Schalke 04 boss makes Leeds United admission but with friendly warning and 'different game' view
FC Schalke 04 boss Karel Geraerts has given his verdict on defeat to Leeds United in Saturday’s pre-season friendly.
A defiant message has been issued by Schalke 04 boss Karel Geraerts on the back of Saturday’s Leeds United friendly but with a Whites admission.
Like Leeds, German outfit Schalke are approaching a second consecutive season in their country’s second tier and continued their summer build-up with Saturday’s behind closed doors friendly against the Whites.
Staged at SV Westfalia Rhynern’s ground, the first half of the contest ended goalless but Leeds turned on the style after the break and ultimately left with a 2-0 victory via strikes from Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe.
Speaking in an article on Schalke 04’s website, boss Geraerts admitted his side should have defended better against Leeds but also declared that his team had enough chances to find the back of the net. A goal, he felt, would have led to a different game.
Ahead of the new Bundesliga 2 campaign, the Schalke boss also fired a warning about reading too much into pre-season friendlies.
Geraerts declared: “Results aren’t the most important thing in pre-season. I’ve seen a lot in football. Sometimes you can win every pre-season friendly and then lose your first game of the season. Our result against Eintracht Braunschweig on the first matchday is what matters to me.
“We should have scored a goal when you consider the chances we had in the first half. It would’ve been a different game then. At the same time though, we should have defended better for their goals.”