4. Schalke vs. Hertha BSC, Aug. 31
The Royal Blues began the 2019-2020 Bundesliga with a 0-0 draw to Borussia Mönchengladbach and a 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich, but they ended the month with a brilliant performance against Hertha Berlin, winning 3-0. It was a reversal of the previous week’s defeat to Bayern and a sign of big things to come for David Wagner’s club.
Schalke benefited from two own goals and Amine Harit wouldn’t score his first goal until blowing up one week later against Paderborn, but, in many ways, this was the game that started it all. And while Harit didn’t score, he did have three key passes, three dribbles completed, and four fouls drawn (stats via WhoScored) to tease the form that lay ahead.
3. Schalke at Paderborn, Sept. 15
Schalke absolutely dominated the Bundesliga’s worst team, winning 5-1 behind a brace from superstar midfielder Amine Harit. This game was Harit’s first in a run of incredible form, with his legendary performance against Mainz coming one week later.
The Royal Blues were unstoppable in this one, with Suat Serdar also scoring and Ahmed Kutucu providing another late goal and assist in another scintillating display off the bench.
Of course, the star of the night was Harit with an insane seven dribbles completed and six fouls drawn in one of the best individual displays of the season, per WhoScored.com. But don’t overlook left back Bastian Oczipka, who assisted the first goal and had four key passes with four tackles in defense.
There’s no doubt that this was a comprehensive win for Schalke.