Seoane before #FCABMG: “We need to get stuck in”

Ahead of the Foals’ away game at FC Augsburg on Saturday (15:30 CEST), head coach Gerardo Seoane spoke to the media. We have summarised his answers.

Gerardo Seoane on…

…the squad: Aside from our long-term injury concerns Christoph Kramer (recovery work after partial MCL tear) and Manu Koné (recovery work after knee problem), we have no other absentees.

…giving Florian Neuhaus and Ko Itakura a half each in central midfield in the DFB-Pokal: Letting Flo play for 45 minutes was the right decision. He was pretty tired afterwards, but was able to train with the team as normal this week and is ready to play again. Ko is definitely an alternative for this position, especially because Kramer and Koné are both out for so long. He has played as a defensive midfielder on several occasions and can add stability to our ranks in this position. You’re always thankful as a coach when you have players that can play in lots of different positions.

…tactics for Saturday: We’re all excited for the start of the new Bundesliga season. The key thing will be to get stuck in as much as they do and accept that it’s going to be a scrap at times. We have to be solid without the ball and get everyone involved in our play when we have it ourselves.

…Augsburg’s DFB-Pokal exit to Unterhaching: They have changed their style of play somewhat. They now look to pass it about a bit more and build up the play. Changing your style of play is a process. They had that cup game under control for large parts. We are preparing ourselves for their new style, but also their more traditional way of playing more directly.

…Borussia’s most recent games away in Augsburg:  You can’t compare games from the past with Saturday. Every game starts at 0-0. Augsburg play with a lot of energy and positive aggression at home. Away games there are difficult for everyone, not just for Borussia.

…when Manu Koné and Christoph Kramer will return: I think it will be hard for us to integrate them back into the team before the international break. They are both still only doing some running and just starting to train with a ball again. They will need one or two weeks before they can completely return to team training.

…Nico Elvedi: Nico’s future remains unclear. Despite that, he has trained this week and was in the squad for the Pokal game. I can’t yet say if he will play on Saturday or not.