Nabil Bentaleb’s loan move from Tottenham Hotspur to Schalke was greated with far more fanfare then it really should have been. That’s not to knock 21 year old Bentaleb, but the optimism attached to his arrival and that of Benjamin Stambouli was always a little too much.
They were held aloft as midfield warriors who would help boss the midfield for Schalke. German media and Schalke officials talked the pair up, but it was no surprise to anyone who has seen them play, and knows anything of their recent careers, that they weren’t immediately Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane.
That then led to criticism, and suggestions of arrogance, and Bild use the ‘arrogance’ word again on Monday when talking about Bentaleb’s play. He’s one of nine players named as ‘Schalke Slackers’ by Bild, and of course Stambouli is another.
The other players in the bad books are Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Baba Rahman, Leon Goretzka, Klaas jan Huntelaar, Breel Embolo, Max Meyer and Franco Di Santo.
Schalke are playing without energy at the moment and there’s a suggestion of not enough effort being put in. Some of the players named are very talented indeed, and five losses in five Bundesligsa games is unacceptable.
Markus Weinzierl took over as a head coach in June and it’s perhaps surprising that Bild are making excuses for what looks an inexcusable situation.
Bentaleb, Meyer and Goretzka are all 21 years of age, and Embolo is just 19. All four have excellent potential, and it’s Weinzierl’s job to help them fulfil that.
Building young players up to more than they are, and then dragging them down, usually takes at least a year, for Bentaleb at Schalke it’s taken weeks.
