"Move back! Move back! Tuta, Kevin, you have to give directions to the players in front of you. Scream at them to block the spaces. Remain compact because the shots are gonna come flying in once they notice any gap in the defence."
It was Friday morning.
Toppmöller and Buck were organizing the defense. Everyone, including Lukas, was back defending. A complete contrast to their normal training.
Koch, the heart of the defense, was unavailable, injured during the match against Wolfsburg a couple of weeks ago, and the coaches knew his absence would be dearly felt in the defense.
It had not been obvious so far as they hadn't yet played a really attacking team since his absence, but the match against Bayern was sure to expose the instability in their defense.
Tuta was good, but nowhere as good as Koch in serving as the last man before the goalkeeper and the one in charge of organizing the defense.
