At FC Schalke 04, the future of coach Frank Kramer is uncertain after the fourth loss in a row.

Sports director Rouven Schröder dodged questions about the renewed duel with the Kraichgauers on Tuesday in the DFB Cup in Sinsheim after the 0: 3 (0: 2) against TSG Hoffenheim. "I'm not there yet. First of all today," said Schröder, who "didn't want to give any guarantees". "We will do our analysis. And we will act out of conviction," Schröder continued.

A short regenerative session is planned for Saturday. It is unclear whether it will still take place with Kramer. "It's clear that you have to let that sink in first," said the Schalke coach, who came only four months ago after the Royal Blues were promoted again. "We didn't score enough points. We're not satisfied with that, it's not what we had in mind," confessed Kramer, who has been attacked by parts of the league since the beginning of his tenure. "You have to say clearly: From the first day of the game there was extreme pressure," said sports director Schröder. Also on Friday after Skov's third Hoffenheim goal, isolated calls of "Kramer raus" echoed through the almost 60,000 spectators in the arena.

"But the reaction of the team was much more important. We made it clear that we wanted a clear reaction. The team showed the reaction," said Kramer, who did not want to answer questions about his future. "That doesn't bother me after the game. That's simply not my issue," said Kramer, who is also known: "It's clear that you have to let it sink in first."