It was reported earlier today that former Chelsea manager was appointed as the new manager of Schalke 04 after Jens Keller was sacked from the Bundesliga club. Schalke 04 reported the 44-year old’s arrival in Germany: “Schalke 04 have parted company with Jens Keller, Roberto Di Matteo will take over.”
Di Matteo’s management career began when he received the opportunity to take charge of Milton Keynes Dons in 2008 before moving to West Brom in 2009 and eventually taking the management position at Chelsea in 2012. The Italian manager has spent two years away from the game after being sacked by Chelsea after only eight months as the manager in November of 2012. Many believe he was treated unfairly at Chelsea being released from the managerial position after leading Chelsea to UEFA Champions League and FA Cup glory.
Roberto Di Matteo’s management record:
He now heads to Gelsenkirchen with a challenging task of bringing back 11th place Schalke 04 to the force from previous seasons where they ended up with a top-four position and regularly qualifications to the UEFA Champions League. Di Matteo will face off against Germany giant Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmound whom constantly dominate the Bundesliga season after season. Since the title race is always predictable, Schalke should have no trouble finishing the league in a top-four position. Schalke finished last season in third place and do not want to see themselves heavily drop down the league table this season which will prevent them from qualifying to UEFA Champions League or Euro League next season.
Shalke only has just 2 wins in seven games played. Losing to the likes of Hannover, Borussia Monchengladbach, and Hoffenheim is unacceptable since Schalke 04 is one of the reigning forces of the German league. The Shalke Board did not waste any time in appointing a new manager after Saturday’s loss against Hoffenheim. Clark Whitney, who is a Bundesliga specialist believes that Roberto Di Matteo is a smart choice for Scalke 04.
The new manager has never held a managerial position for more then two years and currently faces a difficult task of managing his first team outside of England.
Photo credit: Getty Images
