Kenan Karaman: Taking hope and confidence into the second half of the season

There’s still a while until S04’s next competitive game, away to Eintracht Frankfurt on 21st January. Schalke’s preparations for the resumption of the Bundesliga will include a short winter break before the club fly out to Belek in Turkey for a training camp (2nd-11th January). “A winter World Cup has resulted in an unusual season for us all, but we’re just taking it as it comes and not thinking too much about it,” said Karaman.

An improved style of play thanks to clear instructions

Karaman sees the long break from league action as a positive because “the coach wants to use this time to get us all fully on board with his style of play.” The 28-year-old felt that the team’s style of play had already improved in the four games under Reis against Freiburg, Bremen, Mainz and Bayern and praised the new coach’s approach: “He gives us clear instructions, knows what he wants and stands by these ideas.”

Despite being sat bottom of the table with nine points from 15 games, the mood in Gelsenkirchen isn’t bad at all. Karaman has already experienced relegation battles in the Bundesliga at previous clubs Hannover 96 and Fortuna Düsseldorf. “Although we’re in last place, there is still a lot of positivity in the dressing room and that gives me hope and confidence. We’re looking forward to the second half of the season,” commented Karaman, who is optimistic the Royal Blues can avoid relegation.

Time for his first competitive goal

Another aim for 2023 for Karaman is to score his first goal for the club, having not found the net in any of his nine league outings or in his one DFB-Pokal appearance to date. “I only joined the team on the final day of the summer transfer window and things all happened very quickly. I needed a little bit of time to settle in and to get going. I now want to build on my decent performances under the new coach.” The Turkey international finished off by answering when his first goal will come: “Next year!”