Veh, meanwhile, was due to open his first Bundesliga campaign at Wolfsburg against the club where he took charge in February 2006, a year and half after Magath's departure.

Veh led Stuttgart to the 2007 Bundesliga title before being sacked in 2008 - after a defeat against Wolfsburg. Now he is at the Northern Germans and aims for more glory.

'We want to establish Wolfsburg at the top of the league,' he said, adding that being compared with Magath 'is part of the appeal of the challenge.'

Magath, for his part, faces what appears the most daunting task after guiding Bayern Munich to unprecedented back-to-back league and cup doubles in 2005 and 2006, and Wolfsburg to the surprise championship in May.

Unlike van Gaal or Veh, Magath can not work with new high quality players at Schalke, and must teach the team attacking football over the next months as a first step towards possible success.

Magath knows that he will gain fame like nowhere else if he manages a Bundesliga title with Schalke and their devoted fans.

'I would like to give the fans a league title over the next four years,' Magath told Kicker sports magazine.

'Schalke is arguably the most emotional club in the league. I know what is expected from me. But I also know that I have always managed to have good results from difficult tasks.'