Well, that was 90 minutes of my life I'd like to have back.

The only real good news after the loss to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday was the nifty little statistic that Bayern Munich had never lost two games in a row at the Allianz Arena. So naturally, I figured we'd go through. I mean, it's only Schalke 04, right? Felix Magath's die Knappen have had a rather dismal record versus die Roten the last few years. And that, coupled with their horrible domestic campaign this season? "Wir farhen nach Berlin!"

You know, or not.

While Dortmund effectively shut down Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben by throwing them in to double coverage for 90 minutes, it wasn't necessary for Schalke to do the same. Both attacking wingers looked uninspired, trotting out the same old stuff. Not horrible stuff, mind you, but neither man really played with any zip.

What the hell has happened to Bastian Schweinsteiger? While his performance against Schalke wasn't as crushingly bad as his weekend's performance versus Dortmund, it was still sub-par for the "engine of Bayern Munich". I do not have enough fingers to count the times the match commentator said, "taken off the toe of Schweinsteiger". He seems to have lost some confidence in his abilities, noted by his lack of finishing when the crosses did come his way.

And now, many people are saying letting van Bommel go to Milan was a mistake. I'm not ready to go there. But, I'm certainly ready to have the old Basti back. ASAP, please.

Thomas Mueller and Mario Gomez were effectively shackled by Benedikt Hoewedes and Christoph Metzelder, both who played excellently in front of Neuer.

And speaking of Neuer, the Bayern faithful went ahead and wrecked any chance of him being in a red jersey next season: Signs of "Koan Neuer!" (No Neuer) held up by thousands in the Suedkurve. I get it, I do. He's been a member of Schalke since he was 4. But, he's outstanding. His switch in mid-air to deny a Bayern equalizer wholly underlines this. Could Kraft have gotten that? Perhaps. He's undoubtedly a talented young man. But, when you can have Number One? Maybe the Neuer money is better spent addressing the personnel problems we continue to have at center back and left back. But, it's not like we haven't had the opportunity to do that.

Sigh. So very frustrating. My biggest knock on van Gaal's game plan would be the build-up of play from the back four, rather than the holding midfield. Watching the defensive line play tiki-taki with 20 minutes left and down a goal? Inexplicable. And rightly, Schalke didn't bite. Felix Magath kept his men orderly, in front of the ball, protecting their 1-0 lead.

"It’s important we show the right reaction and take the points, so we return to the places in the table which mean we can enter the Champions League against next season,” declared Rummenigge on Bayern's website. “Every match until the end of the season is a final. Sometimes it’s good when you have the chance to put things right just three days later.”

And put it right, they must. A win Saturday at Hannover would go a long way to restoring confidence. A win would see us in 3rd place, leapfrogging the Hannoverians. A win will be the start of salvaging what is left of a Bayern season in tatters.

Lastly, on a personal note: I watched the Champions League Round of 16 draw from my hotel room in Frankfurt in December. When we drew Inter Milan, my phone immediately blew up with texts from all of my Munich friends. "Are you coming back for the match?" And yes, I am. I leave for Munich next Thursday, albeit in a different mood than I expected to.

I was expecting to be fighting for a slim chance at the Bundesliga title, to cheer on a team that was going to Berlin, and to get revenge for the only loss I had ever seen live: The CL final last May in Madrid. Well, at least I still get a shot at the third. And perhaps I can relax and enjoy my trip, without having to worry about anything silly like championships...

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