Daniel Farke addresses the media ahead of Norwich City v AFC Bournemouth. Updates to come from 12.30pm.
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DF: We're all disappointed and feel sorry for Kieran. It's a big blow for him and us because he was one of our key signings and involved in the first games in a crucial role.
DF: To be out for 12 to 14 weeks, we don't expect him to play again until January, is a big blow for him. It's important he concentrates on a proper rehab and comes back stronger than before.
DF: Buendia and Stiepermann are both available. Emi was struggling at the beginning of the week but was on the pitch in the last days. It's the same with Marco.
DF: Jacob Sorensen is out again with a knock in his ligament. He'll be out for four or five days. He looked sharp on Tuesday, but this little setback is a bit unlucky.
DF: The good thing is Grant has been able to handle all the load. It was his first complete week back in training and he looks quite sharp. We don't have to rush or hurry anything.
DF: I would have been concerned to start Ben Gibson straight away. He was in the squads because I trust him, but let's be honest, his last proper game was nearly two years ago.
DF: It's now the third week of training for him and you can watch him growing from day to day. I wouldn't be concerned now to bring him straight in because he's adapted to the load.
DF: We kept a clean sheet in the first game. We could have improved our build up in the second. Preston were able to score, but with a ridiculous penalty decision and were not involved in the second goal.
DF: We looked quite solid and that allows us to give Grant and Ben a bit more time to settle in so that they're totally spot on.
DF: All our centre-backs are different in several ways. They could all fit together. When you have a player like Ben Godfrey or Timm Klose, sometimes they prefer to play on the 'wrong' foot.
DF: Ben Godfrey has played left-back for us a few times and even scored in one of his games in that position. Gibson can player there as well. We have the option of playing with three at the back.
DF: Max is a great lad and handled the jokes in a perfect way when he was called Dani Alves in training! We're used to it. After relegation, several lads are linked with moves if they're full of potential.
DF: Many teams struggle to deliver results and performances after relegation, so I'm happy we have four points from two games. Sometimes players can't be totally focused, but Max handled it perfectly.
DF: I can't choose right now the game day squad just because of the quality or potential. I have to keep in mind who is totally focused, switched on and disciplined.
DF: We're all human beings so it's normal that your thoughts are a bit different with all the influences - family, friends, agents. I expect we have to make some tricky decisions in the next two games.
DF: Thank God, after the next international break the transfer window closes and we don't have to speak about this topic!
DF: Bournemouth have lost some top players, so I'm full of compliments to handle that situation. They had a proper performance yesterday against Man City.
DF: The players who are still involved in their lineup; they're one of the big favourites of winning the league. We're also confident and brave, but Bournemouth as a club are a bit ahead of us.
DF: They'll be unbelievably motivated to repair this, because they were an established Premier League side. We were just there for one year.
DF: I'm quite respectful for how they've handled it so far. Bournemouth away will be a tough task, but we're not scared. We want a good performance and a good result.
DF: It's a sign of consistency with the club that they knew how to handle Eddie leaving. They don't want to change everything. They have a great chance to bounce back.
DF: The differences between assistant coach and head coach is a big difference, so when someone like Eddie leaves the club, it's never easy to follow such a big personality, so big compliments to Jason.
DF: We had different tools and plans to bypass an intense pressing side like Preston. It was much better in the second half. You never know which approach Bournemouth will choose, but they are capable of intense pressing.
DF: The individual quality of Bournemouth is even better than Preston, so we need to find some ways to control the game.
DF: They seem to play, not more flexible, but they've changed their base formation a bit more during the games. It's important to prepare the players for different scenarios.
DF: When the team is settled, at the beginning of the season after a short pre-season, it's important to give players corner stones to lean on and not confuse the players too much.
DF: I praised them internally that, when we did switch to three at the back against Preston, they adapted quickly. It's good for our confidence that we felt we could do that.
DF: Ben Gibson is such a smart and intelligent player with all the skills to play left-back. You have to defend and make sure the wing is closed.
DF: He's also brave, with technical skills and vertical passes. I'm pretty happy that he's a bit different to Xavi Quintilla, who is more attacking and delivers many crosses.
DF: He's strong in terms of heading, defending, and helping us to be flexible with our approach. Gibson's best skills are at centre-back, but I'm happy he can play left-back as well.
DF: The second goal we conceded against Preston was because we weren't pro-active enough with putting pressure on the ball. There was too much time for them to play the passes.
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That's all from the boss. Join us Sunday for a 2-0 win. otbc.
Posted By: DrDublin, Sep 25, 13:11:30
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