“We have no more time to give away”
What do you need to win football matches? Well, against Bayern, you need to be on your best day and count on them to be off-colour. The most important thing, though, is that any team facing the record German champions needs to believe that they have a chance. Tayfun Korkut reflected this mood on Friday afternoon in his press conference. “It’s all about leaving nothing on the table in terms of our performance. We need to be wide awake and aware in defence, full-blooded in every tackle and challenge, and show our creativity going forward. It’s clear that we’re coming up against a top side and are in for a real challenge,” said Korkut, calling on his squad: “We need to play the way we trained from the first whistle. We have no more time to give away, and we can’t afford to make the mistakes we did on Wednesday against Bayern.” Arne Friedrich was alongside Korkut in the media room today, and added: “Everybody has an opportunity to do their bit. After all, we’re in this boat together.” herthabsc.com have got all the latest from the head coach and sporting director here.
Tayfun Korkut and Arne Friedrich on...
... building back up after the derby defeat:
Tayfun Korkut: It was extremely important to have an honest and critical debrief from that game. We looked at our mistakes, analysed them and discussed them frankly, so we don’t do the same again. Self-criticism is always the first stage of improvement and we and only improve our game in that way. We can’t let periods like the opening 30 minutes happen again and we can’t accept them. We’ve now got the next opportunity to be more positive.
... dealing with disappointment:
Arne Friedrich: The game has been a wake-up call for us al. When I had times like this as a player, I always looked inward at myself and asked myself what I can do better and if I’m doing all I can to be successful. That has to be fundamental to every player and member of staff. When I was playing I went through some crises and had bad games. We never pointed the finger at anyone. Everyone has an opportunity to do their bit to get us out of this situation. After all, we’re all in the same boat.
... a tough task against FC Bayern:
Tayfun Korkut: We started poorly against both Wolfsburg and Union, even if we improved over the 90 minutes in the two games. We need to be consistently active in games from the start and play the way we train from the first minute. We have no more time to give away; we made that clear to the team. Above all, we can’t afford to make mistakes against Bayern like we did on Wednesday.
... a recipe to beat the “Rekordmeister”:
Tayfun Korkut: It’s all about leaving nothing on the table in terms of our performance; everyone needs to challenge themselves. We’re not going to go into the game and wait to be hunted, we’re going to try and create some chances. To do that, we’ll need to be wide awake and aware in defence, full-blooded in every tackle and challenge, and show our creativity going forward. It’s clear that we’re coming up against a top side and are in for a real challenge. We need to believe in what we do.
... a possible return for Stevan Jovetić:
Tayfun Korkut: If he does play, he brings a lot of creativity and calmness, especially in the final third. That said, we can’t forget that he’s been out for a lot of weeks. We need to be smart and find the right moment to bring him in. He’s a player who connects the midfield and front line, and can definitely make a difference.