"Moaning doesn't belong as part of our mentality"

Alexander Rosen, while the Bundesliga takes a break, those in charge at the club also have the opportunity to catch their breath after a gruelling few weeks with seven matches in 22 days. What is the TSG Sporting Director's interim conclusion? 

"You've got to look at the start to the season from two sides. On the one hand, you can look at it from a purely results-orientated perspective, and it doesn't look like how we'd imagined it. But that it doesn't look like how we'd imagined isn't down to the performances put in. And so we arrive at the second aspect. If we take a look at the performances in those matches, then they were, perhaps notwithstanding a few phases in those games, almost all good, and in some cases very good, with refreshing, attractive and attack-minded football which yielded plenty of chances on goal. I'd even go so far as to say that we're playing more attractive football than we were at this point last season. That gives us confidence."

So the levels of nervousness at the club are not as high as some are suggesting?

"We're not in the least bit worried, we're completely calm. That's not to say we're super relaxed or even complacent, rather completely focused. There aren't any fires to put out or question marks hanging over us. On the contrary, there's simply a togetherness with the intention of finding solutions. It could be that people on the outside looking in still think that things must be fraught at the club. I can assure them that there is no cause for irritation or upset here."

"We have already experienced more demanding phases"

Where does this assuredness stem from?

"On the one hand, it's certainly due to the continuity at the club. Everyone higher up in the club has been working together for a long time and we've already experienced similar and even more demanding phases here. That constitutes a strong basis, a solid foundation. But it's mainly the performances that give us this certainty. We've certainly taken steps forward in respect of our entire playing system and the way in which we dominate games and create chances for ourselves. Of course, we're not always converting that into positive results as desired for various reasons. But concern or even worry are the preserve of those who aren't playing well and who aren't creating any chances."   

You spoke of various reasons for the still absent positive results. A part of that must also be the incredibly bad luck with injuries.

"That is a decisive point that lots of people neglect. The way in which we've been plagued by ill luck regarding injuries is really hard and extraordinary, maybe even unique. But we've never moaned, even when we were missing ten players. Moaning doesn't belong as part of our mentality whatsoever. To deal with this situation, for example, when we lined up with such a young and inexperienced defensive line against Manchester City and then to almost claim a point against this assembly of superstars – that is something special. That was one of those special moments in which I'm proud of the comportment and bravery shown by our team in this situation. How the boys approach this makes me confident that we'll turn things around soon." 

"Julian always wants the maximum"

How have you experienced manager Julian Nagelsmann in this situation?

"The way in which Julian and his team deal with these setbacks is exceptional, and anything but a given. It would be very easy for a coach to keep bringing up the misfortune we've had with injuries in every conversation as an explanation. But Julian hasn't done that once. He trusts the boys that are available, and he always wants the maximum. He lives up to this optimism with his coaching staff and support team every day. Never give up, pick yourself back up and always keep going, even when things continue to go against you."

And it is not just because of injury that everything is not going well?

"It's almost grotesque how certain games have panned out with the woodwork being hit, close misses and crazy goal-line clearances. I've repeatedly heard senior figures from other clubs say, "sorry, we're not quite sure how we managed to get any points here, but we'll take them of course." That doesn't give us any more points, needless to say, and it is psychologically taxing to have to deal repeatedly with not getting your rewards. But that is something I've experienced: the performance comes before the result in football if you want to be consistently successful. Good performances will bring results in the medium to long-term." 

"The wins will come"

What does that mean exactly?

"In recent years we have also played in matches where we weren't the better team on the day, perhaps, but got the win nonetheless. And there are also matches, as there are now, after which you don't really know why you lost. But in the long-term wins always come from good performances."

So keep going until the results are the right ones.

"There is of course no one particular reasons why we haven't picked up points as we would have liked to. Lots of things united against us. On occasion it was an incredible goalkeeper, poor luck during a game, inconsistency in a decisive situation, the momentum on the part of the opposition, and sometimes an individual mistake. Nonetheless, our approach remains the right one for that reason. In external analyses, almost everything is made contingent on results. If you've won, everything's fine. Lost – crisis. That's certainly not a new determination, and people on the outside are able to analyse in that manner, but as a responsible figure at the club I have to look at it in a more nuanced fashion. We already know that football is a results-based sport. We're working on that with total commitment. And the wins will come. There's no doubt about that."