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Collective primal scream: Schalke fans pawn on a difficult mission

Collective primal scream: Schalke fans pawn on a difficult mission

Schalke 04 is back together. After the first division return, the stadium drives the promoted team to the first point of the season, which is enthusiastically celebrated.

FC Schalke 04 is emotionally back in the Bundesliga. On the day after the collective primal scream after the happy 2: 2 (1: 0) in added time against Borussia Mönchengladbach, sports director Peter Knäbel was still drunk with joy.

“It was a victory for the fans. It was a victory for the stadium, for the location,” Knäbel rejoiced on TV station Bild, adding: “It feels like a win.”

Impressively, a few hours earlier, after Marius Bülter’s converted hand penalty, the whole force that the Arena at Schalke can ignite like few other stadiums was discharged according to video evidence. Even Gladbach’s coach Daniel Farke was very impressed. “Then of course the whole temple is cooking here,” said Farke. “That was the best proof why Schalke belongs in the Bundesliga. The power, the atmosphere that is possible here is extraordinary.”

Schalke stands together as a unit

There was no question that the supporters, who were euphoric again after the promotion, had carried their team to the point in the first home game of the season against Gladbach, who were clearly superior in terms of play. “They are very important to us,” Knäbel admitted. Before the game, coach Frank Kramer had pointed out the importance of the attachment for the difficult task of staying in the class.

Since Saturday evening at the latest, it has been clear that Schalke is back together as a unit. That was evident even before the equalizer. “The reaction of the fans after falling behind was great,” said Knäbel, who had also experienced other times around the relegation in spring 2021. At the end of a catastrophic and chaotic relegation season, largely without fans in the stadium due to the corona, an alienation could be observed that even turned into anger and violence. Some players fled Gelsenkirchen after disturbing hunting scenes after the relegation was sealed.

Schalke supporters aggressively chased after the players after the team’s return from the crucial 1-0 defeat in Bielefeld in April 2021. 16 months later, they are again behind their team and should become a bargaining chip in the fight against relegation. Whether that’s enough remains to be seen.

With the unfortunate 3-1 draw at 1. FC Köln on the first day of the game, the Revierclub had reached its limits with its passion. “With all the joy about the point: It’s just a point,” Knäbel now pointed out. “We’ve seen how much we have to invest to compete in this league.”

In addition, there are indications that Schalke cannot get a grip on a problem that has existed for years: the lack of support in the goal. The otherwise sovereign Hertha loan Alexander Schwolow made a decisive mistake after the start in Cologne before Gladbach made it 2-1 through Marcus Thuram (78th). “Of course it doesn’t look happy,” said sporting director Rouven Schröder. “But we are 100 percent convinced of Alex.”

Anything else going on in the transfer market?

A lot of work still awaits Schröder in particular. The transfer window is open until September 1st and the head of sport has already announced: “A lot will still happen.” It is questionable whether this is good from a sporting point of view. Knäbel clearly said that players still had to be given away for cost reasons. “It remains to be seen whether we will also add something.”

In addition to the disgraced big earner Amine Harit, current regular players could also go. Among other things, central defender Malick Thiaw is considered a candidate for sale. The squad, which is not outstanding anyway, would not get any better.

Source: Stern

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