Now the training week is almost over at FC Schalke 04. The “basement cracker” against Hertha BSC is imminent, on Friday evening the two traditional clubs open the 28th matchday of the season in the Schalke Arena. It is quite possible that Schalke will once again be the last in the football upper house – the Royal Blues are back at the bottom of the table after last week’s 0-2 defeat in Hoffenheim. The renewed fall into the second division threatens enormously. The constellation on Friday evening: last meets second to last.
Goal poverty – only 21 goals in 27 games
It was all the more important that coach Thomas Reis had a full week of training available to prepare his entire team for the upcoming basement duel. The team’s lack of goals is worrying – Schalke have scored 21 goals in 27 games – this is by far the worst value of all teams. Reis recently tried the tireless winter loan player Michael Frey at the top – but the Swiss player has a bad quota despite all his efforts: he hasn’t scored a single goal in his twelve games for S04.
It’s quite possible that the coach will change again here – maybe he’ll let Simon Terodde play from the start again. The clipper on duty – who can show an impressive goal quota, especially as a second division player – certainly has the best nose for goals of all Schalke strikers. That hasn’t helped him in the Bundesliga this season – but as we all know, hope dies last.
“Was not enough in all respects”
In the defeat in Hoffenheim, those responsible were not only disappointed by the efficiency of their team in attack. Rather, the sometimes bloodless attitude of some players was noticeable and apparently really frightened Thomas Reis and Co. “That was not enough in all respects,” says Reis candidly.
But the coach also thinks: “We managed not to lose eight games in a row and fought our way through our mentality. We were close to the limit, it cost the team a lot of energy. We have to watch the last games of the season that we can get back to this 100 percent,” said Reis in an interview with the Funke media group. He was “still firmly convinced of relegation.”
Not a nice game? – “I do not care”
Hertha must “feel in every situation that there is nothing to be gained here,” says Reis, who does not necessarily expect a high-quality game. “It may not be a nice game, but I don’t care,” he explains.
Irrespective of this, the Royal Blues are of course already preparing for the coming season. “League-independent” – as they say. Sports director Peter Knäbel has already announced that he will increasingly access the youth department. “We will give four players from our Knappenschmiede professional contracts,” he announced. He left it open which talents are involved.
The young players with “exciting profiles” are to be gradually introduced. Knäbel does not name specific names. It is speculated that three could be U19 striker Keke Topp and his A-Junior colleagues Mattes Hansen and Assan Ouedraogo.
But this is still a dream of the future. First of all, it’s about using all the chances to stay up in the league. The situation is nowhere near as hopeless as it was in the relegation season two years ago, when Schalke, who had been left behind at the time, were already on a farewell tour from the Bundesliga. Should a win against Hertha succeed, that would be equivalent to at least a temporary jump to relegation rank 16, which Schalke would probably like to accept at the end of the season.