Geraerts is “not satisfied” and yet “proud of all the players”

FC Schalke 04 were knocked out of the DFB Cup by FC St. Pauli in the second round. S04 lost 2-1 after extra time.

0-3 at Karlsruher SC, 3-2 against Hannover 96 and on Tuesday evening (October 31, 2023) the 1-2 DFB Cup elimination at FC St. Pauli followed: This is the tally of Karel Geraerts after three matches as coach of FC Schalke 04.

The cup exit in Hamburg rankled with the Belgian coach. After all, Schalke led 1-0 after a very good 45 minutes.

At the press conference after the 2-1 loss to FC St. Pauli, Karel Geraerts talked about…

… the first half: “We played a good first half, were organized and allowed little against a strong opponent who has been very successful in the past weeks and months. It was to be expected that our opponent would have a lot of possession. Likewise, that it would be a tough game in which we also had to suffer in some phases. St. Pauli only had one really good chance before the break. Ralf Fährmann reacted excellently. We scored the 1-0 at the right moment.”.

We also did some things well. But that doesn’t make me satisfied after a defeat. I’m still proud of all the players, they gave everything until the last moment. Now it’s time to pick ourselves up.

Karel Geraerts

.. the second half: “In the second half, we continued to play in an organized manner overall, with a few tactical changes. Our opponent had more of the game after the break. The equalizer was scored from the penalty spot, so it went into extra time, in which St. Pauli scored again.”

… the extra time: “The winning goal annoyed me. Our opponents did well, but it was precisely these kinds of scenes that we showed the team in the video analysis beforehand.

… the takeaways from the game at FC St. Pauli: “We also did some things well. But that doesn’t make me feel satisfied after a loss. I’m still proud of all the players, they gave it their all until the last moment. Now it’s time to pick ourselves up. In four days, the next task awaits us in Nuremberg. I congratulate my colleague Fabian Hürzeler on advancing to the next round.”