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Miron Muslic: Both goals were worked on in training
After Sunday’s 2-1 win in Kiel (15/2), Miron Muslic reflected on an eventful 90 minutes at the post-match press conference alongside Holstein coach Marcel Rapp. Goalkeeper Loris Karius also spoke in the Mixed Zone.
Miron Muslic:
The first half was some of the best football we’ve played in recent weeks and months. We had a good structure both in and out of possession, and we backed that up with intensity and a real goal threat in the final third. The key was finding the right balance between our defensive set-up and the power we can bring going forward in this new system. We did that really well. That’s why we went in 2-0 up at the break against a Kiel side with an incredible amount of quality, and we fully deserved it. Both goals from corners were worked on in training and no accident. Hasan Kuruçay even told me in training this week that he had a feeling he’d score – and he delivered.
The fact it got really tense again after the penalty is completely normal in a league as tight as ours. A goal like that always gives the opposition a lift. Kiel threw everything at us to turn the game around, but together we defended everything that came our way. That was important for all of us. We’ll keep going down this road we’ve chosen together – with all the ups and downs. The lads showed that we’re strong as a group and that we can handle the pressure that always comes with football. I’ve got complete belief in this team. Now it’s about recovering properly so we can go again next Saturday evening against Magdeburg.
Marcel Rapp:
The first half was really hard fought. Schalke were really physical and got the ball forward quickly and directly. At times we struggled to match them in the duels. Even so, we had two good chances, and we also had a goal disallowed. After the break, we played well. We matched their physicality, we were the better side overall and we had enough chances to equalise. In the end we lost because we didn’t defend their set pieces well enough.
Looking at the table, we could certainly start to worry. But there’s no point in that – we need to just put in good performances. Today was much better than our recent games. In the end we were just missing that little bit of luck. But we also can’t forget we were up against a good Schalke side. I can’t fault the lads today.
Loris Karius:
All in all, it was a strong performance from us to see the game out in the second half in those tough circumstances. When you concede to make it 2-1, you can’t help thinking back to last week, when we let a lead slip. That’s why it was even more important that we managed to hold on today. We can definitely build on the first half. We had good moments after the break as well, but once you concede a relatively early goal, it’s only natural that the home side pile on the pressure. We dealt with that well.
We created plenty of chances, caused them real problems with our pressing, and we had more creativity going forward as well. It’s great to see how well the new signings are contributing. The lads welcomed them from day one and they’ve settled in quickly. We’re a team that makes it easy for new players to come in. They’ve got huge quality – and the fact that they are showing it straight away obviously helps us a lot.
