The coach Frank Kramer from the Bundesliga soccer club FC Schalke 04, who has come under criticism, completely ignores speculation about his person and an impending dismissal.
“The whole discussion is not an issue for me. I’m just concentrating on my work with the team, which I want to prepare for the next game as best I can,” said the 50-year-old before the DFB Cup game on Tuesday (8:45 p.m.) at TSG Hoffenheim.
Kramer had conceded the fourth defeat in a row with Schalke in the 0: 3 (0: 2) against Hoffenheim on Friday. Against the same opponent, the long-awaited sense of achievement should now succeed in the second round of the cup.
“We’ve seen how strong Hoffenheim is. Still, we’re counting on something there. It’s a knockout game that we want to win and get through to the next round,” added Kramer, who made “one or the other personnel change” in the starting eleven did not want to rule out.
The coach of the penultimate table knows that he urgently needs to deliver positive results with his team. The sporting management around sports director Rouven Schröder had already signaled immediately after the bankruptcy in Hoffenheim that they wanted to hold on to the ailing coach for the time being, but called for a recognizable trend reversal for the upcoming games.
Whether the 50-year-old will also be on the bench at Hertha BSC in the Bundesliga on Sunday will depend on Schalke’s result and performance.