Farke ahead of #BMGWOB: “Important that we remain variable”

Head coach Daniel Farke and sporting director Roland Virkus answered questions at today’s pre-match press conference, as they previewed Sunday’s home game against VfL Wolfsburg (15:30 CEST).

Daniel Farke on…

…his expectations for the team against Wolfsburg: We’re playing at home and to be honest, we’ve delivered several strong performances at home this season. We want to build on this, play well and get a good result. Niko Kovac’s influence is clear to see at Wolfsburg. They have a lot of quality in their team, especially in attack. We’ll need to deliver a strong performance in order to take something from this game. We’re looking forward to the game.

…the squad: Manu Koné is serving a yellow-card suspension and won’t be able to play, while Yvandro Borges Sanches will miss out with an ankle injury. Tony Jantschke and Julian Weigl have been able to complete parts of team training recently, after having been out injured for a while. Sunday’s game definitely comes too soon for Tony, but it’s a different story for Jule. We’re waiting to see how the next 48 hours go, but it could be the case that he’s able to make the squad. Jonas Hofmann is still a doubt after not having taken part in team training this week due to personal reasons.

…changes to the starting line-up due to Manu Koné’s suspension: Manu is a player who can make a difference and his personality makes him a unique member of our squad. The reality is, however, that he won’t be allowed to play. Julian Weigl has been out injured for a while, so he definitely isn’t ready to play the full 90 minutes. We will still have good options available to cover for Manu’s absence, but I won’t reveal anything ahead of the game.

…Alassane Plea’s chances of playing on Sunday: Every player has the chance to prove themselves in training. I’m a big fan of the saying, “you play how you train.” The impressions I get on the training pitch are what I base my decisions on. Recently, we’ve gone with Lars Stindl instead of Lasso. That wasn’t a decision we made against Lasso, because his creativity and ingenuity have proven important for us in the past. Lasso always has a chance to start and he’s featured several times for us already this season. He knows exactly what we expect of him and that he needs to push a bit harder right now in order to play every possible minute. He now has another chance to be involved on Sunday.

…potential tactical changes: It’s important for us to be variable. For example, we’ve switched to a back-three in a few of our recent matches, especially when we had the ball. We’re pretty set in terms of our principles, but fluid when it comes to our formation.

…the training ground dispute between Jonas Omlin and Marcus Thuram: As a coach, I like to see the players display passion on the training pitch, as long as things don’t get out of hand and remain respectful. It shows that there’s life in the team and that the lads are motivated. In my opinion, it’s even better when that same passion comes out in games as well. I didn’t see anything wrong with what happened between Jonas and Tikus.

…Wolf and Friedrich’s current roles: Both are really important players for me. A squad consists of around 30 players and only 11 can play, but they all have an important role. Marvin Friedrich, for example, played a lot in the period before the winter break, whereas Hannes Wolf had the same at the start of this year. There is a lot of competition for places in both their positions and they know they have to deliver. I have a lot of belief in both Marvin and Hannes. I’m really happy that they are at Borussia and I really enjoy working with them.

Roland Virkus on...

…Tony Jantschke’s contract extension and future at the club: It’s important to have stability and experience in your squad when there are changes to it. Tony has lots of experience and knows his role in the team. He’s been there when he’s been needed and has performed. Having a player like him in your squad is extremely important. He will also be able to help us after his playing career finishes. Tony is multitalented. In an ideal world, Tony will able to go through all the different departments of Borussia after this season and get to know the club from a different perspective. After that, we will have to determinate what the best thing is for him is. Hopefully he will take on a role in the sporting side and remain at the club.

…Wolf and Friedrich’s roles: First of all, any player that isn’t playing is allowed to be unhappy. It’s important to have different types of players in your ranks so that you can cover all bases in football. We regularly talk with the players and discuss the goals still left for this season. Every player is important to us, even if they are not playing as much as they would like to.

…Jordan Beyer’s situation: We regularly speak to him and Burnley. They are currently fighting for promotion to the Premier League. We will be able to hold final talks once we know which league they will be in next season.