Tomáš Kalas is satisfied with his engagement in the second division Schalke 04. He is happy that after a year in which he went through health problems, he is now fit and regularly starts in the starting line-up of the famous club from Gelsenkirchen. In an interview with ČTK mediated by the agency Sport Invest, the Olomouc native praised the successful end of the autumn part after an unsuccessful start to the season. He also hopes to return to the national team and play at this summer’s European Championships in Germany.
Kalas played eleven competitive matches this year, ten of which were in the second league. “At the moment I’m happy with the fact that I’ve played as many games as I can. It took me about a month to a month and a half after the training I didn’t have before I got back into fitness and could start. During the first few games, what I played, I still felt that I needed to work mainly on my physical condition, because it affects absolutely everything, all decisions on the field,” said the 30-year-old stopper.
“Even though I was able to play 90 minutes, I wasn’t feeling my best because I was saving myself on the pitch to last the whole game. It wasn’t quite right, but it didn’t take long to get back into shape and I knew that I will play 90 minutes without any problems. Then I could focus on the performance as such,” declared Kalas.
Due to injury, he played in only nine competitive games last season. He has been in good health since mid-April. “I haven’t been injured for a long time, I have to knock it off. I hope it will continue like this, because when you spend almost a year without football, it’s not quite like jumping to the ceiling,” said Kalas, who in August after the end of his contract in the second division of England, Bristol strengthened Schalke.
The traditional German club was relegated from the Bundesliga in the spring after only one season, and the second division year did not start well either. At the beginning of October, Belgian Karel Geraerts took over the team. Now the team is fourteenth.
“Now there is satisfaction, because out of the last seven (second league) games we have won four times and drawn once. It is not a bad end (of the autumn part) after a not quite promising season. At least it gives us some chance to get even higher in the spring. It’s almost impossible to get a little lower,” Kalas noted.
He had to get used to it in Germany. “The Germans do things a little differently than in England. Of course, the matches are only on weekends, there is nothing else, so there are much more training sessions and they are much harder. I had to get used to that more than anything,” stated Kalas.
He can’t praise the Schalke fans. “Of course, I have never experienced such fans. Sixty-two thousand spectators for the second league, when we are fourteen, you will not find that anywhere else. This is unbelievable,” declared Kalas.
He also likes the level of the second league. “There are teams like Hannover, Hamburg, Hertha…, they attack quickly. There are a lot of teams that raise the quality of the second league. The quality of the league is very good,” said the former player of Olomouc, Vitesse, Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Fulham.
He considers the engagement in Germany to be a good life experience. “If it doesn’t advance me as a player, it advances me as a person. It’s best to advance me both ways. It all depends on whether I’m playing or not. It’s happening now, so that’s the main thing. Right now I can’t complain,” Kalas said.
The goals for the coming year are given. “It’s best to play all the matches in which I can be used. If my health is good, then preferably all of them. To move up in the table as high as possible and the best thing is to talk about being nominated back to the repre and play at the Euro,” said the thirty-one-time representative.
The fact that the European Championship is hosted by Germany does not matter to him. “Even if it was anywhere else, I would have the same motivation. I was disappointed not to be invited for the crucial two games (qualifiers) in Poland and at home to Moldova, even though I felt fit. It was practically the first time in a while that I haven’t been nominated, as long as I’ve been healthy. The motivation is still there, it’s not going to change. If there were to be more injuries, then it would be handled a little differently. As long as I’m playing, the reps will always a priority,” Kalas stated.
He spends Christmas in Bristol, where he played for five seasons. “It’s probably my biggest home as far as my football career is concerned. My girlfriend is from Bristol, she has family here. I didn’t want to take her away from her family because I haven’t seen my family at Christmas for maybe ten years. I didn’t want to spoil the Christmas she’s used to . British Christmas for the last ix years is the only Christmas for me. I’m used to it. I’ll come home for Christmas after my career to make it up to my family,” said Kalas.
