Rouven Schröder: We’re well prepared, and also creative

Rouven Schröder on… 

… the upcoming match against Bremer SV: 

It’s a really important moment for us all, because it marks the start of a new season. Now we need to make sure we reach the next round. We’re going up through the gears now, and we’re getting more and more excited with each passing day. It’s the start of a new chapter, and we feel well prepared. We’re looking forward to the match against Bremer SV. 

… pre-season: 

I’m pleased with our pre-season, when you look at it separately to our friendly results: it’s very easy to get too carried away with those results. We’ve got a good team and we’re becoming more of a collective. In some ways, it’s good that there’s a bit of skepticism surrounding us. However, none of that matters now. What counts now is Sunday’s cup match, and then in the following games we’ll have a chance to win games as a collective and, above all, play football that people want to see. 

… the goal in this season’s DFB-Pokal: 

We’re sportsmen, so our main goal is to progress to the second round. On the one hand, it’s about getting a good reputation when you reach the latter stages of the competition, and on the other hand, there are financial benefits. We’ll do well to stay conservative, because at the end of the day, we simply want to be successful. 

… possible transfer activities: 

We need dynamism in the Bundesliga, but I already see ways in which our current squad can implement that. We’re always thinking about how we can improve our squad. We’ve already done a lot of things, and if the budget allows, we know that we could pick up someone else. But, it needs to be a sensible transfer. We’ll have to see when it happens. Communication within the club is good. It’s often the case that a lot of signings happen at the end of the transfer window. A lot of markets haven’t really got going yet and there’s not a lot of money flowing around. A lot of transfers, particularly loan moves, will become such a hot prospect at the end of the window that you don’t require a large budget to sign a player of great quality in return. We’re well prepared, and creative anyway. 

… players who’ve gone out on loan and the current squad: 

We’re thinking about the squad daily. Together with the head coach, we’re looking to speak to as many players as possible about how things are currently looking. We tell players if there’s a chance they won’t get many minutes due to the competition for places. We discussed this open and honestly with Marvin Pieringer, for example, because it’s important that he gets playing time. SC Paderborn 07 are a great team where he can get minutes. We’re feeling good about our current squad and we’ve got faith in the lads. We’re very flexible in terms of employing different playing styles, too. We want to be flexible so it’s possible that we will look to sign another attacking-minded player.