It was only a draw – but Edin Dzeko’s brilliant debut against Kaiserslautern aroused great feelings for Schalke. And that should just be the beginning. The first comparisons are already being drawn to probably the most famous striker who played for the Royal Blues.
Edin Dzeko has told the story of his goal several times, but because it’s so popular, he did it again. “Even at 39, when you’re a little older, you don’t forget how to score goals,” said the new FC Schalke 04 striker in the various interviews he had to give on Sunday. In his long career he “scored a lot of goals” – and “many of them in this way,” said Dzeko. In that respect, it wasn’t all that unusual.
However, the fans of the second division leaders saw things completely differently. As soon as the veteran, who unexpectedly moved to Gelsenkirchen last week, came on, a murmur went through the arena. When Dzeko received a ball with his chest in the 87th minute, ten minutes after he entered the pitch, drained it elegantly, moved forward and then shot it low into the goal, this caused an eruption.
The noise in the stands grew. The Schalke team, who had been down 2-0 against 1. FC Kaiserslautern in a rather poor game, pulled themselves together for a final offensive – and three minutes later Kenan Karaman actually scored the goal to make the final score 2-2. The fans went crazy.
“Edin brings hope back,” says Schalke’s coach
Miron Muslic, on the other hand, was primarily relieved and grateful. “Edin brings us back into the game with this Edin classic situation. He brings the whole stadium back again, he brings hope back,” said the Schalke coach. Muslic had felt that his team, which had been extremely harmless offensively, similar to the 0-0 draw at Hertha BSC, would need such a moment. He had actually wanted to let Dzeko play for a maximum of 15 minutes. But then he substituted him in the 67th minute – to provide a psychological impulse.
Because Dzeko was not only an enforcer, but also a driver. It asked colleagues to play the ball faster. Despite his age, he brought dynamism into the game. “These are things that we have been missing in the last seven months: a target player who can hold onto the ball and assert himself,” said Muslic.
Right from Dzeko’s debut it became clear how Muslic envisions the direction for the coming months. The former Bundesliga striker should give structure to the attack attempts and ensure that the Royal Blues will not only be dangerous on the counterattack or from set pieces in the future. Schalke should – and in view of their promotion ambitions this is a must – finally play dominantly.
Sylla is moving to New York for six million euros
Dzeko should contribute with his technical skills and experience – as should Dejan Ljubicic, the second signing this winter. The former Cologne player could ensure that Dzeko gets balls from midfield. Another striker is also expected to come. The money would be there. On Sunday it was announced that Moussa Sylla was going to New York FC for a fee of six million euros.
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In any case, the league leaders, who relied primarily on their strong defense in the first half of the season, want to become more unpredictable for their opponents. An instinctive player like Dzeko plays a key role in this endeavor. “He has the calm, he has the knowledge of what is happening around him and he has the technique to put the ball in front of him where he has the space and the opponent is not,” said Youri Mulder. When Dzeko scored, Mulder, a former striker himself, thought of Raúl. “It took him six games before he scored a goal,” he explained. Dzeko achieved this much earlier – which made him the oldest goalscorer in the second division’s history. It could be a record for the ages.
Edin Dzeko is already a new crowd favorite. On Friday, 1,200 fans made the pilgrimage to training just to see him. His jersey with the number 10 has already sold 7,000 times.
