Coach Thomas Reis came to FC Schalke 04 to make the impossible possible. But his team doesn't play along. The Royal Blues suffer a bitter defeat against RB Leipzig.
Schalke coach Thomas Reis can't take Schalke to a new level yet
Thomas Reis looked as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. What his players showed against RB Leipzig in the first 45 minutes was ultimately classified as refusing to work. FC Schalke 04 was 4-0 down after 45 minutes. In the end, a 1:6 lit up on the large video cube above the lawn in the Gelsenkirchen stadium. Soichiro Kozuki still scored the consolation goal for the hosts in the second half. And Thomas Reis?
The 49-year-old is beginning to have serious doubts about his mission at Schalke as to whether this class rescue attempt, which he has started, still has a realistic chance of a positive outcome. After 17 Bundesliga matchdays, i.e. after the entire first half of the season, the club only has nine points. A total of 14 goals are on the credit side, the Royal Blues have conceded 41 goals so far. A downright disastrous interim result. Reis took over the club at the end of October, before the 12th Bundesliga matchday. Since then there has been one win and just three goals on the credit side.
Poorly managed by Rouven Schröder
After only a year in the upper house, Schalke is once again on the verge of falling into the second division. And Reis should somehow still lead the club with his head held high until the end of the season. The former Bochum coach, who surprisingly got promoted to the Bundesliga with VfL in 2021 and kept the Ruhr area club in the league for a season despite major financial problems with a lot of commitment and courageous play, seems to be facing an unsolvable task in Gelsenkirchen to stand.
A performance to forget: Schalke players have no chance against RB Leipzig
“As long as it is mathematically possible, I will spread optimism,” said Reis before this game, which was downright shocking for Schalke fans. The Schalke coach has to look after a team that was managed by ex-sports director Rouven Schröder in a desolate state. The day before Reis' signing became known, the sports director ended his job at Schalke without giving a reason and left the club to its own devices.
S04's debt level is also over 180 million euros, which means any financial Scope for top-class new signings already nipped in the bud.
Reis will try everything
Reis tries to give the team order, willpower and also self-confidence, to drive them to performances suitable for the Bundesliga, which he also succeeded in the previous games. However, if the players are not able to reach their performance limit, as was the case against Leipzig, the Schalke pros are simply not competitive.
Thomas Reis will continue to try with a lot of work and commitment to keep Schalke in the remaining 17 games still to save from going into the second division. Just believing in it shouldn't be particularly easy even for him, the optimist.