Although Reinhold Ranftl is the only regular FC Schalke 04 right-back available after Andreas Vindheim’s injury, Dimitrios Grammozis dropped him from the squad for the game against Fortuna Düsseldorf. Before the kick-off, he justified this decision in clear words.
The Austrian, who came from LASK in the summer for around 650,000 euros, has so far hardly been able to convince in the dress of the royal blues. Now there was the receipt: For the away game in Düsseldorf, the 30-year-old was not even enough for a place on the bench.
Dimitrios Grammozis relied on the much more offensive Marius Bülter in the starting eleven and immediately explained his surprising choice of personnel to “Sky”.
“We talked for a long time. I gave him a break first,” said the 43-year-old openly, adding: “We think that’s the best.”
FC Schalke 04: Grammozis criticized Ranftl during the week
Grammozis already stated at the press conference before the game that he is currently not satisfied with the performance of his protégé. “He knows as well as we do that he can do even better. There is still potential for improvement,” the Royal Blues coach underscored his expectations of Ranftl.
The S04 coach continued with these statements before the game. “Reini knows that he can perform better. We saw something in him when we signed him in the summer,” he continued. Ranftl fulfills the requirement profile and now only has to improve.
However, the Austrian is not completely written off. The right-back should soon be given another chance to recommend himself for the squad or even the starting eleven. “First of all, he should clear his head and then he’ll attack again on Monday,” said Grammozis.