Salah's anniversary - and a Schalke goalkeeper change

Bundesliga

Liveticker | Schedule | table

1. Nübel is Schalke's future - and it starts now

Schalke goalkeeper Alexander Nübel was satisfied on Wednesday evening. For a good reason: in his first Champions League match, he had held at Galatasaray Istanbul zero. "In one of the loudest stadiums in Europe", as the 22-year-old said after the game, Nübel kept his nerves. He also cleared his head once and especially convinced with his foot.

DPA

Alexander Nübel (gray jersey)

Nübel makes the Schalke game structure variable with its footballing qualities. He can with pressure hold the ball possession with a short pass. That colored on the entire Schalke defense. Schalke played more controlled in the structure, beat less often long balls from their own game third. Due to the short passes in their own half, the Istanbul defense chain was lured out. From the midfield Schalke could play so balls behind the chain of Galatasaray.

Incidentally, I did not really miss Ferryman today. This speaks for the performance of Nübel. Emits security and self-confidence. Can start with the ball, whether right or left foot.

Of course, this is not exclusively the goalkeeper. Nevertheless: The footballing weaker Ralf Faehrmann, 30, plays for comparison just those long balls that regularly plunged the Schalke game at the beginning of the season to ruin. The fact that Nübel got his chance now could be at the expense of the injured Schalke captain. Because with Nübel coach Domenico Tedesco has one of the most talented goalkeeper in Germany in the squad, who can help shape the game from behind - and keeps his nerves, as the game against Galatasaray has proven. At the latest since the demotion of Benedikt Höwedes nobody is untouchable on Schalke, not even ferryman. The future belongs to Nübel.

2. The return of the wrong nine

Mario Götze is one of the most talented football players in this country. Only the achievements of the 26-year-old left much to be desired in the past months and years. Götze had many coaches who allowed him to play in many different positions. Lucien Favre put Goetze against Atlético after years back where he celebrated his biggest success in 2014 with the World Cup: in the storm.

photo gallery

7 pictures

The "wrong nine" disintegrated after 2014 to the sports journalistic Unwort. Götze showed against Atlético that this variant is a real alternative for BVB. Through him in the top the Dortmund game became variable. Sometimes Götze put himself between the two center-backs of Atlético, sometimes he left Marco Storm the center of the storm and dodged on the outside, then he dropped, took the balls from the midfield. Götze initiated the 3: 0 by Jadon Sancho with an outside pass. Gotz's all-and-nothing performance tore the gaps in Atlético's world-class defense.

Favre knows what he has on Gotze. And Favre now knows how important he can be in big games for Dortmund. The wrong nine is back - Mario Götze is back.

3. With an anniversary from the crisis

Mohamed "Mo" Salah is back. Against Red Star Belgrade, the Egyptian striker scored 49 and 50 in his 65th for Liverpool.

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/YS1Cuq6E0y

After his injury in the Champions League final, he had struck the world championship and started slowly in this season. Many observers saw him already trimmed to normal. Until last week Salah had scored only three goals in the league, none in the premier class. Salah lagged behind expectations driven by his previous top performances.

But now the turnaround seems to be coming. This week he improved his record by three more hits: Salah saw in Huddersfield worth seeing after a quick right-angle advance from the right corner of the day, a 2-0 win over Belgrade followed by a double. Even if one of the two goals was a penalty, the determination and certainty with which he transformed underscores our thesis. In the meantime 2: 0 Salah kept calm and overcame the goalkeeper in direct duel.