In the 2021/2022 season, Dominick Drexler was one of the key players in the FC Schalke 04 promotion team. After the immediate relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga, the veteran wants to help get the miners back on track, but the competition in the lower house is enormous.
“I don’t think a team will go it alone. It will be extremely tough,” Drexler warned in an interview with “Ruhr Nachrichten”.
The 33-year-old sees four competitors as particularly dangerous. “Hamburger SV, Hertha BSC, Hannover 96, Fortuna Düsseldorf – these are just a few clubs that have the potential to play at the top,” said the offensive man.
His assumption: “The 66 points that HSV achieved and still didn’t get promoted could be enough for promotion in the new season.”
FC Schalke 04 with bad memories of HSV
On the very first day of the game, the Red Pants and the Royal Blues had an absolute blast in Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.
Drexler honestly: “I would have preferred to start with a home game, for example against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. But now we’re taking on the challenge of Hamburg on the first day of the game and we really want to do better than we did two years ago.”
In 2021/2022, S04 also started against HSV and suffered a painful 1: 3 defeat at home.
FC Schalke 04: Drexler is “happy about every new signing”
After relegation, Drexler wants to take on more responsibility internally and lead the way as a leader, coach Thomas Reis is building on his enormous experience.
When asked about the current level of performance of the team, he explained: “In terms of fitness, we have definitely made a step forward. We also have the huge advantage compared to two years ago that we have retained a certain core of the team.”
Nevertheless, further transfers make sense. “We need quality in the squad so that all players get better. That’s why I’m happy about every new addition, because it also improves the quality of training. That’s a very important point,” emphasized Drexler.