FC Schalke 04 is not only surprising in a positive way as a team. Some individual players are also standing out, as coach Miron Muslic mentioned with praise.
Who would have thought that before the season? When FC Schalke 04 hosts SV Darmstadt 98 on Friday, October 24, at 6:30 p.m., it will be a clash between the second-placed team and the fourth-placed team.
The situation was very different when the two teams last met in Gelsenkirchen. Then-coach Karel Geraerts had his back against the wall and had to leave after a 3-5 defeat following a 3-0 lead. “We deliberately drew a clear line under it. We want to stay on this path,” said current Schalke coach Miron Muslic at the press conference.
In what is still a relatively young season, several winners have already emerged on the Schalke side. Muslic is one of them, but there are also a few names in the team.
Take Sofiane El-Faouzi, who joined from Alemannia Aachen in the third division in the summer. He had no problems adapting to midfield and has been in the starting lineup for all nine games. The 23-year-old is already indispensable. “We are glad that we were able to convince Sofi to join us and are also pleased with his development, which is going very well. Sometimes the engine stutters, even though it seems like he could play for 180 minutes. But that will come with experience. Our style of soccer is very important to him. Above all, Ron Schallenberg, who supports him, is also very important. The two complement each other perfectly,” said Muslic.
But El-Faouzi wasn’t the only one to receive high praise. Mauro Zalazar, who played his first minute in the second division in Hanover, also received positive words from his coach. “He’s a golden boy, a boy who comes in every day full of energy and with a huge smile, infecting the others with his enthusiasm. He’s still a young player, he’s on the right track, and we’re glad we gave him his debut.“
And there have also been developments in attack. Moussa Sylla broke his duck in Hannover, scoring twice. ”We stuck with Moussa – that’s what happens when you put your trust in players. It was perhaps the most beautiful goal we’ve scored this season.“
Christian Gomis scored the 3-0 after coming on as a substitute. Another new signing who could really pay off. ”It’s different playing in front of 3,000 people than in front of 62,000, and that takes time. But you could see his quality and power, and he rewarded himself,” said Muslic. Because Christopher Antwi-Adjei will be out on Friday, Gomis is one of several candidates for a place in the starting lineup. He has already made a case for himself.