At least a touch of anger would have been completely appropriate in Vincent Kompany's explanations at the end of FC Bayern's goalless football game against FC Schalke 04. After all, the insatiable perennial winner from Munich is no longer at the top of the league table for the first time in two years; Dortmund, who were secretly dreaming of the German championship, suddenly had two points more; the German champions hadn't even scored a goal.
Kompany, however, was satisfied, even delighted. “It was a beautiful football game with emotions, with passion,” said the coach about this 90-minute gem, which was reminiscent of a low-budget film that developed a completely unexpected and even mass-appealing magic. Without any goals and despite constant one-sidedness.
In the face of Munich's superiority, Schalke had pursued a plan that many opponents had already thought up for their duels with Bayern. But with such radicalism, the “defensive battle” concept was only rarely implemented. From the players, from the audience, from the people on the sidelines. “We decided that we would enjoy defending to a certain extent, that we would enjoy the suffering,” explained coach Miron Muslic, while Youri Mulder, the head of the professional department, spoke of a “heroic fight”.
A fight that produced bizarre moments: In the end, even offside whistles against Bayern were celebrated like virtuoso attacking actions elsewhere. But that's what FC Schalke is like in 2026, which represents much, much more than a normal promoted team.
Even Manuel Neuer is happy
Schalke have returned to the Bundesliga after a two-year absence with a very special stadium attended by an exceptionally passionate crowd. The club is full of stories that move, touch and inspire. After this weekend, for example, the chapter can be told about Robin Gosens, who, as an ardent Schalke fan, played his first competitive game in the royal blue jersey in the arena at the end of his career and said: “I couldn't have imagined it better.”
There's this episode about Edin Džeko, who was even lured to the second division by the magic of this club and who just said that he would have stopped playing football if it weren't for a new offer from Schalke. Muslic is one of the most exciting coaching talents in Europe on the bench, and the omnipresent historical connections to the Ruhr area and the history of the Bundesliga create a very special shine.
Even Manuel Neuer, who grew up here, played for Schalke for 20 years, but was now whistled every time he touched the ball, seemed to be more happy about the evening than to grumble. The Munich goalkeeper said parts of his family were absolutely satisfied that Bayern didn't win.
Schalke is no longer perceived as an asset to the league because there is always chaos here, but because there are so many stories here. Because people here have experienced more with their club than at most other locations. And because the arena can create this huge noise.
“This is simply a force and an energy that does something to the opponent,” said Muslic about the strength of the Gelsenkirchen audience and announced: “We are ready to fight against all resistance for the next ten months.” Lightness does not appear in this concept at first, and that is also remarkable.
An extreme football game
That added a lot to the fascination of this game. Miron Muslic's team accepted this fate of having no chance more consistently than any other team - only to then put up maximum resistance. “The special thing is that the extremes are there,” sports director Frank Baumann recently said, which can lead to such an extreme football game. Extremely one-sided, extremely passionate, extremely intense, extremely emotional, extremely surprising.
It is precisely this tendency described by Baumann that makes Schalke not only attractive, but also dangerous - even for an opponent like Bayern. Every measure was carried out with the utmost determination on Saturday evening, supported by a crowd that never let up a decibel during a single second of the game.
Something like that is very rare in football and Schalke will definitely not succeed in every home game. But the mere fact that the possibility exists with this tremendous intensity is enriching for the entire league and has an inspiring effect internally.
A few weeks ago it was hard to imagine that the eternal sales candidate Moussa Sylla played football so dedicatedly that no one in their right mind could seriously consider replacing the physically weaker Edin Dzeko.
Loris Karius: “That’s what sets Schalke apart”
Satoshi Tanaka, who came from Düsseldorf for a million euros, played his first Bundesliga game ever and looked like a top player from the Champions League - with and without the ball. And coach Muslic is primarily perceived as a motivator because he can arouse strong emotions, but he facilitated the success against Bayern with a brilliant coaching plan.
Schalke stood deeper than usual and not only cleverly blocked the center, but also the flanks, where Robin Gosens and Dina Ebimbe worked until they were completely exhausted. At some point the two were replaced by Vitalie Becker and Mertcan Ayhan, who continued to work just as adeptly with fresh energy.
"The boys really worked until they couldn't anymore - and that's exactly who we are. That's what sets Schalke apart," said strong goalkeeper Loris Karius, who saved what his colleagues couldn't defend. For now, FC Schalke 04 has come into its own, in keeping with the role of the underdog, which has suited this club particularly well for decades.
It is not to be expected that this team will be able to go to such limits week after week or even in every home game, but one thing is already clear after two match days: If the Bundesliga were a competition for the greatest ability to endure, Schalke 04 would be a very promising candidate for the title.
