Seoane ahead of #BMGB04: “We want to force the opposition into making mistakes”

Head coach Gerardo Seoane responded to the journalists’ questions ahead of the Foals’ Bundesliga home game against Bayer Leverkusen (18:30 CEST). We’ve summarised his most important quotes below.

Gerardo Seoane on…

…the squad: Everyone knows about our long-term absentees Christoph Kramer and Manu Koné (both undergoing rehabilitation after their respective knee injuries). Max Wöber had a minor issue in training today. However, I don’t believe that this will affect his availability for Saturday. Nevertheless, we will have to wait and see whether he’s able to play. Luca Netz has been working hard on his own this week, so we’re not sure whether he’s available right now. Tomas Cvancara and Grant-Leon Ranos, whose workload in training has had to be managed recently, are fit for Leverkusen.

…a possible replacement for Luca Netz: If Luca Netz is unable to play, there are multiple options. Lukas Ullrich played well in pre-season and showed lots of promising early signs. He’s ready to play given that he’s made two appearances for the U23s. Fabio Chiarodia would be the more defensive alternative and he can also play on the left in a back four. Max Wöber has also played at left-back before. Joe Scally can play on both sides as well. We will decide who’s going to play there on Friday.

…the lessons learnt from the 4-4 draw at Augsburg: We’ve drawn a number of conclusions from this game. For example, we failed to hold onto the ball for long periods in Augsburg and didn’t manage to find a good balance between sharp incisive play and long balls. There also some defensive things we can improve on. We’ve often said before: It’s going to be a lengthy process for us because we have a young team. Consequently, we’re able to take away important things from every single game that are crucial for our development.

...his history with Bayer 04: Just like with the other clubs I’ve worked for, I’m attempting to keep in contact with the people there, because I had such a great time. It will definitely be an emotional game and one that’s very special to me, not just because we’re playing Leverkusen, but also because it’s our first home fixture in front of the fans this season.  I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere at a sold-out BORUSSIA-PARK and to see how my team will fare against a strong opponent following a solid week of training.

...the strengths of the upcoming opponent: Leverkusen made some good signings in the summer – their team is very cohesive and they played well in the second half of last season. It’s difficult to create chances against them, because they have a good mix of physicality, pace, and technical ability, as well as an exemplary level of team cohesion.

...possible weaknesses of the opposition: Every team has its faults, even Bayer 04, who have the potential to compete for the title. For instance, if you set up super offensively, you’re bound to be slightly lacking in defence. It really comes down to how we can best exploit their weaknesses. We believe it’s crucial that we put them under pressure in specific areas of the pitch and force them to make mistakes. Many of Leverkusen’s players can keep the ball well, but others are susceptible to giving it away easily, so it’s vital that we pounce on it when this happens.

...the support from the stands: It’s obviously great when the fans can give the team momentum from the sidelines. In Augsburg, our players felt their energy and channelled it into their performance on the pitch – the fans are ultimately our twelfth man. It’s important for us to improve on certain aspects of our game and change the negative emotions into positive ones.