An interview with Markus Gisdol - Part 1

Hello Markus. What did you make of the training camp in Leogang? Has the team reached the desired level?

Markus Gisdol: In terms of the preseason as a whole, I think we are on the right path. The most important thing so far is that we have managed to come through nearly injury-free. Considering the workload we've had during the last few weeks, that's pretty remarkable. The sessions were large in number and high in intensity. It was the only way for us to reach our goals, both in a footballing and a fitness sense. We are still some way from talking about a complete development though.

The average age of the team is very low; it's one of the lowest in the Bundesliga. How happy are you with the development of the young players?

Markus Gisdol: They are just as engaged as the newcomers. We don't draw a difference between the players – we demand the same from the younger lads as we do from the older ones. It is clear that we will have to wait for the younger lads to develop. A true conclusion isn't possible at the moment. Young players sometimes take a big step forward in their development; then there are times when things happen more slowly. Our overriding motto fits to this topic: Development takes time. That goes for the young lads as much as it does for the whole team.

Preseason is around four weeks old and the transfer window is still open for a few weeks. Will there be any activity?

Markus Gisdol:We will wait and see the development across the rest of preseason and then take a look. There's still a long time until the end of the transfer window, August 31st. Nothing urgent is planned.

The team has “grown” in size. There will be taller players on the pitch in the future. Is that fair to say?

Markus Gisdol:Yes, that's something we have changed deliberately. We value physical strength in our team. This is an issue with set pieces in particular, and that's something important; we need to be physically present. It's never a disadvantage to have a strong team.

In attack, new signing Anthony Modeste brings some presence. Has he fulfilled your wishes so far?

Markus Gisdol:Yes, absolutely. The expectations shouldn't be too high, but in both training and games, he has shown flashes of his ability. Even with his back to goal, he's a valuable player and one that rarely makes mistakes when he lays the ball off.

Tarik Elyounoussi is another new striker.

Markus Gisdol:My impressions are very similar. We are constantly seeing the things that impressed us beforehand. We will give them both time and try to take some of the pressure off.

Kai Herdling also feels like a new signing. What impressions have you got of him?

Markus Gisdol:We brought Kai with us because we had a gap in our attack. He's a player who has internalised our concept of football. We are currently planning to keep him involved. I've known him for some time and have a good grasp of his attributes. If he fully commits to our plan, then he can certainly help us, with the integration of new signings as well as the younger players.

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