Jochen Schneider on the aims of training, friendly results and planning the squad

Jochen Schneider on…

… the squad’s efforts in training:
The boys have done really well and are really driven; every player is giving it their all in each session. All the information that we collate and analyse from training suggests that too. Overall, I’m really happy with the first two days of the training camp. We’ve got magnificent facilities here in Längenfeld so we’re able to make good progress and train intensively.

… friendly defeats against two third-division sides:
Before the season, we said that we would concentrate on fitness and physical conditioning in the first weeks of pre-season, and that’s happening now, intensively. We were behind other teams in this regard, so we have to work harder to catch up. We also can’t forget that we have a long season ahead of us without any real winter break. That’s why we’re preparing for the next ten months now. Our performances and results in the friendlies have naturally suffered because of that, but it would be wrong to abandon everything that we’re doing on the back of friendly results. We know that the defeats against SC Verl and KFC Uerdingen aren’t the be-all and end-all. I’ve been in the business long enough to know how friendlies go sometimes – we defeated VfL Osnabrück 5-1 but that result doesn’t particularly matter either.

… criticism of the performances against Verl and Uerdingen:
I understand the fans and also the media coverage to an extent. We obviously don’t want to put in performances like that and give away so many chances. That wasn’t good against Uerdingen. The fact that you’re criticised after that is completely normal; we have to live with it and accept it. I’m confident that the performance in the coming friendly against Würzburger Kickers will be totally different.

… Nabil Bentaleb’s return:
Nabil has joined us in pre-season after the extended Premier League season and his subsequent holiday. In the training sessions so far, you can tell that he’s really pleased to be with the team again. I’m expecting him to bring his quality and work with us in preparation for the new season. He’s done that brilliantly in the first few training sessions. As it stands, he’ll be playing for us in the coming season as no club has made an offer for him. If a club does show interest in him, we’ll discuss that together with the player, but we focus on the facts and don’t get involved in speculation.

… the current situation with Weston McKennie:
There’s not a lot to report. The fact is that there are discussions about his future at the moment. When a decision is made, we’ll let you know. Weston isn’t taking part in all parts of training at the minute, but that has nothing to do with his future. We’re managing his workload.

… comments from 1. FC Köln about Mark Uth:
There’s an unwritten rule in the Bundesliga that you don’t talk about other clubs’ players, and we stick to that. Mark was a Köln player in the Rückrunde last season, but now he plays for Schalke. FC Köln had the opportunity to trigger a clause at the end of his loan, but they didn’t do that. Mark has done very well in pre-season and he’ll play for us this season. We’ve said that multiple times.

… possible changes to the team:
The transfer market is quiet at the minute due to the current situation. Obviously you want to have your squad sorted as early as possible every year, but that’s a bit harder than usual at the moment. We all have to be patient. I know that’s not easy, but it’s not just us, it’s the same for lots of clubs. Getting worried or impatient doesn’t help anyone, especially when the transfer window doesn’t close until October.