Can Bozdogan: We have to trust ourselves a lot more

The boys in blue were able to frustrate Dortmund for almost an hour in the match, with only two of the nine shots up until the 55th minute really worrying Frederik Rönnow in the Schalke net. Just before the 60 minute mark however, the Dane could only parry a shot as far as Manuel Akanji who reacted fastest to give the hosts the lead. Can Bozdogan was not on the pitch for the first and was introduced to action immediately after Dortmund’s opener. Schalke were not able to pull one back, conceding twice more which was naturally disappointing for Bozdogan, but it also brought some important insights for the youngster.

“We did well at defending long balls into our half. I think that’s an area that you can really see we’ve made progress,” said the 19-year-old following the final whistle. The fact that two of the three goals that Dortmund scored came from set-pieces backs this up. The main thing that was missing for the Royal Blues was a response to the conceded goals, both in terms of attitude and actions on the pitch – a hangover from the last few months’ results.

“We should have responded aggressively after going behind, particularly when out of possession, but that was missing from our game,” concluded Bozdogan. The solution to this for the young midfielder is pushing forwards: “We have to trust ourselves a lot more to push forwards and attack.” This aspect is something that Baum’s team need to build on for the future.

Praise for Bozdogan from the gaffer

Schalke head coach Manuel Baum was full of praise for the academy graduate following the game: “When Can Bozdogan was brought on, you could really see that he wanted to get on the ball and make something happen, which was what we needed.” The focus now turns to the upcoming clash against VfB Stuttgart for Bozdogan. “We’ll be back stronger for the Stuttgart game, with more self-confidence and better morale within the team,” said Bozdogan as he looks ahead to the match next Friday 30th October (20:30 CET).