Winter acquisition Esmir Bajraktarević may make his debut against Excelsior. This was told by head coach Peter Bosz during Monday afternoon's press conference. There, Bosz also addressed the draw against AZ and criticized the decline in the first half.
Did your image of the game against AZ change yet?
"That happens regularly, that I still get a different picture later, but that was not the case this time. Sloppy ball loss and then the spaces were very big. The percentage of ball possession surprised me enormously, but that also shows how much that statistic actually says about a match - not that much."
Do you find it disappointing that you guys are falling back in terms of level more often this season?
"It's almost impossible to reach your level for a whole season, but if you want to be a top team, you have to at least be stable. The decline in the first half was too big. I said that to the group yesterday as well."
It is, however, another match that demonstrates the advantage of a very strong bench.
"Last year that was also the case, of course, that our substitutions regularly made the difference. That's clever of those guys, but it's also exactly what you have to do when you come in."
Are you going to rotate against Excelsior?
"Well, the reason our bench makes a difference is also because it's not really a bench. There are enough players on it who can start in the base. We don't only have eleven base players; we have many more. So I'm definitely going to take advantage of that."
Are we going to see Esmir Bajraktarević in action?
"He's training in a moment, and if that goes well, he'll be in the selection. Then, of course, there is also the possibility that he will be in action."
Do any injured playersreturn ?
"Karsdorp is a possibility, but Babadi, Driouech and Nagalo not yet. They are on their way back, by the way. Nagalo, for example; he is already participating in training, but is not yet allowed in duels because of his shoulder. As soon as he is allowed to, things can go very quickly, because he is otherwise just fit."
I assume Joël Drommel will be kicking again tomorrow. How does Walter feel about that?
"Well, when I first told him last season, he didn't like it. By now he is used to it. Of course it's not down to his quality, because he's an incredibly stable goalkeeper. Even if he makes a mistake once, it doesn't stay in his head. But Joël is also a good goalkeeper, and I think he deserves to play in the cup."