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Youri Mulder: Show a reaction against Münster
FC Schalke 04 endured a bad day on Sunday (23/2) away against SV Darmstadt 98. Two early goals condemned the Royal Blues to a 2-0 defeat and, if that wasn’t bad enough, Max Grüger was sent off and Zaid Tchibara went off injured late on. The 19-year-old attacker has suffered a suspected ACL injury, the worst news of the day for Youri Mulder, the club’s director for professional football.
“Zaid’s injury is a real blow and worse than the defeat itself,” explained the Dutchman after the loss at the Böllenfalltor. The Knappen had already reported some bad news before the game: Ilyes Hamache is unlikely to play again this season due to an Achilles tendon injury. Kenan Karaman and Tobias Mohr also missed the trip to Darmstadt due to illness, while Taylan Bulut couldn’t play because of a thigh problem.
Despite the number of absentees, the Royal Blues don’t want to use that as an excuse for the poor start. Darmstadt were 2-0 up after just five minutes, courtesy of two goals by Isac Lidberg. “It was unacceptable. We simply cannot be 2-0 down after only five minutes,” stated Mulder, who felt the team simply hadn’t turned up for the opening stages of the match.
We’ve often said during the winter break and after it that we need points to avoid relegation. We’re definitely not safe yet.
“Darmstadt had lost four games in a row coming into this one, so we knew what to expect. You’ll quickly be trailing 2-0 if you’re not fully focused. It could even have been 3-0 as they hit the post too,” said the former S04 striker, who was particularly frustrated with individual mistakes. “We had a number of covering defenders on the right side for their first goal. We knew that Isac Lidberg always shoots on his right foot and never his left, so we should have defended that better. He always looks to find the far corner, never the near post,” he added.
Although the Knappen had more of the ball over the course of the 90 minutes, Marcel Schuhen was never really troubled in the Darmstadt goal. “Football is all about defending, getting stuck in and not allowing the opposition any space. We failed to do all of these things well,” commented Mulder, adding that the players didn’t make enough of their 11 corners either.
The 55-year-old is expecting to see a response on Friday (28/2, 18:30 CET) at home against Preußen Münster. “The lads have to show a reaction against Münster now, that’s all that matters. We’ve often said during the winter break and after it that we need points to avoid relegation. We’re definitely not safe yet.”
