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Schalke: 3 things we learned from gut-wreching 3-3 draw with Fortuna

By Kevin Parvizi

GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 09: Ozan Kabak of FC Schalke 04 (R) celebrates scoring his sides second goal with teammate Bastian Oczipka during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and Fortuna Duesseldorf at Veltins-Arena on November 09, 2019 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images)
GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 09: Ozan Kabak of FC Schalke 04 (R) celebrates scoring his sides second goal with teammate Bastian Oczipka during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and Fortuna Duesseldorf at Veltins-Arena on November 09, 2019 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images) /
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Schalke CB Ozan Kabak
09 November 2019, North Rhine-Westphalia, Gelsenkirchen: Soccer: Bundesliga, FC Schalke 04 – Fortuna Düsseldorf, 11th matchday in the Veltins Arena. Schalkes Ozan Kabak cheers on his goal to 2-1. Photo: Bernd Thissen/dpa – IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga or the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or the match in the form of sequence images and/or video-like photo sequences. (Photo by Bernd Thissen/picture alliance via Getty Images) /

Ozan Kabak showing his quality

Salif Sane will miss a few months with a non-contact knee injury he suffered early in last week’s win over Augsburg, and while he is a difficult player to replace, the Royal Blues do have a talented young defender who can help cover some of what Sane brings to the table.

Ozan Kabak doesn’t have the experience, intelligence, or strength in defense that Sane does, but he isn’t far off despite only being 19 years old. Despite playing on a defense that has allowed five goals in his two starts, Kabak has played quite well defensively.

He’s also scored twice in two games from set pieces, heading home Daniel Caligiuri’s free kick against Augsburg for the 2-2 and then giving Schalke a 2-1 lead at the hour mark by heading a brilliant corner from left back Bastian Oczipka.

That gives Kabak five goals in less than two Bundesliga seasons since the start of 2018. He is a prolific scoring option at the center back position, which is vital on set pieces. Schalke, especially recently with Caligiuri and Oczipka, benefit greatly from goals on set pieces, and there was worry that Sane’s injury could hurt them in this regard.

But Kabak’s emergence as a goal-scoring threat in the box is a huge positive. Moreover, his quality in defense is easy to see. There’s a good chance he could start over Benjamin Stambouli alongside Sane when everyone is healthy in 2020. Kabak is a key part of the future for the Royal Blues.

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