Same as usual.....
It is nice to know that some things never change. Sometimes, however, change is a welcome fact. It did not happen- again. One could believethat we actually get used to losing the derby. We don’t. And the one time that we actually did win it was one of the greatest games for sure. But one great victory cannot stand up for the following defeats anymore. It is actually quite annoying to be totally eager from about 5 days up to the game on and still drive home with the same disapointed feeling. It is probably more useful to just stop wishing and hoping for a victory and use that energy for other things.
Line Up
Since Barrios got the fifth yellow card in the previous game against Hannover and was therefore not allowed to play, Valdez stood in for him. Other than that Jürgen Klopp trusted in the same line up that had won against Hannover.
First half
It didn’t really look like a derby, did it? If you were expecting fire, teases, energy and lots of yellow or red cards (simply the things that make up a derby) you were definetely wrong. There were no such things. One could actually start believing that the players would start petting each other. Quite boring. And therefore no goals in the first half. Schalkes Kevin Kuranyi had the first tiny tiny chance after 3 minutes by heading the ball over the goal. Another Kevin- this time it was our Kevin- had the next tiny chance in the 8th minute of the game when he basically managed to throw away a chance from a quite promising position by shooting the ball into Neuers arms. A couple of minutes later we witnessed the first kind of exciting situation of the game. Höwedes got Kuba off his
feat and Gräfe decided to call for a foul. Unfortunately he thought of it to be outside the penalty area and concluded a free kick. The foul, however, took place just a few inches inside the penalty area. Bad luck. The game continued and rippled away. The next situation that kept us from falling asleep occurred in the 27th minute of the game when Zidan rescued us on the goal line after a cornerkick which Bordon tried to use. The general game was, on both sides, dominated by nervous and disheartened passes which did not lead anywhere. Towards the end of the first half Valdez missed to score in the 42nd minute after a freekick by Sahin, while Farfan misscarried another chance through Weidenfeller. Break.
Second half
After the short break which we all used to get our nerves back together and hope for the best, we were not to be disappointed. The second half began and how it began. With the 0:1 for us. After Rakitic stepped on Valdez foot in the penalty area, Gräfe decided for a penalty kick which Sahin did not let to be taken away from him. Well done Rakitic, and even better done Sahin. Unfortunately there are still idiots among us who had to light some fire in our gues wing. I don’t understand why some people still don’t get that that is idiotic and not cool in any way. With this comfortable advantage we were able to relax a little and watch the game less nervously. Schalke now tried to put some energy into the game while Dortmund did its best to intervene. At first it seemed like Dortmund would do the better job. But as so often, we were proved wrong. In the 64th minute Kuranyi tried to act like an offensive player but somehow lacked the abilities. That was about the time when Dortmund stopped playing football. And that was about the time when I started asking myself why this (so it seems) ALWAYS has to happen. Why do we give the game away?
Why do we let the others 
get stronger and more secure? Why do we not use the head start and make more out of it? Why? And why did Jürgen Klopp not exchange some players when they did not seem to find into the game anymore? I don’t get it. In the 66th minute of the game Höwedes used a freekick on Schalkes side in order to head the ball into our goal. Valdez as well as Owomoyela were asleep. Suddenly Schalke seemed to be eager to score another goal and had several chances in the 71, 75 and 77th minute of the game. On the other side Valdez was proved that he was too slow to keep up a fast run longer then 30 meters and managed stumble away the ball at Schalkes penalty area. In the 83rd minute of the game Rakitic decided to rile us again after Bender failed to intervene against Edu who passed the ball to Rakitic. Rakitic hit the ball just right and hammered it into our goal. And as if all that was not enough, there was still also Kevin Kuranyi, who shoved Mats Hummels just a bit, but yet enough to have Roman Weidenfellers, who wanted to hit the ball way, fist in his face.
The result of that? A month break due to a broken jaw. A few minutes later the game was over. Again.
Last thoughts
I don’t feel like giving grades today. I just don’t understand how a whole team is able to stop playing football after 60 minutes while still being in the lead. That is simply not acceptable. I’d like to believe that I get used to losing against Schalke. I don’t.
We had a big party set up at our place that evening after the game. My neighbour who was already at our place opened the door for me. He is a Schalkefan. I had to face his stupid grin throughout the whole night.
I hope for three points against Gladbach next Saturday.
