How good is the club squad actually?

1. FC Nuremberg is facing a possible crisis after mixed results. Club boss Chatzialexiou analyses the squad situation and prospects.

On Saturday, 14 September, 1. FC Nuremberg will play against SSV Ulm in the 2nd league. After two defeatsA draw and just one win could mean an early Klose crisis at FCN. But why? How good is the squad that coach Miroslav Klose is working with?

Club boss Joti Chatzialexiou tried to assess the situation in an interview on the club’s website last Sunday. What are the expectations of the team and the coach and what is his assessment of the quality?

FCN boss talks about squad quality

Die Criticism from the coach After the 4-0 defeat against FC Magdeburg, things turned out to be dramatic. Klose was fed up: “That has nothing to do with professional football.” The mistakes have since been dealt with and the team is looking forward. For Chatzialexiou, this is the only right step.

After a Mega-change the club and especially the team are still deep in a phase of discovery: “It was challenging for my first summer. This is certainly not a normal transfer window. It is important for us this season that we take a close look at the current squad, in order to then strengthen it further in the following transfer periods.” Are the Franconians also lacking in quality?

For the club boss, it is currently more of a Question of experience: “I am convinced that this squad has the potential to upset any team in this league. In the end, however, the attitude and intensity with which we go into the game is crucial. Because qualitatively we are well positioned.”

Club builds a framework and plays for time

There is still a lot of work for those responsible in Nuremberg. They speak of a “Basic framework“, it is a first step for a new club future. Chatzialexiou: “We are still at the beginning of the development. That is the headline for me. We now want to take the next steps with the team we have and build it up year after year so that at some point we can also play the successful football that the people here imagine and wish for.

Youth research at FCN. For the 2nd Bundesliga, this is certainly not a completely risk-free path, and the 48-year-old is also aware of this: “We have the second youngest team in the league. This is our path, and one we are taking quite consciously.” We will have to pay the price one day or anotherwe know that.”

You want to work with the promising players with a lot of patience. Chatzialexiou: “But that also means that we have to give them timeWe want to give that to our boys and through our training and the playing time we give them, they should be able to take the next step in their development here at the club.”

FCN with plenty of room for improvement – ​​and a lot of confidence

It remains to be seen whether the fans in Nuremberg will show the same patience in the stadium. The first few weeks have shown how rocky the road will be for Miroslav Klose and his game idea. And especially when it comes to building up the game, the Quality of the players This will show how good the club’s squad is.

When the coach took office he announced that he would have control over the ball. This is what he wanted to base his football plan on. The Bundesliga statistics are still throwing a wrench into his plans. After four match days his team has around 45 percent possession – 15th place in the league comparison. And even with a pass rate of 81 percent, it is only enough for the bottom third.

Lots of room for improvementProblems that Miroslav Klose also clearly identified to the Bild newspaper: “We are already entering the transition phase, but we cannot yet secure the balls between the lines. That is where the attack is built up, but the fact is that we are losing a lot of balls. But the Franconians have no doubts about the squad. They are convinced of the path they have taken and trust in the young players. Chatzialexiou: “And once they have made their first appearances, the learning process will begin.” That’s why the time factor is not just an empty phrase for me.“

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