Schalke 04 have not been in the top 4 since 2015, but now they sit in 3rd place tied on points with 2nd place Bayer Leverkusen FC, thanks to Domenico Tedesco. 11 days after saving 2. Bundesliga side Erzgebirge Aue from relegation, Tedesco was appointed by FC Schalke 04. At first, this is seemed like a big jump; a young, inexperienced manager becoming the manager of a big Bundesliga side after saving a 2nd division club from relegation. Like former classmate Julian Nagelsmann, Tedesco is a “laptop coach”, young coaches who are given the chance by football clubs with a lack of footballing or coaching experience. While both Tedesco and Nagelsmann in the past have both lacked in experiences and qualifications, nothing is stopping them at the moment and where they’re going forward, especially the newest of the bunch: Domenico Tedesco

The man looking to get Schalke back into the Champions League

Tedesco has no allotted or specific system he implements in every team, but instead plays a system based on the team’s strengths. Tedesco plays a 3–4–3 formation, with a solid back three (usually consisting of Naldo, Kehrer, and Stambouli) offering the foundations of basis of the team, followed by a midfield two (usually either Goretzka, Bentaleb, McKennie, Meyer), two wide wing backs (Caligiuri and Oczipka), and a front 3 usually comprised of Konoplyanka, Harit, and Burgstaller. With 2 central midfielders in front of the back 3, and two wing backs capable of tracking up and down the pitch, this allows Schalke to maintain a strong, defensive backline. Tedesco’s team likes to invite the opposition quite deep, and don’t press aggressively until the opposition starts approaching the box.

Schalke’s current first choice formation

This system can either harm or do benefits for Schalke. With this system, this can allow opposing teams to take shots from a further range and invites for more shots, yet at the same time, this allows for Schalke to counter attack quickly, as the opposing team would be committing more numbers forward. A perfect example of how defending has benefitted Schalke is the goal scored by Yevhen Konoplyanka against RB Leipzig on the first matchday of the season. After some pressure by Leipzig, one of the Schalke was able to find Konoplyanka running free, thus showing that with midfielders that can play passes well. In this system, these players who play the final passes are Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer, two technically gifted players that are technically capable playing in any team in the world.

Tedesco has another strategy that he uses in his team which is similar to Jurgen Klopp’s “gegenpressing”. Because Schalke width with the wingbacks, the central 2 and the front 3 can play compact and become a pentagon, enforcing pressure on the players with the ball. While the previous system is about inviting pressure and pressuring deep, this system is about pressuring the opposing players higher up the pitch.

Schalke’s alternative system with a pentagon shaped “front 5”

This system would enforce more mistakes from the opposing mistakes and more chances would be created as a result, however, this is also a very physically demanding type of pressing that’s difficult to maintain for 90 minutes. Usually, Tedesco will let teams come at them and then counter attack, as that’s less tiring, but during certain periods of the game, the “front 5” of Schalke will implement a more intensive sort of pressing. However, with Tedesco, it’s not just about the tactics and the team he puts out there, but the unity within the squad as a whole. Tedesco has brought some sense of belief back to Schalke, every player feeling that they could be part of something big (apart from Leon Goretzka, whose off to Bayern), with the whole team being more than the sum of its parts. The players alone individually in all due respect aren’t the greatest in the Bundesliga, but Tedesco has created some sort of unity that allows the team to continuously have confidence in him. Tedesco’s philosophy and mindset has also seen Schalke’s best players leave the club (Sead Kolasinac, Benedikt Howedes, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting), but that hasn’t stopped Tedesco’s team from hoping to get back to where it belongs; the top 4.

Please feel free to read my next article: https://medium.com/football-applied/pep-guardiola-the-artist-of-the-premier-league-ad8b9d0918df

Sources

http://cdn6.bigcommerce.com/s-i4y6nv/product_images/uploaded_images/40520-170609-tedesco-658x370.jpg (Photo)

http://tactical-board.com/uk/big-football#main (formation)