German Bundesliga
Schalke 04 - Jonjoe Kenny played full match in 2-1 home win over Mainz.
No particular fan comments about him - his 'marks' (they give players marks out of 5 as at German schools - 6 is a fail) were between 3 (satisfactory) and 4 (adequate), tending towards a 4.
Long time since I watched a Bundesliga match so it was interesting to see the tactics and level of play, especially of two teams not really at the top level of their league. I can see why young players from the PL could prosper in the Bundesliga - they have the right level of physicality and, if they have a bit of skill and are not afraid on the ball, then they should fit in well. Kenny was mostly fine, although obviously being told not to go too far forward. He played a few intelligent attacking passes but most of the attacking play went down the other wing.
As mentioned in the other thread Schalke played a little bit like us with the wing-back full backs in attack and a midfielder dropping into defence if necessary. Their defence was a bit of a mess in the second half with this system, though, and Kenny looked vulnerable to the quick press, almost being caught in possession three times. In fact, this was the most surprising thing about the game - the amount of wayward passes and easy loss of possession - I'd put the level on the limited evidence of this match at playoff level Championship.
Dowell might well do OK over here...
Schalke 04 - Jonjoe Kenny played full match in 2-1 home win over Mainz.
No particular fan comments about him - his 'marks' (they give players marks out of 5 as at German schools - 6 is a fail) were between 3 (satisfactory) and 4 (adequate), tending towards a 4.
Long time since I watched a Bundesliga match so it was interesting to see the tactics and level of play, especially of two teams not really at the top level of their league. I can see why young players from the PL could prosper in the Bundesliga - they have the right level of physicality and, if they have a bit of skill and are not afraid on the ball, then they should fit in well. Kenny was mostly fine, although obviously being told not to go too far forward. He played a few intelligent attacking passes but most of the attacking play went down the other wing.
As mentioned in the other thread Schalke played a little bit like us with the wing-back full backs in attack and a midfielder dropping into defence if necessary. Their defence was a bit of a mess in the second half with this system, though, and Kenny looked vulnerable to the quick press, almost being caught in possession three times. In fact, this was the most surprising thing about the game - the amount of wayward passes and easy loss of possession - I'd put the level on the limited evidence of this match at playoff level Championship.
Dowell might well do OK over here...
