Can Roberto Di Matteo Make Schalke the New Big Challenger to Bayern Munich?

For the past few years, Schalke have been underachievers. Despite finishing just above the relegation zone on the domestic front, the proud side from Gelsenkirchen won the DFB-Pokal and reached the Champions League semifinals in 2011, beating the title holders along the way in both competitions.

The 2010-11 season was a sign of just how good Schalke could be. With a newfound ability to attract big names like Raul and a world-class academy to provide fresh talent, they were on the right track. Life has been turbulent in the years since, however, with coaches Huub Stevens and Jens Keller both unable to steer the club towards progressively improving results. They have finished in the league's top four in each of the last three campaigns, but despite steadily strengthening their squad following the departures of legends like Raul and Manuel Neuer, they have never looked like contenders in any competition.

Each year, Schalke start off in poor form before making a late run to secure a top-four finish, doing just enough to ward off the financial disaster that could come if they failed to reach the Champions League. Fans are always encouraged by late-season form only to see the club collapse at the start of the following campaign.

On the international stage, Schalke have competed in the last two editions of Europe's most prestigious club football tournament, showing occasional promise before being tossed out in disappointing manner in the round of 16. They had a great chance to progress to the quarterfinals in 2012-13, but were beaten 4-3 by Galatasaray. The next year, they faced a much greater side in Real Madrid to whom they were heavily favored to lose. But it was as though they didn't even put up a fight. The tie was over after 21 minutes, by which time Real were two goals ahead in Gelsenkirchen. The tie ended 9-2 to the eventual champions.

Even in the Pokal, a tournament that has seen even lower-league teams reach the latter stages in recent years, Schalke have been consistently poor. In each of the last three seasons they were eliminated in the third round, losing to Gladbach and more recently at home to Mainz and Hoffenheim.

Despite possessing a squad that has grown in experience since youngsters like Julian Draxler came to the fore in 2011, and also seen star players join the club's ranks, Schalke have been remarkably consistent. Every season they start off poorly and eventually recover to make the race for third or fourth an interesting endeavor. Every season they have a disappointing result in the Champions League round of 16, one that suggests they really never deserved to advance that far. And every season they are eliminated in the third round of the Pokal by entirely beatable opposition. The only difference is that this season, Schalke were eliminated by 3. Liga side Dynamo Dresden in the first round of the Pokal.

Results for Schalke have remained more or less consistent as stars like Michel Bastos, Raffael, Ibrahim Afellay and Adam Szalai have come and gone. Neither the signing of Kevin-Prince Boateng nor those of Dennis Aogo, Sidney Sam, Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, Roman Neustadter or Leon Goretzka have changed things for Schalke.

Leading his side to a 11th-placed standing in the Bundesliga, Keller was finally sacked earlier this month. Since then, things have changed drastically. For the first time in recent memory, there's reason to believe in Schalke. And this is with many thanks to Keller's successor, Roberto Di Matteo.

Like Keller, Di Matteo has taken the reins at Schalke with rather limited coaching experience. But unlike Keller, who came directly from the club's under-17s and never played international football for club or country, Di Matteo is respected as a former world-class player and a coach who managed to lead a heavily unfavored Chelsea side past Barcelona and Bayern Munich to win the 2012 Champions League final.

Although many have criticized Di Matteo for his tactics at Chelsea and will claim he was lucky, the fact remains that he did what Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti were unable to do before him, despite Roman Abramovich spending (per The Independent) £2 billion in 10 years as Chelsea owner.

Much like Pep Guardiola, Di Matteo is respected by his players not only for his managerial history, but also for his record on the pitch. It's something that other Bundesliga managers like Jurgen Klopp could only dream of and can make all the difference in motivating and capturing the belief of a team. The way Schalke's players rallied around their coach after beating Sporting last week speaks volumes of what the new trainer has brought in terms of instilling unity and team spirit. Keller was never a great player or a great manager, so in terms of garnering respect and belief, his successor is a big upgrade.

Di Matteo has a reputation for his "park the bus" tactics at Chelsea and has already brought a more defense-first policy to Schalke. Although some may look down upon these tactics, it's worth noting that the last time Schalke truly looked a threat in the Bundesliga was in 2009-10, when Felix Magath led the club to a second-placed finish in the league, just five points behind Bayern and with the joint-best defensive record in the German top flight.

In a Bundesliga that is well stocked with managers who prefer to use variations of the counter-pressing Klopp developed and Jupp Heynckes made most famous at Bayern, Di Matteo brings a unique tactical perspective. When he figures out exactly how to move forward, it could be difficult for opponents to adapt to him.

With that having been said, Di Matteo himself has a long way to go if he is to simultaneously bring Schalke forward. He impressed in his debut, but his second match, against Sporting in the Champions League, was something out of the Keller era. In that match, Schalke went a goal behind at home before Sporting were reduced to 10 men. The hosts then scored three unanswered goals only to have their 3-1 lead reduced to level terms. And then, in injury time, they took the spoils through a penalty that was given under circumstances so dubious it led ex-Sporting General Assembly director Eduardo Barroso (per Goal.com) to claim that the "Russian mafia" fixed the game in favor of Schalke, whose sponsor Gazprom also sponsors the Champions League itself.

Di Matteo's third game in charge of Schalke was the first he failed to win, by hook or crook, with Leverkusen downing the Royal Blues 1-0. The scoreline suggests a close game but the hosts (per the Bundesliga's official live ticker) out-shot Di Matteo's men 24-4.

The new Schalke coach is still a relative newcomer to football at the highest level. He was sacked by West Brom after just over half a season in the Premier League, and despite leading Chelsea to the Champions League title, only lasted for eight months at Stamford Bridge. He has some clear talents and proved his pedigree at the highest level with Chelsea. But at the same time, Di Matteo is still very much a raw product as a manager.

Schalke now sit 12th in the Bundesliga table, with 11 points from nine games. Di Matteo is not responsible for their low standing; he inherited a team in shambles. With Bayern already miles ahead, there is little to no hope of Schalke competing with the record champions this season. This reality holds especially with the trainer still adjusting to the Bundesliga and developing his outlook and profile as a coach.

The upcoming months are crucial for Di Matteo in his coaching career. If he completes the 2014-15 season at Schalke, it will be a big step. But beyond keeping his job, how he does so will be hugely influential on his long-term coaching prospects. Although it will be hard to catch Leverkusen and potentially Gladbach, and Dortmund can never be ruled out, second place in the Bundesliga is truly up for grabs. After eight more games, Di Matteo will have a month-long winter break to mull how he will approach the second half of the season.

If Schalke can finish second ahead of arch-rivals BVB, it would give a huge boost of morale and break the hegemony of the league's top two that has existed for three seasons. Perhaps that would be enough for the Gelsenkirchen side to feel like contenders once more, to garner the money needed to sign some star players.

Next season will prove whether or not Schalke are to be serious contenders in the long term. They have fan support that is only rivaled by Dortmund and Bayern, and their revenue reflects just that. Their academy is arguably among the top three in Europe. And many among their first team still are still developing. Truly, all they need to be contenders is the right coach. Time will tell if that is Di Matteo.

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