The protection of the crown could not have started better for Bayern Munich, whose demolition of Schalke 04 sets the heaviest first matchday defeat in Bundesliga history. Though Bayern were faultless, it was the severe lack of ideas from Schalke manager David Wagner that stood out in an utter humiliation at the empty Allianz Arena.  […]

Bold second half changes and structural adjustments were crucial to Leverkusen’s late comeback; Schalke suffered more misery and Leverkusen pushed ahead of their rivals for the Champions League spots. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter Munnelly. David Wagner’s Schalke are, to put it lightly, out of form. Their last league win came midst of January, […]

Werder Bremen, the team that is desperately in the need of three points to avoid relegation, dominated the match with eighty percent possession in the opening twenty minutes. Schalke became more courageous later on in the first half, but conceded after a careless turnover by Jean-Clair Todibo. The second half was characterized by a lot […]

There were brief moments of promise from Schalke in the early minutes of the game. After this, Dortmund took control and smart movements in their attack from the likes of Julian Brandt and Thorgan Hazard threatened the wobbly Schalke defense. Dortmund were also clinical in front of goal, aided by some questionable goalkeeping which helped […]

Both teams initially struggled to string together a few passes, struggling to beat the good opposing press. After that phase, Leipzig went on to control the rest of the first half with strong possession play. With a lead in the pocket, Nagelsmann’s side opted for a more conservative approach in the second half to hit […]

Schalke 04 provided a brief guide on how not to play at the Allianz Arena, as the Champions obliterated their disorganized opposition. David Wagner’s 4-4-2 diamond did not match well against an expansive Bayern Munich team, whose versatile passing system ran through the visitors with ease.  Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. Another […]

The game started in a promising fashion but quickly turned into a hard-fought affair with several turnovers and fouls. Schalke seemingly made use of this chaos and threatened Gladbach’s defense with counterattacks. Although failing to score before half-time, David Wagner’s side quickly took the lead right after the game restarted with two goals from fast […]

Leverkusen enjoyed the bulk of the play throughout the first 45 minutes of the match. However, Schalke 04 were able to regroup at half-time – re-establishing themselves in the fixture. Nonetheless, it was the home side that ultimately made the most of their chances – picking up a crucial win to keep themselves in the […]

The Revierderby rarely fails to live up to its billing, and such was the case again in this fiery affair. Schalke’s diamond press was at its sparkling best, as it had to be to stifle Dortmund. It ultimately resulted in a match consisting of minor breaks either way.  Tactical analysis and match report by Peter […]

Schalke’s marginal gains were the key to their success, as David Wagner’s diamond formation troubled Julian Nagelsmann’s men, albeit not without weaknesses of their own. Leipzig’s performance was creditable once again, both in their starting plan and in their adaptations, but they ultimately let the game slip away from their grasp.  Tactical analysis and match […]