Schalke are a club that has no doubt been blessed with an abundance of talent at the present time. From Ralf Fährmann between the posts, through to scoring-machine Klaas-Jan Huntelaar up-front and young guns Max Meyer and Julian Draxler in-between, the club is well placed going forward.
A disappointing showing so far in this season’s Bundesliga campaign should not upset fans too much, with so much talent to drive the Royal Blues forward for years to come.
Roberto Di Matteo, who arrived in October 2014 and is a Champions League winning manager, will have a full pre-season to work with his squad and stamp his mark on the team, which will only bring benefits.
Since his arrival in 2014, Di Matteo has tightened up Schalke’s defence, eradicating the problems within the back area, only conceding 19 goals in 21 games. Prior to his takeover, they had conceded 12 goals in seven games, despite having some extraordinary talent in that area of the pitch. German World Cup winner and club captain Benedikt Höwedes leads the defence for Schalke, playing as a centre-half or right-fullback. Having made his debut at the club in 2001 at the tender age of 13, Höwedes has invested a lot into the Royal Blues and is a true leader. Around him is more young talent, such as Matija Nastasic, a bright young Serbian centre-half on loan from Manchester City who Schalke hope to sign permanently, and Joël Matip, a defensive-midfielder on the rise who plays his international football for Cameroon. Di Matteo will also be hoping to hang on to experienced Austrian fullback Christian Fuchs despite recent interest from Tottenham.
The midfield is the cream of the crop for Schalke, boasting some of the world’s most talented youths, complimented by experienced heads such as Kevin-Prince Boateng and Jefferson Farfan. Max Meyer (19), Leroy Sane (19), Leon Goretzka (20), and Julian Draxler (21) are all stars in the making. Unfortunately, Goretzka and Draxler have only made 13 league appearances between them this season, with injury taking its toll on the young duo, and Sane being drip-fed first team action in these early stages of his career. Meyer however, has caught the eye of many onlookers, playing in 23 Bundesliga fixtures and accruing five goals and an assist. With such youthful midfield talent Schalke can look forward to a bright future in this department.
What Schalke’s line-up could look like in 2015/16
One issue for Schalke this season however, has been the lack of goals, scoring what is a meagre total of 37 in 28 games, considering the star quality in the squad. Going forward this may become more of a problem, as Huntelaar turns 32 in August and only has seven goals in 21 league starts this campaign, and Schalke’s next best forward, Maxim Choupo-Moting has nine in 26 and is hardly the star quality the club craves. This may be a position in which Schalke are forced to turn to the transfer market to improve their depth and quality, however, no names have been linked with the club from Gelsenkirchen.
If they can hang on to their young talent, Schalke will have a nucleus to build around that will be the envy of many European clubs. If rumours of Sami Khedira’s arrival at the Veltins Arena next season become a reality and the club can miraculously pull off a Champions League position at the end of this campaign, although that is highly unlikely, Schalke will be a feared unit.
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