In May 2021, the Bundesliga chapter was closed for Schalke 04. After a disastrous season with only 16 points, the Ruhrpottler had to go into the second division. The team of coach Dimitrios Grammozis, the fifth (!) trainer this season, was faced with a shambles.
Soccer, Formula 1, tennis and more in a sports package
The fans increasingly turned away from their club. Dissatisfaction with the services provided was too great. The performances in the 2nd Bundesliga also left a lot to be desired for a long time. Only top scorer Simon Terodde ensured that Schalke always stayed within striking distance of the promotion ranks.
Ultimately, however, the decisive figure for the rise was Mike Büskens. The Ur-Schalke jumped into the breach as interim coach and ensured immediate resurgence with seven wins from the last eight games.
The jubilant scenes after matchday 33 and the 3-2 win against St. Pauli can hardly be put into words. The team celebrated for hours together with the fans on the grass in the arena. The joy of returning to the Bundesliga knew no bounds. A joy that had never existed in this form in previous years.
As a guy, Büskens represents what Schalke is known for: he is straightforward, direct and speaks the language of the fans. He will continue to play an important role as assistant coach in the coming season. The new head coach Frank Kramer benefits from the euphoria in the environment. The descent formed the foundation for this to arise.
The situation in the far north was very similar. Werder Bremen’s downward trend was clearly visible. The German champions from 2004 came closer and closer to the relegation zone from year to year, and the performance under coach Florian Kohfeldt became increasingly poor.
The acknowledgment followed, as with Schalke, with relegation in May 2021. The prospects of being able to get promoted again were anything but rosy. Top performers like Bittencourt, Friedl or goalkeeper Pavlenka wanted to leave the club.
In the end, the squad stayed together and was even sensibly supplemented with goalscorer Marvin Ducksch. Still, the start of the season was average. Only the change in the coaching chair got the season going.
After the vaccination pass affair, Markus Anfang had to vacate his chair after 13 games and was eighth. Ole Werner then put Werder on course for promotion and sparked a new euphoria among the fans.
With his calm, analytical manner, he is reminiscent of the great successful trainer Thomas Schaaf. Werner fits in perfectly with the Werder family, which was so often praised in the past. The results showed that it also worked on the lawn. With strong attacking football and the outstanding storm duo – consisting of Ducksch and Niclas Füllkrug – the Bremen team secured the second promotion place.
Similar to Schalke, the euphoria as a league returnee is very different than in the years as a “gray mouse”. On the Weser, too, the descent means that cohesion was lived more again. And in the end it was rewarded with promotion.
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