Farke ahead of #BMGBOC: “Achieve the maximum possible in our remaining games”

Head coach Daniel Farke and sporting director Roland Virkus spoke to the media during the pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga home game against VfL Bochum (15:30 CEST). Read on for a summary of all the key quotes.

Daniel Farke on…

…the personnel: Marcus Thuram (adductor strain) will be unavailable for Saturday.  Jonas Omlin didn’t train today as a precaution. There’s a flu virus that’s going around right now, but it’s nothing serious. I think that he will be able to return to training tomorrow. Rama Bensebaini and Manu Koné are back in team training and are both options for the matchday squad again.

…his analysis of the 2-1 defeat in Stuttgart: My comments after the game in Stuttgart were shared out of context. By no means did I want to criticise our fans, because of course I can understand that they were disappointed. I also wasn’t happy with how sloppy we looked at times. We were well below our standards in Stuttgart. Internally, we always speak critically about certain things when necessary. If I then also publicly criticise the lads, then that’s not helpful either in our situation. My job is to keep things objective. We’re focused on the here and now and will try to achieve the maximum possible in our remaining games.

 …the importance of the game against Bochum on Saturday: Every Bundesliga game is important. On Saturday, it will come down to showing a reaction and picking up points. We have the chance to regain some confidence and to get the fans and momentum back on our side. The important thing is that we end the season strongly and that we’re able to get the team performing to the best of their abilities.

…Stefan Lainer’s performance in Stuttgart: It was tough to choose between Stevie or Joe Scally for several of our games. Stevie always does well in training, while Joe defended well in the games and didn’t make many mistakes. The fact that Stevie played in Stuttgart is because, as the end of the season approaches, what also matters is how hard you train. He did well last weekend, especially considering that he hasn’t been playing regularly.

…the criticism levelled towards him: Firstly, I’m glad the criticism is levelled at me and not at the lads. The following things are important to me: I want to make sure that we achieve the aims and expectations set forth by the club and the fans, and that the club is well set up for the future. This season, I’m looking to achieve the best possible results with the team. We know that we have a lot of work to do over the summer and that we need a rebuild. We’ve always been transparent about saying exactly that. It’s about ensure the club are well set up for the future. We need to bring in new energy. That’s what I’m focused on.

Roland Virkus on…

…the current season: Of course we’re not satisfied with how this season has gone for us. Our aim now is to take the maximum possible from the games we have left in order to go into the next season with a good feeling. That’s why we’re fully focused on the games we have left.

…the anger amongst the fans: Football is a very emotional sport. I can understand that the fans feel angry and disappointed when we don’t play well. It’s also completely normally for these emotions to then need to be released. Our job as those responsible for the club is to be objective. That’s always been how Borussia have operated. We’ve been through even rougher patches before in the past. Back then, we also managed to build up a sense of togetherness. That’s the challenge I’m putting to the team.

…this summer: We will have a lot of hard work to do, which will be a challenge, but also something fun. That’s our job that we’re here to do. We have some concrete ideas already about where we want to strengthen our team. It will almost certainly also come down to finding creative solutions. The most basic requirement for any new player is always that they are fully on board with what this club represents and that they want to play for Borussia Mönchengladbach. That’s what I want to see, as sporting director.

Head coach Daniel Farke.

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