NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

May 18, 2022

Gerhard Struber

Press Conference

New York Red Bulls 3, Chicago Fire FC 3

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, a little bit disappointed feeling right now. Again, we cannot bring at home the right points. We expect today a win. We expect a victory, a very clear victory. I think the last two days, also, the preparation in this direction of this game was I think on a very good level and also the focus was very good. I think the first 20 minutes when we come in the game, 25 minutes, I think we create chances. We have a compact team.

We have in the end 20 minutes we are in the lead and then we miss to make the game over for Chicago, yeah. I think we have a second top chance with Luis and then with Tom Barlow a good possibility.

In the end, we give always today Chicago a little bit the space and the belief to do something. And of course we can see especially the end of the first half, many set pieces, many throw-ins from them. They crashed a little bit also with so many set pieces moments, their rhythm and also the tempo for us.

In the second half, yeah, we changed the shape. We come in different situation from the staggering. This helps in some moments for the transition that we have more numbers in the right position but also we have today a little bit problems to find against Shaqiri also a good rest defense and also we have some problems to kill the switch, and then I think we have to run many, many meters square and shifting and so many moments.

Yeah, but in the end, we are not happy with the point. I miss a little bit the sharpness, yeah, from the mental side to be ready for the victory.

Also I think the last games wore a little bit power from us, and also we can see with the COVID situations at the moment, also today with John Tolkin right now is in the safety protocol is for us a little bit every game day at the moment a stress test on some surprises when we realize one hour before we start in the game that we have a positive case.

But we was not sharp enough today to bring the points home. This is I think my feeling. We are not always too much in reaction moments in pressing and not in good anticipation sync in pressing moments, and we give often Chicago too much space.

Yeah, in the end, 3-3 at home against Chicago is not our standard and we cannot be happy with that.

Q. Obviously when you were mentioning the game sort of unraveled defensively for you guys late in the first half and then a little more so in the second half, you mentioned some of the rest defense on Shaqiri. What are other elements that Chicago brought to the game to cause you difficulty? They created more chances than a lot of away teams here at Red Bull.

GERHARD STRUBER: Very short from the data side. We have in the end when you speak about chances, we have 2.2 expected goals this game and they have -- help me a little bit, one point, around one point.

This means to us, we are very clear from the expected goals and from the expected points, we have to win this game. This was crystal clear from the data side, this is what I saw. As we can see, we have 2.38, for us this speaks I think more than a thousand words and 2 points, 2.1 expected points against 0.59 expected goes for Chicago, I speak about many chances.

But of course, three goals at home, it's not our standard. Normally we have seven, eight games that we concede three goals. I think this is not our standard and we are very, very unhappy today in this direction.

I think today was not always in sync and this was in many moments the problem, and I think we realize in the end a foul on the penalty area, many, many free kicks, many, many corner kicks. Sometimes too late to come in good pressing moments, and yeah, was I think in many moments today the problem that they find always a little bit more belief in the game. We are not always good with the distances with the way we go together in a pressing moment.

Q. Toward the end of the game, it seemed that things got a little sloppy. Was just overall that you feel there was just something not sharp playing at home?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think the one or other players struggled a little bit today. I think as we can see we have COVID cases and this has a little bit influence, the rhythm in the last two weeks was not two sexy with one or other player to find the right match fitness. And then we was too far away, too wide with the distances, and then we run, run, but always we come a little bit too late, and success goes a little bit.

Yeah, we found success in pressing moments. You lose a little bit the belief, and then you go always too late, and in the end, you need more meters to run, and this makes a little bit frustration in some situations. And then you create fouls, what we did in the last time absolutely in a different direction. We played absolutely more clever.

It was not smart enough in these moments how we create overloads and also how we create forward actions on-ball moments that we are cleaner in transitions. We lose also very quick sometimes after the situations when we win balls, yeah, our focus and also the ball.

Yeah, there were some ping-pong moments and this was in the end not enough to win the necessary victory on the day.

Q. How was all of your game plan after the first half and having an early goal in the second one, what you had to change, the early goal in that part of the game?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think in the second half, you can see we start with the shape in the back three, and with wingbacks higher. We have one center then but for us was sometimes the problem to bring our center tens in the channel, in the halfway (ph) lines. This was the reason I change in a 4-2-2 with two tens that we have always players in the half lines, and we see in some moments how we can use that a little bit easier.

And also our staggering for counterpressing was a little bit better, and we have a clearer situation of our reverence player. But I must say at the same time Shaqiri swims between the lines very smart, and was very difficult to come in infights. With him he has I think a very good position what he create for himself and was very, very difficult for us to bring him.

And also, the rest fields, we have not always good in our hands, and I feel, again, always a little bit more the belief they can turn, they can change inside, they can switch the game, and this means we have in some moments with our staggering today, especially in the back three, a little bit problems. The back four help us a little bit more but in the end, we can see we struggled not with the system, we struggle a little bit with our behavior in the system. It was not always disciplined enough to come in the right moment in the spots that help us to break the last line to come in in good moments.

For me the biggest topic today, of course, was we left the development players from Chicago too much space for transition and this was too easy, and then we have to, yeah, too often we have to make a foul or something and then they break the rhythm, our tempo go down, and yeah, this was I think the challenge for us today.

Q. Early on in the game, it seems like the team was having trouble with set pieces. A lot of times, free kicks near the Chicago box, they would trickle out, go out for a goal kick. But your goals, a lot of them were bang-bang plays, a lot of just breaks down the middle. Does that go with what you were saying before about you guys struggling -- you guys excelling at reaction plays about you not doing well with the slow type?

GERHARD STRUBER: I think when we speak about build-up today, I can see that we have in the first half, especially when we have three against two against two strikers, I think we have control and we come always out with the wingbacks.

The problem was a little bit more our follow action; that we find in the follow action when we have the wingback on a good high, the diagonal pass is on inside. And then we have -- we miss a little bit the fluid moment between strikers and tens. Sometimes you need two tens and not two strikers and you need behind a player, direct the last line back and we find more space in the spots in the pockets for the ten, yeah.

But this was a little bit the challenge and this was the reason why I changed it in the second half in clear two tens and two strikers in the back four, and then was a little bit easier.

But set pieces, of course, we can see Chicago's power in this direction. I think we have a clear plan, and I must say, in our situation, with our set pieces, we are -- I think the output in the whole season at the moment is good, we are in the table I think under the best three teams but in some moments we could be a little bit more -- a little bit more desire and determination in moments, especially with the service and then with our output.

But against us, we can see was not always easy today to find the right reverence player very quick, and especially I think the service from them today was on a very high level. And then it's difficult to defend this always in a successful direction.

Q. Another good performance from Hernandez who seems to be a player who has really emerged this year and has earned your trust playing almost every game. Just your thoughts on his assist to Patryk Kamala to kind of save the game and his general performances this year?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think he make the right progress in many directions. This is to read the moments quicker on-ball, yes, especially in transitions, I think he is a player he come with I think a good speed in the penalty area, and I think it's very difficult to calculate his moves, and what he learn in the last few months in a very good direction is to find position to come in transitions always in dangerous spots.

And of course, to work against the ball with the right triggers. He work against the ball always in situations that we come in overloads and yeah, he made a very interesting development the last few months and he is right now a very, very important striker, a ten, he can play in more positions. He's also very good to have and to know, yeah, he made a very good job.

Don't forget one situation we have this, also, one more time, I can see today a very clear penalty moment against Patryk Kamala. This was also I see the TV moment and for me, this was crystal clear, he got only against the striker was a clear contact. I don't know what the video assistant made in this moment. But this is one more time we can see we have also this direction many to-dos, but this is not in our hand.