Scouting report: Schalke 04

Schalke will be the final opponents in Mauricio Pochettino’s preseason calendar and the Gelsenkirchen based club are sure to provide an enthralling encounter. 

Die Königsblauen came 3rd place last term and grabbed an automatic Champions league spot in one of the most competitive and exhilarating leagues around. They play superb football and have a young, exciting squad featuring World Cup winner Benedikt Höwedes as their captain. Last term Jens Keller predominantly played a robust 4-2-3-1 system, with plenty of attacking intent to boot.

The Ruhr giants are the 12th biggest club in the world according to Forbes and have the 4th largest fan base. In recent years they have brought through some excellent youth team players who have gone on to star in the Bundesliga with 18 of their 31 man squad being German and an average age of 24. This includes the superb Julian Draxler, Ralf Fährmann and Max Meyer in the current crop.

[linequote]The Ruhr giants are the 12th biggest club in the world according to Forbes and have the 4th largest fan base[/linequote]

The 7-time Bundesliga champions and 5 time DFB Pokal winners have 14 A international players and featured 8 players in the World Cup finals (Max Meyer and Leon Goretzka were also included in the Germany 30 – man provisional squad, which given the level of talent in their respective positions is remarkable).

This season they have made 6 signings so far, the most noteworthy being Cameroonian forward Maxim Choupo-Moting from Mainz and prolific goal scoring winger Sidney Sam from Bayer Leverkusen who scored 12 in 24 appearances last year. Injuries include rapid Austrian winger Jefferson Farfan and mercurial 19 year old centre midfield wunderkind Leon Goreztka who will both be sorely missed.

They had a win percentage of 53% last year and similarly to us scored a lot (81) but also let quite a few in (63). However, this is largely down to the fact that near the tail end of the season the Schalke back line was crippled with injury (at one point 4 senior centre backs were side-lined).

One of the reasons I’m so fond of Die Knappen is that they have similar prestigious traditions to us, in terms of the way they play football. The Schalker Kreisel (spinning top/gyroscope) was the nickname given to the short, sharp passing game played by the all-powerful Schalke side of the 1920’s, this was known as the Scottish game at the time and relied upon quick passing and movement.

This was around the same time in which Peter McWilliams came to Tottenham and instilled a similar system which was then perfected and adapted by protégées Arthur Rowe and then Bill Nicholson.

Recently I went on a tour of the Veltins Arena (the Schalke stadium) and what struck me most on the way to the stadium was to the extent that the club dominated the city. The tube lines were plastered with the new kits and faces of their talismanic Dutchman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and World Cup winning Julian Draxler, everywhere there was graffiti of the clubs badge and colours and whole buildings were dedicated to being fan clubs.

German fans are renowned for being vociferous but judging from what I saw and the fervent description of match day there from a friend these fans will travel in numbers, enjoy themselves and sing an awful lot.

[linequote]It will be an interesting midfield battle between our triumvirate and theirs[/linequote]

Our clubs are very similar, however, we could still learn a lot from them. Namely from supporting the 1882 club, singing and encouraging the team through thick and thin. Also, they bring through a lot of fantastic talent, crucially giving them lots of chances in the 1st team. Furthermore, a lesson for ENIC could be given in the club’s emphasis on the fans tickets from €10 upwards, nearly always open training and even a club graveyard!

Schalke’s recent form is poor with preseason losses to West Ham (7-6 penalties) and Newcastle United (3-1) following a dominant victory over Stoke City (2-1).

Predicted Line up:

Ralf Fährmann:
A 25 year old academy graduate who unexpectedly usurped established veteran Timo Hildebrand during last season. Excellent shot stopper with remarkable agility.

Kaan Ayhan:
Usually a centre back, the Turkish international will fill in for the injured Japanese right back Uchida.

Benedikt Höwedes:
Club captain and stalwart in the German national side during their World cup winning campaign. Comfortable on the ball and uncompromising in the air – all in all a quality defender.

Joel Matip:
22 year old Cameroonian international, athletic and an accomplished member of the side.

Christian Fuchs:
Recently returned from a seven month injury, he will be aiming to regain his fitness in order to take his starting position back from Bosnian left back Kolasinic.

Roman Neustädter:
The former Mainz man is one of the first names on the team sheet. A defensive minded player who will do his utmost to repel our playmakers and striker from the goal.

Marco Höger:
Filling in for the sensational Leon Goretzka, the second part of the holding duo is less of an attacking force than his injured counterpart and will complement Neustädter nicely in protecting the defense.

Sidney Sam:
New signing from Leverkusen, tricky and fast with a penchant for getting in the box and scoring.

Max Meyer:
Another teenage prodigy Max Meyer emerged as one of the brightest prospects in world football last year and is sure to only improve over the course of the next year. The 18 year old made 30 appearances, scored 6 goals and assisted 5 in the Bundesliga last year.

Julian Draxler:
Much hype has been made of the World Cup winning Schalke bastion. Comfortable on the wing or attacking midfield he uses pinpoint passing, effortless dribbling ability and sublime skills to devastating effect. The teenager mesmerises both the Schalke crowd and defenders.

Klaas Jan Huntelaar:
Clinical, opportunistic and lethal the Dutchman is one of the clubs star players and is already their 4th highest goalscorer of all time with 59. Last season he struggled with injury but still managed 14 goals in 21 appearances and only two seasons before scored 48 goals in 48 appearances for them.

Of course this would be a very strong line-up and they may elect to not play a few of the World cup stars such as Huntelaar in place of Maxim Choupo-Moting or Obasi, however, this should form the basis of their team.

Prediction 3-2 Tottenham win:

I predict an open attacking game with neither side prepared to concede, yet peppered with lots of attacking impetus. Schalke should have lots of success in our final third due to our relatively inexperienced back line, while Huntelaar will be a handful for our centre backs.

Their widemen could cause havoc if our fullbacks are not at the top of their game. It will be an interesting midfield battle between our triumvirate and theirs, as Meyer will provide a constant source of danger, while Neustädter and Höger will prove an effective, combative shield.

For both sides this is a first opportunity to get their World Cup players some match practise. However, Schalke’s poor form in preseason and more of a reliance upon those coming back in should stand us in good stead.