A Moritz-Jenz table is not kept in the German Football League, but it creates great joy in private royal blue circles. When the 23-year-old defender is on the field, he not only guarantees Schalke 04 a much more stable defense, but also a quality that otherwise only the Nordic god of thunder Thor has: invincibility. He played in nine of eleven second half games, nine times there was at least a draw. He was absent from the last two matchdays – the game was lost both times (0:3 against Leverkusen, 0:2 at TSG Hoffenheim).
On Friday evening, Jenz was the main defender in a Schalke team that amazed itself when it scored five goals and won against Berlin’s Hertha, who in turn scored two. And this time, the official DFL table also took note of the income that the talisman Jenz brought to Gelsenkirchen: For the first time in six months, Schalke 04 left the relegation places and were listed as 16th in the relegation place for at least a few hours.
The latter is now Hertha BSC, but the Berlin team shocked the supporters with their appearance almost more than taking over the red lantern. “That was a real slap in the face today,” stated sports director Benjamin Weber in a TV interview after the game, and try as he might – he couldn’t avoid the coach’s question, either in front of the audience or himself. So far, they have stood by Sandro Schwarz with “a clear attitude and clear conviction”, he said, “but if you lose 2:5 at the bottom of the table…”. Weber, Berliner and Herthaner and started the job with the best of intentions after taking over the position of the dismissed Fredi Bobic, was forced to make the usual sayings: “Every stone will now be turned over”, he assured on the one hand, while on the other hand a Acknowledgment of black refused – this moment after the devastatingly lost game was “the wrong moment for a personal discussion”.
The person concerned showed full understanding of Weber’s need for explanations. Asking the coaching question is “realistic and legitimate,” said Schwarz: “I’m responsible as head coach and we’re 18th in the table.”
“Badly defended, badly defended, badly defended”
The Berlin defense was responsible for the deep fall into the cellar hole. “The defensive behavior broke our necks today,” said Schwarz. Some scenes of the always unsuccessful averting of danger had an almost satirical character. How, for example, Schalke’s left winger Marius Bülter was allowed to line up all alone in the five-meter area before the header to make it 2-0 in the 14th minute, while Tim Skarke brought in the cross under the discreet escort of two Berlin security men, that corresponded exactly to the summary that Sports director Weber later said: “Not there, invited the opponent, badly defended, badly defended, badly defended.”
Schalke’s coach Thomas Reis followed up his scolding after the 2-0 defeat against Hoffenheim on Easter Sunday (“Underground!”). He included four older men in the starting eleven and thus set a successful programmatic accent in favor of experience and pressure resistance: Center forward Simon Terodde, 35, played in front, Dominick Drexler, 32, followed by captain Danny Latza, 33, in the defensive center, and Marcin Kaminski, 31, in the center of defence. The latter replaced defense chief Maya Yoshida, who was exceptionally injured and missed a game of the season for the first time.
Unity and tactics are currently making up for Schalke’s deficits
But when the Japanese Yoshida, dressed in a dark blue jacket with golden buttons and an elegant turtleneck sweater as if for dinner with the Tenno, embraced everyone at the Schalke celebrations, that certainly made the hearts of many fans beat faster. The pictures of this happy team signaled what has compensated for some of the playful deficits of the promoted team since the start of the rescue mission with Thomas Reis: unity and determination, combined with tactical efficiency. After the last two defeats, his team “gave a very, very good answer,” Reis praised.
Easy game despite being outnumbered: Simon Terodde (2nd from left) turns jubilantly after his goal to make it 3-1.
(Photo: David Indian song/dpa)
Double goal scorer Bülter, again in top form and again one of the best Schalke, emphasized the “significantly better game control in midfield” and the almost optimal exploitation of scoring chances. The analysis cannot be contradicted, but always with the reservation of the opponent’s performance: You can see, among other things, Terodde’s goal to make it 3-1 immediately after the break, which raised Berlin’s hopes of a game turn after Stevan Jovetic’ connection goal (45th + 3rd). destroyed again. Surrounded by five Berlin defences, Terodde was able to position himself without using his elbows to put the ball in when Kenan Karaman broke into the box on the break.
It won’t be any easier for Schalke 04 in the coming weeks than on Friday evening against the desolate Hertha. Anxious looks were therefore directed at Moritz Jenz, who had to deal with cramps after just one hour and was limping more than running in the meantime. Nevertheless, he stayed on the pitch, Schalke had already had to replace enough injured players, first and foremost goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann, who was suffering from adductor pain, which caused unrest. To ensure that points guarantor Jenz did not injure his newly healed muscle again, Reis resorted to an original reassignment: he sent the defender into attack to save him risky sprints. Jenz completed a regenerating run in the middle of the relegation final – another slap in the face for Hertha BSC.