Hütter: “We need to work on our self-confidence again”

Read the key quotes and remarks from Borussia head coach Adi Hütter’s press conference ahead of the home match against FC Augsburg.

Head coach Adi Hütter on...

...squad news: Lars Stindl remains sidelined, and Christoph Kramer is still testing positive for Coronavirus, which makes it difficult to say right now whether or not he’s an option for Saturday. He’s doing well, but I don’t think he’ll be able to start the game. Mamadou Doucouré has unfortunately suffered a small setback on his recovery, and he’s having a few muscular issues. It would be pointless for him to play for the reserves this weekend.

...the team’s current situation: Of course we’re facing up to the reality of our current position, but we’re keeping calm. It’s important for us to stay confident and positive despite our difficult situation. The team has enough quality to get out of it, and they’ve embraced the challenge well, as was seen in Bielefeld after we went behind. They showed real character and a strong mentality. We’re capable of playing better football, we just need to work on the necessary self-confidence again. The only way we can do that is through good defence, and if our attacker play with more tempo, more consistency and are generally more threatening in attack.

...the significance of the upcoming match: Given our current situation, it’s without doubt a hugely important and significant game. It’ll certainly be a real battle, because FCA are a physically competitive side. We need to be ready for the fight and then overcome our opposition via our quality on the ball. The first goal will be crucial on Saturday. If we can do that, then I think it’ll help us to release our inhibitions and get a great result.

...progress made since the Bielefeld match: The match in Bielefeld was a step it the right direction, and everyone can have their own opinion as to whether it was a big or small step. After going 1-0 down, we showed a good reaction and also could have won the game if we’d have been a bit more clinical on the counter attack. The team have trained very well this week, and now it’s about bringing that into the match on Saturday.

...the 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture against FCA: Despite having a lot of the ball last time out, we weren’t able to fashion a lot of chances, creating only two or three good opportunities in the entire game. We then conceded an avoidable goal following a long ball in the 80th minute and suffered a harsh defeat.

...the game plan for this match: We know how Augsburg like to play. They’ve got a clear structure and plan of how they want to play. We’re going to try and grab the game by the scruff of the horns and try to dominate proceedings on the ball. In terms of our defence, we need to be wary of FCA’s counter attack, because they can be particularly dangerous on the flanks. We’ll need to transition quickly after winning back or losing possession, so that we can then produce the key moments.

...the development of Florian Neuhaus: First of all, I have to pay Flo a huge compliment. He’s reacted very positively to some constructive criticism over the past few months. He’s taken it on board and worked on his game, showing that he’s a determined professional. His workrate now is much better than at the start of the season, which has made him a better and more rounded played. He’s played at six recently, because we’ve had few options in this position, but Flo’s been coping with it very well.

...Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram’s current condition: Alassane Plea has been really professional and has consistently trained well. He did a lot of work for the team in Bielefeld and his goal was a deserved reward for that. He’s made real progress in the last few weeks. Marcus Thuram is trying to get back to his best in training. Our current setup isn’t perfectly matched to Tikus’ style, but he’s still on a good path and will definitely get himself back into the swing of things over the next three months. We then have to see what happens in the summer, but for the time being, his heart is completely devoted to Borussia. He loves the club and will give everything for it.

...the idea of introducing a play-off system to the Bundesliga: You can make the title race more exciting and attractive by changing the way things are, but whether it would be fair for the team in fourth place and fifteen points behind the league leaders after 34 matches to have a chance to win the league is another question.

Adi Hütter: “Given our current situation, it’s without doubt a hugely important and significant game.”
Adi Hütter: “We’ll need to transition quickly after winning back or losing possession.”

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