Huub Stevens: "People and football are complex things"

Huub Stevens on...

...the opposition:

I watched Köln against Schalke 04 – they really impressed me. They’re a good team, despite not having any real standout players. It won’t be an easy game for us.

...personnel:

Kevin Volland and Ermin Bicakcic are suspended. Philipp Ochs will also be missing with muscular problems. As well as this, Kai Herdling and Jiloan Hamad are still out with long-term injuries.

...the current situation:

Every player has to bring their own strengths to the team. That’s what it’s all about. You have to always be in the right place at the right time to do what your teammates want you to do. That’s not easy. One thing is essential: Everyone needs the right attitude. The lads are keen, keen to prove themselves. Everyone has given everything in training. We have to carry this onto the pitch on Saturday, where everyone will be responsible, not just the captain. All of the players are captains in a way, but one just needs to wear the armband.

Despite all my experience, the first game in charge of a new club is always something special. The question is whether I’ll find the right team straightaway. That’s the pressure I’m under. I analyse everything in great detail and I’ve been working closely with the rest of the coaching staff, but I can’t see everything. We’re in it together. That’s the great thing about football. Nobody ever decides a game all by themselves. It’s hard work, I haven’t even seen the gym yet, for instance, because we’re always in the manager’s office discussing the team and the opposition.

A person is a human being, not a computer. They have feelings. It’s a complex task. It’s all about taking certain positives and working on the negatives. I try and put my trust in the team. I want them to enjoy their football. I can’t explain why things often seem to fall into place for teams right after a change of manager. Football is too complex to explain something like that.  

Previous meetings:

TSG and Köln have gone head-to-head ten times in the Bundesliga. The record is very even. Hoffenheim have won three games, drawn three and lost four. You have to go back quite far to find the last TSG victory – on the 21st November 2009, Eduardo, Obasi, Ba and Ibisevic all got on the scoresheet in a 4-0 victory in Cologne.

The opposition’s form:

Peter Stöger’s side started the season well with three wins in five games, leaving them fifth in the league. In the last five games they have only enjoyed one victory, with the latest two ending in defeat, meaning they have fallen to ninth place. Nevertheless, the Billy Goats are pleased with how the first third of their 2015/16 season has gone. Losing out to Werder in the second round of the DFB Cup was a setback for them – their third defeat on the trot. 

The key battles:

Based on the season so far, if you can stop Anthony Modeste, you can stop 1. FC Köln. The former Hoffenheim man is enjoying a great start to life in Cologne, with six goals and two assists in the league, and three goals in the cup. He is without a goal in three games, and Köln have lost all three. Köln have only managed to win a game without the help of a Modeste goal once so far this season: Stöger’s men won 2-0 at Hertha Berlin.

 

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