4. Benito Raman needs to play smarter
Benito Raman was a revelation for the Royal Blues at the end of the Hinrunde, as he once had a streak of four straight games with a goal. However, Raman has been woeful lately with zero goals and one assist in his last seven games.
Against Leipzig, Raman made more headlines for his cheap antics off the ball, and he honestly should have been sent off for being the aggressor when Dayot Upamecano was booked for defending himself against Raman. The Belgian forward’s inability to keep his emotions in check could have hurt the team beyond this game if the officials bothered to review what happened.
Furthermore, Raman was frequently offsides. He should have clearly seen that he wasn’t level with the defenders and done a better job of timing his runs. Raman continues to frustrate by not learning or improving from game to game. His play is getting worse, and while he works hard to run at the keeper and press, his pressing isn’t measured or effective.
Raman needs to play smarter, because if Schalke have any hopes of getting into the Champions League, they rest on his shoulders as the primary goal-scoring option.
5. At least the center backs showed up
As crazy as this sounds, Ozan Kabak and Matija Nastasic actually played pretty well against RB Leipzig despite the team allowing five goals. The poor defensive work was due to a midfield that was overrun, a flawed tactical setup from David Wagner that teams are having an easier time exploiting (the word “embarrassing” is more applicable, honestly), and abysmal play from the fullbacks (Jonjoe Kenny was rubbish).
Nastasic had four tackles and two interceptions, per WhoScored.com, and looked confident. Kabak, meanwhile, blocked four shots, including a couple of sure-fire goals. He never stopped working, even making noise in the attack, completing three dribbles thanks to one inspired run down the right-hand flank.
They weren’t perfect and the whole team stunk, but Kabak and Nastasic reminded fans that Schalke’s strength lies in central defense. They never stopped working, and fans can still feel proud of them despite the team surrendering five goals.