Schalke: 5 key players in Bundesliga’s Revierderby return

Schalke 04, Amine Harit, Benito Raman (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
Schalke 04, Amine Harit, Benito Raman (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Schalke CB Jean-Clair Todibo
Jean-Clair Todibo of FC Schalke 04 (Photo by Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) /

2. Jean-Clair Todibo

With our top three defenders down for the season, it’s hard to keep confidence in the defense. Even knowing that our 4th and 5th choices right now—Matija Nastasic and Jean-Clair Todibo—are really, really good. So good that calling them 4th and 5th choices feels a bit unfair. Even though they are.

Nastasic is a proven commodity, we know what we can expect out of him and I fully expect him to hold his own. But he needs his partner to stack up to the competition too and while Todibo has been incredibly promising, he has yet to face a truly intimidating task like the one ahead of him now.

The stone-cold silence of a Revierderby.

If Todibo can uphold his end of the bargain and ensure that we thus have two centerback up to the challenge, the likelihood of a complete defensive collapse, like we’ve seen happen this year far too many times, becomes far less likely.

On to No. 1.