Matchday Ten: Schalke 04 vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Sam I Am.

The majority of media coverage following this weekend’s match between Schalke and Leverkusen will focus on the problems the Royal Blues have been facing- and continue to face- this season. However, I am the sort who prefers to focus on the positive side of things.

In this case, the positive side of Schalke’s loss is that Leverkusen won.

After the miserable fate we suffered at Mönchengladbach on the second, and for us final, Pokal matchday, Werkself supporters were looking for a triumph to offset the early Pokal exit as well as last week’s loss to Mainz. Schalke, on the other hand, seem to be able to get results anywhere except in league matches. The pressure to give their fans a home win was high and it showed in their play. The hosts kept hold of the ball and forced their way toward any opportunity. We responded with a surprisingly effective defence, waiting for the counter-attacks. But where there was a noticeable improvement in defending, our attack was absent.

Following last weekend’s loss, and several matches of Jupp Heynckes playing the squad with a single striker, Derdiyok and Helmes voiced their disapproval and said they would do much better playing paired in the front. Today, given the chance to prove it, neither came through. Derdiyok sent a free kick wide. Helmes didn’t even muster that much and was pulled off early for it. Nobody can question their skills, but they’ve both been having difficulty putting those skills to use and the difficulties showed no signs of clearing up this match.

René Adler, who has been outstanding of late, was lightly tested. Across the pitch, the guy who snatched the #1 jersey from Adler on the German NT, was given less to worry about. And then Sidney Sam was subbed in for Barnetta.

Sidney Sam is fast. Very, very fast. He is so fast that leaving him room to break away is not a mistake made twice. Unless you’re Schalke, in which case twice is merely where mistakes are just getting warmed up.

Schalke got lucky the first time Sam was given room to run. The second time, Sam left Metzelder looking like a winded old man, and made easy work of Manuel Neuer, firing the ball past our, uh, National Team ‘keeper in the 65th minute for the goal that would ultimately win us this match.

It wasn’t much fun to watch the Werkself bide their time for the remainder of 90 minutes. I like to think we’re better than that. But considering the very hectic schedule we’ve been keeping of late, I’m prepared to look the other way.

Taking three points today was nice, but we’ve got bigger tests ahead and against clubs who aren’t being run out of the league by a man who believed too much of his own press. Depending on what happens between Hoffenheim and Hannover tomorrow, we may end this week in third. Not a bad place to be, but precarious when you consider there are only three points difference between third place and tenth. Our schedule has just been made one tournament lighter, but that also lightens some of the ability to use fatigue as an excuse.

We have until Thursday to get some rest and prep for Aris F.C.’s visit to BayArena. Then, on Sunday, we host Kaiserslautern. They’re the guys who knocked us out of the Pokal last year….

Category: Bayer Leverkusen Team News