Maya Yoshida falls short of expectations at Schalke. The Japanese is self-critical, but also provides an explanation.
In the summer, Yoshida was given the big task of catching Ko Itakura’s departure. Despite the promotion, Schalke had not been able to keep the City loan and instead opted to set up Yoshida as the new chief of defence. On paper, an understandable decision, after all, the 34-year-old not only suited the tight purse of the Royal Blues, but also has a lot of international experience.
So far, however, the commitment of the Japanese has not yet paid off: Yoshida is not the hoped-for immediate reinforcement, with 21 goals conceded in nine games, S04 is the second-worst defensive player in front of Bochum. Last weekend against Leverkusen, the blatant speed deficits of the veteran became particularly obvious.
“It wasn’t enough,” Yoshida told WAZ about his appearance at the BayArena. More recently, more and more voices have been raised calling for the 34-year-old to be replaced – but it is doubtful that Frank Kramer really puts the Japanese on the bench, not least because of the personnel concerns.
Yoshida saw one reason why he wasn’t able to show top performances at S04 in the many rotations in the back four. “I’ve had so many partners in the center of defence,” he remarked. “A lot of young players too. It’s not easy. Normally, the defensive line has to be well coordinated.”
You have to agree with Yoshida on this point: in nine Bundesliga games, all of which he started from the start, he had four different partners in the starting XI in Marcin Kaminski, Malick Thiaw, Sepp van den Berg and Leo Greiml. However, it is doubtful whether this can serve as the sole explanation for the weak form. After all, it should actually be Yoshida’s job as a veteran to instruct younger colleagues in particular.
But lamenting and arguing doesn’t help in Schalke’s situation – successes are needed. Yoshida knows how that works: “We have to get small successes. During the games and in the training sessions,” he demanded. “This is the only way.” The centre-back believes that “small changes can have a big impact”.
This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as Maya Yoshida in the criticism: Defense chief investigating the causes.
