In training at FC Schalke 04, coach Karel Geraerts relies on many forms of play. And he takes the results into the dressing room.

On Tuesday morning, training at second division club FC Schalke 04 also got down to business – whether in the smaller exercises or in the final training match. Dominick Drexler sometimes grumbles loudly when he thinks his teammates aren’t following him well enough, and captain Simon Terodde is loudly annoyed by every missed shot. It is noticeable that coach Karel Geraerts focuses much more on competitive forms than his predecessor Thomas Reis. And he does it systematically.

Competition and tournaments in training

Schalke professional Ron Schallenberg revealed this after training in the morning. “The coach focuses a lot on competition. We have a points system until the end of the year with tournaments like today. The teams are always rotated and the players on the winning team get three points. This is then listed in the dressing room. He wants to keep the tension high during the week so that the players always give 1000 percent,” explained Schallenberg.

On Tuesday morning, two players who had to miss out on Monday were able to prove themselves again in training and collect points: goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann and striker Simon Terodde, who completed at least parts of the team training session following ankle problems. The striker was also missing from the squad for the away win in Nuremberg last weekend. Assan Ouédraogo was also back on the pitch, although the timing of his trip to Indonesia for the U17 World Cup remains open. Cedric Brunner, on the other hand, had to miss out with a groin problem, while Kenan Karaman underwent an MRI due to rib pain.

Schallenberg praises Geraerts

Schallenberg himself was in the winning team on Tuesday morning. And where is he in the team table? The 25-year-old grinned: “Thanks to the three points today, I’d say we’re in the upper midfield.” Geraerts’ training is a good thing for the defender: “He brings in his input. The team has quickly managed to implement what the coach wants to see. It’s not perfect yet, but we haven’t been working together for that long. Nevertheless, we’ve already achieved two good results.” Schalke face SV Elversberg on Friday (18:30/Sky)