Ron Schallenberg: We had perfect conditions here

It had been a hectic few hours for Muslic by the time he spoke after Saturday afternoon’s friendly against Osnabrück. Earlier that morning, the match had been called off due to the weather, only to be reorganised at short notice with the Parkstadion confirmed as the new venue. “Playing in Osnabrück in front of 10,000 fans would have been important preparation and something we really wanted to make happen,” the S04 head coach explained. “It was also our only friendly during this preparation period. That’s why we always had a Plan B, which VfL were also aware of, because we knew that skipping this game would mean missing out on an important part of our build-up. Internally, everything was very well prepared and ran smoothly.”

The verdict on the 90 minutes, which ended in a 2-0 win over the third-division side, was equally positive. “We were able to try out a number of things. Timo Becker also made a good impression at the back and took a big step forward,” Muslic said. The head coach was also pleased with the attacking display from goalscorer Moussa Sylla and Christian Gomis: “Moussa finishes the goal brilliantly – once again he showed his instincts. We know the quality he has, and that was another good step forward. And Christian clearly feels comfortable both as a lone number nine and when playing alongside Moussa.”

Preparations for the second half of the season now move into their final week. Unlike previous years, the Knappen have not travelled to a training camp during this winter break. “We had ideal conditions here, along with our usual daily routines, and the kind of climate we’ll also be facing in the upcoming games. I can’t imagine we’ll be playing in Berlin next week in a mild seven degrees, so we’re very well prepared,” Muslic said, looking ahead to the return to league action. “This week we’ll continue working on the principles that make us strong – working together in a structured way, defensively, offensively and at set pieces. We want to pursue this path with even greater determination.”

Focus on building from the back

Ron Schallenberg also offered a positive assessment after the friendly win, with the Schalke midfielder having played the first 45 minutes. “We were able to put a lot of what we’d planned into practice. The focus was on our play in possession and building up from the back,” the 27-year-old explained. “We did well getting past the first line of pressure and into the opposition half, but there’s still room for improvement in the final third. For the first game after the break, though, that was fine.”

Schallenberg is equally upbeat about spending the post-New Year preparation period at home rather than heading away, as had been the case in previous seasons. “You could certainly make good arguments for a training camp, but in Berlin we’ll be facing the same kind of weather we’ve had today and over the past few days. On top of that, we had perfect conditions here.” Schalke’s number 6 is already relishing the trip to the capital: “An away game on a Saturday evening in front of 70,000 isn’t something you experience every week – and we can make a statement if we come away with something there.”