Behind The Wall: Schalke's Stakedroppers

fanOfBayern

Just when some thought it was safe to discount Big Bad Bayern’s title chances, VfB Stuttgart, Schalke 04, and Werder Bremen all did their level best to haul the champions back into contention for this season’s Bundesliga crown.

In perhaps the most significant weekend of the season to date, VfB Stuttgart kicked things off with a negligent scoreless draw at home to Hertha BSC on Friday. Given the chance to narrow the gap to Schalke to two points, the Swabians abdicated the impetus and gave the Gelsenkirchen club the breathing space that many feel they will need if they are to conquer their twin demons of hunger and expectation.

On Saturday, Bayern overcame a poor Wolfsburg side in Munich to move a distant nine points behind Schalke. At the time, few thought the result particularly significant as Bremen and Schalke had still to play 24 hours later.

However, Schalke’s remarkable loss to Bayer Leverkusen and Bremen’s late cave-in at Mönchengladbach had some observers wondering if even the chaotic Bavarians could yet mount a late charge with everybody else apparently bottling their chances.

A goal five minutes from time by Stefan Kießling was enough to sink Schalke in front of their own fans. Lincoln then got himself sent-off for a silly incident involving Bernd Schneider as Blues fans vented their frustration at three crucial dropped points.

However, their ire was somewhat ameliorated with the dramatic late Nando Rafael goal in Mönchengladbach – a strike that denied Bremen two vital points of their own. Twice ahead, Bremen squandered their advantage and find themselves six points adrift instead of four. Given the 11 goals conceded in their last five matches, serious doubts are now being expressed about Thomas Schaaf’s men. Moreover, Schaaf’s own tactical competence is being questioned. For all the swashbuckling exuberance of his team’s attack, Schaaf seems incapable of marshalling a defence worthy of the name. With Miroslav Klose enduring an amazing 900-minute drought and Ivan Klasnic pre-occupied with health issues, even the forward line is out of gas.

All of which leaves one wondering if trusty old Bayern will yet pull through and steal the title from their reluctant rivals. Certainly, Schalke’s 50-year wait for the German crown is a likely factor in that club’s chances. A huge fan base starved of success can be both a spur and a bridle. Coach Mirko Slomka may need to discipline his team’s attacking interests as the season reaches its conclusion. "When you're chasing a target like that you dispense with the holding midfielder and open up, which makes you more susceptible to counterattacks", he said in the wake of the Kießling concession. To some, it smacked of naivety.

That’s something nobody would accuse the wily old Ottmar Hitzfeld or his Bayern players of. As pedestrian as the champions have been this season, there is still some life in the old dog yet. Their rivals will need moral fortification if they are not to drop their crucifixes before driving a final stake through the Bavarian heart. Anything else could see a remarkable return from the undead.

fanOfBayern

Schalke 04's Brazilian playmaker Lincoln has been banned for five matches after he was sent off on Sunday for striking Bayer Leverkusen's Bernd Schneider in the face.

Referee Manuel Graefe showed Lincoln a straight red card after the incident, which took place following the final whistle in the Bundesliga leaders' 1-0 home defeat.

Lincoln will miss some key matches as Schalke seek to clinch their first Bundesliga title, including games against second-placed VfB Stuttgart and champions Bayern Munich who are currently in fourth.

Schalke will not appeal against the ban.

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Very Happy

MUTU

Good news for us that Lincoln will be suspended Wink

fanOfBayern

Watch the above image carefully...what happened to Kahn there?.... Rolling Eyes