Should Schalke Manager Roberto Di Matteo Bench Kevin-Prince Boateng?
Kevin-Prince Boateng has no defined position at Schalke, and he is floundering through games, so should he be dropped by manager Roberto Di Matteo?
Boateng was listless in Schalke's 4-3 win over Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Champions League.
It was a game overshadowed by referee Sergei Karasev's ineptitude.
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On the commute back home, Boateng probably breathed a sigh of relief, thought to himself: "Karasev, you're the real MVP," and then opened up a Vine of his wondrous goal against Barcelona.
Virtually all of Boateng's best moments for former club AC Milan came via a free-roaming role where he had the license to shoot on sight.
Revitalised after sitting at home while being paid €164,556/£130,000-per-week by ex-employer Chelsea, Di Matteo utilised Boateng as a deep-lying forward in a 4-2-3-1, which at times morphed into a 4-2-4, against Sporting.
Instead of vindicating Di Matteo, Boateng extended his unpardonable shooting streak.
In combined Bundesliga/Champions League play this season, Boateng is:
- Eight appearances, and 637 minutes, without a goal.
- 0-18 in goals-shots taken.
- Second in Schalke for shots per Champions League game (4.0) and fourth in shots per Bundesliga game (1.2).
"If you are 3-1 up and have a numerical advantage, you have to control the game much better," Di Matteo said, per Andy James and Steffen Potter at UEFA's official website. "We need a bit more time to improve our mentality and organisation."
There was a clear disconnect between Boateng and Schalke centre-forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
The two passed each other the ball once in 47 minutes, per UEFA's official website.
Boateng is not a creative outlet since he is a shoot-first footballer.
When he is misfiring, Huntelaar is isolated, therefore the by-product is a lack of cohesion and organisation between Schalke's two main attackers.
If not for Schalke right attacking midfielder Chinedu Obasi having a "Hey, look at me" game and Karasev's master-class in how not to officiate, Di Matteo would be experiencing the bitter taste of losing.
Di Matteo cannot risk another game with Boateng, a passenger on the field.
| Ghana | DLF/CM/DM/CF | 27 | 6'1" | 190 lbs |
Just go and review Boateng's performances under former Schalke manager Jens Keller, and what you will see is a straggler.
"I'm here to help [Schalke], any position he [Keller] puts me," Boateng said, per Matt Barlow at the Daily Mail. "[But] we needed someone to do it and so I said I could do it, but it's not my favourite position [centre-forward]. Hopefully he'll put me in another position."
The reality is Boateng has no set position on the team.
- He leads the Bundesliga in fouls per game (4.4), so he is a liability when given defensive duties, a la getting red-carded in Schalke's 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.
- In a more attacking role, Boateng is arguably the worst shooter in Europe right now.
Di Matteo needs to live up to the task assigned to him by Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt.
"We're utterly convinced that Roberto Di Matteo will stabilise the team and achieve our goals," Heldt said, per Schalke's official website. "By changing the manager, we want to create new momentum."
Boateng does not bring stability to the team; he has stopped momentum, whether it is in defence with his incessant fouling or in attack with his wasteful shooting.
Di Matteo needs to bench Boateng—ranked as Schalke's worst player, per Kicker—for Max Meyer.
A technically flawless German central attacking midfielder, Meyer provides a cutting edge in possession and has a scoring touch.
At 19 years of age, Meyer not only has a higher upside than Boateng, he is the future of Schalke.
Statistics via WhoScored
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