“It’s always nice to play in Nürnberg”

There was a lot of fire and intensity in today’s final training session. The guys who didn’t play on the first matchday are pushing hard, and that’s how it should be. It’s very pleasing for me, and for the team as well, because it keeps the quality of training very high. We have a lot of competition, and yet I feel like the team was close. When training is over, all the players are on good terms with each other. But on the pitch, it’s all about the action, that’s how it should be.

A big club awaits us – with a great tradition and a passionate fan base. It’s always nice to play in Nürnberg because you immediately feel how deeply rooted the club is in the city and what it means to the people there.

Miroslav Klose and his team are pursuing a playing approach that was already evident last season. They generally don’t play in rigid positions, but rather create targeted interdependencies through possession. The game is characterised by many one-twos, positional changes, and rotations – embedded in a structure with clear anchor points.

Up front, Stepanov is a very powerful striker who serves as a target player. I remember Biron from the Belgian league – a strong dribbler with a lot of pace. In defence, Robin Knoche brings stability as an experienced central defender, and Justvan, one of the league’s most creative players, plays in the number 10 position.

Nürnberg has a strong core of second-division quality, centered around a host of talented young players. They play confidently and with clear attacking skills. When they’re out of possession, they’re also not afraid to defend in a deeper zone.

Talking always makes sense – the question is just when and at what point. I think team leadership is an important topic, and we have a clear line about when we communicate, who’s in the squad and who’s playing. The human element of our interactions always remains the same – regardless of the decision. Not only the head coach plays a role in this, but also the coaching staff, assistant coaches, physiotherapists, and the team manager. Decisions should always be clear and understandable – and communicated in the same way. I’m pleased with the current sense of competition and the strong team spirit within the team.

Nobody will ever believe me, but Vuko is the nicest person in the dressing room. He’s a very sociable, likeable person with great empathy. As a character, he’s truly remarkable. Football-wise, he has tremendous power in the air and is an uncompromising defender. He made tremendous progress with the ball last season. What I particularly appreciate about him is his desire to constantly develop and learn new things. Vuko is an absolute leader and a key player in our team.

I didn’t think our opening play in the game against Bochum was optimal. While we played very well and directly into the ten-yard box, our opening play, especially in the back line, could have been improved. We also need to be more vigilant in the rest of the defence after losing the ball. Our pressing, on the other hand, was very strong throughout the game, and we created the most big chances in the entire league on that matchday. The four goals we scored were absolutely deserved.

Our absolute focus is on tomorrow’s match against Nürnberg. On Saturday, we’ll give the players who haven’t played many minutes so far the chance to get some good match practice against a third-division team. It’s entirely possible that one or two of those in the squad against Nuremberg will also be there on Saturday – assuming they haven’t played much. Basically, though, the goal is to give specific minutes to those who haven’t played much due to injury or availability. It’s especially important right now that all the players get enough playing time, because I’m absolutely certain we’ll need every single player over the course of the season.