week 2 - match preview
Schalke target derby win and "emotional sustainability" for fans
Mirko Slomka understands how special matches between Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund are. "It's the derby. The fans of both teams talk about the 90 minutes for ages, which is why we're going all out to win the game", the Schalke boss said ahead of Saturday's clash at the VELTINS Arena.
"It's about 'emotional sustainability'. At work they'll be talking about the game and nothing else", he added. The aim of the players had to be to ensure Schalke supporters had the bragging rights for the next few weeks. "We want to take all three points and put in a good performance for the fans."
As so often with this fixture, positions in the table and the results of last week's matches are of secondary importance. Though Dortmund had shown signs of "frailty at the back" during the 3-1 home defeat to MSV Duisburg last Sunday, Slomka was quick to point out that "we'll see a totally different team at the VELTINS Arena". Borussia's opening-day defeat to the Zebras came as a surprise to Slomka: "Dortmund played some decent football during the pre-season preparations. Thomas Doll has got a powerful squad at his disposal."
The Schalke boss expects Dortmund to adopt a slightly more defensive approach compared with last weekend, when they operated with a 4-4-2 formation. He believes they will go with two holding midfielders and just one striker. His tactics remain a secret, though. Nevertheless, aside from the injured Gustavo Varela and Soren Larsen, Slomka will probably have a full squad to choose from. "That's very pleasing and a testament to our fitness strategy", he said in praise of his entire coaching and backroom staff.
Some doubt remains over new signing Carlos Grossmüller, however. The Uruguay midfielder is still waiting to be given clearance to play by the German Football Association.
Irrespective of whether Grossmüller can play or not, Slomka is hoping his players have learnt from the mistakes they made in the 2-0 defeat in Dortmund in May. "At the beginning of the second half everyone was looking to pick up the pace and make something happen. That meant that we stopped playing as a team." There must be no repetition of that on Saturday, he said. "We have to stick together. We won't win if we don't."
