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Youri Mulder: It was a top team effort to find a way through
After the 1-0 win over Karlsruher SC on Easter Sunday (5/4), director of professional football Youri Mulder spoke of his satisfaction with S04’s performance, particularly praising the way the Knappen overcame the challenges they faced with admirable determination and resilience.
“It was up to us to find a way of winning that home game,” said Youri Mulder after the final whistle blew to confirm three more points for FC Schalke 04. The Royal Blues found a way to do just that – it was captain Kenan Karaman who put away the decisive goal in the 72nd minute, a strike that was ultimately enough to secure a result that saw Schalke finish the day on a tally of 55 points. Head coach Miron Muslic had to “make a few changes to the line-up” ahead of the game, and in Mulder’s words: “We once again found a way to make it work and solved the problems with a top team effort.”
Schalke’s director of professional football described the display as one of S04’s best performances so far in this current season, even if the team only managed to convert one of the numerous chances they created on the day. “We worked up plenty of opportunities to score,” emphasised the 57-year-old. “We kept the pressure on all the way through the 90 minutes.”
Every team in and around the top spots will have to deal with absences through suspension or injury.
Someone who personifies the intensity and mentality of the team from the Dutchman’s perspective was midfielder Soufiane El-Faouzi, who drove Schalke forward time and again on Sunday afternoon: “He played an incredible game today.” In contrast to the last home match, the 2-2 draw against Hannover 96, El-Faouzi and co. were able to see a reward for their efforts against KSC. Results aside, Mulder thought that the team’s approach in both games was something to be applauded: “It comes down to whether the team give a good account of themselves. They did that really, really well today.”
As we come to the end-of-season run-in, Mulder emphasised the importance of the team’s togetherness and spirit, no matter who ends up playing or not. “Every team in and around the top spots will have to deal with absences through suspension or injury. It’s something that will almost define this stretch at the end of the year. You simply have to find a way to come through it – we have a strong, united group here. For that reason, I’m not concerned in the slightest.”
