“Still room for improvement”

Oliver Glasner on…

…opponents FSV Mainz 05: “We’re looking forward to finishing off at Mainz. It’s a nice short journey. We want to reproduce our very positive performances over the last few weeks, preferably even take it up a notch and win. I have a lot of respect for Mainz – they have a very clear system of play under Bo Svensson. They are compact and aggressive, with players who bring physical strength as well as a great deal of power and momentum. It’s going to be another real test, but one we believe we’re equipped for.”

…lessons from the Hoffenheim game: “I still see room for improvement. We lacked consistency throughout the game against Hoffenheim. It’s important that we always have balance in our game and protection at the back. We forgot about that a bit after going 3-0 up – we had too many players going forward and conceded two unnecessary goals.”

…personnel: “We have two fitness doubts in Sebastian Rode and Kristijan Jakic. Sebastian’s recovery hasn’t gone as well as we’d hoped after he sat out the Hoffenheim game. Our final training session will show whether his calf can hold up. The same goes for Kristijan Jakic, who took a knock to his ankle last time out. We’ll also have to wait and see whether he can play. I’ll make the decision together with the players. Christopher Lenz won’t make it for Sunday.”

…the good atmosphere in the squad: “If the lads weren’t such cool characters, there wouldn’t be such a good atmosphere in the dressing room. When we sign players, we make sure they’re good lads who put the success of the team above all else. The experienced players, such as Kevin Trapp, Makoto Hasebe and Timmy Chandler, form a strong nucleus that looks after the team. We have a lot of different nationalities in our ranks, which is another reason.”

…the winter period: “We actually have a pretty similar schedule at Eintracht compared to the lads who are away with their national teams – apart from the fact that they’re taking part in a major tournament and are under added pressure. I hope for every player that they reach the final. Everyone will definitely be given three weeks off after that.”