Brentford

Interview: Uwe Rosler

By Jack Prescott, Rugby Editor | 19 September 2013

Sports Mole spoke to Brentford manager and BT Sport's European football analyst Uwe Rosler ahead of Saturday's Bundesliga clash between Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich.

Schalke 04 entertain German champions Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday with the visitors looking to leapfrog Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table.

Bayern are currently second in the standings after dropping two points in their opening five matches, while Schalke are in need of a positive result as they languish in ninth place.

Sports Mole caught up with Brentford manager and BT Sport's European football analyst Uwe Rosler to talk about the match and the differences between the German and the English game.

Is there any chance of an upset this weekend between Schalke and Bayern Munich?

"Schalke will be one of the big forces in German football in the future. Maybe not to the same level as Bayern and Borussia Dortmund now, but they have a fantastic fanbase, history and infrastructure. They are a very attractive club. They are talented, but they don't have the quality in depth like Bayern or Dortmund have.

"With Klaas-Jan Huntelaar being out injured, it's difficult for Schalke to score whereas with Bayern you usually get a lot of goals, especially away from home. Their speed and quality... goals can come from anywhere - they're not predictable.

"The question with Bayern is defence. With the way they play, the interchanging of positions, they can sometimes leave themselves open at the back. It will be an interesting game but I predict that Bayern will win."

Can anyone challenge the dominance of Bayern and Dortmund this season, or maybe in the next few years?

"The title will be between Bayern and Dortmund this season, but maybe Schalke in the future. Maybe Bayer Leverkusen as well could provide a consistent threat."

Do you see Bayern retaining their Champions League title this season or have the other teams in Europe closed the gap over the summer?

"I don't think we'll see two German clubs in the final again this year, but in the way German football is played... there are a lot of young German players, the teams are strong physically and tactically. I think all of that gives German football the edge over a lot of other leagues.

"For me, the Premier League is still the hardest football league to win, but in terms of quality throughout, the German Bundesliga at the moment is just above everybody else."

Do you agree that the volume of foreigners in the Premier League is damaging the England national team?

"What's damaging isn't the foreigners; what's damaging is the money. The money is invested in wages and agents' fees - that's damaging.

"The problem is that, in England, teams spend too much money on average players. Too many average foreign players come into the league, blocking the way for young English players. That's the problem."

Can you see that changing anytime soon?

"Yes, but the cash needs to be turned down. Pay for the quality - players like Robin van Persie and Sergio Aguero - that's no problem. But don't pay astronomical fees for players who are not better than English players. That is not necessary.

"Germany, in the 1990s, never competed with other leagues but they are now getting the results because they were forced to work with their own younger players. Greg Dyke, my former chairman, raised the correct issue because English football has to give younger players hope.

"At the moment you have very good players who are 17 or 18 but they don't kick on in their careers - they fall off. That is the problem, but how do you regulate that legally? Maybe six homegrown players and five foreigners per team or vice versa - that would be a dream scenario for me."

How is your relationship with Greg Dyke these days?

"We have a very good relationship and we will keep that relationship. We still meet each other, we enjoy good football discussions, a good glass of wine. I was a little bit angry when he told me he was leaving Brentford because that is a big hole to fill but I later congratulated him because it's a fantastic opportunity, and it is also a fantastic achievement for Brentford.

"I wish him all the best. He's a great man, a man you can trust, and he says what he thinks. He's not afraid to make changes."

Is he what the FA needs?

"Yes. He never says things to make a public statement, but he says things because he believes them and he will do everything in his power to change certain things for the better for English football and exactly that is needed."

Speaking of Brentford, what has pleased you about your players this season?

"Mostly what has pleased me is how they came back from their holidays, how committed they were, how fit they were. Unfortunately, we got a few key injuries early so we had to go back into the transfer market for new players.

"Considering a few problems that we have had, we are still [near the promotion places]. Overall, I think our match against Leyton Orient on Monday will determine whether we've had a good start to the season or not."

Where do your players need to improve?

"We need to do better than what we've shown in the last games. We need to improve more on the mental side of things. Expectations and pressure have both been raised. We need to handle those situations better in games. We need to keep up our hunger and desire to win football matches."

How do you approach the game against unbeaten league leaders Leyton Orient on Monday?

"My players know that they are facing a team in form. There is a good reason why Leyton Orient are at the top of the league. They had a good end to last season and they've carried that on to this season. They will have patches this season when they will not win every game and it will be interesting to see how they will handle that.

"For us, we're hanging in there but there is a lot of potential for us to be better. And we will be better. I predict it will be a very close game."

Watch BT Sport's exclusively live coverage of Schalke vs. Bayern Munich on BT Sport 1 from 5.30pm on Saturday 21 September. Each matchweek at 6.45pm on BT Sport 1, Sunday Night Football covers the game across the continent.