Satisfied to pocket the three points during this fourth day of the Champions League against Bologna (1-0), the Austrian technician gave his feelings to the press after the match.
A mental victory! Serious and calm to find the fault at the end of the match thanks to Thilo Kehrer, the Red and White won against Bologna, for this fourth day of the Champions League (0-1). A short but precious success, which coach Adi Hütter spoke about after the meeting to the media. Excerpts ????️
When we look at the scenario of the match, I think we deserve to take the three points, especially when we look at our first half which was good. We were then solid in the second to prevent Bologna from creating chances. We now have ten points from four games, which is an important step in this race for the play-offs.
Adi HütterHis feelings after the match
Good evening Coach. Is this goal in the last five minutes a perfect scenario for you?
A match lasts 90 minutes and when you score in the last moments, it can always be a bit lucky. But when we look at the scenario of the match, I think we deserve to take the three points, especially when we look at our first half which was good. We were then solid in the second to prevent Bologna from creating chances. We now have ten points from four games, which is an important step in this race for the play-offs.
We imagine that this victory must make you happy after the match against Angers.
As a coach, the most important thing was to see a reaction after the defeat against Angers. This was fantastic, we showed that we were capable of playing fast football in the first half. We must not forget that we have one of the youngest teams in the competition (it was the youngest starting XI in the history of the Club in the competition, editor's note), so I am proud of this that they showed tonight.
With ten points in four games, can we afford to aim for the top 8 now?
It's true that we are in the top positions in the standings but we are fully focused on the next match in Strasbourg. I don't know if we can talk about top 8 because the Champions League has a new format this season and no one knows exactly how many points are needed to move on to the next round.
The next four opponents will be tough (Benfica, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Inter Milan) but we will be able to play with more confidence. I know that we will be able to win the next match even if we are against a good team, as was the case with Bologna this evening.
In the defeat against Angers, we played with Golo' and Lamine at number 6. Both are more transition players and are threats offensively but for this match, we needed stability. Denis was not there and Soungou is for me the player who most resembles him in the squad. It was clear in my head that he was lined up in the XI.
Adi HütterThe tenure of Soungou'
Can you tell us about the great performances of Christian Mawissa and Soungoutou Magassa?
It was a risk on my part because Christian hadn't played for a long time but he played very well. I don't want to talk about surprises but for me Soungoutou was one of the best players on the pitch. He showed that he was a great talent and was able to show a big reaction after his first half in Nice. He made no mistakes despite being 19 years old and did a fantastic job like all midfielders.
How did you prepare for his match after Nice?
In the defeat against Angers, we played with Golo' and Lamine at number 6. Both are more transition players and are threats offensively but for this match, we needed stability. Denis was not there and Soungou is for me the player who most resembles him in the squad. It was clear in my head that he was lined up in the XI.
Is it quite a symbol to see Thilo Kehrer score the winning goal in the absence of Denis Zakaria?
Maybe yes. I'm happy that Thilo, as captain, scored this important goal to take the three points. Breel is also a leader on this young team, so I'm happy today.
