Domenico Tedesco: Lots of options for Saturday’s XI

Domenico Tedesco was full of praise for his team’s efforts in the short preparation time for the second half of the season. “The lads have been focused are working hard,” says the head coach. “All the lads can barely wait for the league to return.” The Knappen’s opening fixture will see the team face RB Leipzig on Saturday (13th January) at 18:30 CET.

Bundesliga

11.01.18, 12:48

Domenico Tedesco auf der Pressekonferenz vor dem Spiel in Leipzig

Score more goals and allow less through

The 32-year-old coach has set the following goals for the remaining 17 Bundesliga games: “We want to score more goals and allow less through.” According to Tedesco, now is a great moment for the team as they currently sit second in the table. “We haven’t achieved anything yet,” he stresses. “We have to keep working hard. But there’s no sense that the boys are sitting on their laurels – quite the contrary.”

The coach is pleased with the effort his team have shown in training. At the same time, it’s making the starting XI against Leipzig an extremely difficult decision for the coach. “But that’s what you want as a coach. We have so many quality players, which gives me a lot of options for Saturday’s starting XI. We’re very proud of how we played in the first half of the season; we can’t allow ourselves to forget that we’ve fought hard for each and every point.”

We’ve fought hard for each and every point.

Domenico Tedesco

S04 looking to continue the run in Leipzig

One of the most convincing matches of the first half of the season was the game against Leipzig, which the Knappen won 2-0 with goals from Nabil Bentaleb and Yevhen Konoplyanka securing the victory. “I want to see a similarly passionate performance,” says Tedesco, and adds that his team want to continue the current ongoing run of 13 games without defeat.

However, Tedesco says that the fact Leipzig failed to win any of their last five competitive matches in 2017 doesn’t change anything. “Leipzig always have a strong team; they bring a lot of pace to the game, they’re technically gifted and creative and they always pose a threat,” says the coach. “They didn’t become last year’s runners-up by chance and they’re in a decent position to qualify for next year’s Champions League again.”

Goretzka back training with the team

Tedesco couldn’t confirm whether or not Goretzka, who could train with the team again after the reoccurrence of his lower leg injury in Benidorm, and new signing Cedric Teuchert, who has recently come down with a virus, will be in the squad to visit Leipzig. “We still have two training sessions to go and we’ll decide after those,” says the coach. “We won’t take any risks with either of the players.” Pablo Insua will definitely not be travelling to Leipzig; the Spaniard returned to training only a few days ago following his pericardial inflammation.

Facts and figures

The Knappen are unbeaten in 11 Bundesliga games, with five wins and six draws. It’s Schalke’s longest unbeaten run within a single season in almost 11 years. Across separate seasons, the Royal Blues have recorded 13 consecutive matches without a loss.

The first-leg fixture was Domenico Tedesco’s first Bundesliga game in charge and he marked the occasion with a 2-0 win at home. RB Leipzig lost their opening game for the first time in the club’s short history (since 2009).

Leipzig have lost only one home game so far this season in the Bundesliga, when Hertha BSC beat them 3-2 on the 17th matchday.

RB Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick had two spells coaching Schalke and won 31 of his 57 Bundesliga games.

Tags

Seite teilen