'We’re hungry for a result against Düsseldorf'

Heiko Herrlich on…

…tomorrow’s game in Düsseldorf: ”Düsseldorf are a team that have always made life difficult for Bayer 04 Leverkusen – that is reflected in the stats where there is no major difference. Düsseldorf always want to get one over on Leverkusen and I think they’ll want to do the same tomorrow (he laughs). They are newly promoted and Friedhelm Funkel (Fortuna Düsseldorf coach, ed.) will tell his players they have to give their all and defend, that they have the better mentality and I don’t know what else. Recently, you could read they wanted to move forward en masse. But they’ve already played like that often enough – we have to stand up to them 100 per cent, throw our quality on the pitch into the equation and be patient.”

…tension after the last two wins: “There’s no less pressure. My team has shown in Rasgrad and against Mainz under extreme pressure that they can not only be courageous going forward but also defend very well and play good football. But we have to show that again week-by-week and from one matchday to the next and that’s what we want to do against Düsseldorf. We’re coming from a difficult situation and we’ve managed to give ourselves a boost. We want to keep that going – we want all three points and be above Fortuna Düsseldorf in the table after the game.”

…possible absentees:“Apart from the players who were unavailable for the Mainz game, the rest are in good shape. There are one or two slight knocks but they’ll be dealt with. We will probably have a full squad to choose from tomorrow.”

 …recent rotation: “We’ve rotated a lot in recent games and we intend to do the same again tomorrow in one or two positions. We’ll bring in fresh legs but we have to make sure we have a solid spine of the team so we can maintain a certain stability.”

…the longer break for Fortuna Düsseldorf: ”We are where we are and you can’t change that. We just have to aim to get used to the three-day rhythm. We managed that really well after the Rasgrad game – even if a couple of players were tired in the second half and it is tough sometimes. Now, we’ve got three days to recover. The decisive factor now is the right attitude – we have to demonstrate the same desire as in the last two games where the team did brilliantly and showed under pressure that they definitely wanted to win the game. We want to keep it going and do it again against Düsseldorf.”“

…the approach of Fortuna Düsseldorf: ”They sit back and try to get forward to the opposition box as quickly as possible when they win possession. Against VfB Stuttgart they showed that they can play football and that a lot is possible if you let it be. They even had more shots on goal than Stuttgart in the end.”

…lack of consistency in his team: ”We’re working on it all the time as we did last season. But it is also the case that our opponents also have quality – no team is on the ropes for 90 minutes in the Bundesliga. It’s always important to try everything and fight back in phases where the opponent is leading. We did that well in the last two games: In Rasgrad the team showed great morale after going behind and at Mainz it was almost perfect except for not scoring before the break. Mainz moved up a gear after the restart and tried everything but we stuck at it really well, scored the goal and had chances in counter-attacks. You have to be able to survive phases like that but I wouldn’t talk about consistency. Keeping a team away from your goal for the whole game is beyond the ability of anybody in the Bundesliga with the possible exception of Bayern Munich. It’s really difficult – and it will be the same against Düsseldorf.”“

…pressure in general: “We’re always putting ourselves under pressure, me included and the players do it too. And there’s the pressure journalists feel or from outside. We have to free ourselves from the latter and nobody will help us. We’re hungry and we’ll try to get a result in Düsseldorf.”

...the importance of using your head under pressure:   “Football is always a matter of mentality and not just to a little extent. Johann Cruyff once said the famous phrase: ‘Football’s a game you play with both feet but which is decided in your head’ – of course, your head and mentality are almost decisive. Even if things are going well you have to get stuck in again and keep trying to get the most out of it. You can never afford to be complacent.”

…the return of long-term injuries: “Nobody will join the team in the next two weeks. Julian Baumgartlinger will probably be the first to join the team if everything goes to plan in the international break. We have to be patient with Panos Retsos and Charles Aránguiz.”

...Charles Aránguiz: "We just have to wait for him. I can’t give you 100 per cent, concrete news: I’m not a doctor and I can’t see inside his knee. He will undergo individual treatment and will do individual work.”