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Benedikt Höwedes was in positive spirits following Schalke 04's 1-1 draw with Bayern München
Benedikt Höwedes was in positive spirits following Schalke 04's 1-1 draw with Bayern München

Höwedes: ‘We could have been braver’

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Munich - FC Schalke 04’s 2014 FIFA World Cup winner Benedikt Höwedes has proven to be FC Bayern München’s worst nightmare this season after adopting the ‘I don’t score often, but when I do it's against the league leaders’ policy in the 2014/15 campaign.

Having found the net in Matchday 2’s 1-1 draw with the record titleholders on home soil, the Royal Blues’ captain was on hand once again to head home the all-important equaliser on Tuesday, ensuring the Allianz Arena encounter ended with the same scoreline. Not since the 2004/05 campaign, when Schalke won both league encounters 1-0, had the Gelsenkirchen club taken points off Bayern in two league fixtures in a single season.

Talking after the match, the 26-year-old explained why picking up a point despite having a man advantage for 73 minutes was a success, what advice he gave to debutant goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther and spoke about hopes for Friday’s upcoming clash with Borussia Mönchengladbach.

'I told Timon not to be nervous'

Höwedes: I didn’t have a problem with the decision. It was important to make sure that we held our shape and avoided conceding for as long as possible. Bayern may have had ten men, but we can’t forget that they are still FC Bayern München. They have unbelievably talented individuals up front and are always incredibly dangerous. We still managed to carve out one or two dangerous situations of our own, which we unfortunately didn’t make the most of.

Question: Is it still frustrating for you that in the end it wasn’t enough to win it?

Höwedes: We could have been more courageous on at times, but we’re playing on foreign soil against the German record titleholders, against whom very few teams have walked away with a share of the spoils. Wolfsburg picked up all three points on Friday, but here in Munich, no team had previously managed to take points off FC Bayern this season.

Question: Third-choice goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther had to replace the injured Fabian Giefer at half time. As team captain, did you have a few words for the young debutant before taking to the pitch?