Schalke: 3 things to fix before the 2020-2021 season

2. Get the most out of Amine Harit

Schalke signed Amine Harit to a new contract with a 60 million euro release clause after a marvelous Hinrunde performance, which included a Bundesliga Player of the Month award during the club’s magical month of September.

Harit was unstoppable, scoring game-winning goals, gliding past defenders, and creating chances from nothing by pressing the opposition into mistakes. He was the perfect No. 10 and attacking leader in David Wagner’s system, carrying the attack’s goal-scoring before becoming a playmaker for Benito Raman later in the first half of the season.

However, Harit’s productivity plummeted in the Rückrunde, as teams began to outsmart Wagner’s coaching. They forced Harit wide and showed little respect to the other forwards, as Raman ghosted and Michael Gregoritsch put in some truly embarrassing displays in the attack.

Schalke need to realize that they are at their best when play runs through Harit. Let him make mistakes and let him be the star. Build a team around him that can actually find the back of the net and show technical quality and work rate that can match Harit’s. Because if they don’t start using their star man, he’ll become someone else’s superstar before long. And the Royal Blues have already lost enough top talent over the years.