How do teams go from perennial Champions League participants to being rooted at the bottom of the league? They finished 2nd just two seasons ago.
German Football 20/21
- Thread starter do.ob
- Start date
How do teams go from perennial Champions League participants to being rooted at the bottom of the league? They finished 2nd just two seasons ago.
Complete mismanagement from top to bottom. Their squad is better than these numbers suggest but this is no environment to thrive in.
First of all Schalke haven't really been perennial CL participants for a while and their 2nd place three seasons ago was a perfect storm of competitors having an off year (e.g. Leipzig having the 2nd season hangover and Dortmund having their abyssmal Bosz/Stöger year, Gladbach finishing midtable), not having to deal with EL/CL and grinding out a ton of fortunate narrow wins. They were already sliding into the abyss back then.
A look at the personell from that time also says a lot:
Fährmann - Captain, axed for Nübel, who thanked them with a litany of blunders and a free move to Bayern
Naldo - the boss of their defense and actually 2nd best goal scorer, got axed and sold for peanuts during the following season, because he got too old for Tedesco's liking
Kehrer - sold to PSG
Caligiuri - a leader, someone who steps up with crucial goals - let go on a free to Augsburg this summer, replaced with a loanee from Salzburg who is out of his depth in a top league
Meyer - was their midfield orchestrator, lost on a free to Palace, replaced by Rudy for €20m, who reportedly took a huge pay cut, so he wouldn't have to play for Schalke this season
Goretzka - no words needed here, lost on a free to Bayern
McKennie - loaned to Juve for peanuts
Harit - by far the most talented footballer at the club, currently suspended, hasn't scored a Bundesliga goal in over a year now I believe
Burgstaller - their top scorer that year, 2nd division player who had two good season, before he reverted to his usual level and is currently loaned out to St. Pauli
They basically lost or axed their entire upper squad hierarchy, they sold/lost most of their good players and their replacements flopped. Now their squad has some gaping holes (especially on the wings) and they are leaderless, there is basically no one who takes charge on the pitch. Which also mirrors their management structure, where people are dropping like flies: Tönnies finally had to resign last summer, their CFO went with him, out of the three people who more or less make up the DoF role at their club one left in the summer, one (Reschke) got sacked last week after little over a year on the job and their boss, Schneider - on the job for about 18 months now, will reportedly soon follow.
It really is incredible how fecked and hopeless they are for a club that probably still posts the third highest revenue numbers in the country. At the moment it seems like their only saving grace could be that the bottom of the league has been very weak this year (though some teams like Mainz and Cologne have gotten results lately).
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Thanks guys, it was a bit of a tongue in cheek comment, but I appreciate the detailed response nonetheless.
Every pub has that guy who's constantly complaining and talking in platitudes which were already deprecated two decades ago. You know, like "if I were their coach they'd be running around the pitch all day!" or "they simply don't want it enough and don't deserve to play for the club!" Put him in charge of a top 15 club in Europe and you get Schalke.
He's hilarious! Seems like he'd be a nightmare for winding people up in the dressing room
That 90th minute shot from Witsel really did sum up that tripe ridden performance from Dortmund. Absolutely atrocious watching from start to finish.
Only one moment of true quality the whole match that came from Reyna. Sancho was absolute p*** again, couldn't even make simple short passes and was busy running sideways rather than forward.
Three horrible performances in a row for Dortmund (Koln, Lazio and now Frankfurt), no real hope for this season and you wonder what Haalanad and Reyna, along with Sancho, might be thinking about moving next season.
Jees this club is becoming a joke.
Only one moment of true quality the whole match that came from Reyna. Sancho was absolute p*** again, couldn't even make simple short passes and was busy running sideways rather than forward.
Three horrible performances in a row for Dortmund (Koln, Lazio and now Frankfurt), no real hope for this season and you wonder what Haalanad and Reyna, along with Sancho, might be thinking about moving next season.
Jees this club is becoming a joke.
The Bayern defense is an absolute calamity this season. The entire team looks knackered.
On the other hand, Musiala looks like a world beater in the making. Perfect goal.
Musiala <3
What the hell...
Well, we just have to keep scoring one more than them.
Been a great game. Leipzig not even got their full team out as I presume they're resting likes of Poulsen for next week.
Hopefully it stays a draw to make league more interesting.
Hopefully it stays a draw to make league more interesting.
Ah, feck off.
Not great from Pavard, but disastrous from our CBs, mostly Süle.
Not great from Pavard, but disastrous from our CBs, mostly Süle.
This Müller guy looks promising, maybe he could help the national team...
Leipzig are not an easy opponent. Positionally sound, fast on the counter, good on the ball.
And well-versed in the dark arts. Cheating cnuts.
They're stacked upfront aswell. Rested Poulson for midweek and see Dani Olmo who was being hyped up a while ago for his Spain under 21 games was also on the bench. Sorloth only a sub today aswell.
Wonder if that's been part of the problem for Nagelsmann, he can't quite work out his best front 3 as at Old Trafford he pushed Forsbeg upfront alongside Poulsen to press and had Olmo in number 10 role.
Going to be a very interesting watch in the week. Leipzig will certainly have a go but they can't be too gung ho at the start as early Man. United counter attack goal will leave them up against it.
It really is just a joke at this point.
I certainly wouldn't say that they're stacked up front. In fact, they lack dangerous attackers more than anything; Nkunku surely is a promising player, but still I'd say apart from maybe Forsberg (who's not a striker) they don't have a single proper top attacker, the less said about stuff like replacing Werner with Sörloth the better, and the fact we conceded 3 today is a damning indictment of the current state of our defense and our defensive behaviour.
Kluivert Jr. really looks and plays like his dad, who in my opinion doesn't get enough credit for how great a player he was.
Sorloth was being massively hype after scoring loads in Turkey so i think he'll prove to b alright replacement for Schick given time.
Always like Yussuf Poulsen who I think would be a good fit for many prem teams but he's more of a Kuyt style striker.
Completely forgot today they had Kluivert Jr on loan so can improve as the season goes on.
And they will win still easily the league again.
Like they won the CL with the same defense easily too
It would be a miracle should Schalke avoid the relegation.
It was David Selke and presumably it was “bad sportsmanship” or something. Silas did nothing wrong.
The shithousery by the striker? Why did he have to be a dick about it and wait for the keeper to come back before finishing in an open goal?
Nothing wrong with it in terms of the laws of the game but it’s very small-time. Can you imagine Lewandowski doing that?
Fair enough, just found it a bit bizarre to square up to someone because he took the mick a bit.
Yes
He was actually time-wasting, which he admitted himself (and I believe him because there was no reason to rub it in). They were up 1-0, he scored the second and there was 3 minutes left. Maybe a bit pointless but I see no difference to a keeper taking his time to pick up the ball.
Selke running over to confront him should`ve maybe focussed on his own defender and keeper arguing instead of doing something against it.
It was a bizarre reaction.
Stupid reaction. Striker should have done a few keepy ups first
So something slightly comical occurred in the match between Hoffenheim and Augsburg.
Basically, Hoffenheim thought they were taking a goal kick even though the ref clearly awarded them an indirect free kick due to Vargas being offside. That's why both Baumann (Hoffenheim GK) and Hoeness (Hoffenheim head coach) were having a go at the ref as they thought that he screwed up. In the end, though, none of the rules were broken/incorrectly enforced; Baumann taking the free kick from inside the 6-yard box is technically legal (a free kick due to an offside can be taken anywhere on or behind the offside line).
Not that it matters, though, because Hoffenheim have been the better side on both ends of the pitch.
Basically, Hoffenheim thought they were taking a goal kick even though the ref clearly awarded them an indirect free kick due to Vargas being offside. That's why both Baumann (Hoffenheim GK) and Hoeness (Hoffenheim head coach) were having a go at the ref as they thought that he screwed up. In the end, though, none of the rules were broken/incorrectly enforced; Baumann taking the free kick from inside the 6-yard box is technically legal (a free kick due to an offside can be taken anywhere on or behind the offside line).
Not that it matters, though, because Hoffenheim have been the better side on both ends of the pitch.
I am not a gambler and never did bet on sports in my life. But this time I seriously considered betting a few hundred bucks on Schalke being relegated. Bookkeepers had them at 1:14 for being relegated. If we play this season 14 times no way Schalke only gets relegated once. This club has been mismanaged and run into the ground for years while living above their income. And one bad incident such as corona and the house of cards is falling apart.
You are reading those odds wrong
What am I missing?