Dhe ritual brought back memories of old times. On the morning after the 0:3 (0:2) defeat against TSG Hoffenheim, numerous reporters and camera teams once again gathered at the Berger Feld. They came to the Schalke club grounds on Saturday to see if Frank Kramer would still be in charge of training – or if he would get into his private car to drive away while the team trained without him. There are plenty of recordings of freshly released Schalke coaches driving away in the archives of television and photo editors.
At least there were no new ones this weekend. Kramer, who has been extremely critical of a not inconsiderable number of fans and critics since he began working for Schalke, is staying on the job even after the fourth loss in a row. He will also be on the bench on Tuesday when the team meets Hoffenheim again in the DFB Cup, but this time in Sinsheim (8.45 p.m. / live Sky).
“We will not give any guarantees”
However, it was a close decision in Kramer’s favour. Immediately after the final whistle, sports director Peter Knäbel and sports director Rouven Schröder “went into the analysis”, as Schröder put it. He didn’t want to make an unambiguous commitment to the coach. “We will not give any guarantees. They don’t exist in life anyway,” he said.
A long conversation followed. Knäbel and Schröder considered what was best for the club in an extremely difficult situation. It was openly discussed. That’s why Kramer himself could not be sure until early Saturday morning that he would definitely be able to stay.
The decisive factor in sticking with the 50-year-old coach for the time being was the impression that the team seems to be doing everything it can to survive in the first division, even with this personnel constellation. There is at least no discernible friction between the team and the coach. The defeat on Friday finally came about, although the team had shown the reaction they had demanded compared to the 0:4 in Leverkusen the previous week. “Despite all the disappointment, that’s important to me,” said Schröder.
In fact, the combative effort was right this time. Rather, it became clear that the team in its current composition is only competitive to a limited extent against an opponent who is clearly stronger on an individual basis. That in turn has little to do with the coach.
It was clear from the start of the season that Schalke had to go to the limit in order to achieve their goal of remaining in the league. And even then there are no guarantees. In order to radiate goal danger, Schalke has to make an extreme effort. She was ready for that on Friday. At the same time, however, the team made life difficult again due to individual mistakes. Hoffenheim were able to take the lead in the eleventh minute after central defender Leo Greiml caused a penalty kick with an impetuous effort.
Schalke’s often unimaginative style
Nevertheless, Schalke did not fall apart this time. “We never gave up,” explained Schröder. They fought their way back into the game but couldn’t reward themselves for it. France’s Florent Mollet hit the post. Shortly before half-time, Hoffenheim mercilessly revealed what the promoted team lacked: speed and tactical maturity. Schalke was countered after their own corner kick. The game was almost decided with the 0:2, even if Kramer’s team tried everything in their power again in the second half.
The coach cannot do anything for the lack of individual quality, but he can for the often unimaginative style that the team has played in most of the ten games played so far this season. This is also the reason why he was on the brink after the Leverkusen game – and will continue to be monitored in the future.
All too often Kramer had bet on a kind of hit-and-run football. Fearing that technically experienced pros like the currently injured playmaker Rodrigo Zalazar, an undisputed regular in the promotion season, or the newly signed Mollet could be additional security risks because of their defensive deficits, he often left them on the bench. He often did the same thing with left-back Thomas Ouwejan, the squad’s best crosser. This led to the fact that the already manageable level of play of the team fell further. Only rarely did Simon Terodde, the top scorer in the promotion year, succeed in staging.
However, Kramer’s goal of achieving greater defensive stability through his cautious formations and attitudes was not achieved. Nevertheless, Kramer does not want to give up. “I give everything every day, and I will continue to do so,” he said. Knäbel and Schröder are still willing to continue on their common path for the time being – knowing full well that a change of coach at the current time cannot be a panacea.
The strategic consideration is to give Kramer the opportunity to correct his own mistakes and, if possible, to score points before the World Cup break in mid-November so that there is still every chance of staying in the class in the second half of the season. Then the team should be strengthened again, especially in the defensive area, despite all the economic constraints to which Schalke is still subject. Especially on the transfer markets of some Scandinavian countries, where the season will already be over, there could be opportunities. A reassessment will then also take place in the question of coaching – at the latest then.
In any case, Knäbel and Schröder are not guided by moods. There were only a few “Kramer raus” calls on Friday. But the skepticism towards the coach in the club’s environment has increased over the past few weeks. When Kramer signed up, it was only the coach’s rather unglamorous CV that made the fans doubt, but now it’s the team’s lack of further development. It cannot be ruled out that reporters will soon be making a pilgrimage to Berger Feld again the morning after the game.
