"Feeling calm instead of hectic!”

By nature, Pál Dárdai is a positive person, always quick with a joke and a permanent smile on his face. Following injuries to Maximilian Mittelstädt, Matheus Cunha and Jhon Córdoba in recent days, it would be normal for him to be in a worse mood than usual. However, the coach is not letting this recent string of bad news get to him. Instead, he is using it as motivation to conquer the upcoming challenges together. “That’s sport, it’s part of the game. I’m not the kind of coach to complain when players get injured. I have complete faith in everyone. We will field a strong side against Schalke, are well prepared and have a plan in mind,” said the 45-year-old. “The feeling I’m getting is one of calmness, there’s no hectic and no players feeling insecure. As soon as the referee blows his whistle, we will be ready. We’re going there to deliver a courageous performance!” 

No room for excuses for Stark 

The team have taken their coach’s call to action to heart as they head into the season run-in. “There are no excuses to be made about how often we’re playing. We will play to win in each game in order to stay up. The coaching staff have everything under control and discuss things with us in order to prepare us,” said Niklas Stark, who also took part in today’s pre-match press conference. Despite Schalke’s relegation already being confirmed, the vice-captain is expecting a tough match. “Schalke are hard to judge. We’re assuming that they will give everything. We still have a lot to play for and will give it everything to win,” said Stark.