Youri Mulder: You can see our principles

The 57-year-old was particularly encouraged by Schalke’s start. Moussa Sylla and his teammates created some good openings and had chances to take the lead. “You can see the principles we talk about and work on every day,” said Mulder. “We were sharp, won the ball back well and created chances. Even after going behind, we settled again within five minutes. There were a lot of good things in our performance.”

Mulder also identified areas where Schalke need to improve. “At times, we were too stretched, and you get punished for that in the Bundesliga. We spoke about it straight away at half-time,” he said. The red card also had a major impact on the game in his view. “It became difficult after that. But even with ten men, we showed that we’re fit enough and never stopped running.” Mulder nevertheless felt Augsburg deserved the win because “we didn’t make the most of the key moments”.

The focus now quickly shifts to Schalke’s next game. The Royal Blues host FC Bayern in their first home fixture of the season on Saturday (5/9). “We need to be more compact. We can do that better,” added Mulder. “But at the same time, we’re not a team that’s going to sit deep for the whole game. If you do that, you’re just asking for trouble around your own box.”