How Schalke’s new pressing machine rates his start with the Royal Blues | OneFootball

How Schalke’s new pressing machine rates his start with the Royal Blues | OneFootball

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·6 July 2025

How Schalke’s new pressing machine rates his start with the Royal Blues

Article image:How Schalke’s new pressing machine rates his start with the Royal Blues

Soufiane El-Faouzi has been kicking for FC Schalke 04 for two weeks. The new signing from Aachen was one of the most running-intensive players in all German professional leagues with 427 kilometers covered in the past season and is expected to play a key role in coach Miron Muslic's running-intensive playing system.

After a brief period of adjustment, the 22-year-old formulated a first interim conclusion against 'Reviersport': "It's a lot of fun. Everyone is very professional, very structured. I think the work the coaches do is very good. Training is a lot of fun, so it can continue like this," El-Faouzi said after the test match in Bocholt.


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In general, several things have already worked well, but he naturally also sees potential for improvement in himself and the team at this early stage of preparation.

"Pressing, constantly forward. We did the things without the ball well. With the ball, we still have to do some things better, but that will come in the next few weeks," he is sure. "We have to bring all this in more sharply. We have to become fitter as a team and then it will work," the midfielder emphasized.

Especially the playing idea of coach Miron Muslic suits him with his strengths: "The constant pressing forward is exactly my thing. I'm a running-intensive player, so I can compensate for that well."

Even if the preparation is still in full swing, a look at the Schalkers' opening program against Hertha BSC and 1. FC Kaiserslautern slowly raises the adrenaline level: "Those are crazy games. That also tempts you. But you look from training to training, from test match to test match, and then comes the big whole thing," El-Faouzi concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.


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