The longing for a contemplative Christmas is great in the Federal Republic, the year 2021 demanded a lot from people and gave them strong neck blows. Of course, it would be presumptuous to draw a parallel between the challenges in the pandemic crisis and the tasks that a FC Schalke 04 coach had to solve in the past few months. But what we can agree on: Dimitrios Grammozis, 43, started a job in March that had little to gain for a long time.
For some observers, it was therefore a small Christmas miracle that the Greek coach was allowed to travel to the Hamburg Volkspark on Saturday evening for work and address an early New Year’s address to the royal blue people. “We can go into the break with a good feeling,” said Grammozis, it sounded like an appeal to the Schalke supporters and a reminder to himself.
Otherwise, he hardly missed a chance to send positive messages out after the 1-1 draw at HSV. His team was “brutally dominant” in the top game in the second division, the coach found, and they had “not let the Hanseatic opponent make a trick”. The HSV was permanently “pushed back in”, the result overall “flattering” for the home team. And “deserved the win,” said Grammozis, only the Schalke team had. Should have.
Schalke coach Grammozis said that “there is definitely a development to be seen.”
The statements made by the native of Wuppertal would have withstood the court, they could be factually easily substantiated. Schalke fired 29 shots on goal, they struck 13 corners into the opposing penalty area and with their courageous appearance put Hamburg, who always set the tone in the home stadium, into an unfamiliar role. The Schalke team didn’t let themselves be unsettled by the early deficit by HSV striker Robert Glatzel (2nd minute), but quickly took the initiative and pushed for the equalizer until after a goal from defender Ko Itakura shortly before the end still fell (87th). Perhaps the most important thing, however, was: Compared to the 3-1 defeat in the first leg, Grammozis said, “there was definitely a development”.
Schalke luck shortly before the end: The players cheer on goal scorer Ko Itakura.
(Photo: Stuart Franklin / Getty Images)
But it was noticeable with what vehemence Grammozis presented his conclusion on the game and the overall situation in Schalke. The coach probably spoke on his own behalf, because the pressure on him was enormous before the duel between the two traditional clubs that had fallen image had already declared the game a potential “job killer” for Grammozis in advance.
A coach change in winter no longer seemed entirely impossible at Schalke
As a reminder: Schalke, which historically seemed to have perfected the art of failure, had managed to undercut the worst expectations in the last season of the first division. Royal Blue seemed to have developed a phobia of victories, the forced transfer to the second division was sealed early. Nevertheless, a coach was needed who first accompanied the traditional club with palliative care from the first division in order to then work the miracle of bringing him back to life in the lower house. Grammozis reported for duty.
It was then not exactly beneficial for the coach that the series of defeats continued under him. His authority in the club and his reputation among the Schalke fans had been damaged, which made many doubt whether he could still be the right person for the mission of resurgence. For a long time Grammozis received their solidarity from Schalke’s sports director Rouven Schröder and sports director Peter Knäbel, although one lackluster appearance followed the other in the second division. In the end, however, it seemed as if those responsible at least no longer wanted to rule out the possibility of a new emphasis on the coaching post in winter.
The young players in the S04 squad take on more responsibility
In this respect, it was of particular importance for Grammozis that the team, which was completely rebuilt in the summer, had not only stabilized, but was also able to show considerable collective performances in their victories in Sandhausen (5: 2) and Nuremberg (4: 1). In addition, the 1-1 draws in Bremen and Hamburg were based on game courses from which Schalke could have emerged as the winners. Royal blue, said Grammozis on Saturday, “get together better” from game to game – and is now in the table, level on points with HSV, in a promising pursuit position in the fight for promotion.
However, individual improvements in form, especially among the younger players in the squad, have also contributed to the renewed upswing: defender Itakura, 24, is increasingly profiling himself as an organizing authority, playmaker Rodrigo Zalazar, 22, is gaining influence on the action, and striker Darko Churlinov, 21, impresses with his naughty street footballer attitude. To a large extent, it was possible to compensate for the vacuum of experienced forces that had opened up due to the injuries of the midfielders Danny Latza and Dominick Drexler, who were planned as pillars, as well as the goalscorer Simon Terodde.
On this Monday there is to be a general analysis in Gelsenkirchen, during which the work of the trainer will be assessed. After the game in Hamburg, Schalke’s sports director Schröder didn’t sound like Grammozis was up for grabs. He said: “We have to remain hardworking and ambitious, then it can turn out to be something.”