Struber: A good balance of analysis and focus

1. FC Köln welcome SC Paderborn to the RheinEnergieSTADION on Friday evening at 18:30 CEST. Ahead of the Matchday 10 match-up, FC head coach, Gerhard Struber and Head of Football, Thomas Kessler spoke at the pre-match press conference.

Gerhard Struber spoke about…

…the fitness update: “Dejan Ljubicic is fit for the game on Friday. In regard to Mark Uth, we’re looking at giving him another game in the under-21s. It looks good that he’ll be back in the squad soon.”

…the strong criticism from Christian Keller after the Darmstadt game: “I have understanding for the disappointment. It was a really bad game, there are no doubts about that. I’m here to develop things and that’s why it was important to analyse the game. Now we’re rolling up our sleeves to do it better.”

…the analysis of the defeat: “We spoke very clearly about the last game. We don’t want to play like that again. The lads were very critical of their own performances. We’ve been intensive when it comes to analysing the match. Now all the lads are ready for the game on Friday against Paderborn. We found a good balance between the analysis of the previous match and focus on the task ahead. On Friday, we have the chance to show a good reaction and also the direction in which we want to go.”

…the opposition, Paderborn: “Paderborn are a team with continuity. You can see the coach’s impact over a longer time span. They are variable when it comes to going forward and we have to be stable in all phases of play, in order to win the ball back and show our strengths going forward. We have to be robust and find a good balance. We want to bring a positive energy onto the pitch.”

Thomas Kessler spoke about…

…the atmosphere surrounding the team: “For me, it was important that the team were self-critical of the game in Darmstadt, and they did that. Now we have a home game, under the lights and in front of 50,000. That’s what we’re concentrating on. Wins will help to make the atmosphere better.”