Weinzierl: “We want to get back on track”
FCA head coach wants the leaders of the squad to step up
First Team
26.10.2021, 12:17
Four days after the 4-1 defeat to 1. FSV Mainz 05, FC Augsburg travel to VfL Bochum for the second round of the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday (18:30 CEST). For FCA head coach Markus Weinzierl, the task in hand is crystal-clear: advance to the next round.
Looking back at the last league match, Weinzierl is assured of one thing: “We should not be putting in performances like that.” But in terms of the upcoming match against Bochum, he also knows this: “It’s a game which isn’t part of our league campaign which we can use to gain confidence, and one in which one team will advance and the other will exit the competition – and we want to advance.”
“It will definitely be a fight,” added the FCA head coach. One thing he thinks will do his team some good is that they show fight despite defeat. “If we can pick up two wins in four days, we can quite quickly get back on track,” Weinzierl added.
FCA will have to do without Niklas Dorsch and Fredrik Jensen for the cup match, whilst Felix Uduokhai will be out for a longer period. Reece Oxford and Mads Pedersen have not taken part in various training sessions recently and so they are both doubts as well. A final decision will be made after the team’s final training session.
"Give their best for the team"
It’s important for Weinzierl that he can trust his players. “We, the coaching staff need to set our expectations appropriately, hold the players accountable to them, and then they need to give their best for the team,” he demanded. The head coach, captain and the board need to communicate with each other so the club can move in the right direction. “The current team spirit is good. If it’s not going well at any point, the leaders in the squad need to take responsibility. We’ll only turn things around if we have a good team structure, and I trust this group to do that.”
One of the leaders in the squad is Alfred Finnbogason. He’s been back in team training for three weeks and demands something from his teammates: “I’m focusing on helping the team and I think everyone in the squad should ask themselves the question: How can I have a positive influence on the team?” Finnbogason is confident in his team’s ability: “The results we’ve picked up recently have no bearing on our quality as a side, we’re simply not getting the mental side of it right.” Looking ahead to the cup tie, Finnbogason knows one thing for sure: “We all need to make sure that we start picking up some victories, and we can start by doing that tomorrow. Even a scrappy win can set us on our way for some good results.”
