On Friday, Ilyas Trenz will sit on the bench as coach in the 3rd division for the first time. This is how he wants to get Alemannia Aachen back on track.
On Wednesday, Ilyas Trenz sat on the podium for the first time as head coach before a third division game. The 28-year-old didn’t let that show. With complete conviction, a lot of self-confidence, and a zest for action, he looked ahead to the away game against Wehen Wiesbaden (Friday, 7 p.m.).
The interim coach had had a “turbulent few days” following the dismissal of head coach Benedetto Muzzicato. He was not involved in the dismissal process. Rachid Azzouzi, managing director of sports, simply called him after the decision had been made. The question of whether he would take on the interim position did not even arise. “To be honest, Rachid didn’t even ask me,” said Trenz with a laugh. “Because it’s obvious. I know the team and have a good feeling about what is needed. I’m not afraid and I like to take on responsibility. I have a good team at my side and on the pitch.“
What is important now? ”Calm, clarity, prudence, and focus on what is really important,“ he said, emphasizing: ”We have to tune out the noise and prepare the team. The task is huge, but we’re not afraid; we’re very confident.“
Alemannia Aachen is in third-to-last place after eleven games, having won only three. ”We all take that personally. We’ve closed the door, told ourselves the truth and what matters now.“
What is that? ”After Schweinfurt, we conceded the most big chances,“ said Trenz, adding: ”That’s what it’s all about: consistency in defense, clarity, compactness and still having the team high up the field so that we can play to our strengths.”
Because his team has “great offensive players with high individual quality and fast defenders. The team dictates how we play.” Not much will change in terms of the basic idea of how the team is structured and formed. But: “Clarity, compactness, aggressiveness, intensity. Those will be the things that set us apart.”
On Friday, the former assistant coach will have to do without Mika Hanraths, Fabio Torsiello, Gianluca Gaudino, Jeremias Lorch, Matti Wagner, Nils Winter, Lamar Yarbrough, and Lukas Scepanik. Niklas Castelle’s participation is questionable.