Hütter: “We’re well-prepared for the first game”
Ahead of Borussia’s DFB-Pokal game on Monday night (20:45 CEST) against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, head coach Adi Hütter and sporting director Max Eberl answered the media’s questions.
Head coach Adi Hütter on...
... the state of the squad: Alassane Plea rejoined team training today, and should be an option for Monday. Jonas Hofmann also returned today, but it’s not clear yet if he’ll be fit for Monday. Denis Zakaria and Manu Koné are still out with knocks. Ramy Bensebaini isn’t ready yet either, plus we have Jordan Beyer out injured. Despite the injuries, we will still put together a strong squad for the game.
... this week’s training: Over the last few days, we tried to focus on certain things such as remaining compact and combining as a team. It’s hard to say how far along the team are in that regard, as we still have several players out injured and those that were away at the EUROs have only recently returned to us. However, we are still well-prepared for our first competitive game. Reaching the next round is the expectation we’ve set for ourselves, but it definitely won’t be easy.
...the first competitive game of the season: FCK are a quality side that will put up a tough fight. Nevertheless, we’re the Bundesliga team and we want to justify our role as favourites. We are Borussia Mönchengladbach, and we want to show that we want to reach the next round. If we take on this fight, our quality will help us come out on top in the end.
... new signing Luca Netz: I’m very happy that the club have been able to sign Luca Netz. He’s a very talented player on the left-hand side. He’s too new to everything to be an option to start on Monday. Plus, Joe Scally has done a fine job in pre-season so far and is an option to fill in for Ramy Bensebaini on the left side.
... the young players: Every young player has a chance to make it into the team here. Joe Scally is the closest as he already has so much of what you need in modern football, despite being just 18. Conor Noß and Rocco Reitz, who’s gone out on loan in Belgium, also have a lot of potential though.
... the role of Marcus Thuram: Markus is a very physical player. He’s tall and can run at speeds of 36km/h, which is impressive. Tikus is able to keep the ball up top and his technique is strong, especially in tight spaces. Regardless of where he will end up playing, it will be important that he positions himself inside the area and continues to win penalties. But, I’m also hoping that he scores more.
... Patrick Hermann’s value to Borussia: Flaco made the leap to the first team 13 years ago, together with Tony Jantschke. He’s a very popular player and did well during pre-season. He continues to fight for his chance. Flaco has a tonne of experience
Sporting director Max Eberl on...
... the Pokal game against Kaiserslautern: We definitely could have been draw against an “easier” opponent in the first round, as third-division sides are generally tough opponents. During my time at Borussia, we have only once been knocked out in the first round and will of course give it everything to make sure this doesn’t happen this season. Kaiserslautern are a tough draw, they have a lot of tradition. They will try to benefit from their home-pitch advantage, but we want to show why we are the favourites.
... Luca Netz: We’re delighted that we were able to convince Luca Netz that his future is with us, something he couldn’t envision anymore for himself at his former club. He can play anywhere down the left-hand side and has a lot of potential. Luca is seen as one of the hottest German prospects in his position. Our task will be to continue his development and to be successful together.
... the lack of action in the transfer market: You can sense that enquiries are gradually becoming more concrete and that interest is growing. That’s why I’m confident that the European transfer market will pick up soon.
…exorbitant price tags: The market has changed to where young players are being slapped with exorbitant price tags early on, which we can’t meet. Still, we won’t lose faith and will continue to look for affordable players with potential. We will need to be creative in order to do that. That’s how we do business at Borussia Mönchengladbach, which isn’t anything new for us.
... the transfer situations of Denis Zakaria and Matthias Ginter: Denis turned down a contract extension last winter. He is looking at his options this summer. This is an entirely understandable desire for a player to voice. There are a number of inquiries, but we need to wait and see what happens in the coming days and weeks. We’re in talks with Matze Ginter and are keen to keep him at the club. Of course, we don’t want to have any contracts that expire in 2022.
... the role of Uwe Kamps: We’re in talks with Uwe. The ravages of time are wearing on all of us, and there are some things that Uwe is no longer capable of doing on the pitch. That’s why we’re trying to find a fitting role in order to keep him at the club. He has been with us since 1982 and is a fixture at Borussia. He has given a lot to the club. It’s not fun to have to make decisions like that, but we have to focus on our future and that of Uwe Kamps.
