Danny Latza: We were missing that final pass

After Schalke’s 1-0 defeat at 1. FC Heidenheim on Friday (29/10), Danny Latza, Martin Fraisl and both head coaches spoke to the media.

1. FC Heidenheim - FC Schalke 04

Dimitrios Grammozis:

We were patient on the ball. Heidenheim changed their system and basically man marked us. We played some short passes and looked to get in behind at the right moments. Our strikers were able to hold the ball up well. We had good chances through Rodrigo Zalazar and Victor Pálsson from set pieces, from which we could have taken the lead. Heidenheim also had good opportunities via Mohr and his dead balls, plus his shot that hit the bar. We weren’t dangerous enough in the final third. The lads gave their all in their third game in six days and made life difficult for Heidenheim, which is why conceding late on to lose the game is even more gutting. We’re disappointed, but we’ll dust ourselves down, recover and then prepare well for Darmstadt.

Frank Schmidt:

We defended well for the full 90 minutes. We kept things tight and didn’t let Schalke get high up the pitch. We had two or three really good chances just after half time and we should have made it 1-0 then. My team deserves a lot of credit for having five or six really good opportunities considering we played a bit more defensively. We saw today that we would play for the win right up until the final whistle when we’re feeling good and confident. Set pieces are part of that too. We were prepared to take this chance.

Martin Fraisl:

This defeat really, really hurts. We could feel our lack of energy on the back of this busy week. From the 75th minute, we realised that we couldn’t really break them down due to their physical power. The fans still celebrated us after the game for our efforts. They could see that we gave our all and worked hard. There won’t be many more difficult games in the second division than one at night in the fog against a team that has lost three games on the bounce and wants to show a reaction. We’ve now got Darmstadt up next. They play a completely different style of football to Heidenheim. I think that will suit us more.

Danny Latza:

We had hopes of playing better than this, but we didn’t really create any clear-cut chances to score. When it’s 0-0 for that long and you’re not threatening much anymore, you need to ensure you take the point with you. It’s always hard to play in Heidenheim, they’re a physically strong and fit team. I settled into the game well and gave 100%. At some point, I was tired and my legs started to get heavy. Our desire can’t be criticised, however our final pass was missing today. We need to improve that so we can get back to winning ways.

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