As the legendary former national team trainer Sepp Herberger once said: “Nach dem Spiel ist vor dem Spiel” (after the game is before the game). One game finishes, and another arrives hot on its heels. Matchday 25 is here, and the Bundesliga coaches have been giving their pre-match thoughts.
Borussia Mönchengladbach v Werder Bremen (Friday)
Daniel Farke: “We did well for the most part in Leipzig but weren’t clinical enough in the box. We didn’t make the most of our clear-cut chances. That’s an area we definitely need to improve in. We also need to stop making mistakes when we build up play from the back. We’re making sure to continue to focus on these things in training.
“Werder are having a good season so far, as a promoted side. Their formation is solid and they complete a lot of intensive runs, both on and off the ball, while they have two dangerous strikers up top. We need to be able to play our game in order to make sure it goes our way. We want to be dominant and set the tone on Friday night, in order to make it clear that we intend to keep all three points in Mönchengladbach.
“A couple points could be the difference in moving two or three places in the table by the end of the season. That’s why we will continue to fight for every point. Our final position in the table is important in order for us to be able to build on it in the future. Prior to this season, we said that we wanted to stop the decline we’ve witnessed in recent years and turn things around. That’s why we’re not happy to end the season with the way things are now. We want to pick up as many points as possible and will then see where we are in the end.”
Ole Werner: “We want to show courage in our game against the challenges our opponents create for us. That’s what I always want to see from the team, and we’ve managed to do that for the most part.
“Gladbach have a lot of individual quality and experience. They are a team that plays good football and have picked up a lot of points at home recently in particular.”
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin
Pellegrino Matarazzo: “We want to call upon the excellence from last week. Up for it on the pitch, displaying team spirit. And then take it up another notch. We want to transfer our discontent into energy.
“Huge praise to the fans that travelled to Freiburg. It gave us that push from the first to the last minute.”
Volkan Bulut (assistant): “For us, it doesn’t mean much that the two clubs are close to each other in the table. Like always, we’ll focus on ourselves and our own work. But obviously we have our analysis of the opposition in mind when we devise our approach and plan for the game. We know about Hoffenheim’s recent results, but we are aware of where their strengths lie and where our best chances are regardless of the form that they’re in. We’re expecting them to be aggressive.
“We’ve shown several times this season that we can deal with setbacks – and we get them every weekend. Every game is a hurdle that we have to clear in order to get points. Therefore we’ll do everything we can on Saturday to leave everything out on the pitch and deliver the best possible performance.”
VfL Bochum v RB Leipzig
Thomas Letsch: “We’re playing against a team that suffered a clear defeat against Manchester City but are in the last 16 of the Champions League. It doesn’t matter if they’re angry or disappointed, they’re among the best teams in Europe. They really want to get back into the Champions League and they have the quality to do so. But we have to focus on ourselves. We have to present ourselves completely differently than in the first game and show that we’ve developed since then.
“We only have a chance in the relegation battle if everyone always gives their all. It’s a fantastic story when you see scenes like in Cologne where our players celebrate with each other. For example, when Manuel Riemann made a save or when Erhan Mašović cleared a ball. We need exactly this intensity and this belief, not only in the first eleven, but all around. If you don’t show that, you won’t be in the squad.”
Marco Rose: “Tomorrow is a chance to go into the international break on the back of a win. It’s a chance we want to take. We know what’s in store for us in Bochum. It will be a fight and we have to take it on. It will be a completely different game to Tuesday’s.”
FC Augsburg v Schalke 04
Enrico Maaßen: “We want to show early on who is playing at home – there are three very important points on offer. He [Thomas Reis] has been able to instil a good team spirit; they are very solid and defend well.
“We want to win the game on Saturday and that’s how we’ll approach it.”
Thomas Reis: “We know what is waiting for us there – and we are ready! Augsburg play man-to-man a lot, are very aggressive and try to take the fun out of football for their opponents, but it’s an effective method. It will probably be a grim game. We have to work against that.
“It will be an interesting and very intense game. Our aims for the game are clear: We are travelling to Augsburg to get three points, because with a win we have the opportunity to climb further up the table.”
VfB Stuttgart v VfL Wolfsburg
Bruno Labbadia: “We need a good day against Wolfsburg. VfL are one of the most hard-running and compact teams in the league. The team have found themselves, they’re well attuned and have quick transitional play. We’ll have to be patient on Saturday to get the better of VfL. We’ll be tested in all areas – both with and without the ball.
“It’s important that the players who come off the bench also have an impact. That worked well against Bayern and Frankfurt.”
Niko Kovac: “My impression of the Stuttgart team is much better than the situation in the table suggests. If you look at the bare results, it might be small progress. But if you look at the work and the way VfB acts and defends, you come to the conclusion that more points should have been scored. The team wants to play football, is really dangerous and quick to switch.
“Bruno Labbadia is an experienced coach who has played and worked in the Bundesliga all his life and has been successful everywhere. I think he’s doing really well and has everything to keep Stuttgart in the league. Nevertheless, we obviously want to win tomorrow.
Borussia Dortmund v 1FC Köln
Edin Terzic: “There was enormous disappointment [last weekend] because we had an opportunity to pick up the next victory. However, we mustn’t be overly critical: there is no team that has picked up as many points as we have this year.
“We’ve been warned – not only by the reverse fixture but by the close matches from the past few years as well. Even though they haven’t scored so often in their last matches, they’re extremely dangerous. On Saturday we must play an intensive game in order to leave the pitch as winners.”
Steffen Baumgart: “It is completely normal for the lads to be disappointed after the defeat against Bochum and to hang their heads. However, we will not throw our plans overboard, even if the current situation is difficult in terms of the results. We didn’t get our performances across the finish line. It is an important phase for us, we want to continue on our way.
“We assume that we can win with the way we play football. We are aware of the task in Dortmund. We will still act boldly and stay with us. I’m going to BVB with the idea of getting something there too.
“For me it is not a matter of course to be able to play there, with all the emotions that await us. But I’m lucky enough to be able to be in a stadium every 14 days that is one of the best there is in terms of emotions. I’m looking forward to a nice, emotional game.”
Union Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (Sunday)
Urs Fischer: To follow
Oliver Glasner: “We want to go into the international break with a good result, and we know from the reverse fixture that we’re capable of doing that. We need to defend in a disciplined way and be alert at set pieces. That will increase our chances of success significantly.”
Bayer Leverkusen v Bayern Munich (Sunday)
Xabi Alonso: “We know it’s always difficult against Bayern. They have incredibly high quality on the pitch week after week and face their opponents with intensive play at the highest level. I had a lot of great times at FC Bayern and have great connections there. I’m looking forward to talking with some people after the final whistle. But before that my focus is completely on the match and I see that professionally so there is no time to be emotional. Above all else, I want to help my team.
“We are in a good phase as a team at the moment and that gives us confidence. We will do our best in spite of the short preparation time and produce the best possible performance on the pitch.”
Julian Nagelsmann: “It’s about beating Leverkusen. We can’t sit back. I bring the players who are in the best form, regardless of who is threatened with a yellow card suspension or not. You can’t always avoid a yellow card. But my players are smart enough.
“Choupo will be out. The back closes so that he can’t play. We’ll see how resilient he will be. Mathys Tel had a small hardening. It’s nothing dramatic. I don’t think he’s going to miss out. Everyone else is fit.”
Mainz v Freiburg (Sunday)
Bo Svensson: “Freiburg are very impressive at the moment. They are doing very well. I very rarely see bad games from Freiburg. “It’s always a tight decision about who starts. The differences between the players are very small. That’s the case this week as well.
Freiburg can come out of the duels with Juve with their head held high. They have struggled almost the whole season to master tough tasks in the Bundesliga three days after the Europa League. They often did it well.”
Christian Streich: “Mainz will attack us on Sunday as if there was no tomorrow. They will come with brutal force because they know what we did against Turin. For us, it’s about pooling all our strength and fully countering it. If they then eat us up and we fought back, then so be it. “
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