The complete system crash was prevented. For now. The 4-0 win against VfL Osnabrück was at least a sign of life for FC Schalke 04. And yet they remain 16th in the table. the problems in the second league.
Karel Geraerts has been the coach of the Royal Blues for less than two months – and is already having to fight for the atmosphere in the dressing room. Where the biggest “coaches” in the league are located. The Belgian is already feeling how difficult it is to keep the moody team on track. The 3:5 defeat at Fortuna Düsseldorf at the end of November was the starting signal for the fight for his standing in the dressing room.
Before the game at Fortuna, Geraerts approached the team with the following idea: Because many professionals live in Düsseldorf or the surrounding area, he offered these players the opportunity to travel to the team hotel in Düsseldorf on their own. This saved them the trip to Gelsenkirchen – and back in the team bus to Düsseldorf. The players happily accepted this. The problem: At the meeting in Düsseldorf, one player arrived late – and everyone noticed. The mood was already bad before the game, in which Schalke were 3-0 down at the break.
A player reacted and accused the coach of using the wrong tactics
On the Monday after the game in Düsseldorf, Geraerts accused his team in the meeting of having shown the wrong attitude from the start – and that he could not accept that. And he emphasized that he had the impression that many players were not 100 percent fit – but that he had the feeling that things were slowly getting better. However, there was no understanding everywhere: one player reacted and accused Geraerts of using the wrong tactics in front of the entire team.
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Geraert’s reaction was harsh; he apparently took the answer as an affront. A short discussion ensued. Geraerts told the team clearly that such statements were just excuses for him. The following day, the coach called a video meeting in which he wanted to prove to the team that it was not his tactics, but the team’s attitude. He told, primarily to the one player, that he was wrong. After all: the next day the professional came to the Belgian and apologized for his criticism.
Upon request, the press office sent back the following quote from Geraerts: “When analyzing the game, all players were asked to give their input so that we can work through the game together. It’s important to have these discussions and I like players who speak their minds. At the end of the day, it’s important to draw the right conclusions.”
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After the Fortuna bankruptcy, it was decided internally that from now on there should no longer be offers like travel. And after the team met directly at the training ground before a few home games, such as against Hannover (3:2) and Elversberg (1:2), countermeasures were now taken: Before the game against Osnabrück, they went back to a day hotel during the day. Geraerts tightens the reins.
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The coaches have long since realized that they are dealing with a team that hardly knows the term “self-criticism”. The fact that Henning Matriciani (23) is used regularly, even though he has enormous problems with football in many games, is mainly due to the fact that he is one of the few players who shows full commitment without complaining. It is no longer out of the question that those responsible – Geraerts and sports director André Hechelmann – will radically sort things out in the winter.
Grammozis, Reis, Kramer – all were criticized early on
The coach has already told the team that December is a chance for everyone to prove themselves – to have a future at Schalke.
Speaking of Hechelmann: The former chief scout had critical words for the team during the half-time break in the Düsseldorf game. In retrospect, the reaction among the players was more of a shrug of the shoulders.
All of these are problems that are by no means new at Royal Blue. Former coach Thomas Reis was massively let down by the team. After Geraerts’ predecessor almost managed to stay in the league after a strong second half of the Bundesliga, the mood turned against him in the first few weeks of this season. At some point an opposition had formed against which the coach no longer had a chance, even though he had tried everything not to let it get to that point.
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Reis knew about the team’s idiosyncratic character and found out about the club’s environment. And he came up with the following plan: He wanted to let the players have a say so much that they would not be able to criticize him at all. So a few weeks after the start of the season, he gathered the most important players in the squad, just over ten professionals. And asked what they wanted to change. He is open to every point. From the tactics to the process on match day. All you have to do is express it. The only answer Reis received: The team would like to be a little more defensive. In the days that followed, the players said behind closed doors that their coach had no plan and was training too hard.
No player reported to Reis
Another example: After the 0-1 loss in Braunschweig on the third matchday, Reis stood in front of the team after returning to Gelsenkirchen and said: “I think everyone knows what went wrong. As far as I’m concerned, we can do without a video analysis this time.” He asked if everyone agreed. Everyone nodded. Reis added: If a player has the feeling that he wants to work on the game, he can contact us at any time. The coaching team would be available at any time for an individual analysis. The number of players who reported: zero. Afterwards, the team spread the word that defeats were not dealt with properly.
Six points from ten league games cost Frank Kramer his job at Schalke 04 last year
Quelle: picture alliance/dpa/Hasan Bratic
Reis then experienced fate at FC St. Pauli (1:3), when Timo Baumgartl apparently no longer thought much of hidden criticism and dissected the coach into individual parts in an interview on Sky after the final whistle: “Of course we are playing with fire. This is a risky thing we are doing. Then it’s just a matter of conceding goals.” And: “That’s the coach’s philosophy. He tells us that.” Internally, the players complained that the so-called “sweating” on the morning of the game was too strenuous and that they were already exhausted by kick-off. Reis was released a few days later.
Matthias Kreutzer took over on an interim basis – and completely refrained from galloping on the pitch before the following game in Paderborn on match day. The team then ran five kilometers less than their opponents and was still well served with the 1:3.
Things started under Grammozis
The beginnings of the Gelsenkirchen “Trainer-Säger” date back to the tenure of Dimitrios Grammozis (45).
The Greek took over the team in the 2020/2021 relegation season in a disastrous state and then at least laid the foundation for direct promotion. However, he was not allowed to finish the promotion season as Schalke coach because the opposition in the dressing room became too powerful. Grammozis’ problem at the time: He felt very little support from those responsible – sports director Peter Knäbel and ex-sports director Rouven Schröder. What the team also noticed. Above all, the then captain Danny Latza, who never tired of saying internally that Grammozis was the wrong coach.
The message from the Schalke supporters before the most recent game against Osnabrück was clear – what followed was a victory
Source: picture alliance/Tim Rehbein/RHR-FOTO
After a long-term knee injury, he was never really used to Grammozis. After a while, several people told the trainer that his actual leader was speaking badly behind his back. He then confronted Latza in a one-on-one conversation and asked him to address criticism directly to him. Grammozis also told the entire team this. That he was usually the first one there in the morning and that his door was always open. However, things didn’t get any better. Shortly before his end at Schalke, there was a conversation between Grammozis, Schröder and the team council: Latza, Victor Pálsson (KAS Eupen), Terodde, Fährmann and Malick Thiaw (AC Milan). It didn’t help, what followed was a 3:4 defeat against the team who were 16th in the table at the time. Rostock. Grammozis’ end at S04 in March 2022. Latza, Terodde and Fährmann are still part of the team.
Doubts even before the start of the season
After the promotion in May 2022, which interim coach Mike Büskens brought over the finish line, Frank Kramer took over. Already in the training camp – the season had not even started yet – the leading players were of the opinion that they would not be successful with this coach. And yes, tactically, Kramer’s direction revealed major weaknesses; the separation after just ten league games (six points) was understandable.
However, Kramer never felt any support from the team. And it was a bit grotesque that the leading players under Grammozis’ direction demanded a switch from a five-man defense to a four-man defense, only to then demand exactly the opposite from Kramer. When Kramer showed videos of Manchester City in preparation to demonstrate how to behave properly when in possession of the ball, he basically had no chance in the locker room. The players themselves will have thought at that moment: How are WE supposed to play like City?!
The team didn’t play like City against Osnabrück, but at least it was successful. For Geraerts, it’s a small step in the fight against the “coach sawyers”.
The article was written for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, SPORT BILD, BILD) and first published in SPORT BILD.
