“Be as clinical as we have been recently“
Jesse Marsch speaks ahead of the matchday 12 fixture against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in a virtual press conference.
RB Leizpig will host Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the Red Bull Arena on Sunday at 17:30 CET. The ‘Werkself’ are the only side still unbeaten on the road in the Bundesliga this season.
Head coach Jesse Marsch spoke to the media in a virtual press conference ahead of this matchday 12 clash.
Jesse Marsch on...
...the game in Brugge:
- "The team, the coaching staff and the whole club dealt with the situation in Brugge brilliantly. The challenges before the game were huge. We needed a good plan. I told the lads and the coaches that I completely trust them.
We spoke about the Hoffenheim game on Monday. We talked about what wasn’t good and what we expect from ourselves. The timing of this situation was almost perfect. The conviction, mentality, aggression, performance and the way they stuck to the match plan were all fantastic. That’s what I always hope to see from our team. That’s our aim.”
…communication with the team:
- I sat in front of two screens and had two phones with me to be safe. We tried to use the scouting field but the connection in Brugge wasn’t strong enough, so I only had my TV. Communication during the game wasn’t easy because I was a minute behind, though we still managed to communicate well. Achim did a really good job and our match plan was put into practice excellently.
Having an empty stadium on Sunday will make communication between me and the coaching team easier, though it’s obviously not good that we won’t have any fans there. Football is really important to our society and it’s a real shame that our fans can’t watch us in the stadium and cheer us on. Our aim is to simply make them proud on Sunday, just as we did in Brugge.”
...further cases of Corona:
- “This situation is unfortunately not over yet as we’ve had more people test positive. In order to protect ourselves, we’re doing plenty of tests. We will need to remain patient and be flexible. We have to improve despite all these challenges. It’s a chance to show our quality.”
In order to protect ourselves, we’re doing plenty of tests. We will need to remain patient and be flexible.
... Josep Martínez’s performance:
- “Josep put in an unbelievable performance. He was on form right from the start of the game. He’s a young goalkeeper with a lot of confidence, and he’s very down-to-earth – I had no worries about him playing against Brugge. He’s trained really well and deserved this. The whole team was pleased for him.”
...the strike partnership of Brian Brobbey and André Silva:
- “When you play a diamond formation with two strikers, you need the two men up top to be able to work alone more often, as they’ve only got one attacking midfielder for support. When everyone works together, this is the best way to press and this could be the case against Leverkusen too.
Brian and André have done that really well recently and they were ready for an intensive game with lots of sprints. I was really happy with their general positioning and their overall performances. Getting a start and performing well was an important step for Brian. It will give him some confidence.”
...Bayer 04 Leverkusen:
- “Leverkusen have a really young and dynamic team. Their biggest strength is their play on the break – we’ll need to press them well and defend strongly when we’re outnumbered. We need to keep things secure, particularly in between the lines, play with intensity, and be as aggressive and clinical in the final third as we have been recently.”
Squad update:
- Amadou Haidara and Dominik Szoboszlai (both ankle) are options again for the Leverkusen game.
- Willi Orban, Yussuf Poulsen, Mohamed Simakan and Hugo Novoa all tested positive for Corona on Friday after a round of PCR tests. They are all self-isolating. Full details can be found here.
- Long-term absentees Dani Olmo (muscle strain in his left thigh), Marcel Halstenberg (meniscus tear in left knee), Marcelo Saracchi (torn ACL) all remain out.