A team which impressed but just fell short of top class was Schalke. The Gelsenkirchen outfit had their ups and down throughout the season but still finished up in 3rd place despite their shortcomings. New team coach Rangnick couldn’t handle the Gelsenkirchen stress factor and stepped down after just half a dozen games following a defeat to Bayern Munich. Stevens took over but it took him some time to get the team back into the groove again. None of the top sides have had as many changes in team coach as Schalke in recent years. Hopefully the chopping and changing has now been concluded and that Stevens’ be permitted to use his vast experience to keep Schalke where they belong – challenging at the top of the league. They also had to contend with the loss of one of the world’s best goalkeepers when Neuer departed for Munich. This season they have to come to terms with the fact that the great Raul has called it a day. The former Real Madrid striker has been instrumental in steering Schalke to better things this season after a tricky start. Raul was particularly prominent in European encounters where his vast experience in the Champions League served him well. He also benefited from the support of one of the Bundesliga’s top strikers Huntelaar. The Dutch forward became a prolific goal-getter and the league’s top scorer with 29 goals in 32 games. Farfan was also one of Schalke’s top players who teamed up with Raul and Huntelaar to form one of the deadliest attacking trios in the Bundesliga.
