by Christian Grieb
The Royal Blues of Gelsenkirchen are busily getting ready to kick off another season of Bundesliga action, and yet again the club has undergone plenty of changes in the off-season. Consistency has been lacking over recent years in both the trainer position and the squad composition at the club. This year will be no exception to the rule, as Schalke have once again had a change at the helm and in the locker room.
New Trainer
Markus Weinzierl appointed new manager
Schalke have gone back to the drawing board in appointing new manager Markus Weinzierl. Weinzierl joins the Royal Blues from his previous club FC Augsburg, where he took the small club to astounding heights. He’s hoping to bring consistency back to Schalke and establish the once consistent club back to the top of the German “Oberhaus.” Weinzierl is known for being a manager with great tactical ability, and also seems to get a lot out of his players for what he is given.
Schalke have been on a bit of shaky ground over the last few years financially, and will be looking for a trainer to get the most out of their highly successful youth academy products. Schalke have quality in the squad, and should likely finish in the Top 5 this year. Weinzierl is looking to establish the club consistently back into Champions League football, but the highly competitive Bundesliga will offer a big challenge for the coach. Expectations are also extremely high at Schalke, and he will have big shoes to fill heading into the 16/17 version of the Bundesliga. All eyes will be on Weinzierl to see if he can make the transition to a bigger club and deal with the expectations that exist along with it.
New Squad
Schalke will be without the services of their most recent academy product Leory Sane. Sane has left for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola this summer, and Schalke will need to adjust without his services. Schalke have replaced Sane with Breel Embolo from FC Basel for a cool 22,5 million Euro. Embolo will have big expectations on him from day one, as the transfer fee is quite high for a striker that has a lot to prove in a big league.
Breel Embolo joins Schalke from FC Basel
Schalke have also added the unique Brazilian defender Naldo from Wolfsburg to help bolster the back. Naldo is aging and could be a liability for the club, but Schalke is hoping that his experience in the Bundesliga will help give them the boost they need on the defensive side of the ball.
Brazillian Defender Naldo
Schalke are also hoping for a big season from rising star Max Meyer. With both Draxler and Sane out of his way, Meyer will likely feature in most games for Schalke. He’s currently away from the team representing Germany in the Olympic Games, but expectations will be high that Meyer can fill the shoes of the two attacking mids that preceded him. Meyer certainly has the potential, and this year could be a make or break year for him to bust out on the big stage.
Schalke will be looking to establish themselves again as a Perennial challenger at the top, but there are many obstacles that stand in the way of success. Weinzierl should be a breath of fresh air for Schalke, who have lacked proper tactics in many of the big games the last few seasons. If Weinzierl can handle the expectations well, he could be at the helm of Schalke for years to come. This year has a lot of interesting challenges again for the Royal Blues, and fans will certainly be expecting the team to make a push into the Top 5.
