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Youri Mulder: We showed great spirit
FC Schalke 04 were disappointed to be left empty-handed after a narrow 2-1 defeat against TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday (8/11). Afterwards, Youri Mulder was quick to shift the focus to the future: “There are several positives that we can take with us.” Amongst these, he listed the Royal Blues’ improved attacking output.
“In the second half, we were pushing hard for a goal. We had already had several chances in the first half, as we’d started well,” he said at full-time. The only thing the Royal Blues were missing at times was a bit more precision when it came to finishing their chances.
Schalke were also dealt a difficult blow in the 51st minute when both Loris Karius and Robin Gosens had to be subbed off after colliding in the box. “It was obviously tough for us to take, but we had to keep going, which we did. That’s also reflected in the match statistics,” Mulder said. In the end, Schalke had taken 23 shots and amassed an xG of 2.6.
We showed great spirit and reacted well.
The 57-year-old highlighted the impact of the team’s substitutes afterwards, which included goalkeeper Kevin Müller, Vitalie Becker, Junior Dina Ebimbe, Junior Adamu and Edin Džeko. “They all did a great job,” he praised. “What impressed me the most was our attitude. We showed great spirit and reacted well.”
Although Schalke were unable to take home any points from Sinsheim, Mulder is confident that “if we continue to play like that, then the points will come.” S04’s director of professional football stressed that it was important to “not leave the stadium with our heads down.” Over the next weeks, Mulder spoke of needing to be prepared to overcome any setbacks: “There’s no point in saying that everything is going against us. That won’t help us at all. We’re in the Bundesliga and every club will have to deal with setbacks. It’s about how you overcome them, which we will manage to do.”
