Schalke 04 head coach Miron Muslic does not particularly care for the term “substitute.”
Robin Gosens revealed as much after Friday evening’s 3-1 victory over Union Berlin, explaining that Muslic deliberately refers to the players beginning matches on the bench as “game-changers.” Two Bundesliga matches in the space of six days have provided rather convincing evidence that the terminology represents more than motivational window dressing.
“Our coach always speaks of ‘game-changers’,” Gosens told Sky Germany when asked about the contributions of Edin Dzeko, Hee-Chan Hwang and Maximilian Wöber against Union. “Not substitutes, but ‘game-changers’, and that’s psychologically important in the mind of a player. You’re not simply a substitute, but a ‘game-changer’. That was the case against Bayern and it was the case today.
“In my opinion, it’s no coincidence that our substitutes make such a mark on the match,” Gosens continued. “They’re not just responsible for [game] management, but to give [the game] a new impulse. I think you saw that in action today.”
Muslic wholeheartedly agreed.
“The lads have to really fight for these places,” the Schalke coach remarked in his own Sky interview. “It’s rocking with us on the training ground. The starting XI is important, but it’s more important how we conclude the match. We were excellent against Bayern. We nicked a point because of the ‘game-changers’. I’m very happy with the squad and this healthy competition within it.”
Game-changers help Schalke survive Bayern
The terminology first acquired tangible Bundesliga meaning in last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich. Schalke spent most of the evening defending. Bayern controlled more than 80 percent of possession and progressively increased the quality of their attacking personnel as the match wore on.
Harry Kane entered at halftime. Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala followed in the 57th minute.
Muslic responded eight minutes later.
Vitalie Becker replaced Gosens on the left while Mertcan Ayhan took over for Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe on the opposite side. The changes were primarily about restoring energy to the wing-back positions as Bayern began stretching Schalke’s five-man defensive line.
Becker immediately supplied fresh running power down the left and even broke into enough space to force Aleksandar Pavlovic into a tactical foul shortly after entering. Ayhan’s task was less conspicuous but no less important.
Dina Ebimbe had spent an exhausting hour attempting to balance defensive responsibilities against Bayern’s left side with the occasional counterattacking run. Ayhan entered to help Schalke maintain their shape during the period in which Musiala and Olise were beginning to move between the lines.
Muslic refreshed the structure again in the 74th minute. Maximilian Wöber replaced Hasan Kurucay in the back three while 19-year-old Luca Vozar came on for Dejan Ljubicic. Wöber’s introduction was particularly logical.
GGFN covered Schalke signing the Austrian international on a free transfer during the summer, with his Bundesliga experience and ability to work on the left side of either a back three or back four forming an important part of the rationale behind the move. A few days later, GGFN detailed Wöber’s plan to rebuild his Bundesliga career and his familiarity with aggressive, front-foot defending.
Kenan Karaman became Muslic’s fifth and final change in the 84th minute, replacing Adil Aouchiche and giving Schalke another experienced player capable of competing physically, retaining possession and helping the side carry the ball away from its own goal.
That was the first Bundesliga demonstration of Muslic’s “game-changer” idea.
Friday supplied a rather different one.
Union bench changes alter the match in another way
Schalke did not need their substitutes to rescue a result in Köpenick. They needed them to finish one. Gosens and Adil Aouchiche had already established a 2-0 advantage before Union began producing their strongest spell of the match after halftime.
By the final ten minutes, the hosts were pushing Schalke increasingly deep. Muslic again turned to his bench.
This time the first wave consisted of Dzeko, Wöber and Hwang. Dzeko replaced Karaman in the 80th minute. The 40-year-old repeatedly dropped toward midfield, offered Schalke a secure target and attempted to hold possession long enough for his teammates to move out of their defensive shape.
Wöber entered for Gosens at the same time. The Austrian initially had a defensive job. Union were generating repeated attacks down the flanks and throwing deliveries into the Schalke penalty area. Wöber defended aggressively, blocked one dangerous Aebischer effort and helped protect the left side during the hosts’ late push.
Then he became something else entirely. Hwang, introduced for Junior Adamu, made his first Schalke appearance only eleven days after completing his move from Wolverhampton Wanderers. His debut role was relatively simple: provide fresh pace for the counterattack once Union committed numbers forward.
Hwang and Wöber combine for the clincher
Tim Skarke reduced the deficit to 2-1 in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Then Schalke’s game-changers struck. Satoshi Tanaka and Soufiane El-Faouzi helped win the ball in midfield. Janik Bachmann, himself introduced in stoppage time for Aouchiche, carried the transition forward and released Hwang on the right.
Hwang did not hold the ball. The South Korean immediately swept a low delivery into the penalty area. Wöber had travelled the length of the pitch. The centre-back met Hwang’s pass from approximately nine meters and finished into the corner to make it 3-1 in the 13th minute of stoppage time.
One summer signing making his Schalke debut had assisted another summer signing who entered primarily to help defend the lead. The sequence could hardly have illustrated Gosens’ point more neatly. The bench had not merely managed the match.
It changed it.
Schalke depth beginning to justify summer strategy
The development also reflects the logic underpinning Schalke’s summer squad construction. As GGFN noted extensively in the club’s 2026/27 tactical preview, Schalke resisted the temptation to tear apart their promotion-winning squad and purchase an entirely new Bundesliga team.
Instead, the club attempted to layer experienced, comparatively inexpensive players onto Muslic’s existing structure. Wöber arrived on a free transfer. Hwang joined on loan. Dzeko remained. Gosens added Bundesliga and international experience at no cost. Dina Ebimbe, Junior Adamu and Satoshi Tanaka supplied further depth at relatively modest cost.
Three matches into the Bundesliga campaign, Muslic already possesses enough legitimate alternatives to force players to compete for their places.
“We’ve arrived in the Bundesliga,” Muslic told Sky. “It was only a matter of time [before we scored Bundesliga goals]. We needed time to adjust to the Bundesliga. We still have a brutal campaign ahead of us, but we will be well prepared. Just like last year, when confronted with challenges, we showed resilience and a grounded attitude. We are [still] a force.”
The first three Bundesliga matches have already confronted Schalke with very different problems. A difficult opening defeat against Augsburg demanded adaptation. Bayern required 90 minutes of defensive resistance. Union required Schalke to protect a lead, withstand a late surge and then punish the hosts once more on the break.
Muslic has increasingly looked to his bench for the answers.
Or, as he would presumably prefer:
His “game-changers.”
