FC Schalke 04: Weston McKennie is back, and I mean really back

FC Schalke 04 may not have taken full points against Hertha Berlin, but full points in the future gets easier with Weston McKennie back. Like, really back.

Some may find FC Schalke 04‘s goalless draw at Hertha Berlin disappointing, and perhaps on the surface it is. But after being sliced up like a holiday ham at the Allianz, they needed a good hearty reset, and they got that. In the midst of the neutral draw though, there was something major to pay attention to—Weston McKennie.

Of course, in a midfield with captain (and man of the match yet again) Omar Mascarell and the sparkplug Suat Serdar, it’s easy to get overlooked. But Weston McKennie’s performance against Hertha cannot be overlooked.

The young American was ferocious. Whether he was on the ground or in the air or whatever, he attacked the ball like his every breath depended on it. He combined so well with Daniel Caligiuri on the right and he combined so well with Mascarell in the center.

And, when asked, he combined well with Amine Harit getting forward. Come to think of it, he combined well with every damn person on the pitch.

More from Release The Knappen

• Schalke 04: Arkadiusz Milik would take everything, but he’s worth it
• Schalke 04: Ozan Kabak makes Jean-Claire Todibo pass quietly
• Schalke 04: Omar Mascarell the only boost between now and then
• Schalke 04: David Wagner just has to make it to the end of the season
• Schalke 04: At least we still have Weston McKennie

There’s a difference between being back from injury and being back from injury. When you’re just back from injury, you usually take some time to settle back in. Maybe you’re not up to full speed right away. And the point was made that McKennie wasn’t at full strength, but FC Schalke 04 ran with him anyway.

Fair play.

What we saw wasn’t a Weston McKennie just back from injury. We saw a Weston McKennie back. Then again, I’m not sure there’s an option to see any other version of McKennie than what we just saw.

Before the match, I made the point that he was going to have to do something irrefutable to get back into the regular team selection, because Bayern aside, this has been a strong outfit. But after seeing him against Hertha, I have no qualms about saying that whoever needs to get out of the way better go ahead and get on out of the way.

Frankly, that has to be Daniel Caligiuri. He’s the weakest link of a very strong midfield, which isn’t a criticism of his quality so much a praise of the rest of his teammates’ quality. McKennie included.

Now that McKennie is back he has to start. Plain and simple.