Football Season Guide

Schalke endured another troubled season last term with both on and off field troubles ending in their failing to qualify for the Champions League. In many respects they were fortunate to take the fifth spot in the league as they played dreadful football for much of the second half of the season and had the sides below them been slightly more consistent they could have been without a place in any European competition. After replacing Jens Keller following the eighth round last year, Roberto di Matteo decided to leave at the end of the season but in reality he jumped before he was pushed. He tried to change Schalke’s style of play to such an extent that the fans jeered their own team off after some matches. Schalke are known for their volatile backroom staff who are often quick to sack a manager or make poor purchases but they have sent a signal of trying to change this at the start of this season. Their new coach is Andre Breitenreiter who is a very steady hand and was in charge of Paderborn before moving to Schalke. He has allowed many of the underperformers from last season to leave as well as some players who have had real problems with injury and spent much of last year on the treatment table. In doing so the squad has been cut down with further players expected to leave before the end of the transfer window such as the destabilising Kevin-Prince Boateng. Their signings have been very frugal so far by Schalke’s standards. Johannes Geis arrives from Mainz off the back of a very solid season and the young German will fit in well with the rest of the squad who are also generally youthful. Franco di Santo brings a good scoring record with him from his time with Werder Bremen while Junior Caicara should become their regular right back. The experienced Sascha Riether on the other hand will be more of a mentor for the younger players in the squad but can also play in a number of positions and knows the league well. Matija Nastasic also signs on a permanent deal. Unlike recent seasons, there have been no major outgoings and with the exception of Julian Draxler, who is in demand from big teams around Europe, it seems unlikely there will be any. Breitenreiter’s task therefore is not to overhaul the team but to add to what is, on paper, a very solid side who should be doing better than they managed last year. The goal will be for them to get back into the top four and as the club is used to playing Champions League football, that will take precedent over the Europa League. Similarly the DFB Cup will not be their priority.