“Look at the positives”

After going out of the cup in Dortmund, Pál Dárdai is focusing on looking forward and speaks about the challenges in the weeks ahead.

You could see from Pál Dárdai’s face what sought of frame of mind how he was feeling. His facial expressions and gestures often reflect how the game has gone, and that did not change during the disappointing defeat at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday evening. The Hungarian was certainly disappointed after the 4-3 defeat on penalties in the DFB Cup last 16. Disappointed, but also proud after a really impressive performance from his players. He also had a twinkle in his eyes the day afterwards as he spoke about the match. But his mind is already on the upcoming Bundesliga match in Schalke. After some casual training in the morning, the coach spoke about...

... going out against BVB: We have to accept the result. I am really proud of the boys. In Dortmund we faced an opponent that have a lot more options and experience.  We put in a really good performance, both in terms of how we battled and the football we played. We didn’t park the bus at the back and attacked a lot going forward. I must say that boys did really well.

... the atmosphere in the team: I spoke with the players after the game and said that we can go to sleep tonight with positive thoughts in our minds. That is also important for recovering for the game on Saturday. But it is understandable that the boys are still a bit dejected even after a night’s sleep. They really wanted to win and did a lot of things right. We also just didn’t get the luck we needed with the penalties. But I think that we will now be able to concentrate fully on the Bundesliga and the matches over the next few weeks. 

... the game plan against Dortmund: Our goal before the match was to defend a bit more offensively. We knew how BVB would play with their quick players. We wanted to take advantage of their tempo and that often worked well. We were aggressive and fought hard. We also wanted to make sure we got the first goal and that went really well. When you’re in the lead, the best thing is to keep compact and to wait to counterattack. Unfortunately we weren’t able to execute that and get the second goal. Nevertheless I think that the players implemented the plan well.

... the key things from the game: I think that was one of our best performances. We didn’t give them eany space just like we did in the first half of the season and we were really stable. We were good on the ball when we were under pressure and we managed to create attacks right until the end. We had enough chances to score and we did once in Dortmund but we could have scored more. All these are positive things that we need to take forward.

... back-up keeper Rune Jarstein: He was in top form as he also absolutely was against Ingolstadt. A goalkeeper always needs to find his rhythm and he is doing that right now. But Sebastian Langkamp also defended brilliantly and was very strong. Salomon Kalou scored a fantastic goal and ran a lot. I can only say that the team simply performed excellently on the whole. The team spirit was sensational and we did fantastically against a top team.

...  the upcoming challenge in Schalke: Now it is important that we clear our heads which is why we also have a free afternoon on Thursday. Maybe we’ll all go to the cinema in the evening or something. Everyone can do what they like but they should not just stay in the hotel. Instead they should go out and relax a bit.