Mets: "Defensive stability has to be the key"
Thursday, 19. September 2024, 11:00 Uhr
Preparations are in full swing for the second home game of the Bundesliga season against third-placed Leipzig on Sunday (19.30 CET). After training on Wednesday, defender Karol Mets took questions from the media representatives in attendance.
Karol Mets on…
...starting the season with three straight defeats: "It's not how we envisaged or expected it to go. Considering the teams we were playing, we were determined to pick up some points, so we're very disappointed not to have done that. It takes a while to get used to this league and we have to learn from our mistakes. No one here wants to get used to losing. We have to go step by step, keep calm and have faith in the process. I'm sure we'll fight our way out of the situation."
...dealing with the three defeats: "It's new for me here, but not in my career. I often lost in Estonia, which helped me to come to terms with it and become more resilient. You have to be above it. You can't let it get to you."
...aspects in need of improvement: "There are some things we have to do better. First and foremost, we have to be more solid at the back. We've allowed our opponents too many chances. You have a different calibre of striker in the Bundesliga, so defensive stability has to be the key. In the first three games we were susceptible to opposition counterattacks. Our rest defence wasn't good on occasions, leaving us outnumbered on the break. We gave the ball away quickly after winning possession and didn't keep our shape. We have to defend better because when we do get a lot of players behind the ball and keep things tight, it's hard for teams to break us down."
...our own attacking play: "It's not a topic that only concerns the strikers. It's also up to us as defenders to give them the right service. We have to improve collectively. It's also a question of opening up the right spaces and showing the desire to get into the box and score. We have to create chances as a team with crosses and passes to the correct foot to increase our chances of scoring. There are lots of little things that are important and will make a difference."
...the home game against Leipzig: "It's going to be a tough game. Leipzig are one of the best teams in the league. I can see the motivation and enthusiasm among the squad and I think we're ready for the game. We're at home and want to take something from it. We worked hard last season for games like this. We want to see how good we are against teams like them."
...the quality needed to stay up: "I believe we have the quality. We want to stay in this league and are confident we'll do that."
Photos: Witters
