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18.03.2020Bayer 04

Rolfes: What motivates the players most

The news around the issue of coronavirus changes almost every hour. Simon Rolfes, Bayer 04 sporting director, provides an insight into the current situation at the Werkself with head coach Peter Bosz and his team today (Wednesday) setting out individual training regimes for use at home on this Wednesday morning. Simon Rolfes on…
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…the situation at the Werkself: The situation isn’t easy for anybody involved. This morning we gave the players the latest information and advice of how to act in the next few weeks.

…the arrangements made: Everybody's health comes first. That's why there have been political measures relating to how we behave. We all have to adhere to that. And our medical director Dr Dittmar made that clear to the squad again today.

…the concerns of the first team players: The biggest worry is about health and not just of the players themselves but also the welfare of their families. That's what motivates the players most at the moment.

…the individual training regimes: Today, we gave all the players home training plans. Our coaching staff have worked these out in the past two weeks to be ready for this particular scenario. We are confident we will be well prepared in the event the Bundesliga and the other competitions get going again at some point.

…the loss of income from matchdays: At the moment, it's impossible to predict the scale of losses for the clubs. Of course, we have to react if the financial state of Bundesliga clubs are under threat and take appropriate measures at the earliest possible moment. But it's still too early for that at the moment.

…a possible abandonment of the Bundesliga season: I find it very difficult to imagine that scenario at the moment. If the health situation stabilises and the external circumstances allow it then it is in everybody's interest to complete the competitions in as proper a manner as possible. The postponement of the European Championship gives us more room for manoeuvre.

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