Stevens: We only got going in the second half
05.02.2012
Schalke boss Huub Stevens and Mainz coach Thomas Tuchel had to be content with a share of the points on a freezing cold Saturday afternoon at the VELTINS Arena. Both coaches reflected on the 90 minutes at the post-match press conference, and schalke04.com was there to record their thoughts.
Huub Stevens: Unfortunately we weren't able to implement everything we worked on in training during the week. We knew it wouldn't be easy against Mainz. Our opponents were well organised and pressed hard. The first half wasn't good, but I have to praise my players for their performance in the second half. We found our rhythm after the break. We had to change a few things to be more of a threat, and it worked. I should stress again that we are still developing. Our opponents were well organised and defended well when they didn’t have the ball. It's not easy playing against a team like that.
Thomas Tuchel: In training during the week we talked about disrupting Schalke’s moves early and defending well at the back, which we managed to do for the most part. We were bright and defended well. We also played some good football in the first half and were able to play our way out of trouble when required. Towards the end of the first period, however, we didn't make enough of our chances on the break. We can all be satisfied with the draw as we defended well after the break and resisted a lot of pressure. It was a perfect debut for Mohamed Zidan.
