Motherwell defender Jake Girdwood-Reich has said he thrives under pressure as the team prepares for the first leg of their Conference League play-off against Bundesliga side Freiburg at Fir Park.
Pressure mentality from A-League success
Girdwood-Reich previously helped Auckland United win the A-League Grand Final last season, describing the experience as a major achievement. He said: "We were an expansion team and we had only been in the league for two years. The first season they won the Premiers and we won the Grand Final last season. It was massive for the club and country."
He added: "We were the first New Zealand team to win the A-League. There was a massive crowd there. (Apostolos) Stamatelopoulos played for the opposition and I had to mark him. It was good to get the win over him and my former club, where I came through the academy. It was a bit of a weird and emotional one for me to beat them. It was a really good night and I will remember it forever. As a footballer you need to embrace pressure."
Freiburg challenge and Motherwell belief
Freiburg finished seventh in the Bundesliga last season and reached the Europa League final, spending around £30 million this summer on new signings including Mio Backhaus, Keisuke Goto, Yannick Engelhardt and Rihito Yamamoto.
Girdwood-Reich said: "I like to play with pressure. I have played in really big games and I hope I can do well in both these legs. I want to compete against the top teams in the world. Freiburg finished seventh in the Bundesliga and got to the Europa League final. It is a really good test to see where I am at."
He added: "They've spent crazy amounts of money and were Europa League finalists. We just need to embrace it and respect them fully. We just want to show we can compete. You just have to embrace it. What an opposition to play against and we get to play them at home in the first leg. All the boys are excited and really looking forward to it. This game is probably some of the biggest games of some of the boys' careers. We just need to have a lot of belief."
Positive start under new management
The 22-year-old Australian has made a positive start in Motherwell's new-look defence under manager Alfred Johansson. He said: "To be honest, it has been very hard. It has been so good for me. I came later in pre-season and it has helped me get in shape. It is competitive games so you have to get into form. I have never done so many Thursday and Sunday games. It is new for me, but I have really enjoyed it."
Girdwood-Reich was handed the captain's armband for the weekend's Premier Sports Cup defeat to Stenhousemuir, though the much-changed side failed to progress. He said: "I am super grateful for the captaincy. It wasn't the result we wanted, but it shows the belief the manager has in me and the boys at the club. We had a really good start. Sunday was really disappointing. The manager brought us in. There are always things we can improve on."
Motherwell are looking to add new signing Seb Palmer-Houlden to their squad.
