Muslic: "A special moment against the best team in the world"

"Enjoying the suffering"

Schalke's approach surprised quite a few Bayern players, as Jonathan Tah admitted after the game. Muslic's team did not show their usual pressing football, but instead defended deep.

"We had a good plan. But it has to be executed almost to perfection," says Miron Muslic to "Sky" after the game.

What does he mean by that? "You can't defend Bayern because they always find solutions and have the playing quality. We were determined to enjoy defending, to enjoy the suffering." He added that this also made his team strong last season.

And they succeeded precisely in that, as the statistics confirm: Schalke won more duels, especially in ground duels (60 percent won) they were simply stronger. Additionally, S04 covered over two kilometers more than the Munich team, who covered the second most kilometers of all Bundesliga teams last season.

Ich kann der Mannschaft kein größeres Kompliment machen, als heute gegen Bayern zu Null zu spielen.

Miron Muslic

Muslic, of course, knows that "you also need a bit of luck." His team certainly deserved that in this match.

In preparation for the Bayern clash, it was important for the coach not to focus too much on the opponent: "The focus was never on Bayern's quality. If you think too much about that, you don't need to show up. It was about making our boys stronger."

The Schalke coach also emphasized how highly he regards Bayern: "I cannot pay the team a greater compliment than to keep a clean sheet against Bayern today. For me, they are the best team in the world."

It wasn't just for that reason that it was "a special day for all Schalke fans." The Bayern match also marked the return of the Bundesliga to the Veltins Arena – after three years in the second division. "Schalke simply belongs here," Muslic stressed.

A Promise for the Future

That "Königsblau" (Royal Blue) belongs in the Bundesliga, and not just in terms of fan support, was now proven against Bayern.

Nevertheless, Muslic does not want to fall into excessive euphoria after the sensational draw: "We are ready to overcome all resistance. Through ups and downs – and there will be those."