Schultz: "We can be extremely awkward for any team if..."
Thursday, 23. September 2021, 14:18 Uhr
The Boys in Brown continue their league campaign away at Karlsruhe on Saturday (13:30 CET). In the run-up to the game, head coach Timo Schultz met the media to talk about the task facing his side at KSC.
Timo Schultz on…
...the personnel situation: I expect Finn Ole Becker to be ruled out along with Eric Smith. Marvin Knoll picked up a calf injury during the week, but Jannes Wieckhoff should be able to resume training today or tomorrow. Sebastian Ohlsson is on his way back but isn't an option for the weekend."
...changes to the starting line-up: "There won't be four or five changes, that's for sure, but we are giving one or two positions some thought. The Ingolstadt game showed we have enough options and lads who want to get out and play and should be playing to be fair. The most recent game is always a selection parameter, but so are performances in training and what the opposition have to offer."
...whether his team are a top side yet: We have 13 points and rightly so. We'll take the spell we're in right now and want to build on it but we also want to do well away from home and pick up some points. Do that, and everything will be going in the right direction. Are we a top side yet? We don't give it much thought because we realise that to be successful we have to work hard on the training ground every day and perform at the weekend."
...the fast-moving nature of the job: "You read the news and you understand some things more than others. There are only three coaches - at Heidenheim, Karlsruhe and Regensburg - who've been in the job longer than me and I've only been here just over a year. That shows the fast-moving nature of the business. Whether that's a good thing - when on the one hand you always talk about wanting to develop something and on the other hand you replace the most important person on the footballing side - is anyone's guess."
...opponents Karlsruhe: "We didn't do so well in either game last season, so we hope the outcome will be different this season. Like us, KSC are a very homogeneous and well-oiled side. They have a lot of quality in attack in Philipp Hofmann, Marvin Wanitzek and Kyoung-rok Choi. We have to focus on stopping them. They thrive on their collective and are very compact."
...the clash of the two teams with the most points in 2021: "Lots has gone well for both teams this year. We've both had plenty of success on the pitch and achieved some degree of continuity in squad and playing terms, which is an advantage at the start of the season when other teams with new coaches and lots of new signings are still finding their feet. We know we have no reason to hide. We can be extremely awkward for any team if we 'get our horsepower' onto the pitch. When we press the ball aggressively in defence, get forward and gamble successfully, we're capable of beating anyone in this league."
Photos: Witters
