Heynckes delighted with Bayern display
Bayern Munich Jupp Heynckes was overjoyed after seeing his side thrash Schalke 4-0 to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table to 15 points.
By FOX SPORTS Staff
Die Roten was in irrepressible form on Saturday as they took full advantage of Borussia Dortmund's shock 4-1 loss to Hamburg to put even more daylight between them and Jurgen Klopp's men with a dominant win over Schalke.
Heynckes' men took the lead through a David Alaba penalty before Bastian Schweinsteiger doubled his side's advantage with a free-kick. Alaba then scored his second of the night, and Bayern's third, at the start of the second half with a left-footed shot, and striker Mario Gomez added gloss to the scoreline with a predatory finish just after the hour.
And Heynckes could barely contain his joy at his players' display against Die Königsblauen as the Bavarian giants strengthened their grip on the Bundesliga title.
"Obviously we were aware of results elsewhere today [Saturday]," Heynckes was quoted as saying by the official Bayern website.
"It wasn't easy for us in the first 20 minutes against a defensively good Schalke team, but once we'd scored the first goal, I knew our opponents would have to take risks.
"From then on, we were authoritative and composed. The players I sent out today [Saturday] proved they have desire and enthusiasm for their football.
"It's a real pleasure for me to be working with this team at the moment.
"The players have one major target this season, and it's the German championship.
"But we still have to keep working on our game, because there are always things you can make even more perfect."
Schalke manager Jens Keller acknowledged his side were far inferior to Bayern in all aspects but pinpointed Alaba's first goal as the turning point of the game.
"We came here with good intentions and we basically shut them out at the beginning, but they won a penalty after 18 minutes," Keller said.
"Obviously, once they've taken the lead, it's unbelievably hard to survive here.
"We knew we wouldn't see much of the ball in any case. In the second half, it was obvious my lads were demoralised.
"Bayern have enormous reserves of quality and you can see why they're up at the top."
Bayern will take on Wolfsburg in their next Bundesliga fixture.