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Manuel Baum is supposed to lead Schalke back to calmer fields
Photo: ARMANDO BABANI / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
Proactive communication is valued and recommended by experts in the industry.
Jochen Schneider, responsible for the sports and communication departments at FC Schalke 04, should therefore have been quite satisfied with his new coach's first public appearance.
Manuel Baum was as brisk as proactive when he asked during a digital media round: "Isn't the tree too small for the whole thing?" He replied: "Let me do it, I know what I can." Later said he also: "Basically, I am very convinced of my work."
There have been many ideas for a new coach at Schalke in recent years.
Hardly anyone was as self-confident as Manuel Baum.
His job is quite difficult.
He should bring the bottom of the Bundesliga table quickly into a safe zone.
Jochen Schneider demanded: “We have to get out of bed.
It is important that Manuel now gives the team support, security and organization. "
A trace of organization was still to be seen when his predecessor David Wagner lost 3-1 to Werder Bremen with the Schalke professionals on Saturday, thus sealing his leave of absence.
Baum had previously seen the amateurs 1: 2 in Regionalliga West against SV Straelen.
Baum had come to Gelsenkirchen the day before, for an exchange with U19 coach Norbert Elgert.
Allegedly it was all pure coincidence and a normal business trip for the German Football Association.
Baum was under contract with the association until Wednesday as a coach of the U18s, after he had instructed the U20s in the preseason and also took care of coaching training.
Manuel Baum's career also distinguishes him from many of his predecessors.
After a stint in the Bundesliga, the former goalkeeper switched to the DFB, which some people in the industry describe as a gentle lap.
He was just 39 years old at the time.
He has been 41 for a month now and coaches a club that is “very emotional”.
He also showed this to his five-year-old son with the help of a video on YouTube, who asked: "Dad, don't you train in Germany anymore?"
Appreciated as a person, difficult to grasp as a coach
No, dad is now coaching one of the most important football clubs in Germany, which has been champion seven times and has been trying to make it an eighth time under many liters of tears since 1958.
"It is important to know the culture and the values of the club," said Baum at his introduction.
The fans will be happy to hear that, because many of them assume that the cool manager types Schneider and Alexander Jobst want to give the club a new culture - albeit possibly without intent.
What does Manuel Baum stand for?
His predecessor David Wagner was a bit of rock'n roll because of his beard, his friendship with Jürgen Klopp and the football that he wanted to play like Klopp.
Huub Stevens was the growl who demanded discipline and was heard.
Ralf Rangnick was the one who makes everyone better.
Domenico Tedesco was the aspiring young football teacher from the new generation of tactical nerds.
Manuel Baum is someone who scored almost 100 points in 87 Bundesliga games with FC Augsburg, led the team to 13th, then twelfth place in the table and was released in April of the 2018/19 season in danger of relegation.
Some say he is an excellent tactician, some players allegedly complained that he did not teach them enough tactics.
Some say he is very hardworking, others that he has a workload like many others.
Everyone says: Manuel Baum is a very decent, down-to-earth person.
Identification figure in the second row
Jochen Schneider, who has been in regular contact with the new coach for years, says: "Manuel Baum is a recognized football expert who stands for content and can convey content." Baum would like to have an assistant coach at his side.
He already has someone on the staff who “will hopefully bring some sun back to Gelsenkirchen” (Schneider).
Naldo, who only made friends at Schalke as a player between 2016 and 2018, is returning.
"In the coaching team, it is important that you occupy both the heart and the head," said Baum, who presumably sees himself in this metaphor as the head.
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As a player, Naldo was a crowd favorite at Schalke
Photo: Jan Huebner / imago images / Jan Huebner
The premiere for Baum is on Saturday.
It goes to RB Leipzig, then there is a break in the Bundesliga because of the international matches.
In the evening sun of the Ruhr area, Baum and Naldo led the training for the first time on Wednesday.
An eventful day came to an end: Guido Burgstaller is moving to FC St. Pauli, Frederik Rönnow is on loan as a goalkeeper from Eintracht Frankfurt, Markus Schubert is being loaned out to Hessen as a goalkeeper.
Ozan Kabak received a suspension of four games from the DFB because he spat in the direction of Bremen's Ludwig Augustinsson on Saturday.
Schalke also published its financial figures for the first half of 2020. Sales fell dramatically compared to the same period in the previous year, the already high liabilities rose and, according to the forecast, will continue to rise sharply.
Everything has to get a little smaller at Schalke.
The name of the new coach seems to be a logical development of the constraints.
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