Alex Kral didn’t miss a minute in Schalke’s last 16 matchdays last season Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
By Sebastian Karkos
The defensive midfield belonged to Rani Khedira (29) last season. Union has signed a serious competitor in Alex Kral (25/last Schalke).
If you take the first impressions of training and the test match on Wednesday in Luckenwalde (2-0), then Kral is Khedira’s direct competitor for the position in front of the defence. The Czech was allowed to start at the regional league. Khedira came on after the break and immediately took over the captain’s armband from Christopher Trimmel (36), who had been replaced.
Khedira’s reputation is still very high. And so Kral dutifully praises his competitor: “He is a good and very experienced player from whom I can definitely learn a lot.”
Kral is considered to be the better footballer compared to Khedira. Khedira is the pro with the higher aggressiveness. But is that all true?
Rani Khedira started 46 of 48 competitive games in Union in 2022/23 Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
If you compare the statistics from last season, then both act largely on an equal footing. According to the Bundesliga database, both won 51 percent of their duels. However, Khedira committed significantly more fouls (53; 4th place in the league) than the somewhat more delicate Kral (21).
The running values: Kral ran a little more than Khedira (11.5 to 11.1 kilometers per 90 minutes) when he was relegated, was a little faster (high speed 33.1 to 32.6 km/h). Where Khedira was better: in the pass rate (81 percent to 73 percent).
Kral vs. Khedira – it’s going to be an interesting duel!
After the test in Luckenwalde, Kral is definitely sure that he will help Union: “After the game and a few training sessions, I can say: It will work.”