At the press conference ahead of the premier league match with Go Ahead Eagles, head coach Peter Bosz emphasized once again that his team must perform and cannot sit back. "We are not allowed, we have to," he said.
How do you look back on the earlier midweek game with Go Ahead Eagles?
"There was a clear difference between the two halves: in the first half we didn't cover through properly, so things didn't go the way we wanted. In the second half we did that better: we covered that extra ten meters through and that had an immediate effect. You saw that Go Ahead Eagles was forced to shoot the ball forward more often as a result."
Why do you fail to perform consistently?
"I find it hard to pinpoint. Before the game we talk about it with each other, we train well and then you see that the first half is not what you want. We are in this together, and I bear the final responsibility. I decide how we prepare and train, but of course I also have different ideas than you see. Last year we won together, now we're not getting the results we need, and we do that together as well."
How is the feeling within the group?
"In the locker room after yesterday's game the main feeling was disappointment. That feeling will surely remain for a while, but we have to turn that into decisiveness and feelings of revenge."
It's a lot about the mental capacity of your team, how do you look at that?
"I think that's always very important in top sports. You have to try to keep things going and that's just the tricky thing. I warned about that at the beginning of the season, but I keep talking to my players about it every day. Yesterday I addressed the whole group, today I focus more on individual conversations. Whether individually, in groups or by line, we talk to each other and share our insights. In addition, the group discusses the matches among themselves, which they review together on computers."
What gives you confidence for tomorrow in the Adelaarshorst?
"I'm the one who writes out the battle plan, makes the lineup and highlights the details with which we can hurt them. I will discuss that again with my squad in a moment. We realize very well that we are going to Go Ahead Eagles and that that is a hugely important match. We have to keep our heads up and perform. We are not allowed, we have to."
What is the state of the selection?
"Mauro Júnior and Esmir Bajraktarević will not be there tomorrow. For the rest, the long-term injuries are missing, i.e. Pepi, Tillman and Dest."