Reis prepared to give Jenz an immediate start

With his proud central defense causing him endless headaches, FC Schalke 04 head-coach Thomas Reis dropped strong hints that he was ready to play the newly acquired Moritz Jenz from the start against Köln on Sunday. 

A series of embarrassing errors from natural right-back Henning Matraciani leaves Schalke trainer Thomas Reis in desperate need of help in central defense. At a Friday presser, the S04 gaffer didn’t shy away from the topic of giving newly-procured centerback Moritz Jenz an immediate start this weekend.

“He makes a good impression,” Reis said of the defender, “It could be that he plays from the start. He has international experience in big stadiums such as ours. He’s also strong in the duels and play as a reactive defender.”

Reis didn’t explicitly commit to a Jenz start. He also left open whether the FC Lorient loanee might replace Matriciani or veteran Maya Yoshida. Reis merely remarked that “no one is untouchable”. A Jenz start seems likely, given that Reis didn’t hesitate at all to place Michael Frey directly in his starting XI days after the club secured the striker’s services.

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