It was one of the weekend’s big DFB Cup surprises when 3. Liga side Sportfreunde Lotte eliminated SV Werder Bremen with a 2-1 win. Lotte head coach Ismail Atalan had a night for the result to sink in before explaining in an interview for DFB.de why it wasn’t a shock, why individual quality is secondary at times in his squad and which team he would most like to face in the next round, which will be drawn on Friday evening during the Bundesliga opener between FC Bayern München and SV Werder Bremen (20:30 CEST).
DFB.de: Mr Atalan, you have had a night to sleep on the result. What are your thoughts the day after the game?
Ismail Atalan: I am happy and proud, not just that we progressed but also because of the team’s performance. I never believe that we should get carried away following a win, even against a Bundesliga side and we didn’t do that yesterday. We put Bremen under pressure with our aggressive pressing game and were the better team on the day.
DFB.de: So you deserved to win?
Atalan: Yeah, I would say so. The Werder players also alluded to that. I looked at the statistics in the evening after the game and we had 20 shots of which eight were clear opportunities. The only criticism of us is perhaps that we didn’t use more of these chances but at the same time we were very solid defensively and Bremen didn’t get many chances. Even though they were always dangerous, our goalkeeper didn’t have to deal with many dangerous situations. We can be happy overall.
DFB.de: You had made the point confidently before the game that this match wasn’t just a bonus game, but a game you wanted to play well in to progress to the second round.
Atalan: I knew we had a chance and I wanted that to rub off on the players. We prepared intensively for the Werder Bremen game all week and came up with a plan which would work. We made a lot of good decisions.
DFB.de: When did you realise that you could pull it off?
Atalan: I had a good feeling after ten minutes. I noticed things were going well for us and we were creating chances. We did a lot of things well, such as not letting the equaliser throw us off. I am proud of the way that the lads implemented our plan on the pitch.
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It was one of the weekend’s big DFB Cup surprises when 3. Liga side Sportfreunde Lotte eliminated SV Werder Bremen with a 2-1 win. Lotte head coach Ismail Atalan had a night for the result to sink in before explaining in an interview for DFB.de why it wasn’t a shock, why individual quality is secondary at times in his squad and which team he would most like to face in the next round, which will be drawn on Friday evening during the Bundesliga opener between FC Bayern München and SV Werder Bremen (20:30 CEST).
DFB.de: Mr Atalan, you have had a night to sleep on the result. What are your thoughts the day after the game?
Ismail Atalan: I am happy and proud, not just that we progressed but also because of the team’s performance. I never believe that we should get carried away following a win, even against a Bundesliga side and we didn’t do that yesterday. We put Bremen under pressure with our aggressive pressing game and were the better team on the day.
DFB.de: So you deserved to win?
Atalan: Yeah, I would say so. The Werder players also alluded to that. I looked at the statistics in the evening after the game and we had 20 shots of which eight were clear opportunities. The only criticism of us is perhaps that we didn’t use more of these chances but at the same time we were very solid defensively and Bremen didn’t get many chances. Even though they were always dangerous, our goalkeeper didn’t have to deal with many dangerous situations. We can be happy overall.
DFB.de: You had made the point confidently before the game that this match wasn’t just a bonus game, but a game you wanted to play well in to progress to the second round.
Atalan: I knew we had a chance and I wanted that to rub off on the players. We prepared intensively for the Werder Bremen game all week and came up with a plan which would work. We made a lot of good decisions.
DFB.de: When did you realise that you could pull it off?
Atalan: I had a good feeling after ten minutes. I noticed things were going well for us and we were creating chances. We did a lot of things well, such as not letting the equaliser throw us off. I am proud of the way that the lads implemented our plan on the pitch.
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DFB.de: What happened afterwards?
Atalan: Not much for me personally. I don’t mean to sound arrogant but it wasn’t really a special match for me, it was just another game like any other. I wanted to win and we managed that. I gave the players Monday off as a reward but now are focus is on the next game.
DFB.de: Did the players celebrate at least?
Atalan: Of course but not massively. Not much really happens on a Sunday. If we had played on Saturday it might have been a bit different. It suits me though, we don’t have time to celebrate or relax. We have to be ready for the next task.
DFB.de: Why is your team so strong at the moment?
Atalan: I wouldn’t say at the moment. I have been at Lotte for a year-and-a-half and the team has achieved some outstanding things in this time. Getting promoted to the 3. Liga was a real challenge because you don’t just have to win the league, you also have to win a relegation play-off. To answer the question though, I’d say that togetherness is our biggest strength. We only bring players in that have an attitude that works for us. When that isn’t the case we find that we can do without the individual quality. It always worries me these kind of players would ruin this togetherness.
DFB.de: The DFB Cup second-round draw will be taking place on Friday before you continue in the league against Chemnitz this weekend. Who would you most like to face?
Atalan: I’ve honestly not really thought about it and I probably won’t. I can’t influence it anyway. It really doesn’t matter to me. We will take on any challenge.
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