Bayern under Guardiola have been unstoppable so far but they face perhaps their toughest test so far, maybe even tougher than Dortmund. They travel to Borussia park to play Gladbach. Before the winter break Gladbach where very much in form having climbed into third. More so they are actually unbeaten at home this season, them and Bayern boasting the only unbeaten home records in the league. Bayern are unbeaten both at home and on the road so on Friday night something has to give as the pair clash.
Two underperforming sides this season, Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke will be hoping for a better second half to the season. Dortmund have been plagued by injuries this season, key midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has not even kicked a ball this campaign and Schalke find themselves as low as seventh in serious danger of losing out on a Champions League spot for next season.
Off the field but, they are two sides perhaps heading in opposite directions. Dortmund having just lost their best player 8 months ago are now facing the prospect of losing their next best player to the same rivals, this time for free. Schalke however have added Bayern defender Jan Kirchoff to boost their ranks and in the summer Sidnei Sam will join from Leverkusen. Add that to the speculation that Lewis Holtby could be set for a Vetlins return and Schalke are in a very strong position. They face Hamburg this weekend, the first time the sides met this season was on the opening day and they shared the points in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Klass-Jan Huntelaar netting twice on that occasion.
Huntelaar has only played twice in the Bundesliga this season, a knee problem which required surgery has kept him out since August. The news for the Gelsenkirchen based side is very positive and he could even make his return against Hamburg this weekend. Huntelaar is a player who devides opinion. Some look at his work rate and feel it is below par, for a tall player he is not particularly renowned for holding the ball up particularly well but there can be no question when he is fit, he is potentially one of the best natural finishers in Europe.
The passes to Huntelaar from his team mates are genuinely direct. Long high balls or else low through balls to feet are his speciality, preferring the ball to feet rather than into the channels or space. One thing that cannot be denied about Huntelaar however is that he is extremely clinical. Against Hamburg on the opening day he took 3 shots to score his 2 goals. His other shot was blocked.
This means that the Hamburg goalkeeper had nothing to do against Huntelaar for 90 mins except pick the ball out of his net twice.
In his best season for Schalke, Huntellar netted 29 times in 32 games in the Bundesliga. He was also the top scorer in Euro 2012 qualifying but was second choice come the tournament, a move which angered the Dutch public. In the season for Schalke he was on fire, his shots per goal rate was exactly 3. To put that into perspective, at the moment Suarez is averaging 5.6 shots per goal, Lionel Messi 4.8 and the recent Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is averaging 7.9.
With the World Cup coming this summer and Schalke's drive for a Champions League spot, this second half of the season will be very important for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, and the stats do not lie. When he is fit and in form, he is the most lethal finisher in the world, the challenge now for him and his club, is getting him back to full fitness and form. Quick.
No comments:
Post a Comment