Bundesliga football club VfL Bochum has ended its winter preparation without a win. Patrick Fabian, Managing Director Sport, takes stock.
VfL Bochum tested twice on Friday. Two groups tried to win on the last day of preparation. But against the Hungarian second division team Diósgyőri VTK (0:3) as well as against FC Luzern (1:1) they did not succeed.
One week before the Bundesliga restart (21 January, 3.30 p.m., live in the RS ticker) against Hertha BSC, RevierSport spoke to Patrick Fabian, managing director of sport, about the winless preparation, the team’s deficits and the role of the new arrivals.
Patrick Fabian, the training camp is coming to an end. What is your conclusion?
I think we worked very well here, but unfortunately God didn’t give us a win in the test matches. And that’s what football is all about in the end. That’s where we have to get to, that we reward ourselves accordingly in the league and get victories.
Seven test matches without a win. Where do you see the reasons?
You have to look at it in a differentiated way. Before Christmas, we were tired, the team was always mixed up and not well-rehearsed at one point or another. That can’t be an excuse for not winning games. That also applies to the training camp here. In the end, you can put in as much effort as you like, it’s all about winning and we didn’t win. We have to recognise that, but we don’t have to put it any higher than it is. Because if we had won everything, it wouldn’t do us any good if things went wrong in the Bundesliga.
What is the team still lacking at the moment?
The final consistency. Especially in the last third, we often have good opportunities to get into the box and just don’t get the ball in or are technically a bit sloppy. That’s why we miss good opportunities. On the other hand, we have to say that we simply have to remain error-free. We didn’t manage to do that in the games and the opponents punished us directly. That’s how the results come about in the end. Of course, the game against Diósgyőri was not worthy of Bochum and the other games were okay in terms of commitment and the way we performed. But as I said, it’s all about winning.
Keven Schlotterbeck seems to have taken hold. Pierre Kunde, on the other hand, was not in the (apparently stronger) second group on Friday. Did that mean anything?
It was about Pierre getting 90 minutes. That’s what he got. It is important for him to go the full distance. He played in the World Cup, but not for a long time before that. It was important that every player got the 90 minutes in his legs. That doesn’t say much about what will happen against Berlin.
Is it a relief that things are finally getting underway again after the long winter break and preparation?
It’s just enough now, it’s been dragging on. Now it’s back to points next week and everything that’s been going on in the last few weeks is a bit moot. Everyone longs for the competition to be against other Bundesliga teams.