Oliver Glasner on...
...the Leipzig match: “It’s important for me to put things into perspective as Leipzig had a few youth players out on the pitch. What we need to look at most is our performance, and based on that, I’m really pleased with how things are going after five days of training and eight sessions since we began.”
...team news: “All substitutions on and off had been discussed in advance. Sebastian Rode was able to decide for himself how long he played, and Mehdi Loune was ready and waiting to come on right up until the end. The nice part about it is that apart from Nacho and Alidou, everyone was available to play on Saturday. I wanted everyone to have the opportunity to prove themselves.”
...load management in training: “We largely managed the physical intensity throughout the winter break via the players' individual programmes at home. I myself was quite surprised, or rather the lads’ professional commitment was demonstrated by the fact that against Leipzig, some of them ran over six kilometres in one half alone, or did 13 sprints. That’s almost as much as you would cover in a whole Bundesliga match. What we need to do now is to get them up to same levels in terms of technique and tactics.”
We wouldn’t have had the success we’ve had if the squad didn’t have the strength of character that it does.
Head coach Oliver Glasner
...Randal Kolo Muani: “You could tell that he had had the shortest break of any of the players and that he needed less time to get back into the groove and find the right levels of intensity. The impression that I have is that the World Cup has helped him to progress in terms of his personality and his confidence. Compared with when he joined us, he’s letting himself go and getting a bit louder. I see that as a positive sign.”
...Paxten Aaronson: “He did well. I think his American mindset helps him not to overthink things and just go for it. Paxten put a lot of what we told him into practice. His positioning for example, and how he needs to move between the lines. He’s got quick feet and a good technique for creating the right situations. He could have looked to go deeper on occasion, but considering he’s only been with us for a week, it was great.”
...the character in the team: “We wouldn’t have had the success we’ve had if the squad didn’t have the strength of character that it does. Last season Almamy Toure was so important for the team once we got into the home straight. This season it’s Rafael Borré – he’s lost his spot in the starting line-up, but he’s still remained part of the group. Against Leipzig, he played as well as he possible could have in my opinion in what is an unusual position for him in between midfield and attack. This is the kind of strength of character that we value in the players in our squad, as this is how we can push the ceiling of the team upwards.”
