“We have a clear intention of getting a home win”

If you look at the season so far and the development of FCM, Magdeburg is the favourite on paper. However, I feel that we are very willing to get our first home win. We didn’t lose twice at home. The win at Schalke also built a bridge for us into the season. We now have to go over these. We have a clear intention of getting a home win. There is a desire within the team to say against a top team in the league: “Hey, we have to beat us first.” This mentality is good for us. We should combine them with another step forward in football content. We will need this. Because Magdeburg will be the most challenging game in terms of content.

I try to weight the elements of our idea of ​​football towards the opponent so that the elements that best suit the opponent are more prominent. But it won’t be a completely new idea.

We didn’t have 90 top minutes at Schalke last week. Especially in the first half we can talk about our defensive performance, which wasn’t good. But we had extremely good offensive actions in the first half, and in terms of chances, it was definitely not a two-goal gap at the break. We achieved something in the second half. Of course the win at Schalke gives us self-confidence. However, it must not lead to us working even one millimeter less.

I am very pleased that we were able to respond to a difficult market. Big compliment to the sports management. We got what we wanted in both positions. With Marco Thiede we have received an experienced second division player. He is an incredibly good guy and a team player who can be used without hesitation. His signing was of course very important after Matze Bader was out. With Philipp Förster it was an extraordinary constellation that we were able to sign him. The overall Darmstadt 98 package convinced him – both the game idea and the basic sporting approach to developing into a dominant team, as well as the absolutely modern work around the team. In terms of potential, he is a first division player and has already proven this. He has a lot of creativity and calmness on the ball. He can play the last pass and also be a goal threat himself. Overall, it fits our style of play very well. Now it’s up to both of them to prove themselves. Both newcomers will probably be in the squad on Saturday.

I see Isac being extremely effective in combination with the rest of our players. He gives us depth and has a very good one-on-one game. It’s obvious that he has an incredible finish. He also sacrifices himself enormously for the team and makes a lot of runs that open up space for others. Isac is the mix of a central striker and a winger, while Fraser Hornby is the mix of a central striker and a number 10. In the combination behind him with the creative players like Killian Corredor, Luca Marseiler and now Philipp Förster, Isac has guys behind him who can serve him. Overall, we have a certain facet on offense.