Captain Anthony Losilla describes the situation at VfL Bochum and believes in the chance to annoy Bayern Munich despite the crisis.

The first day of training under the direction of the interim duo Markus Feldhoff and Murat Ural has been completed, and VfL Bochum has started preparing for the game against record champions FC Bayern Munich on Sunday (October 27, 3:30 p.m.).

For Anthony Losilla, it is the eleventh coaching team since the captain signed in 2014 at Castroper Straße. “This is not easy for anyone to experience – for the team, for those in charge and for those who were there,” the veteran describes the situation at VfL. “We are in a situation that is generally not easy. But those in charge have made the decision, we have to live with it and move on.”

At the bottom of the table with just one point, Bayern are coming, and then there are the events off the pitch: the situation at the Castroper Straße could hardly be more difficult. And that’s exactly where the team could draw some kind of liberation. “What do we have to lose? Nothing. We’re playing against one of the best teams in Europe and everyone expects us to get a beating,” says Losilla.

Instead, the 38-year-old is fighting. After all, VfL has won two of the eight competitive games against FCB with him on board. He also reminds us: “But we will do our best to annoy this opponent and have shown in the past that we can do that. For that, we need to see a better VfL Bochum, but should we just give up on Sunday and not go out on the pitch? That’s not in VfL Bochum’s DNA.”

As players, we have to focus on what we can influence, which means training better every day on the pitch and doing better to get out of the situation together as a club and as a team.

Anthony Losilla

In the first half of the away game in Sinsheim, VfL probably had its worst half of all time. “That was clearly not good enough from us. We have addressed very clear things that we need to improve. We don’t want to show a face like that again,” Losilla admits.

The Frenchman took stock of his and his teammates’ performances so far: “As players, we have to focus on what we can influence, which means training better and better every day on the pitch and doing better to get out of this situation together as a club and as a team. As the team captain, I’m responsible for bringing a good atmosphere into the team despite the difficult situation in order to be successful again.”

For the coaching team, the initial focus was on using game forms to bring “joy” back into training and into the team. “We will make a few adjustments in all areas, and in doing so, we will also pick up the players to put a team on the pitch that is convinced by what has just been given to them,” said Markus Feldhoff, also describing the importance of the exchange with the team.