By: Daniel Duque

At the start of every season the fans expect the best from their teams which in the German and other main European leagues case, means earning first place to get the league title or at least finish in a position that guarantees participation in any of the main European competitions. However, any team can go through hard times and Schalke 04 is no exception.

Current Situation

Schalke 04's performance during the 2020/2021 season is something that no soccer fan would want to see from their team. "The royal blues", as their fans call them are currently in last place in the Bundesliga as a result of 4 draws, 13 losses and only one win with 7 points from 54 possible. These statistics represent Schalke's worst campaign so far and could relegate the team to Bundesliga 2 after 33 years.

Schalke's mascot Erwin, sadly watching his team fall against Bayern.

Season Recap

Before the 2020/2021 season kicked off, the Covid-19 pandemic had affected every team from the German competitions; Schalke 04 was the most affected with debts that summed up to $225 million. During the 2019/2020 season, Schalke 04 finished 12th in the table but with a 16 game winless streak. Despite the team's bad performance during the previous season under coach David Wagner's lead, sporting chief Jochen Schneider decided to trust Wagner for a new term. Wagner was fired after the first two matches: a humiliating 8-0 loss visiting Bayern and a 3-1 defeat against Werder Bremen. After Wagner left the team, former Augsburg coach Manuel Baum was hired in an attempt to improve Schalke's performance. Baum had a very limited squad to work with as the stronger players from the squad got signed for other teams or had to miss games due to injuries. Evidence of this was obtaining 3 points in 8 games (3 out of 24) and losing to different teams. After a 2-0 home defeat against Freiburg, Manuel Baum was relieved from his role as the head coach of Schalke 04. While looking for a long term replacement for Baum, interim coach Huub Stevens was put in charge of the last two remaining games of the year that resulted in a 1-0 home loss against Arminia and a 3-1 win in the second round of the German cup. At the end of December, Christian Gross was made the new head coach and started off with a 3-0 defeat visiting Hertha Berlin. During match-day 15, the royal blues would get their first and only victory in the league after an effective 4-0 home win against Hoffenheim ending the team's 30 game winless streak and bumping them up to the 17th position. After their win, Schalke lost 3 games in a row and after losing 4-0 against the league's leader Bayern, they returned to the last place of the table.

Schalke 04 players walk away disappointed after Bayern's win.

The Future

Schalke is currently in 18th place in the league table which means a direct relegation to Bundesliga 2 after 33 years. In order to escape the bottom of the table, the royal blues will have to improve their performance and get better results. Finishing 18th or 17th would send Schalke directly to second division while finishing 16th means having to play against the third place finishing team from Bundesliga 2 to have a chance to stay. There are 16 matches left in the Bundesliga so there is still time for a miracle or as soccer fans call it, a great escape. Will Schalke 04 be able to improve their performance and escape relegation? Let their game decide.

Schalke 04: The Fall of The Royal Blues