Schalke report card
May 26, 2014
With a little help from the traditional implosion in Leverkusen, or "Neverkusen" as they are less affectionately known, Schalke recovered third position in the Bundesliga this season. The Royal Blues oozed talent at their best, while looking fragile in defense on their bad days. Jens Keller's side finished only seven points adrift of Dortmund in second, but 26 behind Bayern.
Their goal difference of +20, compared to Dortmund's +42 and Bayern's +71, better displays the real gap below Germany's top two at the moment. Still, if any squad has the youth and potential to close this gap, it's surely Schalke's.
Key player
When this transfer went through in late August last year, Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp sent Kevin-Prince Boateng, once a BVB player, a text message simply asking: "Schalke????????" Klopp was very specific, if you're wondering, he used eight question marks.
What seemed a surprising, even costly, purchase from AC Milan worked wonders for the Royal Blues. Boateng brought experience, personality and some steel to Schalke's young side. With Huntelaar missing up front, the 27-year-old started out in advanced positions and bagged some crucial goals. As the season evolved he stepped back towards defensive midfield to marshal Schalke's teen talents in attacking midfield.
Surprise star
Take your pick, there's no shortage of under-21 gems in Gelsenkirchen at the moment. Just look at Germany's starting 11 in that curious pre-World Cup friendly with Poland. We're overlooking the youngest of the bunch - like Max Meyer, Kaan Ayhan and Leon Goretzka - to pick an unsung 20-year-old defensive hero.
Left-back Sead Kolasinac has categorically deposed Austrian international Christian Fuchs in Schalke's back-four this season. This season, only Joel Matip played more games for Schalke as a defender than Kolasinac, who has now become a freshly-capped Bosnia-Herzegovina international. What's more, Kolasinac displayed a hunger and desire when the going was tough; he was among the last to give up when Real humbled Schalke 6-1 in the Champions League first leg.
Goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann deserves a mention, too, for laying claim to the first-team spot this season.
Coach
Jens Keller must sometimes wonder whether the rumors surrounding his job would go away if he won the domestic double and the Champions League next season.
Reclaiming third from Leverkusen and only falling to Bundesliga wrecking ball Real Madrid (who knocked out Dortmund next, then Bayern Munich) in the Champions League is about the most Schalke could have hoped for pre-season. Yet speculation about his position was feverish when things looked bleak mid-season, and it's not entirely subsided since Schalke climbed from seventh in January to third by May.
Defining moment
Perhaps "moments" would be more accurate for this exciting but incomplete young side. A 4-0 home defeat to Bayern in September, a 3-0 loss to Chelsea the following month, then 3-1 against Dortmund, and 5-1 on their February trip to the Allianz-Arena in Munich, before the 9-2 defeat over two legs to Real Madrid.
As good as Schalke can be, the gulf between the Royal Blues and Europe's elite remains all-too-visible when they're pitted head-to-head.
What's next?
Growth, and plenty of it, if Schalke can keep this incredible young crop together. Germany's captain for the night against Poland, Julian Draxler, has promised to stay for at least one more season. Meyer, Goretzka, Ayhan, Kolasinac and others seem like international stars of the future as well.
One might also expect plenty more chatter about Jens Keller's job security, no matter how baffling that may be.
Grade: B+
Six points against Bayer Leverkusen, but just the one against Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the league. Add in the German Cup disappointment against Hoffenheim - a reminder of Schalke's defensive frailties on their off-days - and you've got a few too many blotches on Schalke's report card for top marks.