FC Schalke started the Bundesliga season with one point from two games. A moderate record, but the climber wants to build on this in the coming weeks. The late penalty equalizer against Borussia Mönchengladbach (2-2) on Saturday evening felt like a win for the Royal Blues. This should then follow next Saturday in Wolfsburg (from 3:30 p.m.), although some construction sites have already opened up at S04.
A previous weak point that the club bosses had not counted on at all was to be seen in the goalkeeper position. After the newcomer Alexander Schwolow did not look too good in the 3-1 defeat at 1. FC Köln a week earlier, he also went wide of the Gladbach goal to make it 2-1 through Marcus Thuram.
The “kicker” already suspects that the club is heading straight for another goalkeeper discussion. Schwolow absolutely needs flawless performances in the coming weeks in order to suffocate the first doubts that have arisen about his person.
The 30-year-old moved from Hertha BSC to Gelsenkirchen this summer with the experience of more than 175 Bundesliga games to bring new quality, experience and calm to Schalke’s back line. In the first two games, he wasn’t able to prove that he could do just that.
FC Schalke is still lacking in speed play
Another major problem in the Schalke game was identified by the trade magazine as the Royal Blues’ weak pace game. Too seldom does it go really fast after the changeover, too seldom does the team of head coach Frank Kramer provide moments of surprise for the opponents. The Gladbachers were able to adjust to their opponents quite well on Saturday and position themselves accordingly.
The fitness level of some Schalke players also seemed in need of improvement, especially in the final minutes of both previous Bundesliga games. The miners also want to work on this in the coming weeks in order to earn their first real sense of achievement against Wolfsburg, Union Berlin (H) or VfB Stuttgart (A).