Schalke on a down ahead of big game
Jefferson Farfan (r.) and co. were after their eighth win of the season when they entertained Hoffenheim
- It didn't pan out that way though, as an early goal from Isaac Vorsah (m.) put 1899 in front...
...and proved to be enough for the visitors to take all three points...
...leaving Schalke coach Felix Magath searching for an explanation for his team's poor showing
Gelsenkirchen - Schalke 04 will go into Friday's big Ruhr derby knowing they need a vast improvement on the form they showed in the 1-0 weekend home loss to 1899 Hoffenheim if they are to come away with anything from Dortmund.[12bet.com]
Not since BVB beat them 3-1 four months ago has a visiting team been so dominant at the Veltins Arena. Hoffenheim's cause was greatly assisted though by the home team's uncertainty and passivity.[12bet.com]
Poor all-round performance[12bet.com]
The guests from the south west, who also had the edge in terms of legwork and tackling, took advantage of one of the numerous chances arising in part from Schalke's return to the kind of shaky defending that marked their game for so much of the first season-half. Indeed, it was only some slack Hoffenheim finishing that to some extent spared the Royal Blues' blushes.
At the other end of the park, the combined presence of Raul and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar produced precisely one effort on goal over the entire 90 minutes. "We weren't able to seriously threaten Hoffenheim", coach Felix Magth admitted after the match.
No settled formation[12bet.com]
Not that the blame for that can be pinned solely on the big nams up front. Schalke's attacking game as a whole was ineffective, with the midfield failing to provide any kind of adequate forward momentum. Ciprian Deac made a rare starting appearance against Hoffenhem, but the Romanian international made little impact,as designated playmaker Jose Manuel Jurado sat it out on the bench. Neither Peer Kluge nor Christoph Moritz meanwhile are in any case generally selected first and foremost for their creative prowess.
The departure of Ivan Rakitic for FC Sevilla leaves the Gelsenkirchen outfit even more thinly stretched in that department. All-in-all it remains to be seen whether the recent comings and goings will be a force for good or ill. Alongside Rakitic, Erik Jendrisek, Jermaine Jones and Besart Ibraimi have all taken their leave, with Danilo Avelar, Anthony Annan, Angelos Charisteas and Ali Karimi new on the scene.
Search for consistency[12bet.com]
Goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer makes no bones about the lack of continuity in the team being a contributing factor to the current malaise, on and off the pitch, acknowledging that, "There is a connection between these things." But the search for consistency goes on, with the new signings also in the mix now. Ali Karimi is a potential candidate to plug the creative gap in midfield, according to Magath, who says, "We're having problems at the moment linking the midfield with the attack. Karimi is a very good footballer who should be able to help us in that regard."
The Iranian international could even get a first chance to show what he can do in the red-hot atmosphere of the Signal Iduna park against perennial rivals Dortmund on Friday. Magath himself seems to be somewhat short of alternative plans at the moment for ways of bringing his side's fluctuating form under control. In a straightforward admission after the defeat against Hoffenheim he said simply, "I don't have any explanation for that performance!"[12bet.com]
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