“We’ll leave it all out there”
Marco Rose’s speaks ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Freiburg on matchday 14 | Squad updates ahead of the game
Just two more games this year! Attention now turns to Wednesday evening as second-placed Freiburg are coming to town (9th November 2022, 20:30 CET). SCF are in fine form this season, have picked up eight wins in the Bundesliga and are unbeaten in the UEFA Europa League.
Leipzig’s head coach Marco Rose faced the media ahead of the game to discuss the upcoming opponents, the intense schedule and the state of the squad.
Marco Rose on ...
... SC Freiburg:
“Freiburg have a lot of quality players in their ranks and they have really grown as a team over several years. Game by game they show that they have a clear way of playing and they are prepared to play football, to work hard and to fight. They have conceded few goals so far this season and they give it everything at the back as a collective unit, but they also have many sides to their game. They score lots of goals from set pieces. This is an old strength of this team that they have maintained to this day.
However, we are also in good shape and we are a tough team to come up against. We need to be on it, we need to stay focussed, we need to be attentive to the long balls and we need to react to the first and second balls. We will leave it all out there. If we continue to play with confidence, we will get results.”
.. SC's head coach Christian Streich:
“Christian Streich is the bedrock of that club, he is down to earth and wears his heart on his sleeve. He looks at the bigger picture and he has a very positive attitude. He’s a great guy.”
... The Champions League draw againt Manchester City:
“We take it for what it is. There are lots of great teams in the last 16 and we can’t start talking about what’s possible and what isn’t. Manchester City have lots of world class players. I played there myself and the team have already faced them, so we know what we’re up against. We’ve shown that we can surprise a few people and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Other News:
Marco Rose on ...
... the busy schedule:
“We’re looking back on the last few weeks in a positive light and from my perspective we have coped really well. The intense schedule isn’t over yet, though! We still want and need to push ourselves to the limit. We’ve gone about things really well. We’ve been at a good level physically and we’ve consistently brought our intensity onto the pitch. Despite the heavy workload there have hardly been any muscle injuries. The absences we’ve had have been extremely unfortunate. I am very grateful to the medical department and to the athletic and rehabilitation coaches. They are total professionals who make good decisions and have a clear idea of everything.”
... Dominik Szoboszlai:
"It's good for Szobo (Dominik Szoboszlai) that he feels the confidence we have in him and that he’s seeing lots of game time. He repays this trust everyday with top performances and he does it in every game both with and without the ball. He has clear tasks and we know where his qualities lie. If he keeps delivering this high standard then he’ll be out on the pitch. We also want to maintain the healthy competition for places. Every player deserves the chance to show what they can do. The ones who do it the best will be playing.”
... Dani Olmo:
"Dani Olmo is quite happy to be getting back into his rhythm. He’s been putting in strong performances since his return, he’s been able to play for longer periods and he has been directly involved in lots of our attacking play. He is making a good impression!"
... The plan for the rest of the year:
“We will continue to work and train until the start of December. A few of our boys will be with their national teams. The training sessions will be about maintaining our fitness levels and working on the important things. The upcoming friendlies will be a good chance to look at the younger players who we will bring into training for the upcoming Bundesliga matches.”
Squad updates:
- Lukas Klostermann will complete parts of team training. His fitness for the game will be decided at the last minute.
- Mohamed Simakan is back in team training after his shoulder injury. A decision on whether he can feature against Freiburg will be made in the final training session.
- Amadou Haidara will presumably be available for selection.
- Konrad Laimer is training individually.
- Timo Werner underwent successful surgery on Monday after suffering a syndesmosis ligament injury in his left ankle during the 4-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on 2nd November.
- Kevin Kampl is currently on four yellow cards.