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FC Schalke 04 vs Hertha Berlin player ratings: Well, it’s a point

ByJosh Sippie|
31 January 2020, Berlin: Football: Bundesliga, Hertha BSC - FC Schalke 04, 20th matchday, Olympic Stadium. Coach David Wagner of Schalke 04 gives the team instructions from the edge of the field. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa - IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the regulations of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to exploit or have exploited in the stadium and/or from the game taken photographs in the form of sequence images and/or video-like photo series. (Photo by Andreas Gora/picture alliance via Getty Images)
31 January 2020, Berlin: Football: Bundesliga, Hertha BSC - FC Schalke 04, 20th matchday, Olympic Stadium. Coach David Wagner of Schalke 04 gives the team instructions from the edge of the field. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa - IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the regulations of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to exploit or have exploited in the stadium and/or from the game taken photographs in the form of sequence images and/or video-like photo series. (Photo by Andreas Gora/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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FC Schalke 04 traveled to the capital to try to regain their confidence against Hertha Berlin. Here are the player ratings.

FC Schalke 04 (Photo by Andreas Gora/picture alliance via Getty Images)
FC Schalke 04 (Photo by Andreas Gora/picture alliance via Getty Images)

FC Schalke 04 came into this match with a big step to take. They had just suffered their most embarrassing defeat in years, losing 5-0 to Bayern Munich at the Allianz. What made the loss so unbearable was that we were supposed to be passed those kinds of losses. We were supposed to be competing for the Bundesliga title.

But getting thoroughly eviscerated by a club three points above us is no way to stake a claim to a better future. And it wasn’t even like it was a few guys who didn’t step up, it was a complete team collapse that saw every aspect of the club fail miserably. From the back to the front. All a failure.

Traveling to the capital to face Hertha Berlin would be no easy rebound. Hertha are proving to be quite the sturdy outfit, particularly at home and particularly under new manager Jurgen Klinsmann.

As for the starting XI, David Wagner stuck to his guns with his best possible XI, a nearly identical one that he used against Bayern Munich. Clearly he thought what we all should have been thinking—that this team is far better than that one match led us to believe. The only changes hinged around injuries. Daniel Caligiuri slid into rightback with Jonjoe Kenny out with an illness.

That freed up Weston McKennie to start in the midfield. Other than that, Benito Raman came in for Rabbi Matondo and Alexander Nubel (boo hiss) came in for an injured Markus Schubert.

In the early going, Schalke looked much more composed than they did against Bayern. Not saying much, but it still needed to happen. They were on the front foot, probing away at the hosts, even if it was a bit stale.

The first half finished exactly like that—stale. Like neither team wanted to screw up. The second followed a similar path, except this time it wasn’t a matter of not wanting to screw up, it was a matter of quality defending denying all attacking hopes. And that was the name and end of the game.

Here are the player ratings:

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