Schalke 04 have turned to their fourth manager of the season already as they look to end their dismal form and try and to perform what could only be called a great escape.
The troubled Bundesliga club have appointed Christian Gross as their new head coach on a short-term deal and he will oversee things for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign.
Gross will be tasked with turning the club’s fortunes around immediately and he will hardly have too much breathing room in which he will need to get things done correctly.
The Gelsenkirchen club are rock bottom of the Bundesliga division and are yet to record a win in their first 13 games of the season. Furthermore, their winless run stretches back to last season and almost a year ago. Schalke last won a Bundesliga match in January 2020, some 29 matches ago. They certainly were not a team worth betting with on www.betting24.se, that’s for sure.
“For Schalke 04, the next five months will be all about managing to stay in the Bundesliga,” sporting director Jochen Schneider told the Schalke website.
“Christian Gross has shown in both Germany and England that he can successfully take on challenges like this. He will give the team clear instructions and will set us on the right path with his unwavering expectations. We are sure of that.”
As Schneider mentioned, Gross has plenty of experience in a number of different football leagues around the world, however he has been out of work since February after his third spell as manager at Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ahli came to an end.
He has won a number of Swiss Super League titles during his managerial career with Grasshopper Zurich and Basel, whilst he has tasted German and English Premier League football with the likes of VfL Bochum (a rival of Schalke’s), VfB Stuttgart and Totttenham Hotspur.
His first match in charge of Schalke will be their fixture away from home against Hertha Berlin at the turn of the year.
“We have to be goal-oriented and work towards result,” Gross explained. “I want to feel the players’ enthusiasm at all times. We need to have a good atmosphere in and around the team to be successful again. I will give everything so that we can accomplish our goals together.”
As mentioned, Schalke will be hoping their fourth coach of the year will provide them with the fortunes they want. David Wagner, Manuel Baum and Huub Stevens have all played roles this season, but have each failed to deliver.
