Feifel and Pätzold interview: 'Reaping the benefits of our youth work'

Achim, like last summer the Bayer 04 Women's squad will see changes in a lot of positions. In addition, there is a new head coach in Roberto Pätzold. How sweeping are the changes ahead of the new season?

Feifel: The changes to the squad are not as big this time round. The changes in the coaching staff are of great significance and provide a valuable new impetus. We are also very happy that we have succeeded in holding on to several key players like Friederike Repohl and Kristin Kögel and we are having good talks with others. That's very important for the team structure. We can build a team hungry for success around this backbone.

Roberto, you joined Bayer 04 on 1 June and are gradually getting to know your new environment. What is top of your to-do list in the first few days?

Pätzold: First of all, I'd like to get to know all the people I will hopefully be working with over the long term. On top of that there are organisational issues, insights into scouting and the signing of new players. A lot of confidence was shown in me from the beginning and that means I can bring in my own ideas. But now my focus is on the team, developing our game and working out what level of intensity and which key values we need to play our football. It's about where a player can make best use of their potential but also about bringing in youth players.

How would you describe your idea of football?

Pätzold: I like to be at the helm and play brave football with high pressing and quickly winning possession in the opposition half. In possession we want to be ambitious, have a high level of passing, cover back quickly and use our tempo. There is a lot of potential in this area in women's football.

What is special about Roberto and makes him the right coach for the team?

Feifel: He has exactly the profile we were looking for to manage an important balancing act: On the one hand, there is his clear focus on the development of young players who you can establish in the team as quickly as possible. On the other hand, he can also deal with the pressure to succeed that we have as a Bundesliga team. With his CV he has all the requirements to manage that balancing act.

Why is this development of young players so important for Bayer 04?

Feifel: In accordance with our club philosophy we want to give talented youngsters the chance to take the next step in their development with us and achieve a Bundesliga level. That's a great challenge that gives us a lot of joy and is very clearly part of our aspirations.

Pätzold: On top of that, we would be giving away an incredible amount of potential if we didn't reap the benefits of our own youth work. Achim has achieved a lot in this area over the past few years. If we give our youth players time on the pitch then that can also lead to one or the other top talents seeing they have their best chance with us.

Where will the road lead to for the Bayer 04 Women in the future?

Pätzold: We want to establish our own identity and be in a similar, or possibly even better, area of the table than we have been recently. It's too early to set an exact target as the squad planning is a long way from over. It won't be easy to compensate for the departure of Elisa Senß as a key player in a central position.

Feifel: In turn, younger players are taking more responsibility. It will come down to having the necessary confidence in them. At the same time, the experienced players will have to develop and show greater presence on the pitch. Teams like Freiburg, Köln, Leipzig and Bremen are on our heels. It will be difficult enough to stay ahead of them. But we want to be there when it comes to the crunch. These expectations come from ourselves because we are convinced of our quality.

What elements of the team need strengthening and what sort of players are you looking for?

Feifel: We want to strengthen the squad in all areas of the team, that is in defence, midfield and attack with versatile players. There is a big focus on the attack. On the one hand we are looking for a centre forward but also versatile strikers who have a wide area of action.

What are the key points in the preseason agenda?

Pätzold: We will have phases again where some players are missing due to the U19 Euros, the U20 World Cup and the Olympics. That means we will only rarely have the whole group together. We want to be in good physical condition, get everybody to take in the tactical side of the game and reproduce it in friendlies. It's about forming a unit and, detached from the basics, developing our identity in relation to mentality, understanding the game and commitment.