David Wagner hails Huddersfield’s competition for places ahead of crucial Cardiff meeting

Wagner welcomed Mathias Jorgensen, Jonathan Hogg and Aaron Mooy back to training this week while Jonas Lossl has also been working to get back in shape

Huddersfield manager David Wagner believes that competition for places has never been so fierce at the club, describing it as “a perfect situation” to have all his players fit.

Wagner welcomed Mathias Jorgensen, Jonathan Hogg and Aaron Mooy back to training this week ahead of their match against Cardiff City on Saturday, while Jonas Lossl has also been working to get back in shape.

While he did not want to be drawn into naming individuals, Wagner was keen to highlight the competitive edge to his current squad.

“We now have three games in the next week and I’m pretty sure we will use all of them [the squad] in the next week,” he said. “Now we have exactly what we wanted to have, competition in every position, which we did not have last season. Everyone now has training to earn a starting shirt.”

That competitiveness has been a by-product of the ambition shown by the club off-the-field, and Wagner insists that they will continue to do so within their means.

David Wagner is happy with the make-up of his squad (Getty Images)

“Our supporters are intelligent and smart enough to really know how proud they can be for being part of the Premier League. Even though we are humble, they know we have the highest ambitions you can have,” he said. “We will always invest everything that we have. We will always be as ambitious as possible and give ourselves no limits,” he added.

Results have been slightly more difficult to come by though after the Terriers were handed fixtures against Chelsea and Manchester City to begin the campaign. However, the former Borussia Dortmund II coach is refusing to panic.

“Even if you beat big names or even if you have two wins in a row, this means nothing – as it does if you concede a few defeats in a row. It is all about the next challenge and for us the next challenge is Cardiff City,” he stated.

Similarly, when asked if he would treat it as a cup final, the 46-year-old said “No. If you win a cup final you have a trophy, if you lose a cup final everything is over. We will not lift a trophy on Saturday if we win and it will not be over if we lose,” he said.

“It is an important game and it is one where we face an opponent in a different style. If we play our best then we know we have an opportunity to be successful,” he added.