Dominick Drexler is currently not getting a look-in at FC Schalke 04. Ahead of the game against Wiesbaden, coach Karel Geraerts criticized the veteran.
When Dominick Drexler prematurely extended his contract in November, Karel Geraerts was also pleased. The 33-year-old has a “unique profile” in the squad, emphasized the FC Schalke 04 coach. “I like him as a person and a player.”
But Drexler’s qualities are not currently in demand on the pitch. His last appearance to date dates back to November and had a bitter ending. In the away game at Fortuna Düsseldorf, the Royal Blues were already 3-0 down after a good half an hour when the midfielder had to be substituted injured. The diagnosis was a torn muscle fiber, and Drexler was out for the rest of the first half of the season – but he still hasn’t been on the pitch for a second since the turn of the year, even though he is long since fit again. He remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes in all four second-division games.
Schalke: Geraerts makes it clear to Drexler
Will that change in the home game against Wehen Wiesbaden on Saturday (1 p.m./Sky)? Probably not, because in the run-up to the game, Geraerts criticized his veteran with surprisingly strong words. “I can be very open,” the Belgian coach said in response to a question about not considering Drexler, and elaborated: “He’s not giving me what I want. My decisions are based on my impressions from training. As soon as he convinces me there, I won’t doubt for a second.”
A clear message to Drexler, whose return to the team has long been demanded by fans. The reason why is obvious: the Bonn native has more than a decade of experience in professional soccer. He knows how relegation battles work, identifies with the club and could revive the recently sluggish offense with his qualities as a playmaker. He is also considered a prime example of the type of player Schalke is currently lacking: a “dirty bag” – someone who goes where it can hurt, where it gets uncomfortable.
Above all, however, Drexler is one of the leading players in the Schalke squad. He enjoys a high status within the team and, along with captain Simon Terodde, Marcin Kaminski, Ralf Fährmann, Henning Matriciani and Michael Langer, is part of the team council. His colleagues from this committee are currently struggling for form (Terodde, Kaminski, Matriciani) or are sitting on the bench (Fährmann, Langer).
A clearly recognizable hierarchy in the game was also missing for Schalke in the disappointing 0-1 defeat at Holstein Kiel. “I didn’t get the impression that everyone understood what was at stake,” says Geraerts. And so, at first glance, bringing Drexler on would be an appropriate measure in the current situation. Especially since the pressure in the relegation battle has increased again significantly ahead of the home game against direct rivals Wiesbaden. “It’s always important to have leaders on the pitch,” says Geraerts.
But before Drexler is an option again, his coach expects an improvement. The 42-year-old did not want to discuss in detail at the matchday press conference what Geraerts’ criticism of the playmaker is based on. However, after a detailed discussion at the training camp in Portugal before the start of the second half of the season, Drexler knows exactly “what I expect from him,” Geraerts continued. And Drexler has apparently not done that to his coach’s satisfaction so far.
The fact that the S04 professional criticized his coach for his tactical approach in front of the entire team at a meeting after the Fortuna game – he apologized for it the next day – is no reason for him to be dropped. Geraerts made that clear when asked. In any case, Drexler still played an important role in the early days of the coach’s tenure. The former Cologne player, who wants to enter the coaching business himself after his active career and has already acquired the B+ license, started in four of the first five games after the coaching change. Then came the injury against Düsseldorf – and since then Drexler has been left out.
In the midfield diamond, Kenan Karaman or Darko Churlinov were recently given preference behind the strikers. On the half-back positions, Geraerts preferred to rely on players like Blendi Idrizi, Paul Seguin or Tobias Mohr. After the adjustment of the playing system to a 4-2-2-2 in Kiel, there was also no place for Drexler. For the time being, nothing seems to be changing.