Miron Muslic: We need to be organised and aggressive against Leipzig

There was little time for the coaching staff and players to regroup following Wednesday’s (28/10) 2-0 defeat to Dynamo Dresden in the second round of the DFB-Pokal. “The main focus was on recovery and making sure we’re mentally ready again,” explained Muslic. “We also have to prepare for a top side with Champions League quality and one of the strongest attacks in the league,” he added, referring to Saturday’s opponents.

Only FC Bayern (25) have scored more goals this season than Leipzig, who have found the net 20 times and sit fifth in the table. Martín Demichelis’ side have won all their home games so far, but they are yet to pick up a point on their travels. Backed by their home fans, the Royal Blues will be determined to make life difficult for Leipzig. “It’s dangerous to try to defend against their best players one-on-one,” warned Muslic. “We need to use our organisation and aggression out of possession to keep them at bay.”

Schalke’s analysis of recent matches has revealed that some of the strengths they showed last season have been missing. Muslic knows there is room for improvement, but adressing those issues with so many players unavailable is proving a difficult balancing act. “There’s no getting away from the fact that we’ve had to make adjustments and compensate for absences for weeks now. But we’ll have players returning over the coming weeks, and then we can get back to working on the basics,” said the Schalke head coach. Janik Bachmann (hip injury) and Luca Vozar (illness) have now joined the list of absentees since the league game against 1. FC Köln. Captain Kenan Karaman and Dejan Ljubičić, however, are available again, having also been involved in the cup tie in Dresden.

Muslic is taking a pragmatic approach to Saturday afternoon’s home game. “We need to get back to playing with aggression, intensity and courage. The next few weeks won’t be easy, but we always knew we’d face difficult spells as a newly promoted side.” At the same time, the head coach believes the team can take something positive from the situation. “We have an opportunity to learn from these experiences and come through this period even more united, both as a team and as a club.”

That also means individual players also need to keep developing, particularly in attack. “Every player goes through different phases. Some are new and still finding their feet in our system, while we also have to accept that others will have their off days.” Muslic singled out new signing Satoshi Tanaka for praise, highlighting the progress he has made. “From day one, he’s made us feel that he’s exactly the right player for us. He’s taking on more and more responsibility through the way he plays, and with the support of the lads around him, he’ll take the next step.”