Good job on finalizing the Konoplyanka signing though. He looks determined to make an impact here and fight for a spot in the starting XI.
I know, that's actually part of why my gut says that there's a good chance that he moves on next summer if he can't establish himself after the winterbreak...so you should just send him to Gladbach now and let him get an early start on getting comfortable with their facilities. *nods* That's a fair point about other coaches, I'm just very underwhelmed with the way Weinzierl's teams have played in the past; and don't want to see your talent being pushed into a similarly ugly style. Would be nice if you guys could snag a Streich/Sampoli (or Nagelsmann in a season or two), to unlock your potential & push Leverkusen out of the CL spots; but I'm willing to hope that Weinzierl does more when given more for now. His selection was just the closest I came to a complaint, when compared to all of the excellent work Heidel did on the transfer front; where he's really solidified the squad very nicely to have the depth for both europe & the league.
Doubt that Heidel will end up selling so close to transfer deadline day, but fwiw Bild are reporting that Tottenham are planning a bid of 45 Mio for Max Meyer. http://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/max-meyer/tottenham-plant-45-mio-angebot-47575010.bild.html
Heidel said that Tottenham never made an offer. I think the transfer window is now closed so Meyer will stay. Thank god. I'm not sure how bad or ugly Augsburg really played if you look at their squads. That is not whole lot of quality and despite that they were pretty tough to play and to beat. Good football doesn't necessarily equal beautiful football. Well, I will be glad if Weinzierl is able to teach the team a good defense. After Stevens and then the years with Bordon and Kristajic, the last couple of years were very underwhelming in that regard. It is not as if the offense has been able to make that up.
Well, we lost, which isn't well but more importantly we played a good match. If that is the way Weinzierl lets the team play, we will play a good season. Goretzka and Nastasic rock!
A pair of away games next week, vs Nice in Europa and Hertha in BL. Really shows how important it was to increase the team depth for both competitions. Both your opponents in good form to start off their respective campaigns though. The Hertha match IMO should be a must win scenario.
We should at least avoid another loss. No matter how much trust Heidel and Weinzierl are getting at the moment, it will evaporate quickly if the team keeps on losing. I think we've done quite well in Berlin in the past, so I'm optimistic that we won't lose. Nice will be difficult with Favre being coach but I think it is possible to win there.
Interestingly, Younes Belhanda is on Nice's squad now after joining them on loan. Another familiar opponent with BL experience is Dante. Neither of them are main starters yet but could always be options. Although not as many big names on paper, Nice appear fairly well balanced. Favre's teams are always well organized tactically.
Getting to sit deep under Favre could revitalize him, but yeah; Nice have plenty of more interesting talents. Koziello being the one I'd most like to see come to the BuLi.
Still have yet to see this team kick into high offensive gear (especially Embolo). But a 1-0 win away at Nice is a good result to start off the group stags. Baba Rahman showing again that he performs well under Weinzierl. And from what I've read, Meyer is being gradually eased back into the lineup after the Olympics to prevent over exhaustion.
I don't understand how Chelsea didn't find any use for Baba last season. He looks fantastic for Schalke, just what I remembered from his Augsburg days. A pity Heidel couldn't get them to agree to a purchase option.
I find your lack of offensive fluidity alarming. Embolo looks still way too raw, and not ready to be effective yet at the Bundesliga level. Huntelaar and EMCM continue to be stuck in neutral gear. Both Stambouli and Bentaleb got exposed and gave away plays that resulted in Hertha's goals today. Your midfield looks too rigid and static. Meyer needs to start as the 10 again. While Goretzka should move back into the 6, with at least one of Stambouli and Bentaleb benched. Lots of questions that Weinzierl has to address.
Yes, the offense looks bad. And I agree that Weinzierl should somehow work Meyer into the starting eleven but I have no good answer how. At the moment I would prefer a diamond with Meyer at the top and Choupo and Embolo as the two strikers but that is a rather unusual formation nowadays. Huntelaar looked totally lost out there and far too slow. I didn't like the last two contract extensions he got and in looks like at least the last one was a bad decision.
The double striker with diamond formation could work. But you'll probably need Goretzka with Konoplyanka as the corner pieces who can provide width if needed. With Meyer at the top, and then bottom/defensive position being up for competition. Gotta set up a merit system to have players earn those starting spots. Because at this point I can't see how either Bentaleb or Stambouli are necessarily an immediate upgrade over Geis. Additionally, Geis provides more of set piece taking ability. I like Goretzka but his specialty isn't in that aspect. Schöpf should be given a fair chance too.
Geis didn't even make it on the bench against Berlin, no he is neither injured nor sick. I hope he can narrow the gap but at the moment the players for midfield are Bentaleb, Stambouli, Goretzka and a more offensive option in Meyer. I guess Baba would be the one to provide width on the left. It is usually down to the fullbacks to do that in a diamond. Don't know who could fill the void on the right, Höwedes ain't doing that. Our most promising attacking options prefer the left side, too, Konoplyanka, Choupo and even Meyer if used on the wings. Congratulations to you for finally getting rid of Mr "So ist Fussball". Skripnik is really not the second coming of Lobanovsky.
Frankly this decision should have been made during the summer. But the board went giving Skrippo a contract extension. And went with sacking Eichin instead who was actually making progress. Fwiw, Breitenreiter has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the coaching job.
Avdijaj back in training and working on his comeback. Nach Reha in Donaustauf: Donis #Avdijaj schuftet auf dem #S04-Trainingsplatz für sein Comeback. pic.twitter.com/SdSt7QZRCv— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) September 19, 2016
With Baba providing width from the left that really seems like the best option for your roster, with Schopf rotating through the attacking trident. ECMC/Schopf - Embolo/Schopf Meyer/Schopf Bentaleb/Geis - Goretzka/Geis Geis/Stambouli
Well at least Schalke hasn't forgotten how to win in the Europa League. Next match vs Krasnodar will be the major test though. Should decide which side has the edge within this group for top spot.
Krasnodar is a good team but Schalke04 should be able to win. The Russian side's 5-2 win against Nice had more to do with Favre's young team visibly struggling to cope with the additional physical and psychological strain of playing in Europe alongside two national competitions.
Well that was a long time coming, but a very convincing display out there today against Gladbach. Embolo also finally on the mark and should be able to continue building on this. Too bad we weren't able to sign him ahead of you guys.
Breel Embolo: MotM vs Gladbach, Rating 9.93, Goals 2, Shots(OT) 2(2), Key Passes 2, Dribbles 5, Tackles 4 @s04_en pic.twitter.com/iztbs0XkdJ— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) October 2, 2016
Heidel is planning to clear roster space in the upcoming winter transfer window. The players mentioned to be on the chopping block include; Di Santo, Caicara, Aogo, and Sam. Logical moves as these four have been dead weight for quite some time now. http://www.transfermarkt.de/bericht-heidel-will-schalke-kader-im-winter-ausdunnen/view/news/252145