Seoane: “We want to show the same energy on the pitch”

Head coach Gerardo Seoane answered the media’s questions in his press conference ahead of the Foals’ away game at 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday (15:30 CET). We’ve summarised his most important comments.

Gerardo Seoane on…

…the squad situation: All the players are available with the exception of Tomáš Čvančara and Alassane Plea. Ko Itakura and Nico Elvedi, who were both suspended against Bochum, have made a good impression in training this week. The break has done them good regarding their mental freshness. We’re glad that they’re back available on Saturday.

...picking the starting eleven: We certainly always factor in performances in training, as well as performances in the previous game when choosing the starting eleven. Healthy competition for places is desirable. It’s always great for the coaching staff when they have lots of options and different player profiles are available to them.

...the team’s attitude in the game against Bochum: We also want to show the energy and emotion that we had against Bochum in Mainz. We want to continue in this direction – trying to win possession back, counterattacking quickly, immediately chasing down the ball when we lose it and making up for our teammates’ mistakes. We would preferably like to show this basic attitude in all of the remaining games.

...the upcoming opposition: Due to the last two games, we’ve got a clear picture of what awaits us on Saturday. The way Mainz play football has changed under the new head coach. They play with a lot of energy and press aggressively at home. If you take the last two games as a benchmark, then our task certainly hasn’t become any easier.

...his approach to the game: This game is just like any other. You always try to find the right words to describe your next opponents. Mainz are going to play with grit and aggression. We’ve got to make sure that we play at the same level and seize the initiative in order to create problems for them.

...the run-in until the end of the season: The eleven remaining fixtures carry a huge amount of importance not just for us, but for all the other sides in the league. It’s all about clarifying your position in the table. We’ve got eleven important games before the season is over.

...inconsistency: Winning a lot of games in a row demonstrates your consistency. We’ve not managed to win back-to-back games this season. However, you’ve got to give the team some credit when you consider that they’ve always managed to get back into a rhythm following setbacks. It’s an important quality to have that we’ve demonstrated time and again this campaign.

...Jonas Omlin’s return to the side: It’s important that we give Jonas time to get back into the swing of things after such a long spell on the sidelines. The goalkeeper position is special – it’s hard to reintroduce a keeper back into the starting XI with substitute appearances as you would with an outfield player. At the moment, the goalkeeper coach is keeping a close eye on the progress that Jonas is making. We talk to each other every day in order to determine which steps Jonas should take next.