Release The Knappen
Fansided

FC Schalke 04: 5 things we learned from 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt

By Kevin Parvizi

Schalke's Belgian forward Benito Raman celebrates scoring the opening goal during the German first division Bundesliga football match Schalke 04 v Eintracht Frankfurt in Gelsenkirchen, on December 15, 2019. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
Schalke's Belgian forward Benito Raman celebrates scoring the opening goal during the German first division Bundesliga football match Schalke 04 v Eintracht Frankfurt in Gelsenkirchen, on December 15, 2019. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Schalke CB Ozan Kabak
GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY – DECEMBER 15: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Ozan Kabak of FC Schalke 04 controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt at Veltins-Arena on December 15, 2019 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

4. Ozan Kabak is a leader

Schalke asked a lot from Ozan Kabak again this week. Weston McKennie’s early injury forced Bastian Oczipka to play at center back, as Juan Miranda came off the bench for his first Bundesliga minutes as an FC Barcelona loanee.

Oczipka and Miranda were OK, but it was Kabak who stole the show. He stepped up his game big-time in the final minutes, and, per WhoScored.com, he finished the game with eight aerial duels. Kabak’s work in the air was critical, since he was going up against Bas Dost in the box and Filip Kostic’s crosses.

Kabak also got forward as often as possible in the attack and led the Royal Blues in passes attempted. He’s been such a positive for Schalke this season amidst all the injuries at center back, and they would not have kept a clean sheet on Matchday 15 without him.

5. Matondo, Burgstaller flash positives

Rabbi Matondo was substituted late in the game with a possible minor injury (or tired legs), and he worked extremely hard in his first start since the Revierderby. The Wales international played alongside Benito Raman with Mark Uth injured and the struggling Guido Burgstaller on the bench, as Ahmed Kutucu suffered a foot injury in training.

While Matondo had trouble beating defenders, he made some great runs off the ball and nearly bursted through on goal. (He should have taken a shot earlier, but Daniel Caligiuri also made this error a few times.) He tracked back, made clever flicks, and showed off his intelligence when making runs. Matondo was sometimes isolated on the left, but this was an encouraging, unselfish performance from the young forward.

Next. Schalke vs. Frankfurt Player Ratings. dark

Burgstaller entered the game in the final 15 minutes and hit the post with a wonderful strike from outside the box. He also used his strength to win three dribbles, and while his lack of technical ability was clear, Burgstaller’s hard work was on display. He has his issues, but the veteran striker also has a role to play off the bench.

Home/Schalke 04 News