“We have to find the right balance” | OneFootball

Board member for sport Markus Krösche, head coach Albert Riera and Ellyes Skhiri take stock of the draw in Augsburg.

Board member for sport Markus Krösche: “Given the way we played in the second half, the draw is a fair result. We were much better than we were before the break, when we struggled against a deep-lying opponent. We didn’t really find many solutions to that, and we gave them too many chances on the counter. We showed much greater energy and drive towards goal after the interval, and created some chances. Unfortunately we only came away with a point, but the second half was a big step forwards compared to the first. The race to finish seventh will go down to the wire, which is why it’s frustrating that we weren’t able to reward ourselves for our second-half display.” 

Head coach Albert Riera: “We came here to win and to take a step towards achieving our objective. We weren’t at our best in the first half, but we improved after the break. One of Augsburg’s greatest strengths is their ability on the counter and we wanted to defend against that, but we didn’t always do so successfully. In the second half we showed that we can also be dangerous in transition and that we’ve got the players for those moments. We have to find the right mix and balance. We had a really good week in training and now we need another one with the same attitude, atmosphere and intensity. We’re determined to get all three points at home next week. Every player is important, and they will all be important in the last three games. We need the character the team showed in the second half.”

Ellyes Skhiri: “We wanted more, we wanted the three points. The first half wasn’t good enough, but we were better in the second. We showed more intensity and had some good moments. That’s what we need to do over the full 90 minutes against Hamburg next Saturday. It’ll be a very different game and we’ll be ready for it.”