Marius Bülter: The spirit in the team is outstanding

“It was a difficult game. Regensburg went ahead with a wonder goal that we didn’t necessarily see coming,” says Marius Bülter of Andreas Albers’ 32nd minute goal which gave the visitors the lead. Schalke then flexed their muscles in a show of strength which would eventually be rewarded with the two goals: “We wanted to win this game at all costs. They are three very important points.”

Plan quickly comes together

That Schalke were able to pick up all three points wasn’t least down to the substitutes Bülter, Churlinov and Thiaw. “With the changes we tried to bring some fresh attacking power. Marius Bülter was very important, he created the goals,” said Dimitrios Grammozis, full of praise for his player. “That is exactly what you want to do when you enter a game – and more so than ever when you are 1-0 behind”, says Bülter himself. “When you end up winning the game, all the substitutes will have played their part. It’s important for us to have good options on the bench.”

Even Bülter was surprised by how quickly things came together: “I think it was my first touch of the ball,” he says of his header pass which teed up Simon Terodde for the equaliser. “I saw him standing in the middle and he takes balls like that really nicely.”

Fans give team confidence

Bülter added a second assist for the winning goal. Thomas Ouwejan sent in a teasing free-kick which Bülter nodded on for Thiaw, who then forced the ball into the back of the net with another header. “That is exactly the sort of position I need to be in to flick the ball on to the back post or to a teammate.” The attacker now has nine league assists to go with six goals of his own.

10,000 fans were allowed back inside the VELTINS-Arena following a change to the coronavirus regulations. “That makes the whole thing even nicer. I could already feel the atmosphere as I was jogging on. That pushes you on loads and gives us confidence.”

Bülter also feels that the competition amongst the squad is extremely important. “You can sense it every day in training, it helps us massively.” The attacker was “obviously not too happy” to be sat on the bench, but says that he will “keep pushing, trying to prove myself in every match and every training session.” The same goes for his teammates: “We have a group full of superb lads who leave their egos at the door. The spirit that we have in this team is outstanding and the collective aim that we all share comes before anything else.”