On Thursday’s press conference Peter Stöger spoke about the upcoming match against SV Darmstadt 98. New-signing Neven Subotic was also present to give his first official statement.

Peter Stöger spoke on Thursday’s press conference about…

…the signing of Neven Subotic: “In Neven we have acquired a player that is the ideal fit in our team. We already had some good talks in the summer, but since the opportunity presented itself again we decided to give it a push. I think it is a situation both sides can profit from. The player, who is coming into a great group following a tough stretch. And then us, who are getting a great player with plenty of experience.”

…the match in Darmstadt: “It is a very important match. I think we had a good start against Mainz. We have now analyzed Darmstadt in their first game with the new coach. You could see they had a fresh wind against Gladbach. But we believe we are in the better situation. We have made developments this season and we are going there to pick up three points.”

Neven Subotic spoke alongside his new head coach about…

…his reasons for choosing FC: “The deciding factor was my talk with the coach. Peter Stöger carefully explained the situation here and convinced me. I know some players here that also informed me about the heart and passion with which this team plays. You could see the will to win in the first half of the season already. Those are definitely factors that made this decision easier for me. I am happy to be here and cannot wait to get started.”

…the past few months: “The unknown was always the most difficult. Of course I was injured for many months, but it is just hard to plan the future. I usually sleep eight hours, but in the past few weeks it became more difficult. I was a bit antsy because I was looking for some clarity. I need to be able to plan ahead in order to bring my best. I am happy that I no longer have to think about where I will be next week. It is great weight off of my shoulders.”

…his current fitness: “I had my first training session on Wednesday. The plan now is that I train alongside all of the others. I am going to give my full effort in order to make myself available for selection.”

…the love for football in Cologne: “It is always more fun to celebrate a win in a packed stadium. I know that Cologne is a special place, but so far only in third person. But you can tell that something good is happening here. I am already looking forward to celebrating my first win at the RheinEnergieSTADION.”

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