Barnsley: Stendel confident his players will be fully firing for start of season

The German coach is implementing a high-pressing, counter-attacking style which has already proved successful for compatriots Jurgen Klopp and David Wagner in England.

Stendel has only been at Oakwell for little over a month but is confident his players are already grasping the way he wants them to play.

And with little over a week before their first League One outing against Oxford United, Stendel believes his charges will be firing on all cylinders come the start of the new season.

The former Hannover 96 head coach said: “I will take the time to implement my style to 100 per cent the way I want to play.

“Every player is working very hard to learn my style. They are a motivated squad willing to learn my style of play.

“I can see the progress they are making day in and day out.

“I can definitely see the players are active against the ball and want to regain the ball immediately after losing it.

“I can see they play forward which is important for the style I want to play.

“We are on a good journey and I’m confident we will be where we want to be come the start of August.

“We’ve all learnt a lot in six weeks and I hope we can show the fans we’re going in the right direction.”

The Barnsley job is Stendel’s first outside his native Germany and the 44-year-old has revealed the opportunity to work in a foreign country was a huge bearing on his decision.

He added: “The board showed a lot to us even before I started working here at Barnsley.

“My style of football is very similar to what the board expect Barnsley to play in the future.

“The opportunity to work in a foreign country, to experience a different area were the reasons I chose Barnsley.

“It’s been very good here from the start. From the first moment there’s been a very good feeling for me.

“The atmosphere is very positive in the team, in Barnsley and at Oakwell.”