Hütter: “We need to be tough to play against”

Head coach Adi Hütter and sporting director Max Eberl spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s home game (18:30 CEST) against Borussia Dortmund.

Adi Hütter on…

…the squad: Marcus Thuram is working hard during his rehab and is trying to be back as soon as possible. Ramy Bensebaini unfortunately picked up a knock yesterday and therefore couldn’t train today. He may miss out again this Saturday. Jonas Hofmann, on the other hand, is doing well. He had no problems yesterday and is 100% ready. Breel Embolo, Manu Koné and Christoph Kramer all have a chance to start, but I haven’t made a final decision yet.

…the season so far: We’re not happy with our points tally. We’re lacking a bit of zip and energy in our game. Having lots of the ball doesn’t mean that you are automatically successful. We need to improve our counterattacks and be more aggressive. We will get results if our performances are good enough – just like against Bayern. If we play like we did in Leverkusen, for example, then it will be tough against any opponent.

…the fans’ support: It’s really important that they help us during a situation like this. I can remember the Bielefeld game well, where it was tight and they helped us get the win with their fantastic support. We’ll almost definitely need this again on Saturday.

…the plan for Saturday: We need to fight together. The team wants – and needs to – show from the first whistle that they want to win the game. We need to be tough to play against, get stuck in and run hard for 90 minutes – this will be key, especially against a team that plays good football like Dortmund. BVB have the confidence that we don’t right now. As a result, we need to try other methods. We can cause them problems if we are brave and get the ball forward quickly at the right times. We can’t just park the bus; we have to look to play football too.

…the lack of cutting edge up front: We are being partly accused of just passing the ball sideways too much, without being direct enough. I can understand that – it’s not what I want to see either. Once we concede, we’re not capable of going up the other end and scoring two or three goals. That’s our biggest problem right now, and we’re working on it. We need to play as a team so that we create more chances and try to score more goals.

…BVB striker Erling Haaland: He’s a top striker, who we will need to keep quiet. His movement off the ball is incredible and he knows exactly when to make runs. We will need to defend as a team to stop him. He’s not their only player though. The whole Dortmund side is in good form, meaning we will need to be tactically disciplined and get stuck in. If we do that, we will have opportunities too. We won’t be approaching the game in the right way if we think we can only win by playing good football.

Sporting director Max Eberl on…

…the return of former coach Marco Rose: This weekend, Borussia Mönchengladbach will play Borussia Dortmund – it won’t be Borussia Mönchengladbach against Marco Rose. We need to give our absolute best in order to beat them. I’m sure our fans will let their feelings be known, after all, we have freedom of speech here in Germany, so they can do just that. Nevertheless, I hope that there are no insults shouted or threats issued. It would be great if our fans could concentrate on supporting the team instead of this small feud. Things aren’t going particularly great for us right now, which is why we need their support.

…potentially bigger crowds: It would obviously be great if we had the option to fill out the stadium again. We would have to see how possible that would be and consider the implications of “2G”. We will wait to see what decisions are made on 8th October. It would be a great statement if BORUSSIA-PARK was sold out for the home game against Stuttgart.

…consistency regarding how many fans are permitted: Corona has shown that everyone will – and needs – to go their own way. People shouldn’t concentrate on others, but rather just where they are themselves. We’re not in Hamburg, we’re in North Rhine-Westphalia. We’re all working together to get back to normal. People shouldn’t go around saying “he’s allowed to but I’m not,” and argue about fairness.

…distractions from transfer rumours: Nobody can escape talk surrounding them. The lads aren’t machines, they’re people. They can’t completely ignore things. This isn’t an excuse, but speculation can obviously prove a distraction. That can result in a few thoughts about other things instead of the job at hand. It’s good that the transfer period is over and everyone can now completely focus on Borussia Mönchengladbach – which is what the players are doing. I’m now hoping they can start performing on the pitch to pick up better results and get us in a more positive situation.

…a shortened transfer window: Yes, I think it’s too long now. We should think about maybe getting rid of them because they just cause problems and uncertainties. It’s certainly not helpful when it’s reported that three or four of your players are apparently speaking to other clubs at the end of the window, even though this wasn’t even the case.