Poya Asbaghi discussed current topics at his press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
ON COVID-19
“We have had two positive tests from the first team and one from the staff, so a total of three cases.
“I hope and I think that people who are in decision making roles take the best decision in terms of what is the safest, but as well protecting the league so the league can go on in a safe and fair way.
“For us, it’s just about adapting, so when the game was cancelled against Stoke, of course we have to adapt and let’s hope that in the long run we go back to a normal situation where we can play games without them being cancelled.
“But, in the end, I will trust completely the people in decision making roles that they make the best decisions, both out of safety and protecting the league.
“This situation has been going on for almost two years now and it has affected football, no matter how you see it, in terms of how many people are available, how many substitutions you can make in games, you lose income from not having fans in games.
“No matter how you see it, it has affected football, so it’s difficult to get away from that. In the end, it’s about making sure that we progress in a way where we can protect players and people who come to watch the games.
“Safety is the most important thing and then, of course, we still want to go on and play football games. So, I hope and I think that here and in other countries we have done everything we can to protect both, but of course, the game itself has been affected – you cannot get away from that.”
ON REVISED CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE
“We’re still not having big changes in our schedule because of the Stoke game. We still have a game against Blackburn coming already next week, so for us it’s to use these days extra to keep training on the things we know we have to improve because, as we know, even though this game is cancelled, we have a game coming next Wednesday, which is a pretty short time.”
ON DOMINIK FRIESER
“It was a mutual agreement. For Dominik, it is a chance to move closer to home with his family. We appreciate everything Dominik has done; he has been a super professional player, a likeable player in the changing room as well, but it has been a normal mutual agreement, which is normal in football.
“It’s nothing dramatic at all and, in the end, I think it’s a solution that both parties are happy with.”
ON REPLACEMENT FOR DOMINIK FRIESER
“It’s not for me to talk too much about. There are people who have better answers than me for that. But, of course, when players are leaving, there are empty spots in the squad.
“If we decide to fill them or not, that’s another discussion. We will see what January brings. I'm not going to talk about rumours or individual cases."
ON RECRUITMENT
“We are having discussions all the time, about potential players that we could look closer at, but there is nothing set yet. Of course, we are having a dialogue and if there are players that we bring in, what we want, is to find the best possible players to help the club in the situation we are in.
“But to give you any specifics right now, that I can’t give.”
