Hjulmand wants Leverkusen fury against Union
Bayer Leverkusen head coach Kasper Hjulmand has called for his side to start strongly when it hosts Union Berlin in the Bundesliga this weekend.
Hjulmand has enjoyed a steady start after replacing Erik ten Hag, picking up two wins and three draws in his first five matches across all competitions.
His side sits seventh in the German top-flight heading into the weekend's action, where Hjulmand wants his players to come racing out of the blocks.
"It's very important, first of all, for me and for the team to keep the mentality behind all our minutes played, to be proactive," he said.
"It's very important that we are on the front foot in every minute of the game."
In fact, Leverkusen has taken the lead in all five of its Bundesliga matches this season, as has Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
However, it has also dropped the most points from winning positions in the league, doing so seven times.
"Of course, we have to defend very low and tough sometimes, but it should always be with the intention that, right after this struggle, we will have a possibility to score the next goal somehow," Hjulmand added.
Union is four places below its host on the table, having been held to a goalless draw by 10-man Hamburger SV in its previous outing.
"I wasn't happy with the result last week, and there are things that need to be improved upon," Union head coach Steffen Baumgart said.
"I've been over it with the team. They will apply what they've worked on. Looking forward, Leverkusen are, of course, a very good team.
"It's an exciting job, an exciting challenge for us. My job to be clear in my instructions. The team won't be lacking motivation."
