Ahead of Huddersfield’s trip to Manchester United this weekend, EA SPORTS™ spoke to Huddersfield manager David Wagner. The Huddersfield manager gave us his thoughts on how his side will go about preparing to get their second win over Manchester United this season, several players who have impressed him this season and the key to keeping Huddersfield in the Premier League.
EA SPORTS™: How big a signing has Aaron Mooy been for the team this year and how impressed have you been by his performances?
David Wagner: He has been one of the stand out signings and has been putting in some very good performances this season so far, and consistently. He also did a lot of travelling over the international break, to Australia and back, so it makes his performances even more impressive. It’s good how quickly he’s adapted to the Premier League.
EA SPORTS™: Tom Ince is a player with a bright future ahead of him. Do you think he’s now finally found the right club in Huddersfield?
DW: I think he’s certainly made some improvements, in particular in defence and when the opponent has the ball. I’m very pleased with his attitude and that he’s so open minded to learn - he has the best years ahead of him. He’s found a club that supports him and the style of football suits him and I think there is a lot more to come from him.
EA SPORTS™: At the other end of the pitch, Jonas Lössl has been superb in goal. How important has he been to the success of the team?
DW: The stats speak for themselves. We have seven clean sheets this season so far and he has produced some unbelievable saves and saved us at different points throughout the season. When you think that he’s on loan from Mainz with an option to buy him, I think it’s a great deal for us and he’s been outstanding this season so far.
EA SPORTS™: Looking ahead to the Man Utd game, what was the key to the 2-1 win over them earlier this season?
DW: I think on the day a lot of things came together. Performance wise; our attitude and desire was at its very best. We scored the first goal and capitalised on a mistake from the United defence for the second goal. Man Utd weren’t at their best but our supporters were unbelievable on the day as well. All those factors helped us get the result.
EA SPORTS™: You mentioned you scored the first goal in the home match, how important will it be to make a fast start at Old Trafford?
DW: If you meet one of the top six, especially United at Old Trafford, it will always be a battle and it’s very important to score the first goal, not the last one because that might not be the most important one! If you have an early chance it’s important to take it but of course it doesn’t automatically mean you’ll secure the three points. That said, the first goal going in our favour at Old Trafford will be a big help.
EA SPORTS™: How do you go about preparing the team to face Man Utd at Old Trafford?
DW: To be totally honest there isn’t a big difference between preparing the team to play at home or at Old Trafford. We have to make the team independent from the circumstances. Don’t make it about being ‘home’ or ‘away’ – leave that behind and focus on our own game and match plan, even though of course playing at Old Trafford has great tradition and is a great occasion. We will be excited and try our best to make it an enjoyable afternoon but to do that we need to perform.
EA SPORTS™: So would you say it’s important to have the attitude that this is just another match and avoid playing the big occasion?
DW: Yes, you have to focus on what you can influence. We aren’t able to influence the occasion or the circumstances. We can influence our performance and that is what we have to focus on.
EA SPORTS™: Is preparing for Man Utd any different to preparing to play another team?
DW: No, our day-to-day work is exactly the same. Whatever team we come up against we have to do our homework. On the day of course it can feel different if you play at Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams, as Huddersfield Football Club. That hasn’t happened too often in the past but now we’re here and playing them we are thrilled.
EA SPORTS™: In terms of Man Utd’s team, they have a lot of talented individuals – how are you going to stop individuals like Rashford, Martial and Lukaku?
DW: We’ve shown it’s possible which of course helps. The most important thing though is that we focus on ourselves and not the names, talent and individuals. Thinking about that can scare you if you focus on them too much so we’ll focus on ourselves like we did when we played them earlier in the season.
EA SPORTS™: Is focus going to be the key to ensuring Huddersfield stay in the Premier League?
DW: Yes, and consistency. We also need trust, belief and the right attitude and desire to make the hard yards. There are so many things we need to do over the season to ensure we as a football club survive in the league. There is no doubt the players have shown this so far but we have to continue and we have to improve.
EA SPORTS™: Have you ever heard them talking about FIFA at all?
DW: Yes, I hear some background conversation about FIFA and sometimes in the changing room the players discuss their ratings but to be totally honest I don’t know too much about it.
EA SPORTS™: Do the players ever sound unhappy with their rating?
DW: Probably, yes!
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