Tottenham loanee Nabil Bentaleb kept his place in the Schalke side despite a glaring error at the weekend
Tottenham Hotspur’s Nabil Bentaleb
Nabil Bentaleb’s good start at Schalke has fizzled out, with the Algerian’s displays over the past fortnight distinctly below par.
He has made two errors leading to goals for the opposition in consecutive Bundesliga weekends. With Schalke sitting bottom of the table without a single point from five games, the pressure is on.
Last night the Tottenham Hotspur loanee retained his place in the side for their Europa League match against Red Bull Salzburg.
Former Spurs teammate Benjamin Stambouli was dropped to the bench for the encounter.
Benedikt Howedes
In front of their home fans, Schalke picked up a much needed victory, winning 3-1, with captain Benedikt Howedes on the scoresheet.
Bentaleb put in a fairly solid performance, but a low key one, with his fellow midfielders more impressive.
Football Soccer – Schalke 04 v Bayern Munich – German Bundesliga
Highly rated young German ace Leon Goretzka was one of the goalscorers, while teammate Johannes Geis created a staggering nine goalscoring chances.
Bentaleb did not create any chances, but he was efficient, completing 89 per cent of his passes – key considering the way he has given the ball away to the opposition in recent matches has been so costly.
This was a game where the 21-year-old got back on track, albeit in a low key manner. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was the minimum requirement. The most important part was that he was on the pitch and the management retained their faith in him, and the victory will help his cause too.
Leicester’s Marc Albrighton and Tottenham’s Nabil Bentaleb
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