The new GC coach, Tomas Oral, is aware that he will be met with a certain amount of skepticism. But he is convinced that he has everything in his toolbox to keep the Zurich club in the league.
When head of sport Stephan Schwarz and Tomas Oral arrive 14 minutes late for the media conference, the new Grasshoppers coach first greets everyone present with a handshake. He then apologizes for the delay: "This is due to the fact that we had two training sessions today. I wanted to include one or two things that took a little longer."
Of course, the 51-year-old German is aware that he has a lot of work ahead of him. GC have picked up just one point in their last five league games and have slipped to the bottom of the Super League table. Oral now wants to take the "path of small steps. The focus is on being compact in both directions and not forgetting to play football."
Asked whether he is a classic firefighter, Oral replied: "If you look at my CV, you know that I did a lot of development work in my first two positions. I was promoted six times in a row. With Ingolstadt and FSV Frankfurt, I then acquired things that enable me to quickly lead a team in one direction. I have a package that is very appealing. I feel absolutely ready for the challenge."
However, he can understand that the fans are somewhat skeptical about him. "It's completely normal for me, but I deserve a fair chance." He will do everything in his power 24/7 to succeed. But of course, the only argument is to win games.
Although Oral was only introduced today and various other names were bandied about, the process of finding a coach was neither difficult nor lengthy for Stephan Schwarz. "We have a duty of care. Of course, we also spoke to other candidates, but that ran in parallel." Tomas Oral fulfilled everything they had in mind. "I've known him for a very long time and know what he values. With him, it's always about good organization and compactness as well as a common idea. That's what we want to bring in offensively and defensively. The team is intact, now we still need to make adjustments."
For Tomas Oral, a groundbreaking game is already on the cards on Saturday, as GC will host penultimate-placed Winterthur, who have two more points than the record champions. At the moment, he certainly needs a little more tact and warmer words, says Oral. However, he is convinced that he can reach the players quickly.
SDA
