Bülter back to his best against Darmstadt

The joy on Marius Bülter’s face was clear to see after the final whistle following a convincing win over promotion rivals Darmstadt and his hat-trick. He hugged strike partner Simon Terodde in front of the scoreboard to set up a picture that couldn’t sum up the day any better.

Back to his old strengths

While Simon Terodde continued his good form in Darmstadt (3 goals in his last 4 games before Sunday), his colleague up front was finally back in the goals too. His last one came almost exactly two months ago against SC Paderborn on matchday 23. “I’m obviously really pleased after not scoring recently. I just stayed calm about the situation,” said the 29-year-old, who kept his head up despite the goal drought.

Schalke’s front two were back to their best on Sunday. Bülter’s assist for Terodde’s first goal, the equaliser that made it 1-1, was certainly no coincidence. That front post header by Bülter to Terodde at the back has been seen on many occasions this season, though not often in recent times.

Bülter a great example of Schalke’s clinical nature in front of goal

Bülter, who got S04’s third, fourth and fifth goals in Darmstadt, showed off his main strengths at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor. His third goal in particular was a classic Bülter goal as he drove into the box, cut back inside and then fired an accurate strike past the goalkeeper. “We were really clinical today,” summed up head coach Mike Büskens. Bülter was a great example of the Royal Blues’ efficiency in front of goal, scoring with three of his four shots. He also covered the most ground of any player on the pitch (11.1 km).

Despite these impressive statistics and the win being fully deserved, the match didn’t that way for the Knappen. “We didn’t start well,” stated Bülter. “However, we have the confidence to remain calm at the moment.” This calm nature also applies to Schalke’s attitude for the run-in. The players will not be getting ahead of themselves after this important victory. “We’ve still got four games to go. It could still go either way and we’re aware of that. We all know, however, that we’ve got a great chance of achieving our goals.” Yesterday’s win was another step towards that, but still only one step.