Alessandro Schöpf: This mentality is hugely important

“We’re working well and hard,” reports Schöpf. Attacking movement is what Schalke have particularly been focusing on in the training camp: “That’s what’s been missing in the friendlies we’ve played until now. We haven’t created as many shooting opportunities as we would have liked.” Sunday’s friendly (05.08, 15:30 CEST) against SCO Angers will be the first test to reveal whether the work in training has paid off.

Against the Ligue 1 side, the Austrian should have his own personal fan club in the stands. “My parents and siblings will be watching, and some of my friends have said they’ll come,” reveals Schöpf, whose home town of Umhausen is a two-hour car journey from Mittersill.

The coach leads by example

Most of S04’s training sessions last for around two hours. When many of the fans think the session is over after 90 minutes, Domenico Tedesco often gets his players to do some final sprint exercises. The coach, however, sets the best example to his players, often getting involved in the running himself. He wants to constantly push his players, and Schöpf tells us how important that is for the squad: “His mentality is hugely important for us. He’s an example to us every day with his attitude. Together with his team, he pays attention to every detail and also criticises when he has to. I think that’s good, because you won’t learn anything if you’re only praised.”