Press news in....

Daniel Farke addresses the media ahead of Norwich City v Southampton (Friday 6pm KO). Updates to come from 1.15pm.

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DF: It was a crazy time for all of us, we had to accept the lockdown and step by step we are returning to normality. It's good that football is back.

DF: A long break didn't help too much, I have to sadly confirm that Grant Hanley is out for the season, he requires surgery on a hamstring injury picked up in the Tottenham friendly.

DF: I also have to sadly confirm it's the end of the season for Sam Byram. He injured himself back in the Liverpool game, we hoped he'd be back in June but he has had a set back in his rehab.

DF: We hope Sam Byram isn't needing surgery, because that would set him back for many weeks.

DF: Christoph Zimmermann is also out for the season, he has some chronic problems in his back and hamstring. We tried to get him back, but he is unfortunately out for the season.

DF: It was a shock for Marco Stiepermann and the group when his test came back positive, luckily he had no symptoms. Thankfully because of his second negative test he has been allowed to rejoin and train with us.

DF: Stiepermann will not be involved tomorrow, but we hope he can be a topic in the next game.

DF: When you think you've already seen everything in football, you're surprised by something new. The technology is used by human beings, so there will be mistakes. Perhaps it was not switched on, we have to accept some of these strange things happen!

DF: There are still nine games to go, we don't sit in our dressing room and pray for unfortunate results in other stadiums, we focus on ourselves. This season is in our hands, we cannot blame others or the technology, so we have no complaints about this error.

DF: VAR should be used to make the game more fair, in this situation it could have overruled the error, but technology has never failed, so I understand why they didn't want to make the change. Sometimes there are strange mistakes, but it has happened, so we have to accept it.

DF: We tried to prepare the lads in the best possible way in the return to training. We'll have to see how we deliver on the pitch, the real stuff begins now. We have to be focused and show what we're trying to prove in the next few weeks.

DF: We should be a role model in football, we have a great voice and the stage to support this unbelieveable topic. It feels ridiculous in these times we have to discuss this topic, but we have to show that we are all human beings. I totally back the movement.

DF: It's a bit more complicated to analyse our opponents, that momentum that was there nearly four months ago is no longer important. It's not like they will play completely different, but we have no idea how they have used the lockdown period.

DF: We are aware every game is important, we need to go into every game looking to win three points. It is nine finals. The better you start, the easier it is to achieve the points needed to stay in this fantastic league. It feels like a best of nine series, if we win five games we could stay up, if we don't we could be relegated.

DF: We have shown that when it's do or die, we are mentally prepared. We are looking forward to having these games.

DF: It's difficult and in Germany the home game advantage seems to have flipped in the statistics. We had many games left for our home fans, but we have to accept that we will play these games like friendlies behind closed doors. It is important we create the spirit in our group of being fully focused.

DF: Our lads are willing to work their socks off to achieve something really special in these last nine games, home and away.

DF: It's not so much about individuals, it's about the team. My spotlight isn't just on Teemu Pukki, I want my whole team to score goals. The most important thing is that we can score and defend as a team.

DF: We are the underdog, without a doubt. We have the lowest amount of points, but we are all 100% convinced that we still have a chance. It is all in our hands. It's complicated to do this as a newly-promoted side, but it's crunch-time and we have to show a winning mentality. I'm fully convinced my team has this, we have nothing to lose.

DF: The Bundesliga restarting helped us see that these protocols can work. At first, the lads were very careful in training, but now each day they are growing more trusting of the process.

DF: When the news came out about Marco, it was horrendous, the lads were starting to be a bit more doubtful. We have to be careful and stick to these protocols, but it's good that football is coming back.

DF: It makes no sense to feel sorry for ourselves. It feels a bit strange, but I feel for my lads because they want to help out and create something excellent in these last weeks. I would rather have all of my players available, but it isn't a topic to feel sorry and complain about now, we go with what we've got.

DF: If I judge the situation honestly, it does seem like Marco Stiepermann's test was a mistake. He tested negative twice so soon after the first, but I cannot blame anyone for this. We don't complain about these things, it was not the best solution, but it is what we have to face. I'm more thankful that Marco is back in training and healthy.

DF: Timm Klose is physically perfect for the game, but we have to be realistic, it's a period of five weeks with 10 games. We can't put too much pressure on Timm, but I totally trust him. We need all the players at the moment, especially him.

DF: We had two in-house training sessions to prepare for what an empty stadium will feel like. I think we are as prepared as we can be, it is the same situation for all teams, we have to adapt to this.

DF: It's good to be back on the pitch, but I wouldn't label it as a relief. The biggest step was coming back into full-team training for this step to normality. It is definitely a good feeling to go back, but we are looking forward to playing in front of supporters, hopefully later in the year.

DF: If I'm realistic, it would've been an advantage to play our home games in front of fans. We now have no real home-advantage. To have so many games in such a short-period, the clubs who can spend a lot of money on quality will have an advantage. We won't use this as an excuse, we know realistically it doesn't often go in our favour, but this is the situation.

DF: This break has helped for all the short-term injuries, Nathan Redmond is back for Southampton. All the players, apart from the long-term injuries, are available.

DF: My attitude has never changed, I always said we have to try everything to finish the season, it's our job. Without the proper protocols it would not be worth to finish the season if it saved just one life, but the experts have been unbelievable and I feel extremely safe in returning.

DF: Zimmermann has chronic hamstring injuries, we should be able to judge his treatment in three or four weeks. We hope this injection we've given him will help, if it works there is a great chance he'll be back in the pre-season, if not he'll need complicated surgery

DF: We tried to get rid of Sam Byram's problem, but if his body doesn't accept the screw, we need to take it out and then rehab starts again, which could see him out for five to six months.

DF: Our defensive options are pretty rare, we have had midfielders in the centre-back position and they've done well. If we have to play Teemu Pukki in defence we'll do it to win!

DF: We have worked on several things, like how to play in different base formations. It's tricky when you can't play a proper amount of friendlies. We have conceded too many goals from crosses, so we have worked on this key topic. I don't want to give too much information to our opponents!

DF: I have to praise all of my lads, they all came back in great shape. They had a great chance to impress in the training sessions and some have made big steps forward, especially in the midfield and forward areas.

DF: As coaching staff you use this break to analyse what you can do better, but for the players it gives them the chance to calm down a bit. I get the feeling they have used the time quite well to improve on the pitch.

DF: Five wins should be enough, depending on the results. Six would be better, but I'd take nine wins! 40 points is usually enough, we need to win at least five. Without those, we have no chance. We are pretty confident to have a good start and are excited to go.

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That's all from the boss this afternoon! Thank-you for following today's live blog.

Posted By: DrDublin, Jun 18, 14:33:16