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Kenan Karaman: We saw the game out confidently
FC Schalke 04 secured all three points on Saturday afternoon (20/9) at 1. FC Magdeburg. Following the 2-0 win, the two head coaches, the goalscorer Kenan Karaman and Loris Karius had their say on the game.
Miron Muslic:
I’m really proud of my team. We put in an extremely solid performance against a side that are hard to face. For me, Magdeburg are, along with Hannover, the strongest side with the ball at their feet. But we were able to take that away from them to an extent, and with our structure without possession we also created openings for ourselves, worked hard in many areas and executed things well. Today was a big step in the right direction in terms of how we want to play when we have the ball. We played with clarity and structure. We deserved to get all three points in the end.
Markus Fiedler:
Today’s game wasn’t decided by any tactics; the mental side was what mattered. Their early goal after an individual mistake took its toll on us and we struggled to show our quality in possession after that. We were a little bit shaky and also lacked a bit of luck. My aim was to pick the lads back up at the break and we started the second half strongly and had some promising attacks, but then another error led to a second goal for them and that ultimately proved too big a hurdle to overcome against a Schalke side who knew how to stay organised and run the clock down.
Kenan Karaman:
That was a really good performance away from home in difficult conditions with the warm weather. We were compact and focused but also knew that life could become difficult for Magdeburg if they went behind because the home fans would become nervous. We managed that with the early goal, then saw the game out confidently and rewarded ourselves with the penalty after the break. We could have scored more and had some good chances, but we’re on the right track. After my injury I said I’d need some time, but of course two goals do a lot for my confidence.
Loris Karius:
I think it was a very good performance from every single Schalke player out there. Just a few seconds after the restart we switched off briefly and were lucky with the offside, but apart from that we controlled the game well against a team that is very strong on the ball. The fact we’re so solid at the back isn’t down to me alone – with the high line I’m used to staying alert and being involved. When everyone plays their part, our defensive strength doesn’t come as a surprise, and I always believed we could make a good start.
