Blessin: "There won't be any problems, Peter's familiar with it from last year"
Thursday, 20. February 2025, 18:00 Uhr
Next up for the Boys in Brown is a trip to Mainz this Saturday (15.30 CET). Once again, head coach Alexander Blessin took time out in the run-up to answer questions from the media.
Alexander Blessin on…
...Elias Saad, who pulled out of training yesterday: "You do think it's unfortunate timing again, but thankfully nothing's come of it. He was in a bit of pain, so we kept him out of today's session, but he'll be back tomorrow and we'll see then how pain-free he is. He's already indicated that it's improved since yesterday, so I assume he'll be available."
...the impact of his one-match ban: "We won't change our procedures that much because the restrictions aren't that big. I can even go down at half-time to talk to the team. I'll sit with our match analysts and go down a couple minutes before the break to make sure I'm in the dressing room on time."
...assistant coach Peter Németh: "We have a plan and it's been discussed with Peter. I've known him a long time. We talk about lots of things and have the same views in many respects, but sometimes the discussions are controversial and we see things differently. I hold his opinion and his work in high esteem. He's fun to work with and he has my full confidence. There won't be any problems, Peter's familiar with it from last year. It worked then and so why shouldn't work this time? That would be cool."
...opponents Mainz 05: "The coach was under pressure when they came here but then they went on a run and are sixth now in touch with the teams above them. They kept calm and you see what you can achieve with hard work. It's a tough ask but I do think we'll have our chances."
…Mainz's high press: "Freiburg gave us more space than Mainz will. We're sure we'll encounter different situations with less space. They'll press us even more rigorously. We've discussed where we think we might have space. We've worked on some principles and will try to put them into practice."
...the approach: "We obviously have to avoid the mistakes we made in the reverse fixture. We weren't too bad in that game and had some decent phases, but we gave them two-and-a-half gifts. We have to be patient and can't be too adventurous too quickly. They're very good in transition and their number sixes push up very well when they hit the ball long. They swarm forward and are good at getting into the box. We can expect some high-intensity moments in transition and we'll need to be alert. When we win the ball, we aim to make use of the space. In those moments we want to get our heads up and try to pose them problems by getting in behind them."
Photos: Witters
