“We have enormous respect for Magdeburg”

We’ve obviously been following Magdeburg over the past few weeks—that’s part of it, because we obviously want to prepare the team. But even without the coaching change, I would have said that this isn’t a normal bottom-of-the-table team. This is a team that has shown many extremes this season. (Former coach) Markus Fiedler has been incredibly unlucky. They haven’t scored a goal in their last four games, but they have an expected goals ratio of over 6—that’s insane. It’s actually unacceptable not to score a goal there.

We don’t really know what to expect. The advantage we have is that we know what we want and what we’re capable of. It’s a home game. We have great respect for Magdeburg because the individual quality in their squad remains high. They were fighting for promotion to the Bundesliga right up until the final matchday last season. But we want to try to play to our own strengths – because there’s no other sensible approach. I’ll know how the new coach wants to play on Sunday. That’s why the focus is all the more on us.

Individual preparation has increased significantly in general—and especially the willingness to do so. This has significant added value. We prepare all our players individually for their opponents and game situations. I think this is now part of a well-rounded professional’s overall picture. It doesn’t automatically mean you’ll score goals. But I do believe you increase the probability by a small percentage. It’s a very labour-intensive topic that often goes unnoticed.

It would be cool if Lilien players were at the 2026 World Cup. That would definitely make us look at things differently. That’s great for the guys, but it won’t get them a better percentage. I expect the same performance, even if they’re not competing for a World Cup. But it’s certainly something very special in a footballer’s life. That’s why I would be happy for Djanga if he were given the opportunity again in the autumn of his career. I would be just as happy for Isac.

Magdeburg is a team of extremes. We, on the other hand, are a team that doesn’t have a significant downward trend in the statistics and is in the top third in one or two areas. You won’t find a team in the league that dominates 34 games in its own way. Therefore, our idea was to cover all facets. Against Dresden, it was all about attacking them high and forcing turnovers. Against Düsseldorf, we had to play against an opponent, which we managed. All facets are extremely important because the games will pose different challenges for us. We’ll see on Sunday what Magdeburg will pose for us.

To be on the executive board for 29 years is to be highly recognised. Wolfang is very warm-hearted and very funny. Last year at the winter training camp we had a very nice morning where he took part in a team competition. I wish him all the best! Of course, I had a lot more contact with Rüdiger on a daily basis; after all, he was my boss. We spoke on the phone every evening. I will miss the phone calls with him. The conversations often turned into very interesting ones—and not just about football. He is someone who radiates a lot of calm and is very decisive. Thank you for the almost 13 months we had together. It was a very formative era for the club.