The 2015/16 Bundesliga season is now at the halfway stage, providing the ideal time to take stock of each club's progress so far. Here, bundesliga.com puts FC Schalke 04 under the microscope.

The story so far

New head coach Andre Breitenreiter faced a huge challenge when taking the reins at the club over the summer, tasked with steering the Royal Blues back into the top four after a disappointing finish to the 2014/15 season.

The 42-year-old has had a respectable start to his tenure, with Schalke currently in seventh over the winter break. The new-look attack, involving Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Franco Di Santo, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and livewire teenager Leroy Sane, has kept fans entertained, although all-too-frequent lapses in concentration at the back have cost Schalke important points. With a couple of tweaks going into the new year, the club can have plenty to look forward to - including a UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie against FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

How the spider diagram works

- © DFL DEUTSCHE FUSSBALL LIGA

Top facts

Only Hannover 96 (73 per cent) have converted a higher percentage of clear-cut scoring chances than Schalke (66.7 per cent).Schalke have scored the most goals from corners this term (four).Only VfB Stuttgart have had more shots on goal on the counter (26) than the Royal Blues (25).

- © imago / Eibner

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Interactive table

Remind yourself of Schalke's placing in the standings during the season with our interactive league table. Simply click on the + symbol at the end of each row in the standings for a comprehensive statistical overview.

Hinrundehighlight

Watch Schalke hit the ground running on Matchday 1, setting the tone for the Hinrunde with a 3-0 win at SV Werder Bremen.