Schalke: Grading each position group in 2019-2020 so far

Since the 2019-2020 Bundesliga season has been suspended, it’s time to take a look at how each position group (goalkeepers, defense, midfield, attack) grades out for FC Schalke 04.

When the 2019-2020 Bundesliga season stopped, FC Schalke 04 were ranked sixth in the league table, good enough for a spot in the Europea League for the 2020-2021 season.

This ranking represents massive growth from their embarrassing 2018-2019 campaign, in which they were ranked 14th and finished only five points above VfB Stuttgart in the relegation battle. Schalke were toothless in attack, with only the relegated teams scoring fewer goals.

While Schalke still have some issues offensively, they are a much stronger team heading into 2020-2021 and received breakout performances from the likes of Amine Harit and Benito Raman in attack.

Here is how each of their positional units – from goalkeeper to forward – grade out for the 2019-2020 season so far.

Goalkeeper

Alexander Nübel had a decent start to the 2019-2020 Bundesliga as the team’s captain, but his play consistently declined throughout the year. After he was red-carded for a horrific tackle on Mijat Gacinovic in December, Nübel lost his place in the lineup to a younger, better keeper in Markus Schubert.

While the Dynamo Dresden transfer purchase had a rough match at the Allianz Arena in the Rückrunde, that was really Schubert’s lone blemish. Schubert looked like a future superstar, whereas Nübel didn’t exactly look like the guy who spurned Schalke for the biggest club in German football.

Schubert, per FBRef.com, had the second-best post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed mark in the entire Bundesliga, after only Yann Sommer. And Sommer is the league’s consensus best keeper.

Nübel made plenty of howlers, but, overall, he was about an average keeper. Schubert, on the other hand, was legitimately great.

Grade: B