Schalke 04 beat the U19s of 1. FC Köln 2:1. Taylan Bulut also played his part. This is how his coach Norbert Elgert assesses the situation surrounding the talent.

The U19s of FC Schalke 04 defeated 1. FC Köln 2:1. In the 2nd half, it was above all the very well harmonizing defence that guaranteed the victory.

In the final phase of the match, FC Köln hardly had any notable scoring opportunities. “The second half was absolutely fine,” said Schalke coach Norbert Elgert after the game. “The tandem on the left with Becker and Karaca was very strong in the second half. But the central defenders were also good. The whole back four stood up well.” His players showed mental strength in the second 45 minutes.

However, he was not so happy with the first half, despite the 1:0 lead. “The first half didn’t reflect at all what we can do, what we had set out to do and what we showed in preparation,” said the 67-year-old.

However, his team also had a lot to take. First, Zaid Amaussau-Tchibara, who scored the 1:0, had to be substituted after being hit in a tackle, followed shortly afterwards by Philipp Buczkowski due to a muscle injury. Edion Gashi was also forced off at half-time with an ankle injury, which he sustained after half an hour.

So it’s a good thing that Schalke’s gem Taylan Bulut is slowly getting back into the swing of things. The U17 European champion had missed the U17 World Cup after his long injury, which had kept him out of action for three months at the start of the season.

Against 1. FC Köln, the talent – like the team – improved in the second half. He stood well, defended cleanly and also impressed with two or three well-initiated moves in attack. However, his coach expects even more from him. “Taylan still has huge deficits. He’s still missing an incredible number of sessions due to injuries and operations,” said Elgert. “He needs a few games over 90 minutes now. It’s good that he held out against Cologne.”

For Bulut, whose development has always been somewhat delayed compared to that of Assan Ouedraogo, playing in the second division team this season definitely seems to be too early. The 17-year-old will initially continue to be carefully developed