World champion Benedikt Höwedes led the way for FC Schalke 04 on matchday 9, as they earned a point at arch rivals Borussia Dortmund in the 149th edition of the Ruhr Derby. With five wins and two draws form their last seven games, the Royal Blues were able to continue their upward trend. The three-man backline, with Germany international Höwedes guarding the right flank, has been integral to Schalke’s resurgence.
In this interview with DFB.de the 28-year-old spoke about the draw in Dortmund, Schalke’s compact defensive performance and matching a ten-year-old record against BVB.
Question: Are you really pleased with this draw or just satisfied?
Benedikt Höwedes: We are satisfied with the point. We were the better side in the first half and created more dangerous situations. With some luck we might have scored a goal in the first 45 minutes. We controlled Dortmund, but then they got stronger in the second half. We then had luck on our side on a few occasions when Dortmund created good chances. We gave everything today and looked to challenge for the ball at all times, which is why we deserved this draw.
Question: Especially in the first half, Schalke were able to break down Dortmund’s attacks with clever positioning. Was that your plan all along?
Höwedes: That was the plan. We wanted to keep things tight and then look to hit them on the counterattack. At times we did this really well and like I said, with a bit more determination it might have paid off.
Question: Did you know that it was the first time since 2006 that Dortmund failed to create a single chance in the first half of a derby?
Höwedes: No, I’ve just found that out. I don’t think it’s easy to keep such a strong forward line under control. It speaks for us and that our work is paying off. In the end we couldn’t manage more than a point, but it still feels like we did quite a good job today.
Question: There were four bookings for each side, but overall it was a rather fair derby, wouldn’t you agree?
Höwedes: I think the referee was trying to set the tone early and he wasn’t prepared to take any nonsense today. I think that was a good approach and he kept true to it throughout the match. It was a rather fair game with no serious incidents. Both sides were active and looked to get into the challenges. It was never the case that one had to worry that things could escalate, and everyone seemed to be in full control.
Question: S04 are in the round of 16 of the Cup, doing very well in the Europa League and constantly improving in the Bundesliga. Thinking back five or six weeks, were you expecting things to turn out the way they did?
Höwedes: Five or six weeks ago I wasn’t thinking about what would happen, but I’m glad that we managed to turn things around. We always believed in ourselves and remained calm, which you could really tell. We have grown as a team and got ourselves out of a difficult situation. We are rewarding ourselves for the performances we are producing. We are heading the right direction but can’t sit back and relax. Eight points is not enough and we are still a good way off from where we should be. This draw against a strong side was a decent result, but now we need to make sure to win our next game at home.
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World champion Benedikt Höwedes led the way for FC Schalke 04 on matchday 9, as they earned a point at arch rivals Borussia Dortmund in the 149th edition of the Ruhr Derby. With five wins and two draws form their last seven games, the Royal Blues were able to continue their upward trend. The three-man backline, with Germany international Höwedes guarding the right flank, has been integral to Schalke’s resurgence.
In this interview with DFB.de the 28-year-old spoke about the draw in Dortmund, Schalke’s compact defensive performance and matching a ten-year-old record against BVB.
Question: Are you really pleased with this draw or just satisfied?
Benedikt Höwedes: We are satisfied with the point. We were the better side in the first half and created more dangerous situations. With some luck we might have scored a goal in the first 45 minutes. We controlled Dortmund, but then they got stronger in the second half. We then had luck on our side on a few occasions when Dortmund created good chances. We gave everything today and looked to challenge for the ball at all times, which is why we deserved this draw.
Question: Especially in the first half, Schalke were able to break down Dortmund’s attacks with clever positioning. Was that your plan all along?
Höwedes: That was the plan. We wanted to keep things tight and then look to hit them on the counterattack. At times we did this really well and like I said, with a bit more determination it might have paid off.
Question: Did you know that it was the first time since 2006 that Dortmund failed to create a single chance in the first half of a derby?
Höwedes: No, I’ve just found that out. I don’t think it’s easy to keep such a strong forward line under control. It speaks for us and that our work is paying off. In the end we couldn’t manage more than a point, but it still feels like we did quite a good job today.
Question: There were four bookings for each side, but overall it was a rather fair derby, wouldn’t you agree?
Höwedes: I think the referee was trying to set the tone early and he wasn’t prepared to take any nonsense today. I think that was a good approach and he kept true to it throughout the match. It was a rather fair game with no serious incidents. Both sides were active and looked to get into the challenges. It was never the case that one had to worry that things could escalate, and everyone seemed to be in full control.
Question: S04 are in the round of 16 of the Cup, doing very well in the Europa League and constantly improving in the Bundesliga. Thinking back five or six weeks, were you expecting things to turn out the way they did?
Höwedes: Five or six weeks ago I wasn’t thinking about what would happen, but I’m glad that we managed to turn things around. We always believed in ourselves and remained calm, which you could really tell. We have grown as a team and got ourselves out of a difficult situation. We are rewarding ourselves for the performances we are producing. We are heading the right direction but can’t sit back and relax. Eight points is not enough and we are still a good way off from where we should be. This draw against a strong side was a decent result, but now we need to make sure to win our next game at home.
