Thomas Reis: If you work hard, you will be rewarded

Thomas Reis on…

…the conditions in Belek:

The hotel made a very positive impression, and the training pitch is in a good condition. We have everything we need. The weather forecast is also looking good, so that we can enjoy the challenging conditions. I’ve been to Belek twice before. Once as a player and the other time during my stint as joint head coach at VfL Bochum.

…the focus in training whilst in Turkey:

We already began to hone our defensive work in the final stages of last year. We’ve worked well on that since, even though in the friendlies it didn’t work out one hundred percent the way we would have like it to have. But one thing is clear: we simply cannot allow so many goal scoring opportunities. Therefore, defensive work will continue to be a priority so that we are more secure at the back during the second half of the season. At the same time, we want to be better on the ball during the game. We know that we need to be scoring more goals. We will find the right mix during training in order to be well-prepared for the first competitive game of the new year.

…commitment and dedication amongst the squad:

The intensity in training has been very high since my very first day at Schalke. We must maintain exactly that if we want to achieve our goals. We must head into games with the mentality and the fight to win the points. And, of course, we need to cut out our mistakes. The start in Belek was really promising. I was very pleased by the commitment in the first session back. You noticed the passion that these boys have for football. Fundamentally, we have planned to train twice a day. The lads know what they need to do in order to be in the starting-eleven. Everyone wants to play and have success as a team. I always try to field the best team possible. And the more considerations I have to take into account based on performances in training, the better.

…new signing Niklas Tauer:

He made a good impression during the first training session and is a good addition to the squad. Niklas is a player who brings energy and is not above doing the dirty work on the pitch. As a player of an opposition team, I have known Niklas for a while. Now I am glad that he is one of our players.

…Soichiro Kozuki’s promotion to the first-team squad:

If you constantly work hard, you’ll be rewarded – that is not just the case for Soichiro, but for every player. Soichiro has earnt being part of the first-team squad. He has put in good performances for the U23s and convinced us during the friendlies. He makes a great impression as well. It’s important that he keeps his head clear and continues to be highly committed in his work. It’s clear that he still has room for improvement. I have no doubts about his commitment. He is always looking to develop his game and

…the squad situation:

I’m happy that Thomas Ouwejan and Sepp van den Berg were able to travel with us after their injuries. It’s hoped that both are able to partly integrate into the training sessions. We have to see how Sepp copes with the strain. Rodrigo Zalazar and Leo Greiml aren’t ready yet. Therefore, both stayed back home and are carrying on their rehab training back there. Unfortunately, I can’t make any precise statements about Alex Král’s back problems. He is with us in Belek. We hope that he will be able to return to full fitness as soon as possible.