After returning to the Bundesliga, there is a spirit of optimism at FC Schalke 04. In the opinion of the former Knappen captain Olaf Thon, the cult club from the Ruhr area would do well to approach the new season with humility.
The 56-year-old sees staying up in the league as an extremely tricky project. “It will be a mammoth task, just like it was now, to make the climb,” Thon clarified in an interview with the “German Press Agency”.
FC Schalke must “follow the example of VfL Bochum and Stuttgart. We see that it is possible to keep the league even with no-names,” emphasized the club legend, looking back at the past season.
First of all, the royal blues should “bake small rolls” and “step by step” move forward, according to Thon, who was born in Gelsenkirchen.
“In the medium term, the goal must be to establish yourself in the league, to get to where you were often 20 years ago, when Schalke was often in the Champions League or in the European Cup,” said the 1990 world champion.
FC Schalke 04 is looking for a new head coach
FC Schalke had finished the 2nd Bundesliga as champions and thus bagged a direct return to the top flight. The change of coach at the beginning of March, when Dimitrios Grammozis was replaced by Mike Büskens, played a large part in the happy ending.
In the following weeks, the Knappen rushed from victory to victory and still pushed past all promotion competitors. A 2-1 win at friendly 1. FC Nürnberg finally cemented first place.
However, since Büskens has ruled out continuing as head coach, S04 has so far been without a new strong man on the sidelines. Sports director Rouven Schröder and Co. are currently looking for a trainer at high pressure.