MeroMen: "We can beat Barcelona"

Hi Mero! In eFootball.Pro you shared points with Celtic FC (2-4/4-2) on Matchday 5. Before the start of the match your goal was to reach at least four points. Are you accordingly dissatisfied with the result?

MeroMen: Yes, a better result would have been possible. Especially the goals we conceded in the first game were very unfortunate. That’s why I can’t really blame ourselves. Nevertheless, the defeat is of course very annoying.

In the second game you performed better. Why?

We changed our formation to generate more possession. Above all, it was important to us to keep the ball as far away from our goal as possible so that we don’t end up in dangerous situations in our penalty area again. We succeeded in doing that.

In the table, S04 Esports is now in fifth place, the gap to front runner Arsenal FC is just four points. What does the table say – eight games before the season ends?

Not too much yet. We are quite satisfied with the results, but we are not assuming the current top 6 position. There are 24 points left and a lot can happen. Among other things, I don’t think Arsenal will be first at the end of the season. There are some stronger teams.

Most recently you named FC Barcelona as the biggest surprise of the season so far. Barca lost both games against Juventus at the weekend (1-2/0-4). That wasn’t to be expected, was it?

No, not at all. But you have to say that Barcelona was very unlucky – especially in the first game. Overall, Barca had a bad day. I still rate the team as one of the best in eFootball.Pro.

Barcelona is your next opponent on March 27th. Do you think that it can be an advantage for you that Barca lost the last two games?

Under no circumstance. It’s actually more of a disadvantage because Barca is desperate to make up for the defeat against Juventus and will be extremely motivated for the match. However, I am convinced that we can beat Barcelona. We have trained many times against the Barca players and won a lot of games in the process. We know what to expect and set ourselves at least three points as a goal.

What will it take against the Catalans to achieve this goal?

One of the great strengths of them is that they always win the 50-50 situations in midfield and then penetrate the penalty area. And once they’re in the penalty area, it’s usually too late for the defending team to prevent the goal from being conceded. We can’t let it get that far. Our task will be to make the close duels in midfield successful. In order for us to be able to do this continuously in both games, maximum concentration is required.

Qualification for the UEFA eEuro 2021 started on Monday for you and EL_Matador with the German eNational team. In the first half of Group B with Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Poland and Latvia, you scored nine out of twelve possible points. What is your interim conclusion?

Very positive! After the opening defeat against Kazakhstan, we won all the games and created a good starting position for the second half of the qualification on April 12th.

Were there any opponents who surprised you?

Definitely Kazakhstan. I didn’t think that the Kazakhs would be so compact in defense. That impressed me and they are not undeservedly tied with Poland and us.

The second half of the qualification is on April 12th. While the first placed qualifies directly for the eEuro, the second in the group first takes part in the playoffs. The goal is to be the group winner, right?

Absolutely! I think we have good chances to make it. We want to prevail in all remaining games and qualify for the eEuro directly.