Seoane: “We want to be proactive more than reacting”

Head coach Gerardo Seoane answered the media’s questions in his press conference ahead of the Foals’ Bundesliga game away at Werder Bremen on Saturday (15:30 CEST). We’ve summarised his most important comments.

Head coach Gerardo Seoane on...

...the squad situation: Tony Jantschke (adductor problems), Max Wöber (minor thigh strain), Grant-Leon Ranos (ankle injury), Simon Walde (high ankle sprain), Shio Fukuda (ankle problem) and Christoph Kramer (flu) are unavailable. All of the other players trained fully or partly on Thursday and are options for the squad.

...the current sporting situation: The challenge was clear to us from the very first day at Borussia. No one hides the table here. We’re fully aware of our situation internally. However, I’m not going to talk about things that could potentially happen, I’m just focused on our performances and what we need to do to increase our chances of picking up points.

...the current system: We’ve recently tried to place more focus on defensive stability in order to give the opposition less space and to concede less chances. We just wanted to get more stability without, but also with the ball in order to gain a certain degree of stability. However, the system is constantly changing. Whether we play with a back four or back five, for example, is just one detail.

...the approach to the next game: We want to be defensively stable, defend with discipline and show aggression on the pitch. Additionally, we want to produce more in attack. Recently, especially in the home game against Union Berlin, we were too cautious going forward. We need to show more courage in Bremen, be proactive more than reacting, and try to pressure the opposition in making mistakes. We’re going into the game with this mindset.

...the upcoming opposition: Bremen have clear processes and are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment. They’re a really tough side to play against. It will certainly be a very intense game in which we need to be switched on from the first minute. We’re looking forward to the game, and I hope that we can produce our best.

…Alassane Plea’s role: Lasso is incredibly important when it comes to bridging the gap between midfield and attack. He’s also crucial in terms of our creative output. He’s not always been at his best recently. Having a player like him put in good performances in our last three games would be huge.

…Tomáš Čvančara: Tomáš played from the word go for the first time in a while last weekend. His pace allowed us to create three or four good scoring opportunities. Of course, he needs to settle into a rhythm now so he can start to get back to his best.

…Manu Koné: Manu has trained all week and looks to be on the way back to full fitness. He’s an important player for us, since his profile is completely different to the others who play in his position. Manu brings a lot of dynamism and pace to the table, which really helps us out.