The third Bundesliga match within eight days for VfL Bochum 1848. This weekend, the blue and white team plays host to 1. FSV Mainz 05 (Saturday, 28 January, 15:30 CET). The team from the Rhine are four points ahead, so this is a very important game. Before the game, VfL head coach Thomas Letsch and sporting director Patrick Fabian answered the journalists' questions at the press conference as usual.
Thomas Letsch on...
...the personnel situation: Paul Grave, Cristian Gamboa and Michael Esser are still not available. Konstantinos Stafylidis and Ivan Ordets look better, both will be in the squad. Apart from that, all players are ready for action.
...Ivan Ordets: Whoever is in the squad is one hundred percent fit. In that respect, Ivan is also a candidate for the starting eleven. We think he can play 90 minutes.
...1. FSV Mainz 05: Mainz is a team that plays with very high intensity. They play aggressively and make it difficult for every opponent to create scoring chances. Offensively, they have a lot of power and are physically strong. It will be a different game than in Leverkusen. I think it will be quite intense. We have to be prepared for that. We can make Mainz a direct competitor.
...the winter signings for 1. FSV Mainz 05: Mainz is not the only club that has reinforced itself in the winter. Of course, Mainz have absolutely added quality with their new arrivals. The question is always how quickly a new player adapts and how quickly he can help a team. The bottom line is that they have definitely strengthened themselves.
...Pierre Kunde Malong: Pierre is an absolute option for the starting eleven. But there are also other options, we have several possibilities. The crucial thing is to find the right mix. We can see what qualities Pierre has. He knows the principles and the procedures by now.
...the topic of load control: In Leverkusen, we brought three fresh forces into the starting eleven with Takuma Asano, Erhan Masovic and Vasilios Lampropoulos. The probability is relatively high that there will be one or two changes again. On the positive side, our team makes a very good impression. They are fit, the preparation has paid off.
...about the lack of goals: The bottom line is that we didn't score enough goals and conceded too many. We have to work on both. It's up to the whole team. We have to work together as a team to create goal-scoring opportunities. Who finally kicks the ball over the line is secondary. It's much more about the final consistency and the final conviction. We have shot a lot at goal in the past two days.
Patrick Fabian on...
...possible transfer activities: The winter transfer window is open until 31 January. Something can happen until then. We have another game on Saturday, we'll have to wait and see. Basically, we are very happy with our new arrivals. With Lys Mousset, we are working on finding a solution. Apart from that, we are of course thinking about one or two other things.
