First point for Schalke under coach Kees van Wonderen – after the 0-0 in Ulm, the discussions should not die down.

Two minutes before the end, Amin Younes could have turned the game on its head. The former international had come on shortly before to liven up FC Schalke 04’s weak offensive play, but Younes twice missed from a free position in the penalty area, He failed to beat the Ulm 1846 defense. The game in the second division basement duel ended in a 0-0 draw, a point that the brave promoted team deserved much more than Schalke.

The game was not a pretty one to watch, with the Royal Blues creating little in the way of attacking play, with the exception of Younes’ two chances. It was the first point for the criticized coach Kees van Wonderen in the fourth game, because their own crossbar and goalkeeper Justin Heekeren helped them.

The weak performance by Schalke is unlikely to silence the criticism of the 55-year-old.

Compared to the 3-0 defeat in the DFB Cup at Bundesliga club FC Augsburg three days earlier, van Wonderen Lino Tempelmann, Amin Younes and Ron Schallenberg were available again – but the trio initially only sat on the bench. He only changed his team in one position: Paul Seguin, who was rested in Augsburg and therefore only came on as a substitute, started in midfield for Anton Donkor.

Schalke plays safe against Ulm

Schalke also went into the basement clash with the same safety-first tactics as in the DFB Cup. Ulm also appeared respectful at the start, with their coach Thomas Wörle calling it “brilliant” that Germany’s third-largest club was coming to Ulm for a league game. It was Ulm’s Maurice Krattenmacher who ended the feeling out on the pitch and thundered the ball against the crossbar of the Schalke goal in the 15th minute. Heekeren was lucky in this scene.

It was a shot that woke the Royal Blues. Fifteen solid minutes of attacking play followed. Van Wonderen’s offensive plan was to cross the ball into the box a lot – there were 13 before half-time. Mehmet Can Aydin had the best chance, but he was caught out by a cross from Derry John Murkin and diverted the ball over with his shoulder. Max Grüger (21) and Taylan Bulut (24) had shots blocked for corner. Yes, it was a dominant phase, the likes of which had not been seen under van Wonderen before. But Schalke seemed much too awkward. There was only one Schalke player on the field who has his strengths in and around the penalty area. But captain Kenan Karaman is still searching for his form.

Ulm were able to free themselves from Schalke’s brief but ineffective attacking phase with ease. The lively Krattenmacher, who caused Schalke’s talented full-back Taylan Bulut a few problems, had his second big chance in the 38th minute: this time he failed to beat Heekeren with a powerful shot. Three minutes later, Heekeren would have been beaten by Felix Higl’s shot, but Murkin blocked the ball at the last moment. The score remained 0-0 at half-time in a second division game that was not of a high standard, in line with the league table. The fact that the defense held out and the 2,000 or so fans who had traveled to the game set the tone among the 17,400 spectators were the most positive takeaways from Schalke’s point of view.

Three days earlier in Augsburg, Schalke turned up the heat in the second half – mainly because they had heard their passionate fans. They continued to cheer tirelessly, but their team couldn’t keep up. A few seconds into the second half, Schalke looked as if they would be happy to hold on to the 0-0 scoreline. They couldn’t even manage any relief attacks, the rate of bad passes in the opposing half was very high.

The Ulmer were slow to see their chance of getting not just one, but three points in their home game against the big FC Schalke. And they kept putting their best in the scene: Maurice Krattenmacher. He had the best chance to put the Ulm team in the lead in the 59th minute. Once again, he was stopped by Heekeren, who collected one plus point after another in the fight for a starting place in the Schalke goal. Schalke’s offensive attempts, however, were horror football the day after Halloween – until Younes suddenly had the win on his toes with two minutes left.