Amine Harit and Schalke have enjoyed an impressive start to the 2019/20 season under new head coach David Wagner.

The playmaking midfielder was not at his best last year in what was a difficult season as Schalke finished 14th, as he admits to bundesliga.com in our exclusive interview.

Harit discusses a newfound focus for football, how special of a player he can be with the help of his teammates and Wagner's influence at Schalke...

bundesliga.com: Schalke have enjoyed a great start to the season. How important is that for the club?

Amine Harit: "Yes, I think it's good for everyone, also for me, for the fans, the staff and for us players to go on this season like this with a lot of wins. I think it was important after last season to come back to win at home and show a lot of personality. This beginning of the season is nice for everyone."

bundesliga.com: Did you expect things to start this well after a summer of change at Schalke?

Harit: "Yes, how you say, there were a lot of changes. The new coach, a lot of people came to the club, some others left. But I think from the first day everyone knows what they have to do and I think now we've got a lot of people working hard for the players. We have everything, we don't need anything else. I think the coach is doing very well, the coaching staff work really well, too. So, I think everything is fine because we can concentrate on the pitch and I think the result is positive."

bundesliga.com: How difficult was it for you last season?

Harit: "Yes, it was really difficult obviously, for me, for the team as well. It's always difficult to concentrate on football when you have some problems outside in your private life or when you don't feel comfortable with something. I think it was my mistake last year to not focus 100 per cent on football. But you learn from mistakes and I think I've made a lot of mistakes where I can say today that it helped me a lot to wake up and to show my real face to everyone."

Amine Harit has scored three goals and provided one assist in the first five matches of a Bundesliga season for the first time. - 2019 DFL

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bundesliga.com: Did you think you could make such a good start to this season personally, and how has it happened?

Harit: "Yes. Why? I don't know. But sometimes, how I said before, when you don't concentrate on football or your work 100 per cent, sometimes it's a little bit difficult to perform on the pitch. Last year I was focused on football but not 100 per cent. We know how football is and how hard it is to play football. I got a lot of injuries, maybe because I didn't sleep well or I didn't eat properly. All these small changes make you happier in your private life also because when you're good on the pitch, you're happy in your life and with your family. I think that was the most important thing for me."

bundesliga.com: How important has David Wagner been in bringing out the best of you so far?

Harit: "The coach was really honest with me. He's someone who speaks to you directly when he has something to say to you, he says it directly to your eyes. I think that I'm a person like this as well. It was a really good discussion. The first day when I came back we spoke in his office and he said to me: 'I like this, I don't like this. If you're ready to listen to me and do what I say to you, you'll play and you'll have a good season. But everything comes from you'. I think that was right and he said to me what he likes and what he doesn't like. When someone speaks to you directly like this, I think it's good."

bundesliga.com: Is this a new chance for you to succeed at Schalke?

Harit: "Yes. Yes, this is like a new chance. It wasn't easy last year, I heard a lot of people say that I have to leave the club. But only stupid people don't change their mind and I changed my mind and now I think you can ask, and maybe everyone is happy that I'm at Schalke today."

Watch: Harit's stunning winner for Schalke vs. Mainz!

bundesliga.com: With your goal against Mainz and the overall performance, you showed that you're able to do some extraordinary things on the pitch...

Harit: "Yes, I'm special. But to be good I need all the team and I think that's the most important thing. I cannot play alone on the pitch. When the guys are on fire, I can be on fire as well. It's right that sometimes I have some crazy things happening in my head and I try some… I don't know. When you have confidence and you feel good, you don't think, you don't think a lot on the pitch. I think for players like me, it's the most important thing. I need all the guys, the staff, the coach, the guys on the bench, everyone is important."

bundesliga.com: If the team is on fire, can you provide the gasoline?

Harit: "Yes, I need to. The gasoline is the training in the week. When you train hard, also on your own when you're not even in the club, at home and you do everything well, this is the gasoline for one football player."

bundesliga.com: You became a father this year. What has that experience been like for you?

Harit: "Yes, this is the most beautiful moment in my life I think. My daughter is my most beautiful gift and I'm happy about that because she brings me a lot. A lot of love, a lot of everything. She makes me calmer I think, and I think more than before. There are some things I would do before she was born that I'm not able to do anymore. I'm happy with this because I know that this is 70 per cent of how I have changed. Today, I'm really happy to have this small baby."

Amine Harit has been the star for Schalke so far this season. - imago images/Nordphoto

bundesliga.com: Is the goal this season for Schalke to qualify for Europe?

Harit: "Yes. Last year was really difficult. We didn't play good football and I think that the coach will come with a new mentality. He wants to change a lot of things and I think everybody sees that we play better football. This is our power because you have the players to play good football, to have possession and play really well in the first games. It needs also my style of football. When we play only long balls, it's clear that I cannot make a lot of things in the air. I'm not so tall and I'm not good with the head. It's better to play possession football."

bundesliga.com: As a team, have you sat down and discussed last season looking ahead to this new campaign?

Harit: "Yes, we spoke a lot. What was good, what wasn't good. Everybody realised the mistakes but also good things that happened because even if it's a bad situation, you always get something positive. We take maybe not a lot of positive things but there were some things you can take for the next step. Everybody was focused on the new season. I think today we're all on the same way, going in the same direction. Everybody, the guys who play, the guys who play a little bit less. We all have the same focus and I hope that it'll stay for a long time because we need this mentality to go on, to make a really good year. It's only five games now."

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