“Demand the necessary intensity” | OneFootball

Robin Koch explains why he attaches great importance to basic principles from day one, how he wants to lead by example and how the first few days of pre-season are going.

Robin Koch on …

… the start of pre-season training: “Very nice. Especially after such a long break, everyone’s happy to see each other in the dressing room again and to train in front of 2,000 fans twice. It’s always special to be welcomed like this.”

… Adi Hütter: “You can obviously tell he’s got a lot of experience as a coach. That’s rubbing off on the team in the first few days. On the one hand he has a sense of calm; on the other, everyone’s felt the intensity he brings to training from day one. We’ll need that. The first impression is very good.”

… who will be named captain: “It’s quite normal that a coach wants to have a look at everything first. It’s important for us as a team to have the feeling that everyone needs to prove themselves and is given a new chance. Everyone’s thrown themselves into training from the first session. That results in good intensity in training, which is extremely important for us. The coach has only just arrived, wants to look at everything and will then make a decision.”

… his role: “I’ve always aspired to lead by example and be a leader. It’s a great honour to have been made captain at Eintracht Frankfurt last year. I can always improve, including as captain. I start with myself – I certainly didn’t reach my maximum performance last season. So, I repeat myself: that starts in training, I want to take the boys along with me and demand the necessary intensity from all of us.”  

… lessons from last season: “There were lots of reasons. It’s important to look forward and start with the basics, like showing aggression. We need to be nasty to play against again, especially at home. We’re laying the foundation for that now. The coaching team have demanded from day one that we have aggression and intensity in training, without the ball and in general.  First and foremost it’s about applying the fundamentals. In my view, that’s one reason why last season didn’t go as well as hoped.”

… tactics: “I’m very familiar with both three-man and four-man defences. In England I pretty much only played in a back four and I feel comfortable in both formations. The important thing is having every player in his best position. It’s about how we defend together.”

… the upcoming training camp: “With a new coaching team and a changed team, a training camp is even more valuable for getting to know each other better. We also had good conditions in America [last year], now the journey is shorter – also for the fans, who can come and watch.”