Kenan Karaman: A really positive step in the right direction for me

Kenan Karaman on…

…making his comeback against Kaiserslautern:
Coming off the bench in Kaiserslautern was a really positive step in the right direction for me. My body dealt with the workload really well and I feel extremely fit. However, I still know that I’ve got room for improvement after missing six weeks of pre-season following the summer break.

…the 1-0 defeat against the Red Devils:
We were all really disappointed after the final whistle because the result didn’t quite reflect the run of play. I think a draw would have been a fair result in the end. I’m frustrated that we let the game slip through our hands after the penalty. Nevertheless, I think we’re still on the right track despite the defeat. There were a number of good things about our performance. After the number of goals we conceded over the last two seasons, our focus in pre-season was on our defence, something we’ve got in good shape already. We will now continue to work on our attacking play in the coming days and weeks. It’s totally normal that we’re not perfect at both ends of the pitch after just two matchdays. We will carry on working on our patterns and ideas of how to be successful, as well as the specific details of our game. Miron Muslic has a clear plan and we will follow that.

…the upcoming cup game:
We’re coming up against a strong and ambitious team from the Regionalliga Nordost. It won’t be an easy game. We have prepared ourselves accordingly and, as the team from the higher league, we will travel there with confidence. Our target is clear – we want to reach the next round!

…a possible return to the starting XI in Leipzig:
Miron Muslic and I have been very open with one another since his first day here. We will once again sit down together before the game in Leipzig and discuss the most sensible next step for me. We will also take a look at my workload in training this week and then make a decision regarding Sunday’s game.