Adrian Gantenbein: It strengthens our togetherness even further

Adrian, after a stressful workload recently, you’ve had the chance to take a breath over this international break. How did you make use of the three days off after the friendly at FC Twente?
We still had strength training to do in Schalke on Friday morning. After that, I flew to Zürich and met my friends and family there, which gave me a fresh burst of energy.

Over the past few weeks, you’ve really solidified yourself as a constant presence in the team. Last season, you mostly made your appearances coming off the bench. Why is this season going so well for you?
The coach, Miron Muslic, and the system he’s implemented have had a massive impact. The boss really helps me as a player and gives me so much self-confidence. The style of play is completely different from last season, it’s much better suited to me. I can bring my personal strengths to the table much better in this role – the intensity really works for my game, where I can give one hundred percent and really get stuck in. I can even stand out in this kind of system (grins).

Standing out is a good way to put it. After the game away at Bielefeld, a lot of fans celebrated by giving you the nickname “Gigantenbein”, as you prevented a goal with an incredible headed clearance. Are you aware of the moniker?
Of course! Even the coach sometimes jokes around and calls me that, as do some of my teammates. After that kind of thing, I’m happy for them to do it; it was a great feeling, honestly. I’m still very much Gantenbein, though (laughs).

What was going through your head as you realised that you’d actually cleared the ball right off the line?
I just thought in the moment: that was a crazy clearance. I didn’t completely take in the fact that I ran full sprint over such a long distance and then managed to head the ball clear. In the highlights after the game, I could see how spectacular it looked.

How many times have you watched the clip back since then?
I’m very often tagged in videos of the clearance on social media. So I’ve definitely seen the clip at least 20 times already (laughs).

The clearance was like scoring down the other end. You said yourself before that it felt like a goal. You’ve not quite managed to actually get yourself on the scoresheet so far this season, though. When is it time, and what do you prefer: goal or assist?
A goal is obviously a bit more important than an assist. But of course, playing the perfect pass to lead to a goal feels like scoring yourself. Ultimately, I just try to produce my best performance in every game, and the goals will take care of themselves.

Against Elversberg, Schalke made it nine wins in 12 games. What’s the secret behind this season’s success?
First and foremost, the intense playing style that I’ve already mentioned, as well as our compactness. Everyone gives their all for their teammates here. When an opponent is on the ball, you get at least two, sometimes three of us pressing him. Our collective shape, the way we defend and how we go forward as a unit all define our play this season, and it’s the way we’re picking up points at the moment.

How does the team manage to keep filling gaps in the squad?
We can thank the guys coming in for that. Mika Wallentowitz was brilliant against Elversberg, for example. In this respect, we’ve been very fortunate all season so far – every player who’s come in has done a great job, even if he’s not had a lot of experience previously. It strengthens our togetherness even further. The fact that we can rely on each other helps us all take a step forward.

You were also forced to miss the game against Elversberg. After receiving a fifth yellow card, you had to watch the game from the stands. How did you feel about that?
I sat in the Blue Salon behind the Nordkurve with other teammates who were injured for the game. We were all on the edge of our seats by the end, as we went ahead early and had controlled the game for most of it. The boys on the pitch defended really well right up to the final whistle, though. Again, it was clear to see how everyone fights for each other in the tackle.

You’ll be back in the squad for the upcoming game against Preußen Münster. What are you expecting from Saturday’s opponent?
Münster are not a side to be underestimated. They’ve improved their play from last season and really want to take risks. They also have a lot of good individual players. But I believe that our aggressive press will help to keep them in check. Every team in the 2. Bundesliga is difficult to play against. We’ll try to produce our best performance and hopefully pick up another three points.

There were 20,000 ticket requests from the Schalke fans ahead of the game. The Royal Blue fans alone could fill the stadium twice over…
It’s always been the case here at Schalke that no matter how the season’s going, the fans are always right behind us. It’s just unbelievable, honestly. It gives me that extra boost of motivation. Ahead of every game, our captain, Kenan Karaman, or Miron Muslic will always mention the fans in their pre-match speech. We always want to be firing for them.