“The win at home to Gladbach was a relief and drives us on to keep working with the same energy and ambition as last week, so that we can enjoy more good results,” said Willig, following his successful Bundesliga debut at the Mercedes-Benz Arena last Saturday.
However, Willig is not getting ahead of himself as he prepares for his first away game in Berlin. “We have to keep our feet on the ground,” said VfB’s interim coach. “We’ve taken one step – no more and no less. Now it’s about maintaining the sharpness and the clear structure in our play.”
The 38-year-old is expecting a tough match against a solid Hertha outfit. “They’ve kept clean sheets in their last two games, including Frankfurt away. Their defence is hard to break down, so we’ll have to disrupt their rhythm and bring our own dynamic into the game,” he added, describing his game plan for the clash with the capital club.
Experienced midfielder returns
In particular, the coach has called for stability and assuredness in midfield, and one man who can help with that is captain Christian Gentner, who is set to return to the squad following five weeks out with a calf strain. “He’s trained fully all week and will almost certainly be in the squad,” confirmed Willig, who therefore has a full squad at his disposal for Matchday 32 aside from Steven Zuber (knee ligament tear) and the suspended Santiago Ascacibar.