…his reaction to the decision to restart the Bundesliga on 16 May: That was important. The excitement is back again and you can see that in everybody involved.
…the return to full training: It feels great. At the first session with the whole squad, it felt for the first time that everything was to do with football. It was great fun for the players and for us coaches; it feels like football is back.
…the readjustment for players after two months without training with physical contact: It was difficult to control the sessions in small groups. We really had to look out to make sure there weren't too many intensive drills one after the other. From that point of view, we’re happy to be able to train with the whole squad again.
…the physical level of the Werkself: The best training for players is games – they are the most intensive of the whole week. It’s not possible to achieve those levels in training. Of course, they are fresh again after the break. But we need games to get back to ultimate fitness.
…the match quality of his team after the break: In my 40 years in professional football, it's the first time the players have had two weeks at home in the middle of the season and have had to train on treadmills. We were able to train in small groups at the stadium from 1 April – but without the necessary intensity. We didn't know when everything would get going again and the players have been coached without a target for nearly two months. They did take part and had fun but the final excitement you get before games wasn't there. That's not a criticism but is completely normal in situations like this. Yesterday and today everybody was fully focused again in training.
…his changed influence on events on the pitch due to reduced volume in the stadium with games behind closed doors: We understand that everything will be different. But we don't yet know how it will turn out in the end. We have the advantage of not playing till Monday. That means we can see what happens on and off the pitch in the other games at the weekend.
…the required discipline from players, coaches and staff and adhering to the hygiene regulations: I have 100 per cent confidence in my staff and my players. They know how they have to behave. At the same time, nobody can promise there will be no infections during the course of the season. We are doing our best and are complying with the regulations.
…the possible change to the rules to allow five rather than three substitutions: It's an interesting subject. In general, I'm in favour of more possible substitutions. That gives us coaches more chances of intervening in the game. From time to time, I'm in a position where I have to make the decision to use the last available substitution or wait. If this change comes about then we as coaching staff will have to think carefully about how we want to use it.
…reaction from his home country the Netherlands that the Bundesliga is the first big European league to start playing again: A lot of people are happy they can watch football again. A lot of people are asking how the whole thing will turn out. But I also have doubts as I've never seen such a situation in my 40 years of professional football. Everybody will be looking at the Bundesliga.
