Can we get your reaction to the game, the performance and the result?
I'm always struggling when you lose a football game. I will always struggle during my whole life to accept a loss, but if you're really honest, we also knew this game, and this opponent, came a bit too early in pre-season and just after being together for five days.
For that, I have to say the lads were there with a really solid start and I liked in the first half we accepted Man United’s a really good side. They had lots of possession and tried to put pressure on us, but it was important to dig in and also to be really, really compact and solid in defending.
I was proud the lads were able to return back to the dressing room at half-time with a clean sheet. We also looked sharp on the counter-attack, apart from two or three individual errors, we didn't allow them to have too many big chances.
Second half I liked also our attitude to bring the game more and more into their half. We had good scenes in our pressing, good intensity and it felt a bit [like] the momentum changes and we could even win this game.
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You have to be also clinical and then play without any mistakes in the back and sadly we had one or two individual errors in the situation [and] conceded out of this. I’m not too annoyed with the goals because, in the last six days, we have just worked on our possession and how we want to work with the ball and not at all on what we want to do against the ball.
To come out against such a strong side like Man United, that was a solid start. I saw many glimpses of what we want to bring on the pitch.
How much progress do you think you've made in a week? As much as you wanted to?
It’s a work in progress and we have to work on many, many topics at the moment. First of all, to give the players confidence back and trust back after a really difficult month for them because they lost many games.
I’m also the fifth manager in 2023. It’s not easy for the lads because they hear many different thoughts, many different ideas. Right now it's up to me to give them a bit more stability and confidence and trust and also to bring my ideas across.
I have to say they work unbelievably hard and even today you saw some glimpses. If I'm honest, we have also to work a lot on the fitness level.
We have worked quite hard during the last five days, didn't pay any attention on this game because we want to get the players fit, not for this game, but for the long season. For that they have to work unbelievably hard.
We also know there is obviously also uncertainty within the group due to the situation after relegation and who will be there when it really counts and all the games start. It's not an easy situation, a hell of a task, I have to say, but I was fully aware of this and I'm working each and every day in order to be in a good position with this amazing club.
I have to say the players buy into it so far and work unbelievably hard. Hopefully, we can go on like this.
What can you tell us about the squad? We're constantly asked who's coming, who's going. What can you tell us?
It’s too early to judge it and also speak about it. We have, of course, already lost a few players and everyone knows about the situation.
They went out on loan so we don't get any money out of this. It's a situation after relegation. There are a few clauses and we have to accept it. It's no complaining about this.
The situation is like it is. We just have to make sure and have to be fully aware this will never happen again in the future. We accept the situation and we know it’s a difficult task, but if it would be easy everyone could do it.
I'm looking forward to bringing the solidity and stability into the staff and we have to wait until the end of August, that's the truth, and until then we won’t know who is really with us for the whole season. Obviously, we need to be there with some good decisions over the next weeks in order to win also as many points as possible in August because each and every point will count, but it will be a long, long time until the transfer window’s over and we'll see what happens.
Have you had conversations with players about their future and wanting to keep them?
Yes, obviously, each and every day we have many, many conversations but it's not up to me to speak in public about this. So it's important that we do this behind closed doors and be sure so we work our socks off right now really, each and every day.
At the moment, the days don't have enough hours if I'm honest, in order to do all the work. It will last a while to be in a really solid position that we have a big, clearer picture who is with us and who is not and it's also important to be professional and to work really hard on our fitness level also, to bring our ideas to the players of course in order to be prepared when things really count.
Are you optimistic based on what you’ve talked about with players that you can keep the ones you want?
Yes, if you're not convinced then you can't do the job, you always have to be optimistic, but also realistic. So my job is always I like to speak honest and pretty transparent about the situation and not to paint a picture just full of sunlight and glory days.
Our club will always be full of ambitions and want to play on the top level, this will be always be our mid and long-term ambition and also our long term and mid-term targets. But reality is also that it's a difficult situation and we have a hell of a task ahead of us and we're working unbelievably hard. It's also quite important to be honest and open about the situation.
Have you have confidence from Nick Hammond about whether transfers in might be imminent?
I have unbelievable confidence of how hard our people, our key people behind the scenes work. So they also are not responsible for the situation, they have to respect also all the contracts, how they are and we're working from this point, so there's no complaining about the situation or accusing. Not at all, we just accept the situation.
My confidence is we have so many good people in this club and so many people who work unbelievably hard for club. Everyone knows that we are in a bit of a tricky situation as a club. But I totally trust our supporters because my feeling is, because I follow this club for many years, when it really counts and the times are really difficult then we stand together as one unity and this feeling I have today only just after a few days.
I know till the end of August they are tricky times but we need our supporters, especially during this time, even more they need to carry us a little bit and our responsibility is to work unbelievably hard to fulfil our expectations and also our and their ambitions. We're trying to do this.
We only spoke to eight days ago of course at Elland Road, I imagine a lot of work has gone on in the last eight days. What have you learned from that first week and have fringe players like Poveda caught your eye, has anyone surprised you?
Well, at the moment I think it's important to give everyone a chance to present themselves because it's pre-season, it's a fresh start and everyone has chance but we just can bring them close to the door, they have to make the step through themselves so everyone has the same chances to impress. It's difficult to say how the squad will look like when the end of August comes and for that we don't send any player away or write them off anyhow, so everyone has a chance to impress and for that pre-season is there.
