Situated in the Rhine valley town of Gelsenkirchen, Schalke are one of several big clubs in the Bundesliga, but under new management they are looking to push on and replace Bayern Munich as the Meisters of German football.
After one season under the management of Sam Illyroy, the Koenigsblauen finished in 3rd position and are looking to push on this season, as the new manager is given his first chance to mould the team to his liking.
Last Year's Best XI
Here is a quick brief of the team that finished last season 3rd in the Bundesliga and reached the 1st Knockout Round of the Champions League, only to be narrowly beaten on goal difference by English champions Manchester United:
Goalkeeper
Manuel Neuer (24 years old, German) An academy product, in the same class as German starlet Mesut Oezil, Manuel Neuer has become the national team's number 1, and without question Schalke's number 1. Superb reflexes, composure beyond his years and an air of confidence despite his modesty, Neuer kept Schalke in the title race single handedly at times last season.
Defence
Benedikt Höwedes (22 years old, German) Another academy product, Höwedes is another tipped to be pushing for the German national side in the next few years. Played a huge role in the team this year at both full back and centre-back and could be a future captain of the side.
Kyriakos Papadopoulos (18 years old, Greek) Following the departure of previous Schalke stalwarts Bordon and Heiko Westermann, Papadopolous was brought in along with 2 other centre-backs to form the basis of the new Schalke defence. Despite being only 17 years of age, Kyriakos was thrown in the deep end early on with defensive injuries and he showed incredible composure and intelligence on a number of occasions and has developed a thriving partnership with Christoph Metzelder. Quite an exceptional talent.
Christoph Metzelder (29 years old, German) Captain and club favourite, Metzelder had been in the dark for a few years after making an ill-advised move to Real Madrid. Finally returning back to his homeland, he thrived on his return, forming a brilliant partnership with the young Papadopoulos and also contributing a number of vital goals. Having signed a new 4 year contract with the club, he has announced his intention to remain in Gelsenkirchen for the rest of his career.
Tim Hoogland (24 years old, German) A confident right-back signed from FSV Mainz in the summer by Felix Magath, Hoogland has ousted the likes of Sarpei, Achida and Besart Ibraimi to become the first choice this season. Physically fit and intelligent, Hoogland looks to have a bright future at the Veltins-ARENA.
MIDFIELD
Joel Matip (18 years old, German) An academy product of supreme talent, Joel has forced his way into the side this season and played in a number of crucial victories, aiding the side with his assured passing and good positioning. Has plenty of time to work on his weaknesses, but is sure to be a future international.
Ivan Rakitic (22 years old, Croatian) Ivan is a very assured playmaker, and despite playing in a deeper role this season, he has proven once again that he is one of the hottest talents on the continent. Good with both feet and with a lethal long shot, he has been tapped up by a number of big clubs but showed his loyalty to the Koenigsblauen by signing a new contract this summer.
Alexander Baumjohann (23 years old, German) A tricky and pacy winger who can play on either side, Alex was a Bayern academy product and filled in after key injuries to Erik Jendrisek and Manuel Jurado and got a number of crucial goals and assists. Will want to push on and really achieve his full potential in the coming seasons.
Jefferson Farfan (25 years old, Peruvian) Fast and technically able, Farfan has voiced his will to leave the Koenigsblauen this summer following interest from Rafael Benitez's Inter Milan. Will be a tough gap to fill after another fine season.
Raùl (33 years old, Spanish) A quite incredible coup was pulled off by Felix Magath before his departure when he announced the signing of former Real Madrid star Raul, and he was no dissapointment, filling in the role just behind the striker with some superb assists and proof of his clinicalness around the box, getting on the scoresheet on a number of occasions.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (26 years old, Dutch) Easily the most crucial signing of the summer, Huntelaar joined for an astounding €13,000,000 and certainly fulfilled that price tag with 29 goals, including 2 stunning hattricks. A complete forward, he can hold up the ball and score goals from any range. At times, he single-handedly pulled the team up the table.
With the summer holidays coming to an end, and the transfer window coming up, expect to see Schalke dipping into the market once more as Illyroy attempts to mould a club capable of eminating the giants from Bavaria.
Keep following, and any tips on who to buy, where you think my side looks weak would be much appreciated. Updates will come following results, or completed transfers.
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The Transfer Window
The Koenigsblauen were active in the transfer window, bringing in some fresh faces in order to give the side a new look as they push for the Championship this season.Without a huge budget to spend on players, a number were moved on as Illyroy looked to trim the side down.
Transfer Budget: €8,500,000
Players OUT
Besart Ibraimi ---> Valenciennes FC ---> €1,800,000
Hao Junmin ---> Stade Rennais FC ---->€1,700,000
Mario Gavranovic ---> FC Lorient ----> Loan Fee €750,000
Predrag Stevanovic ---> Eintracht Frankfurt ----> Free Transfer
Vasilis Pliatsikas ----> Real Zaragoza ---->€1,600,000
Ze Roberto ----> Hertha BSC ----> €275,000
Atsuto Uchida ----> Hoffenheim ----> €3,500,000
Erik Jendrisek ----> Leeds United ----> €3,000,000
A number of fringe players were moved on, and with a good amount coming in, the manager was able to bring in a couple of new faces to freshen the side up.
Players IN
Anthony Annan (23 years old, Ghanaian) - €4,300,000 A tenacious and exciting young midfielder, Annan came to the fore in the world cup for Ghana, and has been dubbed the new Makelele. With a number of central midfield players leaving the club, it's a good chance for Anthony to make the position his own.
Martin Amedick (27 years old, German) - €4,900,000 A product of the Dortmund academy, Amedick was tipped for a bright future and has finally made a move to one of the bigger clubs after making a name for himself at 1.FC Kaiserslautern. A powerful and intelligent centre-back, he should be a perfect partner for Metzelder.
Damien Gregorini (31 years old, French) - Free Transfer Brought in to provide backup for Neuer the release of third choice Cen, Gregorini has plenty of experience and althogh unlikely to push for the first team, will be a very useful backup.
Ryan Bertrand (20 years old, English) - Loan Fee €625,000 Brought in as backup for Howedes, with young Sergio not deemed a good enough level for the Bundesliga, Ryan is an exciting full-back. Full of energy, he has been likened to Chelsea's Ashley Cole and although he is quick to play that down, he has shown glimpses of his quality already in pre-season. Could be a very useful signing if he settles in.
FC Schalke 04 Squad 2010/2011
So with all the transfers in, and loan returns back, we can get a look at the side that will be challenging on three fronts this season.
Goalkeepers
1. Manuel NEUER (24 years old, German) 24. Damien GREGORINI (31 years old, French) 33. Matthias SCHOBER (34 years old, German)
Defenders
2. Hans SARPEI (34 years old, Ghanaian) 4. Benedikt HÖWEDES (22 years old, German) 5. Martin AMEDICK (27 years old, German) 6. Tim HOOGLAND (24 years old, German) 14. Kyriakos PAPADOPOULOS (18 years old, Greek) 15. Nicolas PLESTAN (29 years old, French) 19. Tore REGINIUSSEN (24 years old, Norwegian) 21. Christoph METZELDER (29 years old, German) 23. Ryan BERTRAND (20 years old, English)
Midfielders
8. Anthony ANNAN (23 years old, Ghanaian) 10. Ivan RAKITIC (22 years old, Croatian) 11. Alexander BAUMJOHANN (23 years old, German) 13. Jermaine JONES (28 years old, American) 16. Ciprian DEAC (24 years old, Romanian) 17. Jefferson FARFAN (25 years old, Peruvian) 18. JURADO (24 years old, Spanish) 22. Christoph MORITZ (20 years old, German) 29. Jan MORAVEK (20 years old, Czech) 30. Levan KENIA (19 years old, Georgian) 32. Joel MATIP (18 years old, German) 36. Lewis HOLTBY (19 years old, German)
Forwards
7. RAÙL (34 years old, Spanish) 9. EDU (28 years old, Brazillian) 25. Klaas-Jan HUNTELAAR (26 years old, Dutch) 45. Marvin POURIE (19 years old, German)
Results of the SOFIA-CUP coming up before the beginning of the new Bundesliga season. The transfer window is still open and I have €8,000,000 left so if anyone has any suggestions where they think my team looks weak then I'd appreciate it
thanks guys for the comments
yeah well when I took over there was no balance in the squad at all, I had four right backs and only 3 centre backs! anyway, I'm happy with the balance of the side now and hopefully we'll kick on this season.
and yeah huntelaar was easily the best player last year, scored some incredible goals, but now he's being tapped up by loads of big clubs so holding on to him will be key. next update coming soon
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A superb performance from veteran Raul put Schalke into the final as he scored two and also set up Huntelaar for a third. Schalke were the best team throughout and will now look to win the Sofia-Cup.
Getafe 1 - 2 FC Schalke 04 Sofia-Cup Final Huntelaar (27), Metzelder (34)
Schalke came from a goal down in the final to defeat Spanish opponents Getafe, and it was really all plain-sailing. Getafe were awarded an early penalty after Jones tripped Tom, and Cata Diaz slid it home easily. But Schalke were dominant for the rest of the game and a sweet finish from Huntelaar was followed up with a brilliant header by the captain, Metzelder and Schalke sailed through the rest of the game to gain their first silverware, albeit a Friendly trophy.
FC Schalke 04 3 - 0 Union Berlin DFB-Pokal 1st Rnd Jurado (4), Plestan (pen 28), Edu (32)
Spaniard Jurado put in a man of the match performance as a second string Schalke side saw off their 2er Bundesliga opponents in style. Jurado gave the Koenigsblauen an early lead, slotting home after a brilliant Edu through-ball, and Plestan doubled that lead with a penalty, his first goal since joining from Lille last summer. Brazillian Edu is looking to get a run in the first team with Huntelaar having placed himself on the transfer list, and he did his chances no harm with a tidy finish in the 32nd minute, booking Schalke a place in the 2nd round of the DFB-Pokal.
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THE BUNDESLIGA SEASON DRAWS NEAR
The new season is drawing near and there are some mouthwatering opening matches. This Sunday, Bayern Munchen, last years runners up in the Bundesliga face Eintracht Frankfurt at the Allianz Arena before the champions Wolfsburg kick off their season on the Wednesday against Werder Bremen in what is sure to be a classic battle. Schalke get their season underway against Leverkusen on Saturday whilst newly promoted Aachen face Borussia Dortmund.
TRANSFER ROUND-UP
Mehmet Ekici ---> Bayern Muenchen ---> FC Nuernburg ----> €15,000,000
Karim Ait Fana ----> Montpellier ----> FC Bayern ----> €13,000,000
Miralem Sulejmani ----> Ajax -----> SC Freiburg ----> €7,500,000
Rene Adler ----> Leverkusen ----> FC Bayern ----> €7,250,000
Sami Khedira ----> Real Madrid ----> VFB Stuttgart -----> €2,700,000
Jurado picked up where he left off in pre-season for Schalke, earning them their first win of the season in a very hard fought game. Good defending from an all-German back four of Hoogland, Hoewedes, Amedick and Metzelder led to the victory, and Jurado headed home a Hoewedes cross to give them the win. A tough win, but a good one nonetheless for Schalke.
Kayserispor 0 - 3 FC Schalke 04 UEFA Champions League, Best-Placed Playoff, 1st Leg Matip (pen 45), Baumjohann (61), Papadopoulos (76)
Baumjohann tore Turkish side Kayserispor apart tonight as Schalke cruised into the second leg of the Champions League Best Placed Playoff, scoring one and also laying on a goal for Kyriakos Papadopoulos. Matip gave Schalke a lead just before the break, sliding home a penalty after Rakitic was brought down, and from there on it was plain sailing, Baumjohann scoring a neat second and then Papadopoulos rose high to head Schalke into a 3-0 lead going into the next round. A sterling performance from them, and they now have a lot less pressure to deal with in the 2nd Leg.
SC Freiburg 0 - 0 FC Schalke 1. Bundesliga
A dull game from both teams as Schalke failed to break down a resilient Freiburg side, who also had their own chances. Nestor Ortigeza missed a spot kick in the 14th minute, Neuer pulling out a great save, but neither team was able to make any other telling contributions and they both left with a point a piece.
FC Schalke 04 4 - 2 Kayserispor UEFA Champions League, Best Placed Play-Off, 2nd Leg Deac (3), Edu (4, 43), Moravek (11)
Schalke saw off their Turkish opponents tonight with some style. Despite playing a mostly second-string side, they dominated proceedings the entire afternoon, scoring 3 goals in the first 10 minutes. Deac scored his first of the season early on, sliding home after a good pass from Edu, before Edu then scored a minute afterwards, tucking home a Moravek through ball. Santana pulled one back for the away side with a penalty 5 minutes later, but Edu then finished them off with a superbly taken free-kick, making the score 4-1. Kayserispor scored late on in the second half but it wasn't enough, as Schalke sailed into the Group Stages.
1. FSV Mainz 05 0 - 0 FC Schalke 04 1. Bundesliga
Schalke managed a third clean sheet of the season in Mainz today, but also failed to score for the second game running against inferior opposition. Huntelaar was unable to show the predatory skills that made him the second top goalscorer in the Bundesliga last season, twice squandering good chances, and they dropped 2 valuable points here tonight.
Schalke made it as difficult as possible for themselves today but they managed a decent 2-1 victory over Hoffenheim at the Veltins-Arena. Raul capped a nice move early on in the game, heading home at the far stick from a Sarpei cross, but it turned sour from then. Christian Marrugo levelled minutes later, slamming home a blinder from 25 yards, before Edu was taken off injured. Huntelaar replaced him, but he was only the pitch a minute when Martin Amedick pulled down Ibisevic in the box. Up stepped Gylfi Siggurdsson to take the penalty, but Neuer, for the second time already this season, guessed right and parried the penalty to safety. Schalke continued to push for the winner, and in the 89th minute, Lewis Holtby swung in a corner from the right hand side, which Metzelder headed goalwards. The keeper managed to parry it but in the resulting scuffle Huntelaar slammed the ball into the gaping net to earn Schalke a very hard fought victory. 2-1 it ended, and 3 more points on the board.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW
Schalke were given a kind draw this time round, once more facing the might of AC Milan, but were also drawn with FC Kobenhavn of Denmark, and Red Bull Salzburg of Austria. By no means an easy group, but one which they should be able to navigate a way through without too much trouble.
Schalke had victory snatched from their hands against the Champions today at the Volkswagen-Arena. In a close battle, Schalke looked to have snatched victory in the 89th minute when two substitutes combined to great effect, Holtby taking on his full-back before swinging in to the back stick, where Deac had the simple task of heading into the net. Schalke sat back on their lead but in the 92nd minute, Neuer punched the bull out following a cross only for Grafite to rise up and head a looping header back over him. A sucker punch from Wolfsburg, but an entertaining game nonetheless.
FC Schalke 04 2 - 0 FC Red Bull Salzburg UEFA Champions League, Group Stage Metzelder (45+4), Reginiussen (59)
Schalke put on a superb defensive display at the Veltins-Arena, with the two centre-backs both getting on the scoresheet. Salzburg proved a tough opponent to break down until Metzelder rose highest to head home a Baumjohann corner right on half time. The new defensive pairing of Metzelder and Reginiussen was blossoming in this game, and Tore rightfully got on the scoresheet in the second half, bundling home another superb Baumjohann corner, and Schalke left with their first 3 points in the Champions League.
FC Schalke 04 3 - 0 VFB Stuttgart 1. Bundesliga Edu (8), Baumjohann (27), Rakitic (32)
In a magnificent display from the Championship hopefuls, Schalke destroyed Stuttgart. It didn't take them long to start off the rout, a renewed Edu latching onto Annan's superb pass before sliding the ball past the keeper. Baumjohann then doubled the lead, making a brilliant run which Holtby found with precision before slamming it past the onrushing keeper. And to add to a brilliant performance, Ivan Rakitic scored his first goal of the new season, making a darting run into the box before slamming it into the roof of the net. A great performance from Schalke, who have shown a new defensive solidity which was not seen last season.
Schalke continued their good league form against Freiburg today, with Huntelaar showing the kind of form that led to him being mentioned with some big money transfers last summer. However, it didn't all go to plan for die Koenigsblauen; after struggling in a tight first half, Schalke were woken up when Jonathon Jaeger smashed home a beauty from 30 yards. This seemed to bring them out of their cage and Huntelaar levelled 5 minutes later, Huntelaar stabbing home from a couple of yards following a scrambled Holtby corner. Schalke were then awarded a penalty when Lanig brought down Matip in the box, and Huntelaar dispatched it cooly, before adding a third, latching onto a goalkick to head over the onrushing Freiburg keeper. Schalke go top of the Bundesliga.
FC Bayern 1 - 0 FC Schalke 04 1. Bundesliga
Mario Gomez secured Bayern Muenchen an undeserved victory at the Allianz-Arena today, but showed the sort of clinicalness that is required of Bundesliga champions. Schalke defended well, except for a slight lapse in concentration in the 11th minute, and Gomez found enough time to slam past Neuer. Schalke probed for the rest of the game, time and time again lashing balls into the box, but couldn't find any way through. Holtby managed to get his first goal of the season, only to see it contravertially ruled out for offside.
FC Kobenhavn 1 - 0 FC Schalke 04 UEFA Champions League, Group Stage
Kobenhavn knocked Inter out of the Champions League last season, and were under-estimated by their opponents once more. They grabbed a goal in the first half from Dome N'Doye, and were then able to sit back against a surprisingly meagre Schalke side, who will now have to beat Kobenhavn at the Veltins-Arena in November.
Words from the Manager: ' I am bitterly dissapointed with the end of this month. We were superb against Munich and they showed the luck that has won them so many titles in the past. But against Kobenhavn we were simply not good enough and we will have to improve. There are positives to draw however, the performances against Stuttgart and Freiburg were superb and if we can maintain that level in the next few months, I am confident that this will be a good season for us.'
Schalke were pitiful in front of goal today, as they went down to a hard working Hamburg side. Despite creating a number of decent chances, none of the players were able to stand up and make them count, and they paid for it in the end, with van Nistelrooy's crucial 5th minute strike proving the decider.
Despite the scoreline, Schalke were pushed hard by the table proppers, Aachen but Schalke's set play prowess proved overwhelming for the newly promoted side. Hoewedes, standing in for the injured Metzelder, took to delightful headers from Farfan corners, before Reginiussen sealed the game with a header from a Farfan free-kick.Despite the positives however, Schalke were dealt a crucial triple blow, with Hoewedes, Neuer and Metzelder all picking up injuries that would rule them out of the rest of the month's matches.
AC Milan 3 - 1 FC Schalke 04 UEFA Champions League Group Stage Farfan (12)
Schalke looked set to cause a shock when they scored early in the first half, only to let themselves down defensively. The new partnership of Papadopoulos and Amedick suffered from the creativity of Milan's strike partnership, Robinho and Pato. They were torn apart on a number of occasions and it took a matter of minutes to find a way through, Flamini rising above Bertrand to head home. Robinho doubled the scoreline before halftime, and then Thiago Silva slammed past Gregorini in the 51st minute for a resounding victory. In the second round of matches, Schalke have a lot to prove.
FC Schalke 04 1 - 1 FC Koeln 1. Bundesliga Reginiussen (45+4)
In a tough game for the home side who had picked up a number of crucial injuries this month, they squandered a decent 3 points in the 75th minute, with Bertrand the left back once again to blame. Tore Reginiussen, covering for the injured Metzelder and Hoewedes, towered high to head Schalke ahead before half time, but Freis was left a huge space in which to run to by the overwhelmed Ryan Bertrand and he slammed home to deny Schalke the win. A case of 2 points dropped.
Schalke's young stars put on a superb display this evening as Schalke powered their way into the next round of the DFB-Pokal. Levan Kenia opened his account for the season early on, finding space outside the box before slamming into the corner of the net. Despite their attacking prowess, however, they were once again caught wanting at the back, and Leverkusen struck back almost instantly. Schalke were not to be thwarted though, and a great one to with Moravek left Holtby with only the keeper to beat and he did it with aplomb, his first goal for the club. With 10 minutes to go, Derdiyok found the gap in the defense, slotting the ball behind the bewildered Bertrand to Schwaab who cooly found the back of the net. The game went into extra time, and despite pressure from Leverkusen, Schalke had the finesse to win the game, Annan sending a delightful ball through the defense to Huntelaar who rounded the keeper before sending the ball home, to the delight of the 3,000 travelling Schalke fans. Leverkusen replied instantly with a goal of their own, Helmes smashing it past Gregorini, only for the flag to be raised. Schalke through to the next round; could this be their year?
Schalke were outplayed by a classy Dortmund side at the Signal Iduna Park this evening. It took them just a minute to get underway, Zidan finding the gap in the defence before slotting past a helpless Gregorini. Dimitar Rangelov blasted two clinical efforts home in the second half to add to Schalke's woes. How they are missing the composure of Hoewedes, Neuer and Metzelder. Huntelaar grabbed a consolation late on, tapping home a nice Farfan cross, but it wasn't enough and Schalke suffered another set-back to their title ambitions.
The Manager's Thoughts "Overall, I'm dissapointed with October. We suffered from the repercussions of that 3-0 victory over Aachen, the loss of key defensive players, and that was evident in some of the slack defending against Milan, Dortmund and Koeln. I put faith in the back-up players I had, but a number of them are young and showed their inexperience against more match-hardened opposition. With Benedikt, Christoph and Manuel back next month, I'm hoping for many more positives in November."
FC Schalke 04 3 - 3 AC Milan UEFA Champions League Group Stage Rakitic (11, 34), Metzelder (23)
Schalke will be dissapointed to have only got a draw after squandering a 3-0 lead against AC Milan. Despite dominating much of the first half possession, AC Milan were caught twice on the break with Rakitic proving his worth to the side with two magnificent goals, and Metzelder leatched on to a corner to make it 3. But Milan replied in the second half with two back-to-back goals in the 60th and 62nd minutes, before leaving it late to break Schalke hearts, Pato slamming home in the 2nd minute of added time. Schalke only need a win against Salzburg to progress to the Knockouts.
The pressure is mounting on manager Sam Illyroy after another dire league performance against struggling Monchengladbach. Borussia had the most of possession and Marco Reus capitalised on lapse defending to give them the lead in the 34th minute. Schalke improved after the break and won a penalty but never really looked like they would go on to win the game.
Eintracht Frankfurt 2 - 2 FC Schalke 04 1. Bundesliga Metzelder (80), Edu (88)
Schalke completed a remarkable, albeit undeserved comeback against the table toppers Frankfurt today. Caio and Amanatidis gave Frankfurt a deserved two goal lead, with them having the majority of the possession. But a goal by Metzelder in the second half gave Schalke hope and Edu only needed one chance to tuck away after a great Holtby through ball. The substitute has now scored 6 goals this season and is level with last season's ace - and this season's dissapointment - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
FC Schalke 04 0 - 0 Hertha BSC 1. Bundesliga
As far as entertainment is concerned, it doesn't get much worse than this game. Cancelled out from start to finish, neither side made any clear-cut chances and as such, neither went on to win the game. A third draw in a row for Schalke who are slowly falling down the table.
HOOGLAND MOVED TO SCHALKE II
Schalke today have made it public that Tim Hoogland, who started the season as number 1 in the right back position, has been moved to Schalke's second string side, Schalke II. Tim made a public announcement earlier this month of his lack of confidence in the manager and as such has been removed from the first team. More news to follow..
SCHALKE ANNOUNCE DOUBLE TRANSFER SWOOP
Schalke unveiled two new players this month, who will be joining in January. With Tim Hoogland no longer being a part of the first team after publicly announcing his lack of confidence in the manager, Kevin Theophile-Catherine joins from Stade Rennais FC. A bright young full back, he can play at both left and right back, and is tipped for a bright future. Gremio youngster Gerson, also joins for a fee of €2,800,000 and will be put into the youth set up. At just 17 he is tipped for a huge future, but is not considered for the first team at the current time.
MANAGERS THOUGHTS
"It's been another tough month. I believed that with our key players back we could push on and regain the form of the last campaign. Unfortunately that hasn't happened and it looks like I may have to think about a change of tactic instead for the rest of the season."
Schalke were punished by Werder Bremen today, with Mertesacker gaining a brace due to poor set piece organisation. The German international rose high twice to give Bremen a 2 goal lead, before Kenia brought Schalke back into the game with a nicely worked set piece. Holtby played the corner to just outside the box where Kenia took a touch before smashing it home. Unfortunately Frings snuffed out any chance of a comeback with an absolute screamer from 30 yards, slamming it in off the crossbar.
FC Schalke 04 2 - 2 FC Kobenhavn UEFA Champions League Group Stage Wendt o.g. (29), Jurado (64)
Jurado marked his return to fitness with an absolute screamer to save Schalke from embarresment and send them through to the last 16. Kobenhavn twice took the lead only to be pegged back by a resilient Schalke, who despite their domestic problems, have performed well enough in the Champions League to go through.
Schalke finally made the most of their chances against struggling Hannover to seal what was in all honesty a comfortable victory. Schalke took a 3-0 lead, before being pegged back to 3-2. They looked like they were going to drop the 3 points as they had done against Milan, but they held on and Farfan scored a superb stoppage time winner to give Schalke a welcome 3 points.
FC Augsburg 1 - 1 FC Schalke 04 1. Bundesliga Farfan (80)
Jefferson Farfan saved Schalke from what could have been a fatal defeat for the manager. Augsburg haven't won at home all season, but that looked like changing when Cleyton scored a wonderful 25 yard free-kick after 20 minutes. But with Farfan pushed up front in the second half, Schalke progressed and he managed to slam home the winner with 10 minutes remaining. They continued to pressure for the winner, but this wasn't their day. Schalke go into the winter break in a dissapointing 12th position.
FC SCHALKE 04 TO PLAY LIVERPOOL IN THE FIRST KNOCKOUT ROUND OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE V
The Champions League 1st Knockout Round draw was made to day in Geneva, and FC Schalke 04 were drawn against the might of English opponents Liverpool in what should be a mouthwatering tie. The rest of the draw is as follows:
Fiorentina vs. Arsenal Porto vs. Real Madrid Olympique Marseille vs. Roma Atletico Madrid vs. Tottenham FC Bayern vs. AC Milan Barcelona vs. Manchester United Galatasaray vs. Juventus
MANAGER'S THOUGHTS "Another tough month for us. Some of the players have outright spoken against my management styles and I won't be having that, so expect a few changes over the winter months. We seemed to perform better with two strikers though, and that is definitely something I will be looking into when dipping into the market."
cheers Iaq glad you'll be following, are you german..?
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JANUARY 2011
FC SCHALKE 04 MAKE MOVES IN THE TRANSFER MARKET
Schalke have spent big in bringing in two new faces at the club, in order to stabilise a stumbling campaign. Powerhouse Grafite joins for €1,400,000 from rivals Wolfburg to partner Huntelaar in a new diamond formation, whilst dutch wonderkid Georginio Wijnaldum joins for an initial fee of €7,400,000, possibly rising to €13,000,000. Time will tell how these new transfers settle at Schalke.
Squad List January 2011
Goalkeepers
1. Manuel NEUER (24 years old, German) 24. Damien GREGORINI (31 years old, French) 33. Mathias SCHOBER (34 years old, German)
Defenders
2. Hans SARPEI(34 years old, Ghanaian) 4. Benedikt HOEWEDES (22 years old, German) 5. Martin AMEDICK (28 years old, German) 14. Kyriakos PAPADOPOULOS (18 years old, Greek) 21. Christoph METZELDER (30 years old, German) 23. Ryan BERTRAND (21 years old, English) 31. Kevin THEOPHILE-CATHERINE (21 years old, French)
Midfielders
8. Anthony ANNAN (24 years old, Ghanaian) 10. Ivan RAKITIC (22 years old, Croatian) 11. Alexander BAUMJOHANN (24 years old, German) 12. Levan KENIA (20 years old, Georgian) 16. Ciprian DEAC (24 years old, Romanian) 17. Jefferson FARFAN (26 years old, Peruvian) 18. JURADO (24 years old, Spanish) 19. Georginio WIJNALDUM (20 years old, Dutch) 29. Jan MORAVEK (21 years old, Croatian) 32. Joel MATIP (19 years old, German) 36. Lewis HOLTBY (20 years old, German)
Strikers
7. RAUL (34 years old, Spanish) 9. EDU (29 years old, Brazilian) 13. GRAFITE (31 years old, Brazilian) 25. Klaas-Jan HUNTELAAR (27 years old, Dutch)
Crisis talks are being held at Schalke after another truly dissapointing defeat against struggling opposition. Huntelaar managed to give Schalke hope after a double from Derdiyok but Renato Augusto ended the match as competition when he tucked home just after the hour mark.
Freiburg have been impressive in the BUndesliga this season but they were thoroughly outplayed this afternoon at the Veltins-Arena. They did however, give it a game and despite gaining themselves a 2 goal cushion, Schalke still managed to throw it away, with Jonathon Jaeger scoring a simple finish before Lanig danced his way through the entire Schalke defence before passing past a helpless Neuer. Huntelaar gave Schalke a deserved win in the end but it was another close shave.
Schalke earned their win today but again it was tightly run. Huntelaar finished clinically for his 4th in 3 games, a very positive sign for Schalke fans, before Peter Siliskovic headed home a corner to make it 1-1. Jefferson Farfan is in a good vein of form at the moment though and when Holtby played him in behind the back line he had no problems dispatching the ball past the bewiledered Mainzer goalkeeper. Metzelder also had the chance to make it 3-1 from the spot, but his penalty was saved and it ended 2-1.
An encouraging performance away from home for Schalke who dominated and made the best chances. They were slack at the back again however, and only just escaped with a win. Debutants Wijnaldum and Grafite impressed, the prior playing a wonderful ball into Huntelaar to slam home after just 6 minutes, before Grafite played a nice one-to with Huntelaar to double the advantage. That lead was cancelled in the space of ten minutes however, when Demba Ba headed in a corner, and then Hoewedes left Neykhaychik unmarked and he collected a through ball to slam home an equaliser. Hoffenheim even had a goal disallowed before 21 year old Chelsea loanee Ryan Bertrand stood up to take a free-kick 25 yards from goal, and he slammed it into the far corner of the net. A great victory for Schalke who can be encouraged by the momentum of January.
SCHALKE GIVEN KIND DFB-POKAL DRAW
V
Schalke missed out on playing either Eintracht Frankfurt or Bayern Muenchen and will instead play Borussia Gladbach at Borussia-Park next month. It should be an exciting contest with a semi-final place at stake.
Manager's Thoughts "It was a tough month but I finally feel that we're making steps in the right directions. The defence is still looking pretty slack at times, but a lot of these players are new faces and I think it will take time for them to gel. The front line looks as formidable as any in this league and I believe we can push on from here, and maybe get some silverware in regards to the DFB-Pokal!"
