Schalke: Suat Serdar could easily surpass Amine Harit

Schalke’s attack is powered by two very talented midfielders, but with Amine Harit in the lead, the favor could quickly shift to Suat Serdar.

A little internal competition never hurt anyone, and for Schalke, that internal competition comes down to who powers this attack. Because right now there is a pretty nice friendly battle between Amine Harit and Suat Serdar to determine who the most valuable attacker is. And it’s not like it’s important to determine a winner because, in the end, we all win, but it does beg to be mentioned that while Harit has been the centerpiece for a couple years now, Serdar has gained in a hurry.

Serdar is one of the few Bundesliga players who completes more dribbles than Harit. Though this is the first year we’ve seen him do so with such success. It’s remarkable to watch him glide through traffic on the pitch.

Serdar is also the only Schalke player to have more goals than Harit, and that’s saying something, since Serdar is often coming from deeper on the pitch than his Moroccan counterpart.

Also noteworthy is that Serdar’s job doesn’t end in his ability to attack. It begins there. He’s also a tremendous help on defense. In fact, only Benjamin Stambouli completes more tackles on average than Suat Serdar.

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The numbers point to one of those rare midfielders who does everything. And that’s what Serdar has been this year. He’s been the everything solution. That’s why his health has been such a crucial piece of keeping Die Knappen in matches. The difference between when Serdar is on the pitch and when he isn’t is remarkable.

The same can be said about Harit, but Serdar’s rapid rise to this central role has been stark and poignant, and that’s why it’s looking like Serdar has the bigger part to play in the long run, assuming we can lock him in to a new deal soon.

Harit is invaluable, and that’s why we locked him down, but as an exclusively attacking talent, he only really impacts 50% of the game. And if Schalke are having trouble mustering attacks in any given match, Harit tends to fade. Not Serdar, though. Serdar is going to be a heavy influence no matter the situation.

Keep them both and everyone wins. Let. them keep feeding off each other and this team will continue to trend upwards. Then we just need a little outside help or growth from within and we’re all set.