Second division club Greuther Fürth will be visiting FC Schalke 04 on Saturday. A new man will be taking his place on the bench.
Just a few days after the disappointing 4-0 defeat in the derby against 1. FC Nürnberg, second division club Greuther Fürth parted ways with coach Alexander Zorniger and sports director Rachid Azzouzi on Tuesday.
Leonhard Haas, the U23 coach, is to provide a new impetus by serving as interim coach until the winter break. Julian Kolbeck will join the coaching team, consisting of Stefan Kleineheismann and Marco Konrad.
Haas’ first task is a real highlight: on Saturday (October 26, 1 p.m.), the Fürth team will play FC Schalke 04. “I’m looking forward to the game. Schalke is also going through a difficult phase right now. I think it’s also an opportunity for us to put on a good performance,” he said before the game.
The new man on the sidelines appeared confident on Thursday and was able to gain a good impression of his team during the training week: “I’ve taken over a team that seems to be in perfect shape. We’ve got good energy on the pitch in the training sessions. I’ve also told the team: It doesn’t have to be perfect on Saturday. I believe that energy is a crucial factor for everyone, and I have seen that in abundance,” explained the 42-year-old.
We’ll see what the result is in the end, but first of all it’s about the performance we bring to the pitch. How do you act as a team and what does each individual bring to strengthen the team?
Leonhard Haas.
Haas continues: “We’ll see what comes out in the end, but first of all it’s about the performance we bring to the pitch. How do you act as a team and what does each individual bring to strengthen the team? That’s the basis of what it’s about.”
It is still unclear whether Gideon Jung will be able to contribute to this endeavor. According to Haas, it is currently “50:50” whether he will be able to play due to problems in his hamstring. Jomaine Consbruch and former Schalke player Kerim Calhanoglu (both knee) are certain to be out.
Calhanoglu made a total of 18 competitive appearances for the Schalke professionals, both in the Bundesliga and in the 2nd division. He has been under contract with the cloverleaf since 2023.