Ten days have passed between the appointment of Hannes Wolf and his first Bundesliga match as head coach of the Werkself. "We've had some very good sessions. We've shown a lot of energy in our work. When you look at the lads there's hope for what’s coming," declared the 39-year-old and he added: "We've gathered a lot of information during this time and broken it down into key aspects."
Wolf, who described his coaching staff around assistant Peter Hermann as a well functioning structure, wants to maintain the playing philosophy of the Werkself with high possession as well as lively play. "But," the Bochum-born coach continued, "phases without the ball have obviously also played a central role in our preparations."
The first opponents for Wolf travel to Leverkusen on the back of twelve matches without a win. The visitors' coach, Dimitrios Grammozis, will most probably again be able to call on striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for the game at the BayArena. The 37-year-old is set to return along with Salif Sane, Mark Uth and Goncalo Paciencia.
Wolf said about Schalke 04: "You can look at them from two perspectives – by looking at the table or at the squad. They have a lot of good players in their ranks. Therefore, we need to produce our best performance to win the game. And that's what it's about at the end of the day."
While international players like Jonathan Tah and Florian Wirtz returned to Leverkusen over the course of the week, the other Werkself players have been working hard every day since the beginning of the week. Wolf's training sessions normally last 90 minutes plus. Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky returns to the squad after recovering from an Achilles injury and, according to his head coach, is a serious option for the home game against Schalke 04. Wolf: "There is a very high probability of Lukas playing. But we'll talk to him again."
Paulinho and Daley Sinkgraven completed parts of full training but will not be in the matchday squad as is also the case with Lars Bender. Whether Moussa Diaby will return after his Covid-19 infection and self-isolation was left open by Wolf on Friday. It is certain that Charles Aránguiz will continue to wear the captain's armband after the change of coaches. "Nothing will change with the captain's hierarchy. Charly is a very respected player in this club and we definitely won't take the armband away," declared the 39-year-old.
The pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon marked the start of immediate preparations for the first game for Hannes Wolf in charge under the Bayer Cross. The Black and Red squad and team management will come together in the evening for a final pre-match meeting. "It's a question of having the necessary calm but also maximum intensity," explained Wolf who emphasised: It's the second Easter in the shadow of the pandemic and unfortunately there can't be fans at the stadium. Accordingly, we want to make our fans happy by winning the game."
The home game against Schalke 04 is being played against the backdrop of #Morethanfootball – as football is more than just a game. Bayer 04 have recently demonstrated that as part of the #Morethanfootball Action Weeks along with over 100 fellow campaigners from across Europe. Inclusion, integration plus the promotion of social interaction are just a small selection of themes that are an inherent part of the Bayer 04 DNA.
Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky and striker Emrehan Gedikli are ambassadors for the Werkself as part of the #Morethanfootball Action Weeks. Hradecky explained: “The love for football made us into professional athletes. Without that passion none of us would be where we are now. We share this passion with millions of football players across the world. A passion that connects us all – on and off the football pitch. We are #Morethanfootball.”
Match information:
Broadcasters: Sky and Werks11 Radio
Referee: The match officials will be announced on the day of the game
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