Schalke 04 is sending signs of life in the second division. Even if the 3-2 win against Hannover releases a lot of emotions, it can only be a first step.
FC Schalke 04 is still alive. Fans, players and coaching staff celebrated the first victory under new coach Karel Geraerts as if the Bundesliga relegated team, which was declared dead a week ago, had just won its first championship in 65 years.
The 3:2 (1:0) against Hannover 96 unleashed typical Schalke emotions and brought about a feeling of happiness that is almost unheard of. The club idol Gerald Asamoah didn’t say much after the first threesome in six weeks and that was all. The team manager only briefly peeked out of the cabin area, put on his trademark grin and rejoiced: “We can finally laugh again.”
Recently there was a rather doom and gloom atmosphere at the traditional club, which was teetering worryingly towards third division. The dramatically bad 0:3 the previous week in the first player under new coach Geraerts had left its mark. The Belgian openly admitted that he was shocked by the behavior of his unsettled team and named nothing other than staying in the league as his goal for the season. There was a lot of headwind from the media and fans. Some were already questioning their existence in the event of another relegation due to the even less bubbling income.
Big relief
But it’s not that far yet. With ten points from eleven games – still weak compared to Schalke’s self-image – the Revierclub is in relegation place 16 – only two points away from the non-relegation places. “The pressure was great, and so was the relief now,” said attacker Kenan Karaman, who scored Schalke’s third goal against a supposed promotion candidate.
Of course, Schalke is still far from out of the woods. Already on Tuesday there is a risk of another setback in the cup against the second division leaders FC St. Pauli. The next league task next Saturday at 1. FC Nürnberg won’t be easy either. Former “Club” professional Lino Tempelmann, scorer of Schalke’s second goal against Hanover (71st), warned: “This is just a small step in the right direction. We have to keep going like this.”
The third win of the season was pleasant and reassuring, especially for the successor to Thomas Reis, who was on leave. “There was a lot of pressure on us before the game. We withstood it – together with our fans, who supported us fantastically,” said Coach Geraerts, who had to deviate from normal coaching business very early on in his new place of work.
Geraerts required as a psychologist
During the half-time break in Karlsruhe he did something he “normally doesn’t do”: shouting at his players. In the days before the game against Hannover, he was in demand as a psychologist and conducted many individual and group discussions. “The coach prepared us meticulously,” praised Karaman.
Unlike at KSC, this time the Royal Blues also fought against resistance, for example after Hannover’s equalizer to make it 1-1 by Enzo Leopold (52nd). “That makes me proud. This success will give us energy for the tasks ahead,” said Geraerts about the three important points. “They also give us some breathing room. At the same time, we also know that there is still a tough road ahead of us.”
Source: Stern
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