Schalke head to Bayern on Saturday in the midst of an extraordinary relegation escape
Yoshida, the centre-back and captain of Schalke, has been instrumental in the club's remarkable resurgence in their fight against relegation. The 34-year-old was made captain when Schalke was at the bottom of the Bundesliga table in early 2023. Schalke is now in 15th place, one spot and two points ahead of the relegation zone with three games remaining. The team's revival, which seemed unlikely after a run of 10 losses in 11 games between September and January, has been based on dogged defensive stability.
Yoshida drew on his experience at the 2022 World Cup, where his side defeated Spain and Germany in the group stage, to steel himself for a relegation fight. He explained to AFP that "achieving results at the World Cup wins you respect from teammates and other people you work with. It's extremely important. I came here with experience, but the fact that I was the captain of the national team which played against your (Germany's) national team and won... people listen to me and understand."
Despite the challenge of facing a Bayern Munich side in the middle of a tense title fight with rivals Borussia Dortmund, the fact that Schalke is even considering the feat shows how far they have come under Yoshida's leadership.
Yoshida joined Schalke on a free transfer from Sampdoria in July 2022, after they were promoted as champions of the second division. With just nine points from 17 games, Schalke was at the bottom of the table and appeared destined for a direct return to the second division, which would have jeopardised the longer-term future of the seven-time German champions.
In the first game of the second half of the season, Schalke battled to a goalless draw at home against Cologne, and repeated the feat the following week against Borussia Moenchengladbach. An injury to captain and local boy Danny Latza saw Yoshida given the armband. Under Yoshida's leadership, Schalke lost only two of their next eight games and picked up ten valuable points.
"When the time comes, you just have to summon your energy and fight," said Yoshida. "The team acquired me. It means I was brought here for the mission to keep the team in the league.
I spend my time thinking about how to achieve that mission. Things are improving, but we are not in the safety zone yet. We have to accumulate more points. I want to continue working without losing our focus. On or off the pitch, I want to help bring Schalke to a better place."
Yoshida's Schalke teammates are grateful for the impact the Nagasaki-born defender has had on the club. Schalke goalkeeper Michael Langer, 38, who has been at the club since 2017, said that Yoshida's signing was "a big win for the club" as a footballer and "as a human being". "First of all, I think he brought a lot of experience to us on the pitch, but also off the pitch.
He's a very communicative guy. He always has good advice and a clear mind about how football should be. He's very respectful and hardworking, and I think every young player in our team can look up and say 'I have to do it like him because he is a perfect example every day.' How he works in training, the attitude, the preparation, he's a full professional."
Yoshida missed two matches with a muscle strain but returned for Schalke's 2-1 victory over fellow promoted side Werder Bremen in late April. "Our target as a team is to remain in the league and avoid relegation. There is nothing else.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0