Tim Skarke, on loan from Union Berlin, describes FC Schalke 04’s situation in the relegation battle as difficult but doable.

Schalke’s new signing Skarke has not yet been a lucky charm for the Ruhrpott club. On Thursday, the player on loan, whom the Schalke side have released from Union Berlin to spark more power in the offensive, completed the obligatory medical check, took part in training for the first time before the home match against Leipzig and watched his new team from the stands.

At the break, Schalke was down 4-0 against RB Leipzig, so Sky pundit Dietmar Hamann already suspected something bad: “You want to help them somehow. Even as a non-Schalke fan, it hurts. They have to make sure they don’t get seven or eight.”

Tim Skarke had not yet given up hope when talking to the pay-TV station. The 26-year-old, for whom Schalke have included an option to re-sign in the loan deal, said: “I’m curious to see how the team reacts. We have to be more compact defensively and then score one or two goals. “

That didn’t quite work out, but at least the Schalkers got off to a positive start in the second half with Soichiro Kozuki’s Bundesliga debut goal. In the end, the house of cards collapsed again, Schalke caught two more shots, but remained below the seven or eight goals Didi Hamann had feared.

Tim Skarke answered the question of why he even embarked on the mission of keeping the defensively vulnerable team at the bottom of the table: “I think it’s a difficult situation. It’s important for me to get playing time. Of course it’s a difficult task – but it’s doable. “

The whirlwind, who has only played a few minutes for Union Berlin in the current series, describes his strengths as speed and assertiveness. Qualities that Schalke can make good use of in the fight to stay in the league.

On Sunday in the West Cup clash against 1. FC Köln, Tim Skarke is likely to swap his place in the spectator area for the role on the pitch. “We need positive energy to get into a flow,” says the winter newcomer. After the 1:6 Leipzig defeat, this is more true than ever.