Schalke 04’s 4-0 win over VfL Osnabrück produced a loser: Sebastian Polter. The striker could leave in the winter.
Permanently as head coach? This is how things are going for Jan Siewert in Mainz
The 41-year-old previously coached Borussia Dortmund, Rot-Weiss Essen and VfL Bochum.
Bundesliga soccer club FSV Mainz 05 wants to decide on the future of Jan Siewert as coach during the winter break. “He will definitely coach this team until winter. Then we will sit down together. He is in pole position, he is doing well,” said sports director Christian Heidel on Sunday at DAZN before the game against SC Freiburg.
Mainz parted ways with coach Bo Svensson at the beginning of November. Since then, the 44-year-old Siewert has been in charge of the team. Under his direction, there has been one win and three draws so far. “This wasn’t a planned change of coach. Now we’re taking the time to think carefully about which coach we’re going with for the future. We want to get a picture and then decide after a certain number of games what is the best solution for Mainz 05,” Heidel explained the schedule.
The 41-year-old is no stranger to the Ruhr area: in 2015, he took over the coaching role at Rot-Weiss Essen for 34 games before becoming Gertjan Verbeek’s assistant coach at VfL Bochum. After one season with the U19 (27 games), Siewert signed on with the U23 of Borussia Dortmund. In 2020, he was drawn to the city on the Rhine.
First as head coach of the youth team, then as coach of the second team, which is currently in 15th place in the Regionalliga Südwest. Curiously, Siewert had already stepped in as interim coach at the end of 2020, taking over the Mainz professional team for six days. (with dpa)
och gewinnen. After a series of disappointing performances, the Gelsenkirchen-based club deservedly won their home game against second-division bottom club VfL Osnabrück 4-0. The reaction of the Schalke fans to the negative streak and the terrible style of play had been eagerly awaited – but they remained neutral. The Ultras Gelsenkirchen merely presented a banner with the inscription “Without ifs and buts – tear it up for three points” and chanted the chant “Let’s go Schalke, fight and win” to the professionals during the warm-up – and that’s what the Royal Blues did.
At least some of the pressure has been taken off the team. Nevertheless, our reporters Andreas Ernst and Robin Haack, as well as moderator Sinan Sat, are clear: this victory was only a first small step out of the crisis. In the new episode of 19:04 – the Schalke talk, the three talk about the still precarious situation and the royal blue prospects.
They also discuss the situation of Schalke striker Sebastian Polter (32). The experienced attacker did not play against Osnabrück; even young striker Keke Topp was brought on before him. Schalke coach Karel Geraerts is not relying on Polter. Is his time with the Royal Blues over? “He is at the bottom of the striker ranking, even Keke Topp is brought in before him,” notes S04 expert Robin Haack.
A separation during the winter break can therefore not be ruled out. “Sebastian Polter has the ambition to be a regular and even a leading player in the Bundesliga 2. He is currently unable to show that. I can imagine that the paths will separate in winter because Geraerts is not relying on him and Polter is one of the top earners in this team,” Haack believes.
Polter’s agent Branko Panic recently complained to Sport Bild about the ex-Bochum player’s role on the bench. “Everyone at Schalke knows his qualities. Maybe the new coach will too soon,” he says. 1. FC Köln and Fortuna Düsseldorf have been mentioned by Bild as possible destinations for Polter in a winter transfer.