Marius Bülter: Even more important that we push ourselves

Marius, you are in the midst of preparations for the second part of the season. How demanding has it been so far?

The first few days after a break are always tough, especially on the muscles. That’s simply what a “preseason” entails. It is going well overall.

2021 finished with the game against HSV. What did you get up to in your time off afterwards?

I tried to recover and I think I managed to do so. The batteries have been recharged!

You had to miss two games due to unusual blood values, made your comeback in Hamburg and set up the equalising goal brilliantly. Were you expecting such a performance from yourself?

I was hoping to play like that after being brought on. Luckily I wasn’t out for too long. Of course I was really pleased with my performance.

You have been directly involved in 15 goals in 18 games, scoring eight yourself. How pleased are you with the matches you’ve played for Schalke so far?

It makes for good reading all in all, but there have also been games that weren’t so good. That means we have to work on finding more consistency in our performances. Our main goal as a team comes before everything else. If we achieve that, then I will also be content with myself.

It was noticeable that you created a lot of chances in the last few games. How can you carry that positive trend over to the second part of the season?

By continuing to work on it in training. We need to keep doing the things we did well in the games leading up to the winter break. We have to keep being brave going forward and make the most of the chances we create.

You host Holstein Kiel to kick off 2022. In the away game, you scored your first goal for S04. How important was it for you to get your first goal for the club early on?

It was really good for my confidence. It never crossed my mind that I needed to score as soon as possible, however.

There will be no fans in the stadium due to the Coronavirus situation. How will you deal with that?

It is a shame that no fans are allowed in the stadium. It means that it is even more important that we push ourselves and that the bench gives us support from off the pitch – even if you can’t compare that with the atmosphere created by our fans.

What are your personal goals for the remaining 16 games of the season, and your goals with the team?

I want to stay fit and healthy so I can play a lot of matches, and of course we want to get as many points as possible. That’s what we want to do as a team.