Thilo Kehrer: Huge boost for the upcoming games

Two days after the incredible derby, preparations for Saturday’s (2^nd December) home game against Köln began. Thilo Kehrer is certain that the 4-4 draw against BVB will give his team another kick of motivation for the upcoming games. “We can take the unbelievable character we showed in the second half to give us a huge boost,” says the Germany U21s captain.

Kehrer experienced the crazy second half as a spectator, and he won’t forget what he saw anytime soon. “It was just madness,” he says. Kehrer says that a huge part of the comeback was down to Domenico Tedesco’s half-time team talk. “The coach said that we didn’t deserve to concede like that, but he also said that anything is possible in football and that we should believe in ourselves. If Dortmund can score four goals, then we can too!” His wish was Schalke’s command!

The team mood after the final whistle was exuberant. “We simply soaked up the moment and enjoyed it,” recalls the defender. “We showed great character in the game. I’m over the moon for the fans and I’m thankful for the brilliant support.” However, there was not a great celebration in the evening after the game. “After the final whistle, we went back to our families. We’d used up all our adrenaline because the game was very intense and emotional. So it was really nice to be able to have an evening of peace,” says Kehrer, who voluntarily trained in the Schalke gym on the training-free day after the game. His explanation was that “The next points are up for grabs against Köln and we absolutely want to take all three.”