Team Focus: Schalke's Counter-Attacking Game

What with football being a winter sport, it is hardly reasonable to place any blame on a poor run through the coldest months of the year on the weather. Nor, in a league from which a month's winter break is taken, can it be put down to tiring legs and fatigue. Whilst an explanation might be hard to find, they still happen, and Schalke's run of just 1 win from 13 competitive games between the end of November and mid-February - intersected by the replacement of Huub Stevens with Jens Keller at the helm - looked set to derail their season. 

What exactly caused the downturn in form in the first place is difficult to place a finger on, but it seemed to coincide fairly well with star striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's goals drying up and Ibrahim Afellay's absence through injury. Goals became increasingly hard to come by whilst the defence leaked goals freely; stand-in goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand has kept only 1 clean sheet in 14 Champions League and Bundesliga appearances, where Lars Unnerstall had kept 6 before getting injured and Hildebrand had to step in.

After such an impressive win at the Emirates in October had boosted their reputation on the European stage, the Gelsenkirchen based side stumbled through their final 3 Champions League games to progress, winning only unconvincingly 1-0 at home to Olympiakos in those matches. They managed to hold on to top spot in the group - though largely only due to Arsenal's insufficiencies - and got lucky in the draw for the knockout stages, avoiding the likes of Real Madrid and AC Milan. Of course, Galatasaray is not an easy draw but the winnable nature of the tie gave Schalke something to look to and aim to find their form for. By the skin of their teeth, they have found it in time.

The sale of Lewis Holtby to Tottenham threatened to do irreparable damage to the creativity of the side. Julian Draxler had struggled to adapt to his new, central role behind the lone forward and Huntelaar still couldn't find the net. The impact of signing Michel Bastos from Lyon was one of very few positives that anyone could draw from Keller's short time in charge. The 4-0 hammering by Bayern a few weeks ago seems to have been a turning point, though. Since then, Schalke have drawn twice, including at Galatasaray, before then going on to win 3 games in a row, most recently beating second-placed Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at the Veltins-Arena.

In that match, Schalke surrendered possession to their opponents. The home side stuck to their counter-attacking system, though, and ended up having 20 shots on goal against a team that, before that match, had conceded on average just 9.8 shots per Bundesliga game this season. It was also only the second time in 12 games since the first of December that Schalke have had 20 or more shots in a Bundesliga or Champions League game, having done so 6 times prior to December this season.

That quick-breaking style of play is one that has served them so well this term. They have had more attempts on goal from fast breaks than any other team in the Champions League this season (15), and they have scored important goals from such situations at both Arsenal and Galatasaray. Furthermore, they have scored the most counter-attacking goals (9) in the Bundesliga this season, including 2 in their impressive recent 4-1 win at Wolfsburg. It could be that their poor form actually invited on pressure from their opposition, from which position Keller's side can launch attacks.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar showed form last season that saw him linked with numerous teams from across the continent, but that has wavered this season to such an extent that he suffered a drought of nearly 12 hours (697 minutes to be precise) in the months of December, January and February. Whilst he was filled with relief at finding the net at Wolfburg, before doing so again with the second against Dortmund, his season suffered a setback as the Dutch striker was stretchered off with a knee injury.

Yet more onus will be on Julian Draxler to perform. Having previously scored 4 times in 20 Bundesliga appearances, Draxler has bagged 3 goals in his last 2 games, as he continues to grow into the space vacated by Holtby's departure. Bastos is thriving on the left, while Draxler has become a playmaking and goalscoring number 10, who pulls the strings for his side. His involvement in the game has hardly changed at all; he averages 49.5 touches per game when playing in a central role, compared to 48 when playing out wide. He is equally keen to get on the ball, it seems, but whilst he tried to adapt his game to his new position, his form dropped. He and his teammates, have looked a more fluent outfit in recent weeks as they continue to rebuild after the mid-season collapse they experienced. 

Without Huntelaar they could struggle for goals, and without his goals they often struggle to win. They have only lost one game in which he he has scored all season and he has done so in 11 different matches in the league and in European competition. Tonight will provide a stern test of their mettle when lacking their star man, and just how far the likes of Draxler, Bastos and Jefferson Farfan can carry them in his absence. They have won without him before, though, and should do so again.