Seoane ahead of #BMGFCH: “We’re focusing fully on the Bundesliga game”

Gerardo Seoane answered journalists’ questions ahead of the Foals’ Bundesliga home against 1. FC Heidenheim on Saturday at 15:30 CEST. Here are his most important quotes.

...on the absence of Ko Itakura: His bruised ankle has caused something that has to be operated on. It’s a minor surgery but it’s necessary so he can play without pain in the future. We're hoping that he'll be back in training with us after the international break in the middle of November. Ko is very important for us both in build-up play and as a defender because of his footballing brain, so we'll definitely miss him. But we have to think of solutions and we'll compensate for his absence with the personnel or the tactics.

...on Tomáš Čvančara’s condition: Tomášhas been a little bit ill for two days. He's recovered from the virus and did reduced training today. I think he'll be available at the weekend.

...on the potential to improve compared with the derby: We have to take a more active role in every phase of the game, put more pressure on the ball and leave less space between the lines. We have to trust ourselves and be more confident with the ball to create more attacking situations. We’ve been working on that all week in training through discussions and video analysis. I got the impression that the team has reacted well. Now, it’s about putting everything in place on the pitch on Friday.

...on the two clashes with Heidenheim: We're focusing fully on the Bundesliga game and aren't thinking about the cup match at all.  We want to give the team the right plan and energy for Saturday, so we see a different side of them. The Bundesliga game will then become a template for the cup match on Tuesday. But now, our attention is solely focused on the first meeting on Saturday.

...the coming opponents: When a team gets promoted, it gives them a lot of confidence. Heidenheim have a lot of continuity in their team. That’s reflected in how they’re playing, even though the Bundesliga of course presents a huge challenge for them. They have a clear playing style and show good spirit. They have physical qualities, but they also have two or three players who can be dangerous with their individual class and actions.

…deciding on a specific set-up: The system we use varies from opponent to opponent and is dependent on who’s fit and who’s not. For me, it’s not the system that’s important, rather our mindset on the pitch. It’s all about how solid we are, how hard we work off the ball, how brave we are on the ball and how much we compete in challenges.

...the development of the team: Getting three points is always good for morale and helps the development process. That being said, it’s not all about winning, it’s about the performances. It’s important that we’re as prepared as possible to put in a good performance across the board and get some points from the game. It goes without saying that we’re hoping to climb a few places in the table. But we want to keep improvement at the forefront of our minds to put ourselves in a position to get more points.

...Nathan Ngoumou’s situation: We haven’t been playing with wingers because of the system change, which means a couple of players haven’t had much game time recently. That being said, we know what Nathan Ngoumou’s capable of. He’s has to continue to impress in training.