Völler: ‘The players have to perform’

Rudi Völler on...

...the state of play after the first third of the season:
“We are in the last 16 in the Cup and already through to the Round of 32 in the Europa League after just four games. But the current position in the Bundesliga is totally unsatisfactory. Of course, it’s bad to have eleven points from eleven games and that has to be said. And our players did not perform at all in Leipzig. We obviously need to do better in the next few weeks.”

...the main failure this season:
“We’re just conceding too many goals. Even though we didn't score yesterday, our team's offensive performances have actually been okay. But the main failure in the whole of the first half of the season is that we haven't done well in challenges covering back. You get severely punished for that at this level."

...the way forward in the next games:
"It's down to each individual. There are no exceptions. In the home game against Stuttgart a week on Friday they can show they are the right players on the pitch.… The important thing is to talk less and instead demonstrate we are a team on the pitch. We can definitely do better. The lads have already shown that at times over recent weeks."

...the match against Stuttgart:
"It's very, very important and you only have to look at the table to see that. We urgently need to get back on track."

...how to deal with criticism:
"It's completely normal that the coach gets flak in a phase like that. That's part of the business and Heiko Herrlich knows that too. He has the strength and attitude to accept the challenge… We know there's an incredible amount of flak and that's clear. We aren’t happy either. But we have the quality and also a coach who can definitely get results with the team up to Christmas. That's a fact."

...the demands on the players:
"Above all, the players have to perform on the pitch. The coach has to set the team up properly and he is doing that – along with his fellow coaches he gives his all every day on the training ground. That's the most important thing."

...confidence in the coach:
"In spite of all the criticism, Heiko Herrlich still has our confidence and we've never made that secret – but I don't need to keep on repeating it. The fact there is criticism in the media is justified – everybody has to be able to handle that. When the performances or the results aren't right, it's completely normal to draw that response. A lot of people think the simplest solution is to get rid of the coach. We don't agree. We have the strength and the quality to get results in the games up to Christmas and to move up the table."

Heiko Herrlich ON...

...the 3-0 defeat in Leipzig:
"The main reason for yesterday's result was that we didn't have the mentality and intensity in our challenges that was needed to come out on top against Leipzig. At the end of the day, football is a competitive game – it's primarily about mentality and then technical and tactical elements are decisive."

...lack of strength in challenges:
"It wasn't a good performance yesterday and some of the basics were missing. We knew about the strength of Leipzig in challenges – they win the most in the league. So you have to counter that with aggression. But with the first two corners we didn't challenge at all."

...dealing with mistakes:
"We will thoroughly discuss errors with the players. That's an internal matter – and we don't need to talk about it in public."

...the right mentality:
“It's my duty to instil the right mentality and up to now I've only partially succeeded in doing that. We'll work out why we haven’t learned our lesson. I set out the mentality and we’ll see that we can change it. Leipzig was a big step backwards but I'll continue working to improve the situation."

...complacency:
"Last season we stabilised the team and took ourselves up to fifth place – even though we might have done even better. After that, a certain complacency appears to be evident and we are working against that. I'll do everything I can to rediscover the hunger for success and to play with the appropriate intensity again."

...targets for the next few games:
"We are still in both cup competitions but we need significant improvement in the league. Now it's down to us to win the game against Stuttgart in front of our own fans."