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In his capacity of Schalke 04 and Germany defender, Benedikt Höwedes tends to be of the take-no-prisoners persuasion. As Schalke captain, however, his diplomatic skills are increasingly in demand. After his team's 1-1 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach, the 24-year-old found himself asking fans for a little more patience with a side that, without a win in four consecutive games, seems to have lost its swagger. That's the longest victory-less period since Dutchman Huub Stevens took over the team in September 2011 for the second time, his second after an unusually long and exceptionally successful six years 1996-2002.
Schalke are already through to the round-of-16 in the UEFA Champions League and have travelled to France where they face Montpellier HSC for the final group stage match tonight (kick-off 20:45 h, live on Sky). In the event that the "miners" beat the bottom-placed team from the south of France, Germany internationals Benedikt Höwedes, Julian Draxler, and Roman Neustädter could celebrate pipping Arsenal FC to the post as group leaders.
In this interview with DFB.de writer Thorsten Langenbahn, Höwedes talks about his 50th European club competition match, the state of affairs at Schalke, and his role as captain in times of crisis.
DFB.de: Benedikt, why are Schalke not performing to their full potential?
Benedikt Höwedes: I don't think the Gladbach match was all that bad. The players gave their all trying – and eventually managing – to at least get a draw. Obviously, we would have preferred taking three points and, being the better side, that wouldn't have been entirely undeserved. To think that Gladbach had one single shot at goal over 90 minutes! But we've only got ourselves to blame…
DFB.de: Any idea why?
Höwedes: We just can't seem to find the net, that's all. I'm sure that the minute a ball goes over the line that on a normal day probably wouldn't, our self-belief is going to bounce back, and we'd play with greater fluency. But that's a hard thing to ask given the state the turf is in at the moment, with more divots than a driving rage! (laughs)
DFB.de: Julian Draxler says that some of the players are 'unsure of themselves'…
Höwedes: That's sadly true, and recent results make it hard for us to walk tall. But we're trying get stuck in, win our tackles, and perform as best we can. All we need is a little lift. We do have sufficient quality in the squad, and if anyone makes a mistake, such as Joel (Matip) against Gladbach, it's up to the whole team to iron that out.
DFB.de: What can you do as team captain?
Höwedes: Well, I speak to people, crack a joke here and there to lighten the mood and generally try to do my bit for dressing room morale. But above all I try to lead by example on the pitch.
DFB.de: Do you feel fans getting a bid edgy?
Höwedes: There's no denying that people get impatient faster than before. Look at the reaction from the crowd at half-time against Gladbach. I think we'd played some decent football, only without any goals. It's one of those things – if you lead 2-0, there's applause, but a goalless first half will prompt boos and whistles from the crowd.
DFB.de: Such as those when Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Lewis Holtby were taken off?
Höwedes: We're team, for better or for worse, and such catcalls hurt not just the individual players but all of us.
DFB.de: Why is it that Schalke are having such a hard time to score? Could it be that the focus is too much on Huntelaar?
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Höwedes: Klaas-Jan isn't the only one who's been squandering chances, we're all guilty in that department! Maybe it's just that we need to become more goal-hungry. If it's a matter of Lady Luck failing us, then we'll have to work even harder to deserve that luck.
DFB.de: Timo Hildebrand has replaced Lars Unnerstall between the posts; any positive effect?
Höwedes: That's not for me to say. Both of them are very good keepers. Against Gladbach, the manager preferred Timo to be in goal as he brings loads of experience to the team. But by the same token, Lars has done a really good job whenever he has played.
Höwedes: "We can't seem to find the net"
DFB.de: Just a few hours ahead of the Champions League tie against Montpellier, what can you do to clear the mind?
Höwedes: The good thing is against Gladbach we almost turned the match around; we came back into the match despite being 0-1 down and the crowd getting very nervy indeed. That speaks for the team's character. Like I said – right now we're not exactly walking on the top of the world, but things will get better once we get the right kind of results.
DFB.de: Does the final group match against the French have any meaning at all?
Höwedes: Oh, absolutely! From a self-confidence point of view it's important that we're already through to the knock-out stages. But we want to finish on a high – as group leaders.
[tl]
[bild1]
In his capacity of Schalke 04 and Germany defender, Benedikt Höwedes tends to be of the take-no-prisoners persuasion. As Schalke captain, however, his diplomatic skills are increasingly in demand. After his team's 1-1 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach, the 24-year-old found himself asking fans for a little more patience with a side that, without a win in four consecutive games, seems to have lost its swagger. That's the longest victory-less period since Dutchman Huub Stevens took over the team in September 2011 for the second time, his second after an unusually long and exceptionally successful six years 1996-2002.
Schalke are already through to the round-of-16 in the UEFA Champions League and have travelled to France where they face Montpellier HSC for the final group stage match tonight (kick-off 20:45 h, live on Sky). In the event that the "miners" beat the bottom-placed team from the south of France, Germany internationals Benedikt Höwedes, Julian Draxler, and Roman Neustädter could celebrate pipping Arsenal FC to the post as group leaders.
In this interview with DFB.de writer Thorsten Langenbahn, Höwedes talks about his 50th European club competition match, the state of affairs at Schalke, and his role as captain in times of crisis.
DFB.de: Benedikt, why are Schalke not performing to their full potential?
Benedikt Höwedes: I don't think the Gladbach match was all that bad. The players gave their all trying – and eventually managing – to at least get a draw. Obviously, we would have preferred taking three points and, being the better side, that wouldn't have been entirely undeserved. To think that Gladbach had one single shot at goal over 90 minutes! But we've only got ourselves to blame…
DFB.de: Any idea why?
Höwedes: We just can't seem to find the net, that's all. I'm sure that the minute a ball goes over the line that on a normal day probably wouldn't, our self-belief is going to bounce back, and we'd play with greater fluency. But that's a hard thing to ask given the state the turf is in at the moment, with more divots than a driving rage! (laughs)
DFB.de: Julian Draxler says that some of the players are 'unsure of themselves'…
Höwedes: That's sadly true, and recent results make it hard for us to walk tall. But we're trying get stuck in, win our tackles, and perform as best we can. All we need is a little lift. We do have sufficient quality in the squad, and if anyone makes a mistake, such as Joel (Matip) against Gladbach, it's up to the whole team to iron that out.
DFB.de: What can you do as team captain?
Höwedes: Well, I speak to people, crack a joke here and there to lighten the mood and generally try to do my bit for dressing room morale. But above all I try to lead by example on the pitch.
DFB.de: Do you feel fans getting a bid edgy?
Höwedes: There's no denying that people get impatient faster than before. Look at the reaction from the crowd at half-time against Gladbach. I think we'd played some decent football, only without any goals. It's one of those things – if you lead 2-0, there's applause, but a goalless first half will prompt boos and whistles from the crowd.
DFB.de: Such as those when Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Lewis Holtby were taken off?
Höwedes: We're team, for better or for worse, and such catcalls hurt not just the individual players but all of us.
DFB.de: Why is it that Schalke are having such a hard time to score? Could it be that the focus is too much on Huntelaar?
[bild2]
Höwedes: Klaas-Jan isn't the only one who's been squandering chances, we're all guilty in that department! Maybe it's just that we need to become more goal-hungry. If it's a matter of Lady Luck failing us, then we'll have to work even harder to deserve that luck.
DFB.de: Timo Hildebrand has replaced Lars Unnerstall between the posts; any positive effect?
Höwedes: That's not for me to say. Both of them are very good keepers. Against Gladbach, the manager preferred Timo to be in goal as he brings loads of experience to the team. But by the same token, Lars has done a really good job whenever he has played.
Höwedes: "We can't seem to find the net"
DFB.de: Just a few hours ahead of the Champions League tie against Montpellier, what can you do to clear the mind?
Höwedes: The good thing is against Gladbach we almost turned the match around; we came back into the match despite being 0-1 down and the crowd getting very nervy indeed. That speaks for the team's character. Like I said – right now we're not exactly walking on the top of the world, but things will get better once we get the right kind of results.
DFB.de: Does the final group match against the French have any meaning at all?
Höwedes: Oh, absolutely! From a self-confidence point of view it's important that we're already through to the knock-out stages. But we want to finish on a high – as group leaders.
