FC Schalke 04 battled rivals Borussia Dortmund to a 0-0 draw in Saturday’s Revierderby, and star center back Salif Sane had another massive performance in a blue shirt.
While FC Schalke 04 would have wanted to grab all three points at the Veltins-Arena against arch rivals Borussia Dortmund, David Wagner and his team can come away satisfied with their performance on Saturday.
Schalke dominated most of the game before Dortmund made a last-gasp effort in the final 15, galvanized by star man Thorgan Hazard’s introduction into the game. But Schalke had the best chances of the afternoon, as Rabbi Matondo was excellent off the ball. Defensively, Schalke were tough to beat, with Salif Sane and Benjamin Stambouli dominating the likes of Mario Gotze, Marco Reus, and even Jadon Sancho.
Sane was a cut above the rest. It is mind-boggling that the towering center back doesn’t receive more adulation globally as one of European football’s world-class defensive players, but such is the curse of having played for a well below-average Schalke team in 2018-2019.
Last season’s star man, Sane has been in solid form this season and made a clear impact in the Revierderby. As Schalke’s official Twitter account noted, Sane won nearly 80% of his tackles on Saturday with an 85% passing accuracy, bossing the game from the back.
Besides his elite defending, Sane brings an element of danger to the game when inside the penalty box. Not only is he one of the Bundesliga’s best players in the air, but he’s also difficult to mark in the box due to his intelligent movement; Sane has a keen eye for space. He came so close to scoring against Dortmund and can consider himself unlucky to have not made the difference on the offensive end of the pitch, even as his defense was, once again, impeccable.
Sane is the heart and soul of Schalke’s impressive defense, providing stable cover for his teammates. He played a key role in helping Schalke maintain a clean sheet against an increasingly desperate Dortmund side, holding his own in difficult matchups against some of the world’s most electrifying attacking players in Reus and Sancho.
Per WhoScored.com, the Senegal international led Schalke with four aerial duels won and 55 passes. No non-forward had a higher passing completion percentage for the Royal Blues on Saturday than Sane, whose composure helped set the tone for the team.
A critical player to his team’s success in any given week, Sane is a born leader whose calm work on the ball and interventions in defense make the Royal Blues the title contenders that they are. Schalke are in a position to get back into the Champions League, and performances like this one from Sane have played an important role in the club’s 2019-2020 improvement.