FC Schalke have found the right virtues for the decisive phase in the Bundesliga relegation battle. The hard-fought draw in the district derby against BVB was further evidence of this.
These were entirely new feelings for Kenan Karaman. In his 14th appearance for Schalke, the offensive player scored for his team for the first time. It wasn’t just any goal, it was the deciding factor in the draw against title hopefuls and eternal rivals Borussia Dortmund, plus a wonderful header that couldn’t be defended by BVB keeper Alexander Meyer.
“The ball was in the air for a really long time. I hit it well and put it in the opposite direction. It was my first goal for Schalke and that in the derby. That’s how you can shoot yourself into the hearts of Schalke,” said Karaman about his moment of happiness .”
Ferryman braces himself against Dortmund superiority
To single out the goalscorer and Joker Karaman on the Schalke side would not do it justice. Marius Bülter also played well on offense, not only scoring the first derby goal against Dortmund in more than eight hours of play, but also preparing Karaman’s second goal with a top cross.
Ralf Fährmann also showed an above-average performance in the S04 goal on his mature days and kept his team in the game with class saves, especially in the first half, in which Dortmund were overwhelmingly superior.
Schalke coach Reis and his moments of pleasure
Schalke didn’t let themselves be thrown off course by this Dortmund superiority and the two deficits. In the end it was just a point in the relegation battle, but a “felt victory” for Schalke, who had lost all of the last five derbies. “Dortmund were superior to us in terms of football, we have to acknowledge that. But when you come back like this, then you enjoy it”said coach Thomas Reis.”
“Great cohesion in the dressing room”
Enjoying football again – that wasn’t the case at Schalke for a long time. During the winter break, the Gelsenkircheners were quite far behind on the last place in the table. After the resignation of sports director Rouven Schröder and the dismissal of trainer Frank Kramer at the end of October, the mood at the Schalke market was in the basement and plans for further relegation were already in the drawer.
But Reis apparently used the break during the World Cup and the winter break to turn the crucial screws and form a team that by no means belongs in the 2nd division. In any case, Schalke crawled and got back on track step by step.
They have now been unbeaten in seven Bundesliga games and have climbed to fifth place in the second-half table. But what gives hope for another year in the Bundesliga is the attitude and passion that characterized the royal blues. “We have a great cohesion in the dressing room,” said goalscorer Karaman after the derby.
Fans could become a decisive factor in the relegation battle
And a fan base in the back, which could also be a big factor in the relegation battle “The fans created a brutal mood and pushed us a lot. Then there’s the confidence that we’ve built up. We have the belief that we can always come back and you could see that today“Said Marius Bülter.