Schalke hoped to take their midweek confidence boost back home against Paderborn and get back into top four contention. Here are the player ratings.
FC Schalke 04 came back in a massive way midweek against Hertha Berlin in the DFB-Pokal after two fairly catastrophic games, one 5-0 loss to Bayern Munich and one 0-0 draw against the same Hertha Berlin.
So coming out at home against Paderborn, expectations had to be high. We needed three points to get back into top four contention, and despite injuries, David Wagner’s starting XI gave us all the pieces we needed to do just that.
Everything was as it should be in the starting XI, barring the void at rightback, which was filled by the speedy Timo Becker in his Bundesliga debut.
It was slow going, as Schalke yet again proved to be fairly impotent in the first 15 minutes, carrying on into the 20th. Die Knappen were controlling possession, but they couldn’t break the Paderborn press and, in response, Paderborn were proving the sharper club, pressing in the attack and striking quickly.
Combine that with sloppy build-up from the Blues and it couldn’t get to half time quick enough. Honestly, the 0-0 score at half was generous to the hosts, as indicated by the boos as the players left the pitch. Wagner had to change things at half.
It didn’t take long for Michael Gregoritsch to come off in the second half, and Schalke’s biggest chance came as an immediate response to that change, with Ahmed Kutucu spurring a sharp, quick attack. This team just looked so much better without Gregoritsch. So much quicker, sharper, more confident.
It paid off in the 63rd minute, with a tremendous goal orchestrated by Bastian Oczipka and finished by Ahmed Kutucu.
Unfortunately, Paderborn pulled one back in the final ten minutes with a thumping header. That’s how it would end, with three massive points lost and one measly point gained.
Here are the player ratings: