First Valencia, then Inter – the game plan Schalke will bring that might knock out Manchester United too

Champions League: Schalke 04 – Inter, Raul (Getty Images)

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With all due respect to Schalke – and very much is indeed due – their journey to the Champions League semi-finals has been an improbable one.

 For die Konigsblauen to top their group ahead of last year’s semi-finalists Lyon was unexpected, if foreseeable. It was a reasonable upset for them to earn an aggregate 4-2 victory over Valencia in the round of 16. But their 7-3 two-legged hammering of defending champions Inter? That was the stuff of royal blue dreams.

Though their Champions League results have led to widespread wonderment, it would be a mistake to write Schalke off as a small club. As an institution, die Knappen are huge in Germany; their average attendance this season has been 61,282 (99.4 per cent of capacity), and this includes matches against the Kaiserslauterns and Frankfurts of the Bundesliga. For all their support, however, Schalke have gone 53 years without a domestic title, and their previous best Champions League run ended in the 2007 quarter-finals. They did manage an improbable victory in the 1997 Uefa Cup final, however, and it is the spirit of the ‘Eurofighters’ that could see them past United.

The benefit of being outsiders is that it comes with no expectations. In this sense, Schalke have an advantage over United: as heavy favourites, the English are under pressure to win. The stakes are even higher considering they have lost their last four knock-out ties against German opposition and that this year’s final will be played at Wembley. Schalke, by contrast, have far and away exceeded their goals and therefore have nothing to lose.

A year ago, the likes of Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Atsuto Uchida were unknown quantities. Since moving to Gelsenkirchen last summer, their development has been rapid, and they have relished their chances on the biggest stage. For these players, who are only now starting to test their potential, the sky is the limit.

It’s worth noting that two different Schalke teams have played in the Champions League: head coach Felix Magath led his team to the quarter-finals before being dismissed in March, and since then Ralf Rangnick has been at the helm. The two are different in the way they approach training, but the common denominator between the duo is that they have both been highly successful: having lost only in their group stage opener, Schalke have a Champions League record on par with Barcelona.

Since taking over as head coach, Rangnick has consistently employed a 4-4-2 system, although his formation is by no means rigid. Raul spends as much time defending and retrieving the ball in deep positions as he does in the attacking third, while the wingers are given freedom to roam into the centre. Rangnick’s tactical approach is difficult to characterise; he is not a dogmatic type, but instead a pragmatist who will formulate a game plan based on available personnel, as well as the opposition. In this regard, he and Sir Alex Ferguson are quite similar.

Rangnick has always favoured attacking football and his team played with real flair in their 5-2 win against Inter at San Siro. The coach opted to utilise attacking midfielder Jose Manuel Jurado in a holding role, and effectively deployed three attacking midfielders going forward. Leaving the duty of man-marking Wesley Sneijder to the immense Papadopoulos, the Spaniard kept Inter’s holding midfielders on their heels, and often shifted positions to accommodate the inward runs of false-winger Alexander Baumjohann. On the right, the mercurial Jefferson Farfan drew defenders towards him and kept Javier Zanetti pinned in deep areas, rendering the left back useless in build-up play.

There is no question that Rangnick favours an aggressive stance, but it would be a mistake to categorise Schalke as a strictly attacking team. Die Knappen are much more than just firepower: they have a certain balance about them. Inter would have won an out-and-out attacking slug-fest, but Schalke had enough defensive solidity to do what no other team could do in this year’s Champions League: hold Samuel Eto’o scoreless for 180 minutes. Individually, Schalke’s back four are not the greatest, but their record speaks for itself.

Die Knappen defend in a rather peculiar way, often relying on goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s aggression and athleticism to snuff out danger before a real threat is made on his goal. Risks do come with the Germany No.1 coming off his line, but his judgment has proven impeccable, and he has the pace and leaping ability to claim crosses and through balls other shot-stoppers simply could not. Raul may be Schalke’s extra dimension in attack, but Neuer is just as important at the back.

The final aspect of Schalke’s style, perhaps that which takes them to the next level, is their fitness. Though their morale suffered greatly under the rather oppressive Magath, the departed coach has left one lasting impact on his team: the players are all supremely fit. Not long ago, the 33-year old Raul proclaimed that he felt in the best shape of his life. So athletic is this team thatLyon president Jean-Michel Aulas hinted that their players were guilty of doping. Excluding matchday one, in which the statistics were skewed due to Benedikt Howedes’ sending off in the 38th minute, Schalke have covered more ground than their opponents in every Champions League game.

Die Knappen play a very intense brand of football, one that wears down opponents and forces mistakes. With all the work they put in, they eventually create scoring opportunities. And when Raul finds himself through on goal, all it takes is one chance to change the game. United are used to the fast-pacedculture of the English Premier League, but they must be prepared to run even more than normal in order to keep up with their opponents.

When they take to the pitch on Tuesday, United will see a lot of themselves in Schalke. Player for player, the current one is United’s worst team in almost 20 years, yet Ferguson consistently gets the very best out of his team. The players – some world class, others decidedly below – all know their respective roles, and work tremendously well as a unit. Schalke, too, function as a team, and the individual players rarely attempt to go beyond their means. They know what to do, and every player is willing to fight for the next. Like United’s, their results speak of a team that is much better on paper.

Schalke enter the semi-finals as clear underdogs, but that moniker will mean little as soon as the action begins. Rangnick’s men have been punching above their weight all season long; with two good performances, they just might find their way to the final.

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