Huddersfield Town are without injured Mathias 'Zanka' Jorgensen when they travel to champions Manchester City on Sunday.
Midfielder Jonathan Hogg , captain against Chelsea , is also struggling to overcome a hip problem, so head coach David Wagner may well consider a different formation at the Etihad Stadium.
Wagner talked to the media at PPG Canalside about the meeting with Pep Guardiola’s side.
And here is every word the Town boss said in his press conference:
What is the injury situation for Town?
We had a very good start of the week when all 23 squad players were healthy and available for training.
We used the opportunity for Elias Kachunga and Collin Quaner to play in the Under 23s and both played well, Kacha scoring three goals and Quaner two.
But then Zanka got a muscle injury in training, not serious but it looks like he will miss the game on Sunday.
But we hope he will be back for the next one against Cardiff, even if the decision has to be made late next week.
His muscle injury is not the worst one, but it’s an injury which makes it happen that he can’t train for the next five to seven days.
Unfortunately this means he will miss the game (against City).
Hoggy has a bit of a hip problem and he is doubtful for Sunday, but we still have hope he will be ready.
Does that mean you have some big selection decisions to make?
Yes.
Apart from Zanka, who will be out on Sunday for sure, and with the question mark behind Hoggy, as I said, everybody is available.
This means I have a lot of things I can think about, and we are very happy we have such a competitive squad together at the minute.
How do you look forward to a game away from home against the champions?
We respect them very much and they deserve the respect but, we like to cause them problems.
This was the case when we met them the last time and this was the case the times before, so we have now a few experiences against them in the last two season.
It doesn’t change. Whoever is in front of you, you like to cause them problems.
You like to test yourself against the best. They are the best, this is the truth, but this doesn’t mean we won’t be really trying to make it an uncomfortable afternoon for them, and we will try our best.
This is our aim for Sunday.
What is the secret of doing well against City and surviving?
There’s isnt one secret. A lot of things have to come together.
If it would be so easy to tell you one secret and you are successful, everyone would do it.
Does every one of your players have to be on their game?
Yes, absolutely for sure, we have to be on our best.
We have to be brave as well and really trust in our ability and our skills.
Then, in these games like we saw last weekend, you need the small margins to go in your favour.
The players did a very good job in the first half, but we conceded an unlucky deflection goal against Chelsea and then hit the inside of a post, so instead of 1-1 it was 1-0.
These are the situations we need to go in our favour, but we will work on our limit, we will work our socks off – I have no doubt about that – and there is no better or greater occasion than to be against City away and we will try our best, like we have done in the past.
Does the 0-0 draw at City last season give you confidence this time?
Our confidence will not be on a higher or lower level because of the opponent we face.
We know exactly what we can do and what we are capable of when we are on our best – and we know exactly what problems we can have if we are not on our best – so our confidence does not depend on the opponent.
We know the chances against one or another opponent to collect some points are maybe higher against one than the other, but this doesn’t change that we will try to do our best.
This is where you have to be clear and where, more than ever, you have to focus on yourself and not on the opponent. To focus on the opponent makes no sense when you play these quality sides.
You have to focus that you do all your homework right, and that you prepare every single player and the whole group as good as you can. Then you want to be as tight as possible in your game plan and the small margins have to go in your favour – then we will see what we can get out of it.
We know, and we have the experience, even against these top teams you can get a result.
Not often, but sometimes, and we will fight for the sometimes.
Is Keven De Bruyne’s injury a small bonus for you?
I’m not worried about this. I feel sorry for Kevin that he is injured after his great World Cup, but I don’t think about whether he is available or not.
I think more about how I solve the situation that we will miss Zanka on Sunday.
You enjoy going into games as the underdog, don’t you?
More of less for the last three years we have been underdogs, so nothing has changed.
As I’ve said before, we have seen it is possible to get results in these games.
It’s not something you can take for granted, but it’s possible.
So we will fight. We will not give up before the game. This makes absolutely no sense, so we will try and fight on our best and then we will see.
We will accept the result that we get, but we want to be able to say that we tried everything.
A lot of people said we played a good game in the first half against Chelsea, and they were right, and this is what we want to take in against City too, even if we know that they are the best and there is no question about it.
What do you have to do better against City than you did against Chelsea?
I think against Chelsea in the first half we were more or less just unlucky.
I think the players pressed Chelsea high in some moments and then they dropped in a deep block, and they really found a balance.
They were aggressive and they made it uncomfortable for Chelsea, but then we were unlucky with the first goal and unlucky not to equalise.
Then we made the first tactical mistake, the first one in the whole first half, and we conceded a penalty. Two nil down at half time.
This is the story of the game, but the performance of the players, and the focus and concentration over the first half, was good. No complaints from my side, and we will like to bring this next level on Sunday.
What have you done well against City in the past?
First of all we were brave, and we really were able to trust ourselves, and this is the most important thing.
In this stadium against City away, we have to be brave and search for new situations. We have to fight and work our socks off.
This is exactly what we have done in all of the games against them, to be totally honest.
There is not one key, but the basics you have to bring as a team when you play someone like City is bravery, then you fight and work on your best.
Do you feel disrespected when pundits says Huddersfield Town will park the bus?
I don’t feel any disrespect. After three years since being here, everybody knows what we have done.
Everybody knows what we are capable of and what we are not capable of.
It is their job but, to be totally honest, how different teams and different managers collect their points, I don’t think anybody should care.
If it means we collect points if we park the bus, let’s do it. If it means we have to do it in a different manner, then we do it in a different manner.
There is not one truth in football. The most important thing is that you find the best solution for your team, for the match which is in front of you.
Danny Williams is back in full training, but is he still a few weeks away?
He is much further on than I thought.
After we knew he would miss the Austria trip, I thought he would be long. But now he is with us training.
He started to be with us in training last week, not every single session, but every session he was with us he trained 100%
He will need some further days. I think our aim should be the Cup game against Stoke. Hopefully in this game he will be ready to get his first minutes of the season.
The same is in our head at the minute for Erik Durm.
They are ahead of the schedule, shall we say, and I hope they will be ready with some more training days for the Cup game against Stoke.
Is there still a future for Collin Quaner at Huddersfield Town?
Absolutely.
We have 23 players in our squad, including Collin, and everybody knows these are the numbers I wanted to work with and these are the numbers I always work with.
This is a squad number I think is not too big, but it’s not too tight or small either.
It was great how both he and Kacha took the opportunity to play in the Under 23s.
It was only possible because we had so many numbers and it was only possible because it was an opponent where we thought it would suit them. And they did a very good job.
They have shown they are here, and we will need every single player in this long season, there is no doubt about it for me.
With Zanka out, do you consider a different formation?
This is one option, to think about our formation.
We as well have the option with Jon Gorenc Stankovic, who played a good pre-season.
We have some further options with players who are able to play in different formations around this centre-back position. So we will find a solution we are comfortable with.
Can you go and play possession football, like Manchester City do, or is that naive?
This is not naive, but it is unrealistic.
If we like to play ball possession against teams like Manchester City and Chelsea, they have their own idea and they have some qualities as well.
If they will not allow you to play ball possession, they will not allow you.
Then you have to find a solution to maybe play from the transition, if it makes sense.
This is why you can’t dictate different clubs and different teams, with different individuals and different qualities in the group.
Even if we would like to do it and have the idea before the game to do it, if a team like Manchester City or Chelsea will not allow you to do it, they will not allow you.
You have to find another way and, as I said, I think the players found a great balance between pressing high and defending deep against Chelsea last week.
When we played City here last season when we lost 2-1, we played in a deep block. We parked the bus, but without success.
When we played them away, at the end of last season, there were some situations where we wanted to press them high as well, but you have to respect their quality.
If you press them high, they can pop through, so you have to make some correct decisions. If you like to press a team like City high, they have the quality to beat your pressure.
So this is very exciting and interesting to prepare your team to play City, because they are the best.
They have so many different options in so many different scenarios. This is very, very good what Pep has created there.
It’s not a big difference to what they have done last season, so we are prepared for what is in front of us. But it doesn’t mean I know the result.
Will Sunday be harder than the game in May, when City were celebrating the title?
I think it makes no sense to compare the two games, it’s different timing.
Last year they had already won the title, this one is very early in the season, but what you can compare for sure is their set-up, their mindset, how they play and what they prefer to do.
But they have different individuals in some positions. Even so, we are prepared, we know what is in front of us and we know how hard and difficult it will be on Sunday.
We know we have to be on our best and we know we have to show bravery, work ethic and fighting spirit.
Huddersfield Town latest news
Has Jonas Lossl made up ground on Ben Hamer for the goalkeeping slot?
They’ve both had a good week so far and, yes, Jonas made some further steps, which is what I expected to be totally honest.
As we all together know, he came late into the pre-season and not in the best shape, so he is still catching up and he has made up some ground.
