Schalke: The runway is all clear for Jean-Clair Todibo

Schalke are in a world of hurt in more ways than one, but Jean-Clair Todib has the runway all-clear to be the new hero of a depleted Die Knappen.

Schalke‘s situation isn’t the best at the moment. Aside from not scoring a goal in nearly a month, the injury problems are mounting. And this is on top of the mounting injury problems that had started in the fall with the season-ending knocks to Salif Sane and Benjamin Stambouli.

Nowadays, Omar Mascarell, Suat Serdar and now Ozan Kabak are all facing lengthy injuries, which puts a tremendous strain on the resources at a club that is already struggling to mount any semblance of hope.

Schalke looked to be on track to secure a European berth, perhaps even in the Champions League. but since then, they have gone into a tailspin, and they need a hero. Not to put too much pressure on a guy but… Jean-Clair Todibo?

When Sane and Stambouli went down with injuries, it was Ozan Kabak who became a hero. A real hero. He anchored this defense and provided a foundation of confidence.

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

That’s the thing with this situation, confidence is so low. And seeing guys who usually inspire confidence—Serdar, Mascarell, Kabak—all going down with an injury, we find ourselves back in the same situation of desperately clinging to Amine Harit, hoping that he can lift us up.

What we need is Jean-Clair Todibo to replicate what Kabak created for this defense. There have been positive signs from Todibo, but not the immediate heroism that we saw from Kabak.

However, it has looked like Todibo is the same kind of player. He’s a dynamic defender who can carry the ball as well as he can win it, he’s excellent in possession and he plays a fearless style of defending.

That’s the kind of thing that can inspire confidence. And that’s all we really need right now—belief. The talent is still there, there’s just so little belief going around that things can get better. But it was almost a similar situation last fall when Kabak came in and inspired defensive solidity.

If we start with that solidity via Todibo, via his dynamic style, we can get back on track. There’s still plenty of time for the season to turn back around. It just has to start somewhere, though, and for all the resources out there, Todibo has the clearest path.