Post-Match Report
Kovac: “There were definitely some good things there”
Niko Kovac on …
… his take on the game: “The game was all about wrapping up the first week of training on a positive note. After eight weeks of vacation and a very intense first week of training, the goal was for the lads to just play soccer in a friendly against a fourth-division team and show things that we might not have seen in training. I thought the lads did a good job, especially in the second half. Now they have tomorrow off, and then we’ll be back at it next week.”
… Room for improvement in the coming weeks: “Of course, we want to step up and improve in every area. But things will really get going once all the national team players are here—or at least the first group, which is now heading to Japan as well.”
… the new signings in BVB jerseys: “These are lads who clearly have potential, and each has strengths in his own area—but of course, each also has room for improvement in his own area. The lads need to get to know each other and quickly learn what we want.”
… debut goal-scorer Takato Yamamoto: “I saw him for the first time on Thursday, so I didn’t know him before that either. He showed some good things. I really saw some promising stuff there, and that’s going to be a joy for us.”
BVB captain Alexander Meyer on …
… the team’s performance: “No plans and no drills can replace the work on the field. It’s been a very intense week. I think that showed. We were all glad that everyone got to play for 45 minutes. Over the full 90 minutes, we did pretty well.”
… areas for improvement in the coming weeks: “In the end, RWO ran out of steam a bit. But we saw that we have to hold our own even against a Regionalliga team. They played very well. There are still a few areas where we obviously need to improve. But we’ll get there.”
… his role as the number two: “Until Greg comes back, I want to show that people can count on me. I don’t want to let up either, and despite my advancing age, I still have a lot I want to accomplish.”
… the captain’s armband: “It’s always a great feeling to take on a little responsibility. When you get to lead the lads onto the field, it’s something special.”
