Dominick Drexler is currently not getting his chance at FC Schalke 04. Before the game against Wiesbaden, coach Karel Geraerts criticized the veteran.
When Dominick Drexler extended his contract early in November, Karel Geraerts was also delighted. The 33-year-old brings a “unique profile” to the squad, emphasized the FC Schalke 04 coach. “I like him as a person and a player.”
However, Drexler’s qualities on the pitch are not currently in demand. His last appearance to date dates back to November and came to a bitter end. In the away game at Fortuna Düsseldorf, the Royal Blues were 3-0 down after just over half an hour when the midfielder had to be substituted due to injury. Drexler was diagnosed with a torn muscle fiber and was ruled out for the rest of the first half of the season – but even after the turn of the year, he hadn’t been on the pitch for a second, even though he has long been fit again. He remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes in all four second division matches.
Schalke: Clear message from Geraerts to Drexler
Will that change in the home game against Wehen Wiesbaden on Saturday (1pm/Sky)? Probably not, as Geraerts criticized his veteran with surprisingly clear words in the run-up to the game. “I can be very open,” the Belgian coach began his response to a question about Drexler not being considered, adding: “He doesn’t give me what I want. My decisions are based on my impressions from training. As soon as he convinces me there, I don’t doubt for a second.”
A clear message to Drexler, whose return to the team has long been demanded in fan circles. It’s obvious why: The Bonn-born player can look back on more than a decade of experience in professional soccer. He knows how relegation battles work, identifies with the club and could revitalize the recently sluggish offense with his qualities as a playmaker. He is also a prime example of the type of player that Schalke are currently lacking: a “dirtbag” – someone who goes where it hurts, where it gets uncomfortable.
Above all, however, Drexler is one of the leaders in the Schalke squad. He enjoys a high status within the team and is part of the team council alongside captain Simon Terodde, Marcin Kaminski, Ralf Fährmann, Henning Matriciani and Michael Langer. His colleagues from this committee are currently looking for form (Terodde, Kaminski, Matriciani) or are sitting on the bench (Fährmann, Langer).
Schalke also lacked a clearly recognizable hierarchy in the game during the disappointing 0:1 at Holstein Kiel. “I didn’t get the impression that everyone understood what was at stake,” said Geraerts. And so, at first glance, Drexler’s inclusion would be a suitable measure in the current situation. Especially as the pressure in the relegation battle has increased again ahead of the home game against direct rivals Wiesbaden. “It’s always important to have leaders on the pitch,” Geraerts also believes.
But before Drexler is an option again, his coach expects an improvement. The 42-year-old did not want to go into detail about the basis of Geraerts’ criticism of the playmaker at the matchday press conference. However, Geraerts went on to say that Drexler knows “what I expect from him” after a detailed discussion at the training camp in Portugal before the start of the second half of the season. And so far, Drexler has clearly not done this to the satisfaction of his coach.
The fact that the S04 professional criticized his coach for his tactical approach in a meeting after the Fortuna game in the presence of the entire team – he apologized for this the next day – was not a reason for his dismissal. Geraerts clarified this when asked. In any case, Drexler still played an important role in the coach’s early days. The former Cologne player, who wants to enter the coaching business himself after his active career and has already acquired the B+ license, was in the starting eleven in four of the first five games after the coaching change. Then came the injury against Düsseldorf – and Drexler has been sidelined ever since.
In the midfield, Kenan Karaman and Darko Churlinov have recently been given preference behind the strikers. In the half-back positions, Geraerts preferred to rely on players such as Blendi Idrizi, Paul Seguin or Tobias Mohr. After adapting the playing system to a 4-2-2-2 in Kiel, there was also no room for Drexler. That doesn’t seem to be changing for the time being