Of course, Thomas Reis knows exactly what to expect for him and FC Schalke 04. The current Schalke coach was part of VfL Bochum for 16 years, he has been living in the neighboring city of Gelsenkirchen for almost 20 years – with small interruptions – and is still connected to VfL as a family: his wife Carina plays for the Bochum women.
On Saturday (3.30 p.m. / Sky) Reis is now facing what is probably his personally most unpleasant game since Bochum’s ex-coach signed on with unloved neighbors Schalke last fall. “We probably won’t get much love,” said Reis himself.
That might be an understatement, even if he tried to be objective and calm in the days leading up to his explosive return. “The separation was very ugly. Now we’re waiting for spicy statements to come. But for me, the focus is on the game,” said Reis: “It’s important to me that it’s a peaceful derby – regardless of my personal past. ”
Derby with many emotions
VfL Managing Director Ilja Kaenzig expects the atmosphere in the stadium to be less diplomatic, but quite realistic. “I think that a lot of emotions in the ranks are also focused on him. But that’s part of the derby, that’s what Thomas Reis himself is fueling,” said Kaenzig in an interview with the Funke media group. He apparently relates the latter to the fact that the long-time Bochumer Reis is now the coach of the unloved district neighbor and that the special circumstances of the separation from Reis last September add to the sporting explosiveness in the duel between the two competitors in the relegation battle.
After three harmonious years, it was leaked last summer that the VfL coach at the time would have liked to switch to the Royal Blues during the summer break after Schalke had been promoted. Reis denied this vehemently and made a colossal false start to the season with VfL. After six defeats from the first six games – and a bankruptcy in the derby at Schalke – Reis was given a leave of absence accompanied by many discords. In October he signed on at Schalke as the successor to the hapless Frank Kramer. The Bochum fan soul boiled, disappointments on both sides remained.
“My wish is that at some point there will be no more poisonous arrows. That we will get so far that everyone will speak out and make peace. It will certainly be difficult before the derby,” said Kaenzig. Bochum’s sports director Patrick Fabian has already appealed to the supporters to keep their emotions under control after the cup was thrown against Borussia Mönchengladbach a year ago: “Passion and emotions very, very much, but not excessively. We are under observation after Gladbach, that everyone should bear in mind.”
Explosiveness in the relegation duel
The explosiveness is fueled by the precarious sporting situation of both teams. Despite the upswing in recent weeks, Schalke are still bottom with 16 points, but with a win they can overtake Bochum (19) who is currently second to bottom.
“It’s not a final. But it’s an important game. Because of the situation in the table and because of the rivalry between the two teams. No more and no less,” said Bochum coach Thomas Letsch, who also praised Reis for his work at Schalke: “He has managed to brutally stabilize the team. They believe in themselves again. It’s a bit similar to what happened with us at the beginning.” Only recently did VfL’s form curve point downward again with three defeats from the past three games.
Despite the important 2-1 draw against VfB Stuttgart last weekend, the pressure is still more on Schalke, who are still doomed to win. However, Schalke does not have the best memories of Bochum. In 2001 and 2007, the club lost important points to VfL. At that time, the Royal Blues were still fighting for the championship title.