„A challenge, but also an opportunity“

Looking back, it was a really good week for us. Naturally, every player handled the journey and the seven-hour time difference differently, but we were able to train very effectively in the US. In addition to solid training sessions, we played a friendly match against an American second-division side; overall, it was a decent performance. We executed our game plan, created scoring chances, and found the back of the net—all while keeping a clean sheet. That said, we need to put the match into proper perspective, as the level of play won’t match what awaits us this Saturday and in the league. Above all, however, it gave us the chance to be together as a team with our current lineup for the first time. The squad—now competing in the 2. Bundesliga—has undergone quite a few changes since the summer training camp. We shared some great experiences and had a really enjoyable time. All in all, it was a successful week.

Forging connections between players—something that really only comes with experience—was indeed one of the biggest areas we worked on, and one we need to keep working on. Beyond that, we put a lot of effort into the fundamentals. We worked on defensive chain movements, spacing, and basic attacking runs. Now, it is about repeating the simple things over and over—simply to create more and more reference points to hold onto during a match. And I do believe we have made progress there.

Unfortunately, Fabi was ill last week. However, he is back out on the pitch now—not training with the squad yet, but back on the field. I can’t say exactly whether he’ll be training with the team again in two weeks or perhaps in just three days, but we can certainly see light at the end of the tunnel because his knee has become more stable. Luca was back out running the day before yesterday for the first time; that was an important step for him, and he is on schedule. And the plan remains the same: the second half of the season. With Mey, I’m hoping for a partial return to team training sometime next week, or the week after at the latest.

Cottbus has a team that favours a footballing approach and places great emphasis on attacking play. They invest heavily in building play up from the back and consistently involve almost all their players in the attack. In Bittencourt and Michelbrink, they also have two highly mobile defensive midfielders who bring a lot of movement to the game. Cigerci is certainly a player capable of deciding a match at any moment. I enjoy watching them; it’s great to see how boldly they play and how they’ve carried the momentum from their promotion into this season. Their results reflect this, too—scores like 4–4 or 4–3 usually make for wild matches. Naturally, this presents both a major challenge and an opportunity for us this weekend. On one hand, we want to capitalise on the chances that are likely to arise against them. At the same time, we have to defend with extreme discipline and avoid being drawn out of position, so we don’t give them too many opportunities in our own half. I believe the key for us will be preventing them from getting too close to our goal.