Bundesliga 2013-14: Season Preview

Schalke 04

Adam Szalai will provide enough firepower to compensate for Afellay’s absence

Die Konigsblauen have been a steady customer of the top 8 in the Bundesliga over the past decade. The only exception being the 2010-11 season where they managed to survive a relegation scare. Since then, they have finished 3rd and 4th in the following years.

Manager Jens Keller has been able to maintain the team’s top status in his first season in-charge after getting promoted from the position of Schalke’s youth coach. This time around, the club has made some positive strides in improving the squad and look to cause some serious damage in every front.

The mid-season departure of Lewis Holtby to Spurs might have created a big hole to fill in. Even the expiration of the loan deal of Ibrahim Afellay will be a concern. But the signing of Hungarian international, Adam Szalai from Mainz will provide good options up front.

While Klaas Jan Huntelaar’s goal scoring regime was a bit on the down side last term, the addition of Szalai will provide enough competition for the Dutchman to find his goal scoring form. Also, Felipe Santana was signed from Dortmund, replacing the retired Christoph Metzelder in defence. Brazilian Michel Bastos was offloaded to the middle-east after a poor stint at the club and young winger Christian Clemens was signed from FC Cologne.

Coming the tactics and style of play, the current squad Schalke possess is one of the youngest among the top 8 and has decent talent to cement their position as a top 4 team for the next few years. The likes of Julian Draxler, Joel Matip and Kyriakos Papadopoulos will play a key role in the success of their team.

The recent contract extension of Draxler will bring a sigh of relief for the Schalke faithful but the ongoing rumours on the sale of Papadopoulos might be a matter of concern. The Greek international is one of the hot defensive prospects in world football at the moment.

The interesting piece of the jigsaw though, will be the attacking midfield section. If the club manages to sign or loan in a left winger by the end of the window, the squad would be almost complete tactically to fit into a 4-2-3-1 formation. That would obviously mean that Draxler will play in the hole behind the striker, which is not good news for other teams.

Also, Keller could opt for a different formation to accommodate both Huntelaar and Szalai upfront. If that experiment manages to click, a goal fest is surely on the cards. The counter-attacking brand of football Schalke play will certainly rise your adrenaline levels.