Sebastian Rode on...
...his fitness: “Everything went well in the first three weeks. I had some problems with my back and my groin so I rested for a couple of days. I’ve mainly worked on my own this week, so I won’t play in the friendly against Ajax, but I’m optimistic I’ll be back after this weekend.”
...playing in three competitions: “I don’t think I’ll play the full 90 minutes three times a week very often, but the coach is good at judging that kind of thing. In any case, we have enough other good players in my position, so I’m not worried about that.”
...making progress during pre-season: “In terms of how we want to play, our preparations have been very good. We’ve also signed some very good players, which gives us greater strength in depth. In attack especially, players like Mario Götze and Randal Kolo Muani are doing really well. You could see how dangerous Lucas Alario is in front of goal in our last friendly. Those are things we were lacking last season. Not everything is perfect just yet, but we’re streets ahead of where we were last year. We’re on the right track.”
...Frankfurt’s leaders out on the pitch: “Kevin Trapp wore the captain’s armband a lot last year, and I also think that Djibi Sow will be important in that regard. He plays an unbelievable amount of minutes and is now at an age where he needs to take on more responsibility. Alongside Hase [Makoto Hasebe], Mario Götze also has a huge amount of experience. That does the team a lot of good.”
