The transfer window is closed and the international break is coming to an end. Before the Green-Whites return to the pitch in the league game away to FC Ingolstadt 04 on Saturday (13:30 CEST), head coach Markus Anfang looked back on the transfer period as well as the week’s training. “We’ve got our squad together,” said the head coach. “Our rebuilding process should start with these players, so it’s on us as a training staff to develop and take care of them.”
As well as this, Markus Anfang spoke about the international break itself, the squad and the mood in the team. WERDER.DE has all the latest from the head coach.
... the end of the transfer window: “Of course, the main issue of the last few weeks has been the transfer period, but now it’s over and we know what we’re working with until at least January. We’re more clear now on the structure of the squad and which players we can work with. It is a team which we want to develop further. Now, we can have a look at where we have any other issues and sort them out in the winter.”
... the squad itself: “Our rebuilding process should start with these players, so it’s on us as a training staff to develop and take care of them. It’s September now and we’re still getting started. It’s difficult to know how long it will take to develop the squad and get them up to speed. What’s important is we make the next steps as a team and remain mature, and confident that we will not play at this level for a long time.”
... the injury situation: “Ömer Toprak has a muscle problem and took a day off yesterday as a precaution. Leonardo Bittencourt’s knee looks more stable and he feels better himself. We will only let him take part in full training when he has absolutely no trouble with it anymore. I hope that he will be ready to get back into the team and integrate himself in the next couple of weeks. We’re still waiting for news on Felix Agu’s treatment and length of absence – we don’t want to rush him into it.”
Read more: Agu and Schönfelder to take time out due to muscular injuries
... the mood in the team: “There is a lot of respect between one another. It’s important to me that the lads have fun – they can all have a joke about me if they want, I have no problem with that, but they all need to deliver on the pitch. A relaxed atmosphere provides better chances and will help the guys develop.”
... the international break and the upcoming opponents: “We took our friendly in the break very seriously. Every game in the 2. Bundesliga is difficult – I know that from experience. That said, we can use what we achieved against Rostock to help us. We created more shots and more chances, and scored more goals as a result. Ingolstadt will be a difficult team to play against. They play lots of long balls, and put the pressure on the back line with their high pressing style.”
... Marco Friedl: “Marco knows he made a mistake and that he has to work hard to make up for it. It didn’t do well for him, but he’s not actually a bad person. Now, when I look at Marco I see him getting stuck in. He’s showing that he wants to be in the team to play.”
