Magath happy but wary as Schalke seek to bounce back (News Feature)

By Ulli Bruenger Jul 16, 2009, 13:58 GMT

Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Schalke coach Felix Magath is happy with the fitness of his squad following a 'poor' initial impression when he began training three weeks ago.

Magath, who led Wolfsburg to the Bundesliga title last season, told German Press Agency dpa his players were in better shape than he had expected with three weeks to go before the start of the season.

Magath, 55, has the reputation of being a hard taskmaster in pre-season training, but told dpa: 'If a boxer has a hard fight coming up he prepares himself intensively for it.

'A phase like that is always strenuous but that's always the same in sport. When players say that is the hardest pre-season training they've ever had I don't take it seriously.'

Under Magath, who officially took on the double role of manager and coach on July 1, Schalke have spent time working on fitness in two training camps, and have a friendly tournament at home on Saturday with Bayern Munich, SV Hamburg and VfB Stuttgart.

'My first impression was poor as far as fitness and the mood was concerned,' he said.

'The team was unsure of itself because of the weak season (finishing eighth), the many changes in personnel. And then someone comes along who has a certain reputation,' he said.

Now the mood in the squad has improved.

'We have worked well especially on condition,' Magath said.

'There were some deficits in stamina but now I am quite satisfied. Their physical shape is even better than I had expected at the present time,' he said.

Magath, who also coached Bayern Munich to the league and cup double in 2005 and 2006, said some players were in better shape than others returning from holiday but that was nothing unusual.

'You have to have holiday. I give them their homework but don't see it as compulsory,' he said.

'If someone feels he wants to do something then he should do it. If not then he leaves it. That's OK but he can't then complain when he finds the first day of training difficult. I don't want to hear any moaning.'

Magath said he only tells players shortly before the end of training when and where training is the next day 'because I work professionally and want to make the players professionals.'

A player who earns a six or seven-figure sum a year has to be available for his employer day and night.

'That's what I expect from myself and also from the players,' he said.

'I don't want them saying at the beginning of the week, 'Oh, I'm off on Tuesday, I'll quickly fly over to London and return Wednesday afternoon.' That's the sort of situation I want to avoid.'

Magath has to integrate eight new faces in a large, 28-man squad as he arrives with a four-year contract.

Impressed with his performance at Wolfsburg and earlier at Bayern, Schalke bosses have given him the task of bringing stability to a club which has often lurched from one crisis to the next in recent seasons and providing it with a first-ever Bundesliga title.

Almost his first act was to replace the previous team of coaches led by Dutchman Mike Bueskens who had taken over in a caretaker capacity following the dismissals in March of manager Andreas Mueller and, a few weeks later, coach Fred Rutten.

Magath still has a lot to do before the start of the season. With condition and stamina his priority he has not even started tactical work, and has yet to choose a captain.

He said he preferred to use a 4-4-2 system with two central strikers but the squad had been put together for a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 with an attacking wing player.

'That's is exactly the formation I don't like but I might have to play that way because of the structure of the team,' he said.

Alternatively wide-playing attacking players such as Jefferson Farfan, Vicente Sanchez, Gerald Asamoah or Albert Streit would have to take on a more central strike role.

Magath added that he was 'cautious' on forecasts for the team this season.

'As I don't have clarity on the system just yet I don't really know what each player can do. At the same time I am convinced the team has the quality to play for the first five places,' he said.

'We want to return to international competition, although the competition will be strong.'