Paul Seguin: An important victory, but a long way to go

The duo covered almost 25 kilometres of ground between them and were a big factor in the visitors’ lack of chances. “We showed a lot of character today – we were always up for the fight,” said Seguin, who gave a factual analysis of the victory: “It was a good step and an important win, but there’s still plenty of the season to go,” explained the 28-year-old, who now wants to build on the weekend’s performance in the coming games.

Seguin was heavily involved throughout against Braunschweig, winning the ball back in his own half and driving play forward. Along with having the best running stats of any player on the pitch, covering 12.44km, Schalke’s number 7 could boast 94 touches of the ball and 74 attempted passes – both also game highs. 89% of those passes found a teammate, leaving the midfielder trailing only Marcin Kaminski (93%) on that front.

Make your own luck

Although Schalke created a number of chances, including Kenan Karaman’s effort cannoning back off the bar in the 34th minute, it took almost an hour for the opening goal to arrive. That was almost typical of Schalke’s current situation, according to Seguin: “When you’re up against it, sometimes the ball just doesn’t want to go in. You have to make your own luck,” said Seguin. That’s exactly what the Royal Blues did against Braunschweig, showing a clear improvement over their previous game against Kaiserslautern, even if there is still room to grow further.

In the current situation, though, the three points are what count most and what will bring the club up the table. As Seguin highlighted, “It’s all about sticking together and having fighting spirit.”