Gerald Asamoah: Passing on my experience as a professional

Asamoah admits that Schalke’s current sporting situation is very concerning. “I’ve never experienced anything like what we’re going through right now,” says the 42-year-old, who joined S04 in 1999 as a player and went on to play 381 games for the Royal Blues.

Schalke’s negative run has everything to do with mentality, Asamoah knows, citing last Saturday’s game against Wolfsburg as an example. “The team did well in the first half hour and tried hard to implement what the coach wanted,” he explains, but continues on to voice his annoyance at the easy goals that the Royal Blues conceded. “In the situation that the boys are in, it’s not easy to recover from setbacks like that,” stresses the 43-time international. He elaborates to say that it’s understandable that self-confidence has suffered in recent weeks and months. “You have to remember that players are human beings. It’s tough to deal with these things.”

Clearing the players’ heads

Despite the difficult circumstances currently, it’s still important to make the best of things on and off the pitch. “I know that in Peter Knäbel, Mike Büskens and myself, there are people at the club who know it well and will give their all to it,” emphasised Asamoah, who has approached his new role full of motivation.

One of his most important duties is working to help clear the players’ heads so that they can improve their mentality for the rest of the season. In order to do this, Asamoah draws on his relaxed nature and experience as a professional. “For me, it’s all about the boys. You need to pass on what you learned as a player so that they can improve their performance.”