Eugen Polanski: "We’ve bonded as a team" - #tsginnorge

Eugen, you’re into the final stages of the training camp in Norway. Can you sum the experience up for us?

Eugen Polanski: It’s a little early for that – there’s still some training sessions left ahead of us, and also an important friendly. We’ve still got things to work towards, but so far we’ve all worked very hard and we’ve made some positive steps.

You had to sit out a day of training with an injury.

Polanski: That was just a short-term thing. I’m totally fit and available for selection again.

You spoke about steps being made. How close to being ready for the season are you?

Polanski: We’ve all got heavy legs from training, and therefore we still make a few mistakes when working on the finer details of our play. That’s totally normal in this phase of pre-season, however. As a team we can all see that we’re improving every day. You could see clearly in the game against Leeds how we want to play football. I’m sure that we’ll reach the level we want before our season kicks off in the DFB Cup.

The style of play you want to achieve features a lot of pressing. During the competitive campaign, will we see an even more extreme and intense version of what we’ve seen so far in pre-season?

Polanski: For our new signings it must seem a little intense, but for the players who have been here a while it’s just normal. Our basic playing philosophy hasn’t changed in the last few years – we press as a team, with eleven players, and if just one player doesn’t pull his weight it makes it much more difficult for the rest. We try and instil that thinking into all the players’ minds.

Talking of new signings...

Polanski: We’ve used our time here in Norway very well. Even at our evening meals, where we’ve all been able to get to know each other better in a different atmosphere to the training sessions or in the hotel. I think we’ve really bonded as a team here.

When you talk about training camps, especially ones close to the end, you often hear the phrase ‘cabin fever’ used.

Polanski: That’s not a nice phrase at all. Obviously we’re spending ten full days in each other’s company here, and the days are very structured and similar – it’s quite repetitive, but that’s just how it goes. That’s the nature of pre-season, in any team, so you get used to it. It’s not something negative – and there’s no kind of cabin fever in our camp.

When you return from Norway, a new signing will be waiting for you at home – Kevin Kurányi. Have you spoken to him at all yet?

Polanski: I’ve actually just sent Kevin a message – I told him that we’ve already got things planned for him. Once we get home, we’ll invite him to an evening out with the team so that we can get to know him a little better. He should fit in really quickly and then our job is to get results on the pitch. His transfer has obviously been quite a big talking point amongst the team in the last few days. There’s nothing left to say about his footballing abilities – he’s proved what can do for years. He’ll also benefit the squad off the pitch with his vast experience. Therefore he’ll fit in really well and he’ll definitely bring something to our team.

On Saturday, you line up for your last pre-season friendly against Bournemouth. How important is the game?

Polanski: Football wise, it’ll be a good marker to see where we are, and for the fans it’ll really mark the coming of the new season. We’ll be up against another strong opponent, and we’ll be playing at home – it’ll be a special experience for everyone present.