Rouven Schröder: Playing in a full stadium is electrifying for everyone

“Playing in a full stadium is electrifying for everyone,” commented Schröder, speaking from the soul to all fans who have ever been to a Schalke home game.  Every last ticket has been sold at the VELTINS-Arena for the first time in over two years. “We’ve worked hard for that, because the tickets sales are always a reflection of our performance levels,” added the 46-year-old, who has described the upcoming clash with Werder as “an absolute highlight”.

The team have done plenty of concentrated work in training this week, reported the sporting director, who views this weekend’s opposition as a “top side” that also aspires to get promoted. “We know what we’re coming up against, but we feel well prepared for it.”

Schröder isn’t a fan of number games

S04 are currently two points ahead of SVW in the table with four matches left to play this season. However, Schröder isn’t thinking about the question of how many points will be required to achieve promotion to the Bundesliga. “I don’t like number games. It’s never helped anyone and it drives you crazy,” added the sporting director, who is instead completely focusing on the Werder game. “We’re only concerned with this weekend’s fixture. We’re not thinking too far into the future, because that’s how you lose focus on what matters most,” added Schröder ahead of the match, who was SVW’s sporting director between July 2014 and March 2016.

Schröder has been in this role at S04 for almost a year and has long since been planning for next season regardless of what league Schalke are playing in. The fact that the club has obtained their licence for the 2022/2023 season without any liquidity restraints shows is “a sign to everyone that we are working in a professional manner.” This, however, doesn’t much affect the budget available to the club. “We’re in the midst of planning a wage structure which is suitable for either league – we’re working hard on that at the minute.”

There are also a lot of thoughts going towards choosing the new head coach, with Mike Büskens currently occupying the role on an interim basis until the end of the season. “Buyo’s got a good connection with his team and is doing an excellent job for Schalke. We know what he can bring to the table,” explained Schröder, before adding: “Of course we’ll continue to work with Mike Büskens after this season, but not as head coach. We’ve come to a clear agreement on that.”