Gerardo Seoane on…
… the crucial factors for the win against Mainz 05: I think it’s difficult for every team to come out on top against the physical and direct Mainz team. But I have to praise the team as they put our plans into action on the pitch. We displayed a completely different attitude. The crucial element I saw was the readiness to tackle and challenge and the resulting number of duels won. We didn’t give Karim Onisiwo and Jonathan Burkardt much space over the full 90 minutes and we also definitely had the upper hand in the match. That influences the whole energy in a game like that.
… the mood after the first win: We need several good performances and positive results. It was an important win that was needed and helpful but we are aware that we are still a long way from where we want to be. The Sunday training session was obviously good but we also tried to finish dealing with the game on the day. From today we are totally focussed on the next opponents. To that extent, our mood was not significantly different from usual. We had and today have a positive mood and excitement in the team.
… the focus in training this week: It’s always my belief that we as coaches are able to identify what’s required and needed as best as possible: What will the game be like, what will the opponents offer. At the same time, we try to find the right mix between our thoughts, the players available to us, what confidence we can bring and many other factors. It’s our job every week – to anticipate what sort of game we’ll see and prepare for it accordingly.
… the next opponents SC Freiburg: I see Freiburg as a team with many sides and strengths. They are – similar to Mainz – very determined in challenges, have a strong mentality they can call on in every match and their game has developed in the past few years so you have to take them seriously as the league table reflects at the moment. They will pose us a lot of questions so we need that same team spirit again to come out on top.
