is to enjoy the game. But we’re not simply showing up just to play the game. In football anything is possible.

…the current situation: Obviously it’s important to take part in European competition so that the players get experience in international tournaments. Our Bundesliga season still isn’t over and that means that we can still qualify for Europe. Right now we are in a tough period but I am convinced that we will correct things and get back to being successful. We already had a good game in Augsburg, especially in the first half. We were just missing goals. That little bit of luck is not on our side right now. I’m convinced if we keep working then we will get back to winning ways.

…his contract extension: it’s always good when players stay with their clubs for a longer period. I’ve extended my contract because I feel very comfortable here, the fans are unbelievable and I feel very valued. The question marks surrounding the coach didn’t play any role for me and my contract extension. I like the boys and the club and I’m looking forward to continuing my time with Borussia.

…his style of play: I’m using my left foot a lot now. In the beginning that was still strange but now I’ve gotten used to it. When I use my left I don’t always look for the riskiest pass, I prefer the safe option. Maybe that’s where my good passing accuracy comes from. Nevertheless I feel very comfortable in this position.

...the journey to Budapest: I’m not worrying about that. We are well protected in these situations because we find ourselves in a bubble in which we have no contact with other people. So I’m not worried about the journey even if we find ourselves in a high risk area.