Schalke 04 match reaction

Marco Kurz: We knew it was going to be difficult here and we managed to keep the scores level come half time. Joselu had a good chance to open the scoring as well. We played more on the counter in the second half and we had more room going forward as Schalke took more risks. My team were disheartened and the second goal decided the game. It was a deserved 3-0 win for Schalke.

Fabian Johnson: I thought we played pretty well for 70 minutes. We knew Schalke would be strong in attack. We were caught on the counter for their opening goal and that was my fault. It was a really bitter time to concede. Why we then collapsed, I don't know. There's no denying Schalke are a top side though and that means we can't just give up. We've got to analyse the defeat and move on.

Kevin Volland: There was more there for us today but 70 minutes of a performance is not enough. We let them counter us for the opening goal and after that we struggled to keep our defensive shape, giving Schalke plenty of space. In the future, we've got to be more precise and more clinical in front of goal. Every game now is a cup final. We will work on the mistakes we made today.

Daniel Williams: We conceded during a stage where the game was still open and more could have happened. Then they broke through and it's just not acceptable to concede the way we did. We have to pick up points. Defeats for Augsburg don't take us further up the table.

Andreas Müller: Another game is done and we haven't reduced the gap but Augsburg's defeat leaves everything open. The game against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Friday will be pivotal for us. The moment Schalke pushed forward, we tried to launch a counter attack. It was poorly timed because before that the chances were 50:50.

Jens Keller: We are pleased with the win. Hoffenheim have stabilised recently and we knew it wouldn't be easy. We were compact at the back and I was pleased with how little we let through. The lads remained patient right until the end, something I reiterated at the break. It was a thoroughly deserved win. As a manager, for the changes to work as well as they did with Pukki and Raffael scoring, is very pleasing.

Marco Höger: We were good at the back today and stayed patient in attack. The opener unlocked Hoffenheim and we took advantage of that.

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