Rose: “We need a good final push to finish the season well”

Head coach Marco Rose and sporting director Max Eberl spoke to the media in the pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday evening’s Bundesliga away game against TSG Hoffenheim (20:30 CEST). Rose and Eberl gave updates on squad news and discussed tomorrow’s opponents, as well as the final push as the season nears its conclusion.

Head coach Marco Rose on…

…squad news: Jonas Hofmann and Denis Zakaria are doing well. We’ll see how they’re looking today in the final training session ahead of the game tomorrow night. Christoph Kramer is back following his yellow-card suspension, but Yann Sommer is still serving a suspension for his red card. Lars Stindl is sidelined with a torn muscle fibre and Torben Müsel and Julio Villalba are both in rehabilitation training following their injuries.

…the final push of the season: The games and the points still available are both running out, so we have to keep on picking up points to stay in the hunt and close the gap. We need a good final push to finish the season well because we dropped too many points elsewhere for various reasons.

…upcoming opponents TSG Hoffenheim: We have to take each opponent as they come. We know Hoffenheim’s quality and we’re well aware of the threat their attackers pose. Nevertheless, TSG have had some negative results this season and they will have been unsatisfied with those. That always has a certain affect on a team and it’s something we have experienced ourselves. When things aren’t going your way, the first priority is regaining stability. Hoffenheim have drawn their last two games 0-0 against Leipzig and Leverkusen and that will have given them some confidence again though.

…the Foals’ approach to the match: We have to take the confidence we’ve gained recently into the game and try to impose our own plan. It will be important to defend well against them as they’re a strong team. TSG aren’t overcomplicating things up front at the moment and have a lot of pace with Ihlas Bebou. We’ll have to deal with that.

...Hoffenheim coach Sebastian Hoeneß: I know Sebastian from our days coaching youth teams and we came up against each other every now and then in competitions. He’s a good guy. If you’ve been involved in the Bundesliga as a player and then as a coach afterwards, you have to have done a lot right in your career. You’re under scrutiny every day in this league and results are always the priority, followed by development. In the context of the ongoing pandemic, Sebastian hasn’t had an easy year by any means. But I think that the way he handles difficult situations and the way that he presents himself shows he has a very good handle on things.

…Marcus Thuram’s red card against TSG earlier this season: Marcus is a smart and self-reflecting young man who made a huge mistake. I’m sure it’ll be in the back of his mind ahead of the game, but I still believe that both he and the club as a whole handled the situation well in the aftermath. He has shown remorse and no doubt learnt a lot from it. I know that Marcus is fully focused on his football now and he’s determined to do his speaking on the pitch. He’s in great condition and I think Foals fans are seeing the Tikus they want again. I remain convinced it will stay that way. Marcus won’t make that mistake a second time.

Sporting director Max Eberl on...

…TSG Hoffenheim: Hoffenheim are a club who have established themselves in the Bundesliga for the long-term. The club has a good idea of how they want to build their team, how they want to play football. Obviously things have changed a bit with their new head coach but they are a permanent fixture in the Bundesliga. We’ve battled them for Europe in the past but so far this season they haven’t picked up as many points. We are still fighting for Europe.

…the coaching staff for next season: Last week we confirmed Adi Hütter as our future head coach. He will bring both his assistants from Frankfurt with him. It’s normal for the head coach to bring his closest confidantes with him but as a club we have decided to fill out the rest of the staff ourselves. We are in good shape and we will start next season with a great coaching staff.

...Frank Geideck: Frank Geideck arrived at the club in 2009 and has remained ever since. We value his abilities very highly. He is a very loyal employee and we are really happy to have him. He is a constant presence and will stay on as assistant coach under Adi Hütter. That makes us very happy.

…the possible creation of the new Super League: I think that yesterday was a decisive day for football. Apart from the 12 clubs involved, I think everyone else is in agreement that football and sport is built on competition and that with a certain level of performance you can qualify for something that isn’t just set in stone. So the plans are an absolute no-go. I really hope that football can stand up against it, as we already saw yesterday.

…UEFA’s reforms to the Champions League: We are compromising with this reform, but the sporting competition remains at the forefront. As athletes this is the only way we know - being rewarded for good performances. When you are successful, you earn more and you deserve to do so. That doesn’t happen with a league that is set in stone and just works as a fluid money-making machine.