FC Schalke 04

[BlackNess]

Originally Posted by Trim

Schalke can do it!

Yeah they can, especially now when barca is so weak .

Plus, barca lost more than 50% of their away matches .

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Schalke 04 goalkeeper Neuer isn't worried about Samuel Etoo's opinion that his team are the weakest link in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, and insists that if Barcelona are overconfident they could be in for a big surprise.

"I heard that Samuel Eto'o was happy with the draw, and he said that Schalke were not very difficult opponents," he said.

"We aren't worried about that, but if they think we aren't strong, or if they think our players aren't any good, it could be an advantage for us."

Neuer understands that facing Barcelona will be a historic moment for Schalke, and he affirms that the Catalans have huge depth in their squad.

"For us it is very important to be playing at the same level as one of the most famous teams in the world. They have the players of the highest quality, and in all their positions they have the best players," he added.

Neuer played a key role in the penalty shoot-out when Schalke eliminated FC Porto in the previous round, and he expects Barcelona to play a much different game copared to the Portuguese giants.

"I don't think Barcelona will be as defensive as Porto were," he insisted. "They will try to push into attack even though they will be playing away from home, and that is why we have to be solid in defense, and can't allow them to score any goals.

"This will depend on our defense, and on me."

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Goal.com - Schalke - Neuer Responds To Eto'o

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Schalke trainer Mirko Slomka believes his team are facing Barcelona at the ideal time to cause an upset as the two sides prepare for their Champions League quarter final clash.

The Königsblauen boss is urging his side to take advantage of Barca’s current slump in form when they meet on Tuesday at the Veltins Arena and take a huge step towards reaching the semi-finals for the first time in their history.

"They have conceded 12 goals in the last six games - 15 if you include the cup - and this is a lot for such a top team" Slomka explained.

"They are having a few problems at the moment. Furthermore, their away form has not been so good in the league and so we do have a chance here at home with our excellent fans behind us.

"In the last round, we won 1-0 here against Porto and this set us up well for the second leg" he added.

Slomka however does expect Barcelona to provide a serious test for his team despite their poor current run in La Liga.

"I saw their cup tie with Valencia, which they lost 3-2, but they still showed their class in that game" he said.

"Barca are one of the two or three teams in Europe who play the technically best football.

"Even if they come here without three world-class players, they have other world-class replacements and enough players who are renowned for their excellent football."

The trainer of the Gelsenkirchen club has his sights firmly on winning the game and turning it into his finest hour at the club after coming under intense pressure earlier this season when there were rumours the axe was about to fall on him.

"This is a special game for all of us, for the club and for the fans here supporting us.

"You don't play Barcelona every day and this is the quarter-finals of the Champions League and we have got to believe in our chances."

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Goal.com - Schalke - Slomka: Barcelona There For The Taking

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10th min, 0-1 Barca. Krkic scored. Scheisse!

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Tough luck for Schalke. They respected Barça way too much. They created many chances but it didn't go in. It reminded me a lot to their home game vs Chelsea in the group stage (where they also made many chances but didn't pay any of them off).

Neuer should have done way better there. Shame. Barcelona got lucky with that. Let's see what Schalke can do in Spain now. Though i must admit that their chances of progressing have decreased now.

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That's it, they're out. No single chance they can pull a miracle at the Camp Nou.

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Schalke trainer Mirko Slomka was left bemoaning the amount of respect his side showed their Spanish opponents, which has given the Königsblauen an uphill task in the second leg.

A first half strike from teenage sensation Bojan Krkic handed Barcelona a 1-0 win at the Veltins Arena in the first leg of the quarter final, which puts the Catalans in a the driving seat ahead of the second leg at the Nou Camp next week.

Schalke rallied in the second half but never had the cutting edge to find a way back into the game.

“When you play against Barcelona, you have to have respect” Slomka admitted. “But I never thought that we would show that much respect.

“In the second half we had a number of quality chances, which we were unfortunately unable to take.

“We warned the players against situations like the one that led to their opening goal. Manuel Neuer sadly didn’t hold the ball, but it was a whole series of errors which gifted them the goal.”

Striker Gerald Asamoah agreed with his trainer’s assessment but is still holding on to a glimmer of hope ahead of the second leg in Spain.

“We showed far too much respect in the first half” he admitted. “We should have put pressure on them from the start.

“Unfortunately it didn’t work out tonight with a goal for us. We were unlucky to lose, but still have hope for the return leg.

“If there wasn’t hope, there would be no point in going there” Asamoah added.

Goal.com - Schalke - Slomka: We Showed Too Much Respect

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Schalke defender Heiko Westermann was left fuming last night when the referee failed to award his side a late penalty at the Veltins Arena that would have given the Königsblauen a chance to get back in the game.

Schalke were beaten 1-0 by Barcelona in the home first leg thanks to an early goal from Bojan, but Westermann believes his side were denied a clear opportunity to equalise late on by the non-awarding of a penalty.

Ten minutes from the end a Christian Pander cross looked destined for Westermann’s head, only for a shove from Eric Abidal to shunt the German international out of his run.

“I was standing three meters from goal and it looked like all I had to do was get on the end of the cross. I’ve never been so clearly fouled” Westermann explained. “It was a clear penalty.”

However, there was no whistle from the referee and combined with the fact that the home side missed a number of other chances they ended up losing to the early Bojan goal.

“Barcelona wouldn’t have been able to complain if they had conceded three or four” the centre back added.

“For me the better side didn’t win. In the first half we allowed players like Xavi and Iniesta too much room.

“I think we can go to Barcelona for the second leg full of pride and the game is still not lost. We showed that we could match Barcelona.”

Goal.com - Schalke - Westermann Slams Ref After Barca Defeat

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Schalke legend Olaf Thon talks to bundesliga.de about Schalke's first-leg defeat and reveals why he still hopes for a blue-white miracle.

bundesliga.de: Mister Thon, are you disappointed about Schalke's performance?

Olaf Thon: We knew that the match wouldn't be easy. But even if we lost 1-0 everyone could see that Barcelona were vulnerable. And that leaves a bit of hope for a miracle in Barcelona.

bundesliga.de: Schalke showed a lot of respect, especially in the first half.

Thon: That's right, we showed to much respect. You could see that Barcelona would have been content with a narrow defeat. The tactics were geared up to let Barcelona take the game to us, which proved wrong in hindsight. It would have been different if we had attacked from the first whistle, but hindsight is easier than foresight. A draw would have been a fair result.

bundesliga.de: The "Royal Blues" even lacked the determination in one-on-ones and willingness at the beginning. Everyone should be fired up from the first whistle when the match is labelled as the "most important in club history"...

Thon: Yes, that's right, but there are reasons. Take Kevin Kuranyi's dip in form or the suspension of Jermaine Jones, for example, and you have two explanations. If you want to get a result against a team like Barcelona everything has to be right. There are still a few things we need to work on and improve.

bundesliga.de: Do you still hope for a miracle?

Thon: Well, I've been involved in quite a few of these matches, especially during my time with FC Bayern. I remember the UEFA Cup round of 16 in the 1988/89 season. We played Inter Milan with Lothar Matthäus and lost the first leg 2-0 at home. No one gave us a chance, but we pulled off a 3-1 win in Milan and went through! The 1-0 defeat certainly isn't a good result, but it's always possible to score a goal. Barcelona are vulnerable. Even if Messi or Ronaldinho should return I don't think they'll be much stronger than in the first leg.

bundesliga.de: Schalke had several good opportunities in the second half. Is the failure to convert them the difference between Schalke and the top sides in Europe?

Thon: It's important to have these chances at all. If we hadn't we could talk about a lack of quality. But creating these chances, especially against a team like Barcelona, speaks for a certain quality and gives me hope.

bundesliga.de: How far are Schalke on their way to the top in Europe?

Thon: We're at a turning point. Either we'll continue to make or way up or we'll go back into mediocrity. That's why I hope that we finish second or third in the Bundesliga. We now have Rostock, Bremen and Cottbus. These are difficult and trend-setting matches. Everyone who has played in the quarter-final of the Champions League knows that it's a lot of fun and wants to be involved next season, too. And of course it's easier to sign new players when you can approach the negotiations as Champions League participants.

bundesliga.de: Will it be difficult to concentrate on the Bundesliga match against Hansa Rostock in between the two matches against Barcelona?

Thon: I was able to talk to a few players after yesterday's match and my impression was that they kept the defeat in perspective. You now have to put the 1-0 defeat aside, at least a bit, and concentrate on the Rostock match. A win over Hansa would give us confidence for the trip to Barcelona. It wasn't down to stamina, everyone was up to scratch. You had the feeling that the coach made the players fit precisely accurate for the day.

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Schalke trainer Mirko Slomka has said hat his side will need to be patient ahead of their weekend Bundesliga clash with Hansa Rostock.

The Königsblauen take on Hansa at the Veltins Arena in between their two Champions League quarter final ties with Barcelona, but Slomka has stressed that they are concentrating solely on the league game on Saturday.

"We are focusing totally on Rostock at the moment” the trainer said “At the end of the season we want to be in a position that entitles us to play in the Champions League again next year. We have to win our home games, there's no doubt about that” he added.

Schalke do not have the best of records at home to the East German side having won just once since the Veltins Arena opened its doors in 2001. “Although statistics and history shouldn't play too much of a role, we have to work on improving this record” Slomka explained.

The Schalke boss feels his team will have to be patient on Saturday and emphasised the need for his players to work hard to keep possession.

“We can't afford to make the mistake of playing the ball forward too early” he said. “We now have to take the momentum from the Barcelona game into the game against Rostock” he added.

The Königsblauen trainer may opt to rest striker Kevin Kuranyi who had a poor game against Barcelona and was substituted after an hour. Vicente Sanchez or Sören Larsen could be given a start.

Meanwhile Jermaine Jones will return from suspension, but full back Rafinha is a doubt with a hip injury.

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Goal.com - Schalke - Slomka Calls For Patience Against Rostock

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Bundesliga, Matchday 27 | PREVIEW
Schalke – Hansa Rostock

The final Saturday match sees Schalke welcome Hansa Rostock to the Veltins Arena with the two sides in need of the points for wholly differing reasons.

Four days after their Champions League disappointment at the hands of Barcelona, the Königsblauen are back in the hunt for Bundesliga points as they continue their quest for a top three finish. They sit third right now but couldn’t capitalise last week when those around them failed to win, being held goalless by Karlsruhe.

With just five points separating second from seventh, the race for the Chanpions League places is really hotting up with it being anyone’s guess as to who will finish second and third presuming Bayern finish top.

Hansa need the points for a completely different reason and that is Bundesliga survival. They have manged to avoid the bottom three in recent weeks but the North coast club sit precariously in 14th just two points above the relegation places.

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Schalke 1-0 Hansa Rostock

Schalke managed to climb to second in the table with a 1-0 win over Hansa Rostock. The Königsblauen put in a workmanlike performance in a rather lacklustre game which was decided by a second half goal from Halil Altintop.

The only goal of the game at the Veltins Arena came on 52 minutes when midfielder Altintop headed home a right wing cross from Albert Streit.

Mirko Slomka’s side can now concentrate fully on Wednesday’s vital second leg Champions League clash at the Nou Camp against Barcelona.

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Goal.com - Bundesliga - Bundesliga Round-Up: Schalke Go Second, Werder Back In The Running

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"What we're doing at the moment isn't pretty, but it's points that count at the end of the day, and in the last few games we've been picking up plenty of them."

Such was Halil Altintop's analysis of the situation at Schalke after scoring the goal that gave them a laboured 1-0 (0-0) victory over Hansa Rostock.

Effective

The "Royal Blues" have taken 13 from a possible 15 points in their last five games, a run that has seen them climb from sixth in table to second. In doing so, they are well on course for renewed participation in the Champions League next season.

In those five games, the Gelsenkirchen outfit have conceded a miserly two goals - an average of 0.4 per game, in stark contrast to the figure of close to 1.1 for the first 22 Bundesliga matchdays.

They also seem to have shaken off their habit of drawing matches. In the first half of the season, Schalke drew eight times, a figure matched only by Eintracht Frankfurt. Since the restart, only one of their games has ended all-square.

Kuranyi on the bench

As for the "disappointing" 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Rostock - in their previous seven encounters with the Hanseatic club, Schalke had picked up all of three points, from three draws. The other four games ended in defeat.

Kevin Kuranyi played only a limited part in their 13th win of the season. For the first time since 29 October 2006, the German international striker was not in the starting line-up for the "Royal Blues", coach Mirko Slomka eventually bringing him on as a 60th-minute substitute.

Chances made, chances missed

After taking to the pitch, Kuranyi missed a couple of reasonable scoring chances, but Slomka praised his contribution, saying, "He carved out three good chances, his movement was good, and twice at least he finished well. On at least two occasions, the keeper had to make a really good save."

Speaking on the sports channel DSF, former top coach Udo Lattek expanded: "At some point your patience runs out and you have to take action. That's what Slomka did. Looking at Kuranyi, he didn't score, but he created three clear scoring opportunities. This was a wake-up call, well-timed with a view to the EURO 2008 finals. It looks like it has served its purpose, and I reckon he's on the way back to his old form now."

Streit struts his stuff

The form of Albert Streit was meanwhile an undoubted plus. Making his first start since signing from Eintracht Frankfurt during the winter break, Streit showed what he is capable of, expertly laying on the all-important goal for Altintop. The scorer was SO4's busiest forward on the day, with five attempts on goal out of a total of 21 from the home side. For their part, Hansa managed 11.

Fired up for the Nou Camp

The win may not have been elegant, but, like Altintop, Slomka preferred to take the pragmatic line: "We kept our cool and went in front. After that we had a few good chances on the break. The defence was rock solid today. Our back four and the two deep-lying midfielders made sure we kept a clean sheet."

That's something the "Royal Blues" could well do with in their Champions League quarter-final return against FC Barcelona on Wednesday - preferably with a goal or two on top. One player particularly looking forward to the game is Jermaine Jones, who missed the 1-0 first-leg defeat due to suspension: "It was a big disappointment to be sidelined for that one. You don't get too many chances to play against the creme de la creme".

Looking forward to the return in the Nou Camp, Jones added, "I took a tour of the stadium once, now I'll be playing there. That'll be something, for sure."

Fighting spirit

The "Royal Blues" head out to the Catalan capital in hope if not expectation. "We showed them too much respect in the first half", Jones admits of his side's performance in the home leg, "but now we know them better, and we have 90 minutes to cancel out that 1-0 deficit". And, says Jones, Barca showed at the VELTINS Arena that they are vulnerable at the back: "If we could turn the tie around, it would be fantastic."

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