Schalke coach Markus Weinzierl is hoping the team's new arrivals can help the team gain their first Bundesliga win of the season when they host champions Bayern Munich on Friday night.
The Royal Blues began their 2016-17 campaign with a 1-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt a fortnight ago, with the hosts being reduced to 10 men in the latter stages of the match at the Commerzbank Arena.
On Friday, Schalke take on champions Bayern Munich at the Veltins Arena, and a defeat would see them start a Bundesliga season with two defeats for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign, when Felix Magath was in charge of the side.
New Schalke coach Markus Weinzierl beat Bayern twice during his time at Augsburg, but knows he is facing an uphill task on Friday, especially after signing seven new players during the summer break.
"We are now in a situation in which we still have to find the right team and the best mix," Weinzierl said in Bild on Friday, referring to the late additions of Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, Paris Saint-Germain's Benjamin Stambouli and Ukraine winger Yevhen Konoplyanka.
"We are only now developing the team that acts with the necessary passion, force and aggressiveness. We have to face up to that difficulty," he added, and explained the process might take up to two months.
"It's important to accept that he can take some time until we find ourselves."
Speaking at his prematch news conference on Thursday, Weinzierl added that he's aware of just how difficult the Bayern test will be for his team.
"Bayern at the moment are the biggest test possible and showed virtually no weaknesses in the Super Cup against BVB and the 6-0 win over Werder Bremen," he said.
"Still, our aim is to get on the scoresheet. We have a plan in place and are ready to put up a real fight. We must be powerful, aggressive, tough, compact and eager to fight for a good result."
He added: "It's our goal to offer them a fight, to win points against them, even beat them."
During the week, new sporting director Christian Heidel questioned the mentality of some his players when he told Sport Bild that some of them "overestimate themselves."
And on Thursday, he reiterated that this summer's squad upheaval was necessary to "introduce new characters to the squad."
He urged his team to give it 100 percent and not only 98 percent like they did at Frankfurt a fortnight ago.
Heidel said: "Every Schalke player has to go to the limits, and also fight against resistance."
Weinzierl has most players available for selection on Friday, with only Franco Di Santo ruled out because of muscular problems and defender Naldo still a doubt with back problems.