“It’s fascinating that the team doesn’t stop”

Three points in Regensburg would of course be a nice Christmas present. I hope we can do that. But this will only work with 100% energy, attention and physical performance.

On paper we are the favourites. But we were already like that against Münster and Ulm. That’s why being a favourite doesn’t mean anything. Much more important is the substantive engagement with the opponent, which requires respect. We assume that we will have a difficult place. Our game requires a high level of concentration, especially on this surface. We want to win the game and definitely want to end the year in a way that feels good to us. It will be a difficult game. We have 0.0 percent of the idea that we only have to play in Regensburg. I don’t feel this in anyone on the team either. I went into the week with the intention of squashing these thoughts as soon as they came up. But I didn’t have to. The boys continue to train very well and are extremely hungry.

Despite many negative experiences, Jahn has had an upward footballing trend in recent weeks. They have significantly improved their defensive behaviour. They play a really well-organised and high press. Regensburg also has a lot of speed in some positions. So we have to be very alert and not allow ourselves to make simple mistakes.

We recently played 4-3-3, 4-2-2-2 and also with a diamond. We’ve managed to stop playing in a fixed formation. Our base is 4-2-2-2, but we have developed that further. And we’re now looking again at what the best option will be for Regensburg. If we had problems scoring our goals, it was against deep opponents. But actually it’s a cool situation to often have the ball 30 meters in front of the opponent’s goal. And in the last few weeks we have tried to work out further solutions for this with the team. I’m still undecided about how Regensburg will approach it – whether it’s going to be deep or with high pressing. But we will be prepared for both variants.

I’m happy that the team likes what I tell them and that it works. But no match plan in the world is more important than the individual player or his performance. The idea of ​​a match plan emerges throughout the week. We have an opponent analysis at the beginning of the week, and I also watch the opponent’s entire games. Then we have a long meeting in the coaching team where we discuss what we want to do. But the most important part is conveying this to the player so that they can be successful. This is done in a combination of training forms and video analysis. But what’s even more important is that we play to our own strengths. What can we do? What suits the opponent best? We cut out parts of our own game idea that are promising and could cause the most problems for the opponent. These are small but not unimportant percentages. Nevertheless, in the end it is the players‘ individual and team performance that is crucial.

I find it fascinating that the team doesn’t stop. An example: We had two days off at the beginning of the week. I come to the stadium on Tuesday morning due to other appointments. And I see two thirds of the team in the weight room. This is exactly the mentality you need to be successful. I don’t feel any fatigue in the team – neither physically nor mentally. However, you cannot maintain this state indefinitely. The mixture of tension and relaxation is important. We are now looking forward to the tension and a cool game. Afterwards we are also looking forward to spending ten days with the families.