Breitenreiter: "We need to fight our way out of it together"

André Breitenreiter on…

…the situation in the table: "We haven't won in nine games in a row. We'd imagined it going differently. We're aware of the situation. You can sense that the players are unsettled. That's why they need support; we're trying to do something about it. But at the end of the day, it is simply important that we keep the mistakes to a minimum over the 90 minutes. We're in this situation together and we have to fight our way out of it together. We want to change something together now."

…the match on Saturday: "We of course want to win this game and bring about a turnaround. I'm convinced we can do it. We have a good team but sometimes also need to show more resistance."

...his personal situation: "It's not about me as a person. The most important thing in this situation is to move forward with calmness and confidence."

…the opposition: "Bochum defend aggressively on the front foot and in Philipp Hofmann they have a target man who can hold the ball up well. They also have quick wingers who can pose a threat for them. On Saturday, we will have to perform differently than we did in the opening minutes of the reverse fixture and be alert from the first minute."

…overcoming his frustrations: ""We always focus on the possibilities to eliminate these mistakes. For me, football is the most beautiful thing in life after my family, but I'm not enjoying it at the moment. I always try to find solutions. But I want to radiate calm, even if I would sometimes like to hit a punching bag."

…the youth players: "Our young players are developing excellently. It's not easy to convince with good performances in a situation like this. Umut Tohumcu performed superbly in Leipzig. That impressed me and these are the nice moments. I believe in fielding the best players and that includes our talented youngsters. The lads don't get too caught up in thinking and just play football. That can help."

… Kasper Dolberg: "It's important that it lasts. Kasper was immediately in the game following his substitution and not only scored the goal, but also worked well off the ball. He was rewarded for doing the groundwork with his goal."

…on the other two new signings: "Thomas Delaney and Jay Brooks have shown that they have an aura on the pitch. Sometimes you also need to send a signal. They will of course still need time but their presence does us good."

…the tactical approach in Leipzig: "We knew about the strengths and weaknesses of RB Leipzig and therefore opted for a defensive formation. It also worked well because we hardly gave away any chances. Playing compactly was the plan, but in the second half we became more courageous. We continue to stand for courageous and active football."

The personnel situation:

The two long-term injury absentees Grischa Prömel and Jacob Bruun Larsen are likely to be joined on the sidelines again by Angelo Stiller, Dennis Geiger, Kevin Vogt, Robert Skov and Pavel Kadeřábek.

The opposition's form:

Bochum have improved enormously on home turf under Thomas Letsch and have won their last four matches at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion. However, they have lost both of their last two away games – against Bayer 04 Leverkusen (2-0) and 1. FSV Mainz 05 (5-2).

Head-to-head record:

The two teams have met on seven previous occasions in the Bundesliga. VfL have won four times, TSG three times. But Hoffenheim came out on top in the reverse fixture, winning 3-2.

Match facts and statistics »