Caligiuri: “I’m convinced that we can get some points.”
FCA head coach Weinzierl wants aggression and compactness
First Team
09.09.2021, 16:41
Matchday 4 of the Bundesliga season sees FC Augsburg travel to the capital to face 1. FC Union Berlin. Head coach Markus Weinzierl and midfielder Daniel Caligiuri are motivated for the fixture – points should return to Bavaria.
“We used the international break well, worked well, and played a good friendly,” said Weinzierl, recapping the last week as well as looking forward to the game against Union Berlin. “We’re now focusing on having more defensive stability; on letting less through and developing our game,” he continued.
An important aspect of the upcoming game will be “Aggression and compactness, no matter what system we play in,” asserted Weinzierl, expecting to face a Union side on a hot streak with loud support. The Berlin club are a “well-drilled team who have continually developed over the last few years,” the head coach explained. FCA will have to pay close attention to strikers Max Kruse and Taiwo Awoniyi, who Weinzierl says “can both make the difference.”
The squad situation for Augsburg is tense. It is not clear which players will be fit enough to play in central defence for the game. Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Felix Uduokhai are both doubts for Saturday’s match, and Frederik Winther returned from the international break with a fever. Alfred Finnbogason is still dealing with an Achilles problem, and both Ruben Vargas and Andi Zeqiri only returned from their national teams on Thursday. Carlos Gruezo will be back in Germany after the end of the game, so he is also out. On a positive note for Weinzierl, both Sergio Córdova and Arne Maier are fit and available for selection.
“The squad, our morale and our will to win are all still intact”
Looking back on the season’s start, Weinzierl is aware that “we need points – we all know that. It’s not as bad as it seems when you actually analyse the games, though. I’ve seen some good things, and the squad, our morale and our will to win are all still intact.”
For Caligiuri, the development of the team is one of the most important points. “We’ve got some great lads here, we just need to give them time to get to know each other on the pitch a bit better,” The midfielder is also optimistic for the future: “We need to work on ourselves and bring ourselves closer together. Then, we’ll be able to show our quality.”
Set pieces will also feature as an important aspect of the Union Berlin game. “They can decide games,” explained Weinzierl. Caligiuri sees a big chance in dead ball situations as well: “They can define the flow of games, so it’s on us to get on the right end of them when they come our way.”
It will be important in Caligiuri’s eyes for Augsburg to “block out everything” from the UEFA Conference League club’s fans, but “we are excited for the challenge, and if we keep them quiet and do everything we need to, then I’m convinced that we can get some points.”
