Sensitive corona case: The next little drama for Schalke 04


Sensitive corona case
The next little drama for Schalke 04

The FC Schalke 04 actually wants to correct the industrial accident “relegation” from Friday. Hamburger SV is the first opponent of the resurgence mission. But after a strong preparation, the Gelsenkirchener caught a sensitive corona case. The club wants to respond to the transfer market.

Ralf Fährmann is not doing badly. He has this communicated through his employer, FC Schalke 04. This is extremely relevant information, because the ferryman has been infected with the corona virus. He also has that communicated. The fact that the goalkeeper is not doing badly leaves a lot of room for interpretation. And the second division team itself creates a little more space. In order to react to the failure of the 32-year-old, a new keeper should be hired as quickly as possible. Preferably even until Friday, when the Gelsenkircheners start their maloche against Hamburger SV (from 8.30 p.m. in the live ticker at ntv.de), with the irrefutable goal of returning directly to the top division of German football.

Well, the curious rush of the Schalke boss is of course fueling speculation about the condition of the ferryman. How long is it out? 14 days? Or longer? The club doesn’t say anything about it. He probably can’t either. But why should we act so quickly now? After all, there is still a goalkeeper in the professional squad with Michael Langer. And a young man would surely find himself in the U23 or U19. Langer was only number three in the first division for years, but in the disastrous relegation season he was able to prove that he was good at his craft. Even if the results against Leverkusen, Dortmund and Stuttgart read pretty shabby: 0: 3, 0: 4, 1: 5.

Now the Austrian will play against HSV. That much seems clear. Even if the new man were signed on Wednesday. Without preparation, without training (with the team), without coordination, that would be a huge risk with the new one. Who will it be A return of Fabian Giefer, who is currently without a club, is discussed in several forums. And Daniel Mesenhöhler is being written about, and after his involvement with Heracles Almelo he is without a club and looking. Both would fit into the profile that the new sports director, Rouven Schröder, has proclaimed.

Goalkeeper plans discarded

For he has rejected his original plans. A young man should be here. After the departure of Markus Schubert (to Vitesse Arnheim), he should slowly be included in the goalkeeping hierarchy. Now it’s about other things. Now it’s “about quality and short-term opportunities to sign,” said Schröder. Due to the urgency of the situation, one can assume that the new man “will not be in the younger age range”. You can of course interpret this as you like, but not necessarily as a basic trust in Langer. They attested that the 36-year-old was “very well prepared”.

The failure of a goalkeeper is always particularly sensitive for a team. Because the better the interaction between the last man and his front men works, the more stable the collective is. This is an elementary basis, especially for well balanced teams. And Schalke is a badly shifted team after the relegation disaster including the horror series. Ferryman is assigned an extremely important role not only as a goalkeeper during the renovation, which will continue in competition mode due to the short summer break. The eternal Schalke should also lead this team. Together with the newcomers Danny Latza in the central midfield and with Simon Terodde, the best second division striker in recent years.

Voluntary “quarantine training camp”

And so far it had worked really well, the club has stabilized surprisingly quickly in terms of sport. If you want to use the results of the preparation as a reliable witness. Five tests were played, nothing a game was lost. Against the European top teams (not top teams) Zenit St. Petersburg and Shakhtar Donetsk there was a stable 0-0 each. Annoying background noises during transfers and in the management bodies have apparently not yet spread to the team. Fährmann’s corona infection hits the club all the harder. In order not to endanger the start of the season, Schalke is now moving to a voluntary “quarantine training camp”.

According to the German Football League, this withdrawal serves to ensure that the game can continue to run. Players, coaching team and support staff are therefore only allowed to have contact with one another. Due to the quick reaction of Schalke, the traditional duel with Hamburger SV is probably not endangered. Schröder also assumes “that the game will take place”. By the way, Dominick Drexler could already be there. The offensive all-rounder from 1. FC Köln has already been to the medical check on Schalke. He could become the new, much sought-after playmaker in the team of coach Dimitrios Grammozis. Another experienced constant in a squad that should continue to be rebalanced well in the coming weeks. Because with Amine Harit, with Omar Mascarell, with Ozan Kabak and with Matja Nastasic there are still some high earners under contract who no longer play a major role in the planning.

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