Schalke 04 has beaten 1. FC Köln’s U19 2-1. Taylan Bulut also played a part in this. This is how his coach Norbert Elgert assesses the situation around the talent.

The Schalke 04 U19 team has beaten 1. FC Cologne 2:1. In the second half, it was above all the well-coordinated defense that ensured the victory.

Cologne hardly had any noteworthy scoring opportunities in the final phase of the game. “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 center backs were good too. The entire back four was solid.” His players showed mental strength in the second 45 minutes.

However, he was not so pleased with the first half, despite the 1-0 lead. “The first half did not reflect at all what we are capable of, what we had set out to achieve and what we had shown in the preparation,” said the 67-year-old.

However, his team also had to take a lot. First, the scorer of the 1-0, Zaid Amaussau-Tchibara, had to be substituted after a blow in a tackle, then a little later Philipp Buczkowski due to a muscle injury. At half-time, Edion Gashi also had to go off with an ankle injury that he had sustained after half an hour.

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 a long injury that kept him out for three months at the beginning of the season.

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

For Bulut, whose development has always lagged slightly behind that of Assan Ouedraogo, a call-up to the second-team this season seems to be definitely too early. The 17-year-old is to be carefully developed further.