Nabil Bentaleb, on loan at Schalke from Tottenham Hotspur, is impressed with the backing the Bundesliga club receive from their fans.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino declared Bentaleb surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane in the summer and the Algerian eventually opted to move to Schalke, joining the German club on loan for the season.
Schalke have found the going tough in the Bundesliga this term and are third from bottom after six games, with just three points. And Bentaleb admits that every mistake appears to be punished in the German top flight.
"The series of defeats at the beginning of the Bundesliga this season was not easy to handle", he told German news agency DPA.
"We have always fought, but we have made too many mistakes – and this is immediately punished in the Bundesliga", he added.
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Schalke won their last match before the international break, beating Borussia Monchengladbach 4-0 and Bentaleb is now hoping for a turnaround.
He also has warm words for the Schalke fans.
"With the victory against Monchengladbach, I hope that we are now going in the other direction.
"It really impresses me how the fans stand behind the team", Bentaleb added.
Schalke are next in action away at Bavarian side FC Augsburg this coming weekend, while they then face a trip to Russia to take on FK Krasnodar in the Europa League.
