“We are on the same wave length”

Peter, you’ve extended your contract to 2021, what brought about this decision?

I feel at home here in Gelsenkirchen both privately and professionally. Before coming here I didn’t really know the area. Now, having settled in, I’ve got to like it a lot. Liking the neighbourhood is a prerequisite for any job. Of course, our success last season was a huge plus. There were no reasons to leave.

Domenico Tedesco has also extended his contract. How important is continuity within the coaching team?

It is extremely important. The work is a lot easier when you can plan long-term. Within the coaching staff we all get on very well. In the last few weeks I spoke to the management team and I’m very glad things have worked out.

Your decision has come at a point when Schalke are struggling on the pitch.

I was already in talks about a contract extension in pre-season. Domenico and I are on the same wave length, a few bad results aren’t going to change that.

The Bundesliga has not got off to the start you had hoped for, what have you learnt from the first two games?

We just have to make fewer errors. In pre-season we played in a very mature way and had luck on our side at the right moments. It didn’t work out like this in our first two Bundesliga games, even when we did play well in parts.

Following the two defeats we now find ourselves in an international break, what do you make of this as a coach?

It’s not great when there is a 14-day break and you don’t have the chance to pick up points or change your position in the table. However, if the boys come back from international duty with good results, that helps the team and helps us get back on the right track.

There are quite a few mid-week games coming up after the international break, it’s something you experienced when you were assistant coach at Mainz and playing in the Europa League. What advice can you give regarding dealing with the high workload?

Within the team we discuss everything together. There are a lot of people in and around the club who have a lot of experience with coping with lots of mid-weeks games. An international break is exactly the kind of thing that you can use to your advantage. It gives you a chance to plan ahead and prepare for upcoming opponents. Currently we are all focused on the Gladbach game, however, we also have the opportunity to look a little further ahead and start thinking about upcoming opponents.

The majority of the mid-weeks games are Champions League fixtures. What are you most looking forward to in this competition?

The atmosphere before the game is always unique. The Bundesliga is great, but the Champions League is something special. It’s in the Bundesliga that we gain our confidence though, so our primary focus remains on that. If we play well in the Bundesliga we will get better results in the Champions League.