Manuel Baum: Self-confidence and possession are very closely linked

“We need a sense of achievement when we have possession. Self-confidence and successfully keeping the ball are very closely linked,” emphasized the 41-year-old at Thursday’s pre-match press conference. This is exactly what Baum and his team have been focusing on this week in training. “We need to be more active when we have the ball. This means that players need to pass and move, and those who don’t have the ball should always be looking to make themselves available. If we can perfect this, we’ll be very difficult to catch out,” explained Baum.

Fährmann and Serdar out of Friday’s game - Question marks over Uth

Ralf Fährmann and Suat Serdar will miss the clash against Stuttgart along with Ozan Kabak, who is still suspended. Baum did not reveal whether Mark Uth has recovered from his injury to be included in the matchday squad, but he recognised how important the 29-year-old is to the team. “Mark is one of our most creative attacking players. He is good at getting our other attackers involved in moves and can also finish off chances himself,” said Baum.

Following the poor start to the season, Baum and his team know how important Friday’s game is for the club. The Schalke coach described VfB as having “a clear passion for playing good football”, but as a team that can be beaten with the right performance. “That’s exactly what we’re going for tomorrow.”

As expected, Baum did not reveal his team for tomorrow’s clash with the side from Stuttgart. He summed up his thoughts on the game by saying: “On Friday, we’ll need the players who can bring the most energy onto the pitch with them.”