Hütter: “We have to perform at that level for longer”

Head coach Adi Hütter and sporting director Roland Virkus spoke at Thursday’s press conference ahead of the away trip to SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Here are the most important quotes.

Head coach Adi Hütter on…

… team news: It’s looking better and better with Marvin Friedrich. I’m expecting him to be able to make more progress with his comeback and be back taking part in team training soon. Luca Netz feels a lot better and is at 80, 85% at the moment. Tony Jatnsche is still unavailable after his positive coronavirus case. Overall, everything’s looking a lot better again.

… Marcus Thuram and Jonas Hofmann: They both always have to be candidates for a place in the starting XI. Jonas Hofmann was out for a little bit longer, while with Tikus we feared that he’d be out for more time but, like Hoffi, he returned to team training this week. They’re both possibilities for this weekend.

… the two different halves of football against Mainz 05: It was a real topic for us and something that really frustrated us. We controlled the game in the first half and were very disciplined tactically. Mainz couldn’t find any solutions against us. That changed during the break, because we didn’t have any access through the centre any more. Mainz came out of half time with a lot of momentum and shocked us a bit. After that it was difficult for us to come back. The things that had made us so strong in the first half were the things that made them strong in the second. That makes you think. We have to be able to perform at the level we did in the first half for longer periods of time.

… the upcoming opponents: This is a different Fürth side to the one we played in the reverse fixture at home. The question is how they will tackle their current situation. They’re definitely better at home than away, even though they picked up a point on the road in Frankfurt (0-0). It will be an uncomfortable game but obviously we’re going there to win.

… the meaning of the Fürth game when looking ahead to the derby against 1. FC Köln: We’re aware that a positive result in Fürth would do us some good because it always helps to go into a derby off the back of a win and with confidence. But firstly, we have a job to do in Fürth and that won’t come easy – we know that. After that, we’ll focus on the most important game of the year: the derby against Köln.

… Mamadou Doucouré: He’s a really positive guy who has real quality and he likes to show that. Unfortunately, something keeps coming up for him. We’d discussed him playing for the U23 team last weekend but the game was called off. He actually wanted to come back before that, but we thought that was a bit too risky after a couple of sessions. I just hope that he can play in the U23s’ game this weekend and remain injury free, because he’s a quality player. For such a young player it’s not always easy when you suffer setbacks so often.

… possible changes in summer: First of all, we want to finish this season as successfully as possible. The club’s path has changed a little bit recently, but it’s still exciting that the club is just as ambitious as it was before. Something happens during the summer break at every club and that will be the case here too.

Sporting director Roland Virkus on...

… Mamadou Doucouré: Above anything, we’re pleased that he’s back out on the training pitch. We’re planning for him to get match practice now with the U23s. He should be involved in their game against Rot Weiss Ahlen on Saturday. Then we’ll have to see how he’s come back from his injury. It’s obvious that every injury has an impact on a player. I wish him and also the club that he comes back into the form that he used to be in.

… Yann Sommer: Yann is an incredible goalkeeper, definitely among the best in the league. Of course we want to extend his contract.

… international players in the squad: I don’t think that the club being in Europe should be a factor in whether a player is called up for their national team. At the end of the day it comes down to their performances at their club. If their performances are above average, the chances are good that they get called up. At Borussia, we can offer these players a fantastic club and a great challenge. For a few players, the challenge of a new start means something emotionally. If everything goes well, it's easy. But when things don't go so well, it's another challenge. You can keep one or two players and some others maybe not.