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FC Schalke: Suat Serdar solution may be simpler than it seems

By Josh Sippie

GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - OCTOBER 26: Suat Serdar of FC Schalke 04 looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund at Veltins-Arena on October 26, 2019 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - OCTOBER 26: Suat Serdar of FC Schalke 04 looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund at Veltins-Arena on October 26, 2019 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
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FC Schalke need to figure out how to maximize Suat Serdar, but it may be a lot easier than it seems, as displayed in the last few matches.

With the long-term injury to Weston McKennie, Suat Serdar is in a position of great importance for FC Schalke. He’s shown more than enough ability to me a main stage player, but his consistency has been a bit shaky.

All too often we see him showing up later in the second half and making clutch plays, but these don’t account for the majority of his time on the pitch. When he does get settled into matches, he’s a game changer. There’s a reason only Amine Harit has more goals than him. But it’s hard to balance his usefulness, as we’d like to see that effectiveness extend beyond what he currently does.

We saw a big change against Eintracht Frankfurt. Gone was the pop up and fade away style that Serdar has been so prone to. He was everywhere, and it was at the perfect time, since McKennie had just been removed from the picture.

light. Related Story. 5 Things Learned Against Frankfurt

So what was the difference? Well, I never want to get ahead of myself and think that a solution is easier than it seems, but Serdar was playing central midfield, not on the wings, where he has spent most of his time ebbing and flowing.

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In fact, if you look at the numbers, Serdar has four of his five goals when he plays a central midfield role. Only one goal comes from playing in a wide role.

Obviously there’s more to a midfielder than scoring goals, and some of those goals have sprung up from the matches where it’s a divine burst of inspiration. But his comprehensive best matches, like the one we saw against Eintracht Frankfurt, always seem to stem from him playing a central role.

It’s not hard to think of why that may be the case—he’s getting more touches on the ball. If he takes awhile to settle in from wide positions, it may be because he isn’t being actively involved or engaged. So you put him central, where he has more of a say on every minute of the match, and he does better, sooner.

Next. 3 Players Who Must Step Up With McKennie Out. dark

With McKennie out, we may see more of Serdar in the central midfield and that should help us figure out of my little hypothesis can float or not.