Fürth trainer confirms loss of keeper and reports no progress on clearing injuries
Press conferences are surely very dreary affairs for SpVgg Greuther Fürth head-coach Stefan Leitl at this juncture.
The 44-year-old head coach had to cover still more bad news on Friday afternoon.
Stefan Leitl lost his first-choice keeper this week. At a Friday presser, the Kleeblatt trainer confirmed that his anointed #1 Marius Funk would be out for six months or more. A knee injury will sideline the backstop Leitl promoted over Sascha Burchert after matchday six.
The 44-year-old head coach had to cover still more bad news on Friday afternoon.
In all candor, Funk may find himself relieved not to shoulder the responsibility of covering the Fürth goal. The last three fixtures have been an absolute nightmare for the net-minder.
After letting in four at Gladbach in round 12, six at Hoffenheim in round 13, and seven at home against Leverkusen last weekend, Funk picked the ball out of the back of the net a grand total of 17 times in the last three matches.
"Sascha is an absolute team player," Leitl said of his demoted keeper, "He's been very focused and committed in training and waiting for his chance."
Leitl also answered questions about his attack. Although the team is undeniably stacked with attackers, the right combination hasn't materialized yet. The head coach fielded questions about noticeably underutilized loanee Cedric Itten and even hinted that he might give him a test drive in the string XI.
Leitl reported that, excepting Funk, all members of last week's squad would be available for selection against Union on Sunday. With a familiar sigh, however, the trainer had to remark that there was no good news concerning the long-term injured.
"To be honest, I was hoping that by this press round that we could integrate one or two more players into intensive team training this week," he said, "Unfortunately, we weren't able to do that."
Leitl referred to denders Nick Viergever, Justin Hoogma, Gideon Jung, and Luca Itter. The Kleeblätter could certainly use a boost in defense. Their head-coach didn't shy away from stressing what the team really needed to do.
"It's time to prove that we can win a game in this league," Leitl said of his team.