Thomas Ouwejan: I often look to find Simon from free kicks

The Dutchman was also involved in a decisive moment in the first half when he was brought down by goalkeeper Andreas Luthe after he was picked out by Marius Müller with a long ball. Referee Harm Osmers had little choice but to send the 36-year-old from the field for a professional foul.

“It was a clear red card,” said Ouwejan after the incident that took place in the 39th minute. “It was pretty painful at the time but nothing bad came of it and everything’s fine.” The foul resulted in a free kick which Ouwejan whipped into Kenan Karaman, who couldn’t quite find the finish.

3 goals and 8 assists during the 2021/22 promotion season

It was a different story just under half an hour earlier, when Ouwejan picked out Simon Terodde in the penalty area with a pin-point free kick from the left. The veteran striker guided his header past the keeper to put his side 1-0 up. It was this sort of link-up play that helped Schalke secure promotion back to the Bundesliga at the end of the 2021/22 season. “I often look to pick Simon out from free kicks because if it finds his head, there’s a good chance he’ll find the back of the net,” said Schalke’s number 2.

Ouwejan has been directly involved in 2 goals in as many games at the start of the new campaign. On matchday 1 in Hamburg, he put his side into a 2-1 lead with a sweetly struck effort with his left foot just inside the penalty area. The Dutchman is now looking to build upon his strong start to the season in the coming weeks. During the 2021/22 season, the left-back scored 3 goals and picked up 8 assists in 28 appearances.

After the 3-0 win over Kaiserslautern, however, the 26-year-old was quick to highlight the importance of the team.  “A 3-0 win sounds good in the end. The victory gives us a good feeling as a group. But if you’re playing with 11 men against 9 then you could make the result even more comprehensive. I can understand that the fans would have wanted 1 or 2 more with how the game panned out,” said Ouwejan. The aim now, according to the left-back, is to keep developing as a team. “I’m absolutely convinced that we’ll be successful in doing just that,” he emphasised.