Mulder warns of relegation battle - Amoussou-Tchibara suffers cruciate ligament tear

Youri Mulder (left) demands more from the Schalke team, Zaid Amoussou-Tchibara (right) cannot help. picture alliance / Jb-sportfoto

During the winter break, those in charge at FC Schalke 04 had forged a plan to become a force in front of their own fans again. With the 3-1 win against 1. FC Nürnberg and the 2-1 against Karlsruher SC, this plan got off to a promising start. But because they only managed to get one measly point in their three away games, the Gelsenkirchen team were still unable to escape from the bottom of the table.

The Royal Blues were also unable to break free away from SV Darmstadt 98, who were still winless in the new year, which is why the gap to relegation place 16 has shrunk to six points. The game in Darmstadt was already bleak when the line-up was announced, as S04 announced four short- and long-term absences and thus had to do without its second and third best scorers after Moussa Sylla (torn muscle): Captain Kenan Karaman and Tobias Mohr were missing against the Lilies.

The Royal Blues got off to a catastrophic start at Böllenfalltor, conceding two goals in the first five minutes, which ultimately sealed the 0-2 defeat . This early double setback in particular caused Schalke's director of professional football Youri Mulder to speak out on Monday.

"These goals should never be conceded like that. A 0-2 deficit after five minutes simply cannot happen," Mulder explained to the club's media. "Darmstadt had previously lost four times in a row - so you know exactly what to expect. If you're not present, you can quickly find yourself 0-2 behind. It could even have been 0-3 when the ball hit the post." Fraser Hornby narrowly missed the third goal in the 21st minute.

However, the former Eurofighter does not want to use the injury crisis as an excuse for his performance. "When the score was 0-1, we had the upper hand on the right side of defense. We know that Isac Lidberg only shoots with his right foot - never with his left," said the Dutchman angrily. "We have to defend that. He doesn't aim for the short corner, but always for the long one."

In the end, it didn't help that Schalke had significantly more possession (62 percent) over 90 minutes. "Football means defending, taking on challenges, making spaces tight. Overall, that was far too little," said Mulder, who therefore demands for the third home game of the year against SC Preußen Münster on Friday (6:30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker): "Now the boys have to give an answer against Münster. That is crucial. We emphasized very often during and after the winter break that we need points to avoid relegation."

Because: "It is not true that everything is safe at the bottom." Mulder is right about that. Newly promoted Münster, currently 15th in the table, can move within one point of Schalke with a win. S04 has not yet managed two home wins in a row in this round. On top of that, there will be a direct duel on Saturday between Eintracht Braunschweig (16th) and SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball (17th), which threatens to further shrink the gap to the red zone.

Youngster Zaid Amoussou-Tchibara will certainly not be able to help against SCP, as initial suspicions of a serious knee injury were confirmed on Monday afternoon. The 19-year-old striker tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the closing stages of Sunday's match, as an MRI scan revealed. The player and club will discuss the best possible treatment method in the coming days, according to the club. What is certain, however, is that there will be no further appearances in the current season for the young player, who made his debut a week ago and played for the second time in the 2nd Bundesliga on Sunday.

"This diagnosis hurts even more than the defeat," said Mulder. "We will support Zaid as best we can on his way back to the pitch and stand by the boy during this difficult phase." Mulder emphasised that he had come to know the attacker as a very ambitious player. "This quality will help him to be able to look forward again quickly. Zaid will work his way back up. The whole club wishes him a speedy recovery."