The joy of the extremely important victory in the relegation battle has not clouded the senses of Schalke. With all the jubilation about the 1-0 win against Mainz 05, they were realistic about the success before the duel with FC Bayern Munich.

"In the end it was a very small step. We're still in last place," said offensive man Marius Bülter. "Nevertheless, it's just good to have that feeling of victory again." The toughest possible task awaits the industry leader before the World Cup break. The Royal Blues therefore refrained from announcing that they would start a series.

"It's a world-class team," said winning goalscorer Simon Terodde, and team-mate Bülter said cautiously: "We need a good day, Bayern a bad day - and then maybe there's something in it."

Relief in rice

Especially in view of the upcoming tasks - the opponents after the Bayern game are the Champions League round of 16 Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig - Schalke's success was so significant. "We're happy that we kept the three points here so that we can at least keep up," said coach Thomas Reis, who celebrated his first win in his third game with Schalke. Schalke are two points behind Hertha BSC in the relegation zone.

The face of the team has changed under Reis. Schalke plays much more actively and puts the opponent under pressure earlier. The Gelsenkirchen win the balls closer to the opposing goal. It goes faster forward, occupying the opponent's penalty area is more promising.

Reis enforces his football style. The Schalke game is more and more reminiscent of the appearances of VfL Bochum in the previous season. Under Reis, Schalke's Ruhr area rival caused a sensation and confidently managed to stay up in the league. "He sets an example by defending this active forward," said Bülter about the coach. "It gives our game a lot. We're a lot braver. I think that's one of the reasons why things are going better at the moment."

"Everyone is having fun on the pitch"

Schalke created numerous chances in the 2-1 defeat at Werder Bremen on Saturday, and S04 were also clearly better against Mainz. "You recognized something. Everyone has fun on the pitch," said Terodde, looking back at the past few weeks. "You can identify with that and then every player comes into its own."

In addition to the recognizable plan and the rediscovered game culture, the effort is right. The fans appreciate that and have recently supported the team loudly even after defeats. Unlike in the past, when people around the Rudi-Assauer-Platz often dreamed of rather unlikely successes, this time everyone seems to have understood: It's all about staying up, it's only possible together.

With all sense of reality, this feeling also gives Schalke courage for the end of the year against the big Bavarians. "If we can manage the interaction between the ranks and on the pitch on Saturday, we might be able to do something," said Bülter. In any case, his coach knows how to beat the record German champions: Reis and Bochum won 4-2 against FCB in February.