Alonso ahead of #B04STP: “Play in a creative and clinical way”

“We want the next win tomorrow,” Alonso said at his press conference on Friday. The Werkself have won their last four in a row across all competitions, but the Spaniard is now expecting to face an opponent with “good understanding of their play and a good structure. They’re dynamic in their tactics and formation. We’re expecting a well-drilled opponent. That’s why we need to play in a creative and clinical way, to play our own game.”

“Several options” in Schick’s absence

When asked for a fitness update, Alonso confirmed that Schick won’t be available after suffering a calf issue in Tuesday’s 1-0 win at Bayern Munich. “Maybe he’ll be back for Tuesday,” the 43-year-old stated. “But we’ve got several options for who starts up front tomorrow. That could be Nathan [Tella], Flo [Wirtz], Martin [Terrier]. We’ll see. Players being out is annoying, but it always presents new chances and opportunities. We’ll accept the situation and have a solution.”

Alonso also said of Tella: “The goal against Bayern was a relief for all of us and also Nathan personally. He’s an important player for us, has always had a big impact from the bench.”

The position of goalkeeper was also discussed at the press conference. “We’ve also got healthy competition in goal. Lukas [Hradecky] and Matej [Kovar] are both very important, just like Lombo [Niklas Lomb]. The most important thing is they’re all in good form. We can rely on all of them.”

“Good feeling” going into final four games before Christmas

Following this game at home to St. Pauli there’s then next week’s UEFA Champions League encounter with Inter Milan at the BayArena before a Bundesliga visit to Augsburg and then a home fixture with Freiburg. Going into the final four games of the year, Alonso appeared confident: “We want to build on the most recent performances and results. We’ve got a good feeling.”