Schalke manager expresses: "I'm not analogous to Harry Potter"
Sure, let me rephrase the text for you:
Kees van Wonderen, the twelve coach at FC Schalke 04 since 2020, isn't some sort of fairy godfather. He openly admitted it himself, and his squad's defeat to Hannover 96 in their opening match underscores this fact.
No, Kees van Wonderen isn't some sort of fairy godfather, even if he wanted to be. "I'm no bloody magician," the coach stated after his disappointing league debut with Schalke 04, a struggling second-division side in crisis, using his hand to gesture dramatically. He can't just "waive a bloody magic wand and fix everything."
But time, van Wonderen realizes, isn't something he has the luxury of. The 0:1 (0:1) loss to Hannover 96 on Saturday was another blow to the Royal Blues, who with just eight points from nine games are dangerously close to the relegation zone.
"It's sad that we can't take a decent result with us," van Wonderen said after his disappointing debut: "Of course, we want more, but we can't have it in seven or eight days. We have to work our arses off."
Lack of aggression and confidence
Especially in the attack. "We defended well, but we need more going forward. We know that," goalkeeper Ron-Thorben Hoffmann conceded, who was supposed to impress in the goal during the initial two games: "It can't be our aim to have our first shot on target in the 80th minute."
The hosts, in contrast, were more adventurous. Fabian Kunze (4.) caught the Gelsenkirchen team off-guard right at the start, but Schalke's lackluster attack failed to respond. When asked about the lack of aggression and confidence in his team, van Wonderen confirmed: "It's there. I haven't been here long, but it's all there." The team wants to push forward, the Dutchman emphasized: "I'm not losing sleep over that."
"We need time that we don't have," van Wonderen said, who is expected to guide the struggling traditional club into the upper half of the table and back into the Bundesliga next season: "We have to keep working on the things we've started on now."
The 55-year-old remains steady, but he knows he's sitting on what's likely the hottest seat in German professional football. He took the position without much fanfare.
That the decision to appoint van Wonderen following the departure of Karel Geraerts came as a surprise was an understatement. Van Wonderen had mainly made a name for himself in youth football, including winning the European Championship title with the Dutch U17 team in 2018. His experience in club football is limited to stints as head coach at Dutch clubs Ahead Eagles Deventer and SC Heerenveen.
"I know it won't be easy," van Wonderen had already stated when he took office in October: "But easy is not what I'm looking for." After Saturday, he should have a clear idea of the challenge that lies ahead at Schalke.
Despite his limited experience in club football, van Wonderen acknowledged the need for his team to improve in attack. "We need to show more aggression and confidence up front," he admitted, recognizing the issue that led to their first shot on target coming late in the game.
In the second-division struggle, Schalke failed to respond immediately to Hannover's early offense, leaving van Wonderen to deal with concerns about their attack in the "Second football league." Despite these challenges, he remains committed to the task at hand, stating, "We have to keep working on the things we've started on now."
