Hütter: "We need to trust in our own abilities"

Head coach Adi Hütter and sporting director Max Eberl spoke to the press ahead of Saturday’s trip to FC Augsburg. We have summarised the most important quotes below.

Head coach Adi Hütter on…

…the squad: Jonas Hofmann, who had some muscle problems against Bielefeld, will not be fit to play by Saturday in Augsburg. There are still huge question marks surrounding Ramy Bensebaini’s availability. Marcus Thuram  (knee ligament), Stefan Lainer (broken ankle) and Mamadou Doucouré (Achilles’) are all still out of action.  

…the playing system: It’s fundamentally important and good for us to be flexible and versatile at all times. We decided to switch to a 4-2-3-1 during the game against Bielefeld. In Luca Netz and Joe Scally we started with two young players on the wings. We wanted to surprise the opposition with Denis Zakaria in holding midfield behind Flo Neuhaus and Jonas Hofmann. We are capable of playing with a back three as well as a back four. Breel Embolo, who might not be quite a starting XI option again yet, gives us an extra option. I’ve not decided yet how we will set up against Augsburg.

…FC Augsburg: The question will be whether Augsburg set up with a back three/five or in a 4-4-2 or even a 4-2-3-1. FCA have two quick players on the left in Iago and Vargas. Up front they have the possibility of playing Niederlechner in the middle. André Hahn is a real force to be reckoned with, too. Caligiuri can be really dangerous in front of goal too, even though Augsburg haven’t scored a lot of goals yet. We need to be ready for a battle in this game, because they rely on their strength in fifty-fifties. Their size makes them a real threat in the air from set-pieces. On the one hand, we need to commit to the challenges and on the other we need to use our quality to exploit the spaces that they will give us, especially after we win back possession. We need to trust in our own abilities, take on the fight, but then try and play the better football.  

…the fans at the ground: I think it was clear to see against Bielefeld that the fans sensed they could help us get a result, especially when we weren’t playing well. Every Bundesliga club, every player, every coach wants the emotions that are part of football. It just helps you. The fans and all the spectators who were there on Saturday contributed to our win.

…Luca Netz and Joe Scally: You sometimes have to protect young players like this and let them do some recovery work during training. Luca Netz has recovered from a major injury, breaking his metatarsal during his time in Berlin which kept him out for several months. After joining us he also had viral gastroenteritis, so he never really got into the swing of things. We also temporarily withdrew Joe Scally from training, because he covered the most ground and completed the most sprints against Bielefeld. Joe is currently taking a big step in his career – from a player who mostly played in the U23s and trained with the pros to a regular starter due to Lainer’s injury. He’s doing a superb job.

…Manu Koné: Manu will be in the squad for Augsburg. I think he imagined things would start very differently for him at Borussia and is now happy to be involved. He completed his recovery programme very well, a lot of hard work went into it. Manu himself also played a big part in getting himself fit again so quickly. For a 19-year-old joining a new club, it is a fantastic feeling and added motivation to be travelling to an away game on your first time in the squad. We’re all glad he’s fit again. He’s already shown his class at training and proven how promising a signing he is for Borussia Mönchengladbach. He’s also improving the squad competition, which is exactly what we want. He’s great on the ball and he has a great personality. Obviously we have to give the lad time to grow as well, he is 19 years old, came here from Toulouse and doesn’t know the Bundesliga yet.

…Denis Zakaria: He showed at times in the second half against Union Berlin and then not least with his goal against Bielefeld that he can really help the team with his physicality, his dynamism and his pace. We shouldn’t forget, however, that he was injured for a long time, so he’s not in peak condition yet. Denis is getting closer to his best and we’re all very happy to see that. He’s a really important player for our team.

Sporting director Max Eberl on…

…the return of the fans: From the first day that supporters were no longer allowed to attend the games we’ve time and time again reiterated that fans are the bread and butter of the game. We are a club for whom the fans are an extremely important factor and offer great support, at home and away. It’s breathtaking how many fans always travelled to support us and will hopefully do so again soon. We are very pleased to have fans there again.

…playing in Europe: We don’t take playing in Europe for granted, we’ve always said that. For us, it is always something special to qualify for a European competition and experience some unforgettable moments. This is exactly what last season’s Champions League season gave us, great memories, which we all really enjoyed; sadly without fans, however. We probably would have had lots of fans supporting us in Madrid and Milan, so we have mixed emotions looking back on those games. At the same time, however, this is what motivates us to try and get back there. We want to always perform to the best of our ability to gain qualification for these competitions-