Christian Gross acknowledges Schalke 'don't have much time left' in battle against relegation
Christian Gross still believes he can keep Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga, but is aware that they 'don't have much time left' to save themselves from relegation.
With 14 games left to play this season, Schalke are rock bottom of the Bundesliga with nine points up to the relegation play-off spot.
Since being appointed Schalke coach in December, Christian Gross has managed to take just four points from his first seven league games in charge.
Still, although he acknowledges that time is starting to run short, Gross still firmly believes he can guide 'The Royal Blues' to safety this season.
"I expected the task to be just as difficult as it is. As a fundamentally optimistic person, I believe in staying in the league as long as it is mathematically possible. My optimism remains unbroken. But it's clear that we don't have much time left," Gross told Kicker.
Schalke have conceded 16 goals since the start of the year, which is more than any other team in the league. Defending against set-pieces, in particular, has been a problem for Gross' team.
"We're still conceding too many goals from set pieces. The first thing we have to do is minimize the number of set pieces in critical areas as much as possible. We have to try that - especially on Saturday against Union Berlin, who are known for having good headers of the ball," said the Schalke coach.