Karel Geraerts is the new man on the sidelines of FC Schalke 04. The Belgian relies on a lot of movement and structured play from his own defense.

FC Schalke 04 has presented a new coach twelve days after the dismissal of Thomas Reis. Karel Geraerts is taking over the Königsblauen.

The 41-year-old does not bring much experience with him to Gelsenkirchen. The Belgian has just one season under his belt as head coach, but he almost led Royal Union Saint-Gilloise to the league title. It was only in the closing minutes of the final matchday that Royal Antwerp, with coach Mark van Bommel, put a spanner in the works, once again taking the crown in the Belgian top flight for the first time since 1957.

Geraerts relies on structure and plenty of movement

But the task now is different for Königsblau: For Geraerts, it’s all about stabilizing the stumbling club again. In Saint-Gilles, the coach relied on a three-man chain, which is not a must at Schalke, however. “For me, it’s about intensity. I will implement my philosophy step by step,” explained the coach, who primarily wants to see “structured soccer from the back with a lot of movement.”

In this regard, even recent performances could not deter him from tackling the task. “After 10, 15 minutes I said to my wife: I see great potential here,” Geraerts looked back on the 2-1 home defeat to Hertha BSC last Sunday.

Now the new man at Schalke has some time during the international break to prepare for the upcoming task at Karlsruher SC (October 22, 1:30 p.m.). On Wednesday, Geraerts will be on the pitch with the team for the first time.

Why Geraerts doesn’t want to exchange ideas with predecessor Thomas Reis, what the Belgian expects from the players and why Hechelmann is convinced that S04 has found the right solution, you can read at the colleagues of WAZ.