Bundesliga, DFB Cup, and other Bundesliga business 2014/2015

ManniKaltz

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The 1st round of the German DFB Cup was drawn today which I think is a good enough justification to start the Bundesliga thread 2014/2015; hope you don't mind.

Teams (in alphabetical order)
  • 1. FC Köln
  • Bayer 04 Leverkusen*
  • Borussia Dortmund
  • Borussia Mönchengladbach
  • Eintracht Frankfurt*
  • FC Augsburg
  • FC Bayern München
  • FC Schalke 04
  • FSV Mainz 05*
  • Hamburger SV
  • Hannover 96
  • Hertha BSC
  • SC Freiburg
  • SC Paderborn
  • SV Werder Bremen
  • TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
  • VfB Stuttgart*
  • VfL Wolfsburg
Promoted teams are bolded. An asterisk indicates teams with new managers.


Transfers

  • Dead line for transfers to and within the Bundesliga is Sep 1 (as Aug 31 is a Sunday).
  • Dead lines for transfers from a Bundesliga club to clubs from different leagues correspond to the ones of the respective league.
  • Transfers are covered in detail in the thread "Confirmed Bundesliga transfers" https://www.redcafe.net/threads/bundesliga-confirmed-transfers.390893/ ; thanks again for compiling, @RedSky !


Competitions

National competitions
  • Bundesliga 1st match day Aug 22-24; further details to come in separate post
  • DFB Cup 1st round Aug 15-18; further details in separate post
  • German Super Cup Aug 13 Borussia Dortmund – Bayern München

European competitions
  • Champions League
    • Qualified
      • Bayern München (pot 1)
      • Borussia Dortmund (pot 2; pot 1 if Arsenal and Porto fail to qualify)
      • Schalke 04 (pot 2; pot 1 if Arsenal or Porto fail to qualify)
    • Qualified if mastering the play-offs*
      • Bayer Leverkusen (pot 3; pot 2 if either Arsenal, Porto, or Zenit miss the qualification)
  • Europa League
    • Qualified: VfL Wolfsburg
    • Qualified if mastering play-offs**: Borussia Mönchengladbach
    • Qualified if mastering 3rd round*** and play offs**: Mainz 05
* CL play-off dates: Aug 19/20 and 26/27
** EL play-offs dates: Aug 21 and 28
*** dates for EL 3rd round: Jul 31 and Aug 7
 
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Bundesliga 2014/2015

  • 1st match day: Aug 22-24
  • Fixtures to be released on June 24; stay tuned via the English website of the German Football League (Deutsche Fußball Liga, DFL): http://www.bundesliga.com/en
  • The very first match will be Bayern (at home) against whomever with the exception of Dortmund, Mainz, Gladbach, and Leverkusen
 
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DFB Cup

  • 64 participants
    • 18 teams from 1st Bundesliga
    • 18 teams from 2nd Bundesliga
    • 28 teams from various lower leagues (3rd to 6th league)
  • Schedule
    • 1st round: Aug 15-18
    • 2nd round: Oct 28-29
    • 3rd round: Mar 3-4
    • QFs: Apr 7-8
    • SFs: Apr 28-29
    • Final: May 31
Result of the draw for 1st round:
  • 1. FC Heidenheim - 1. FC Union Berlin
  • 1. FC Magdeburg - FC Augsburg
  • 1. FC Neubrandenburg - Karlsruher SC
  • Alemannia Waldalgesheim - Bayer 04 Leverkusen
  • Arminia Bielefeld - SV Sandhausen
  • Bremer SV - Eintracht Braunschweig
  • BSV SW Rehden - VfR Aalen
  • Carl Zeiss Jena - Erzgebirge Aue
  • Chemnitzer FC - FSV Mainz 05
  • Dynamo Dresden - FC Schalke 04
  • Eintracht Trier - SC Freiburg
  • Energie Cottbus - Hamburger SV
  • FC Astoria Walldorf - Hannover 96
  • FC Homburg - Borussia Mönchengladbach
  • FC Viktoria Köln - Hertha BSC
  • FT Braunschweig - 1. FC Köln
  • FV Illertissen - Werder Bremen
  • Holstein Kiel - 1860 München
  • Kickers Offenbach - FC Ingolstadt 04
  • MSV Duisburg - 1. FC Nürnberg
  • Optik Rathenow - FC St. Pauli
  • Preußen Münster - Bayern München
  • RB Leipzig - SC Paderborn
  • Sportfreunde Siegen - FSV Frankfurt
  • Stuttgarter Kickers - Borussia Dortmund
  • SV Darmstadt 98 - VfL Wolfsburg
  • SV Waldkirch - SpVgg Greuther Fürth
  • SV Wehen Wiesbaden - 1. FC Kaiserslautern
  • USC Paloma - 1899 Hoffenheim
  • VfL Bochum - VfB Stuttgart
  • Würzburger Kickers - Fortuna Düsseldorf
  • FC Viktoria 1889 (Berlin) - Eintracht Frankfurt
 
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Leverkusen seem to be have an interesting Summer so far! Lots of changes to the first team it seems.

Bayern%20Leverkusen.jpg


So with the news that Can is leaving for Liverpool, they'll have lost Sam and Can from their first team. Leaving a hole in DM (which Reinartz can fill) and a hole in... the hole. They've been linked with Calhanoglu, but Hamburg don't want to sell. Below is probably their best starting attacking 6 at the moment. But they have money to spend and their are rumours that Castro might be off.

------------Drmic-------------
--Son-----Castro-----Brandt--
------Reinartz--Bender--------

If Castro did leave, I can't really see a replacement in the squad capable of filling his place.

Following players are out of contract:
Andrés Guardado
David Yelldell
Seung-Woo Ryu

If the 3 above left, they'd be left with:
(22) GK - Bernd Leno
(30) GK - Dario Kresic
(20) GK - Niklas Lomb

(33) CB - Emir Spahic
(24) CB - Ömer Toprak
(25) CB - Philipp Wollscheid

(27) LB - Sebastian Boenisch
(20) LB - Konstantinos Stafylidis
(20) LB - Wendell

(24) RB - Giulio Donati
(29) RB - Roberto Hilbert

(25) DM - Lars Bender
(25) DM - Stefan Reinartz
(32) DM - Simon Rolfes
(18) CM - Levin Öztunali

(19) RW - Maximilian Wagener
(18) RW - Julian Brandt
(21) LW - Heung-Min Son

(26) AM - Gonzalo Castro
(25) SS - Robbie Kruse
(21) CF - Josip Drmic
(30) CF - Stefan Kießling

Confirmed Loaned Out:
(19) Joel Pohjanpalo

They need to spend some cash. I think they could do with a DM/CM, AM and a CB. If Castro leaves, they might even need 2 AM's. Should be a fun summer.
 
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arkadiusz milik had a bit of a hype around him, due to him being labeled "the next lewandowski", but look how he fared, now on loan again, to AJAX.
 
Though the list below with "international pre-Bundesliga friendlies" is work in progress - some clubs are still in the planning phase - I thought it would be worthwhile posting. I intend to update this list (i.e. missing locations) and am happy to incorporate your additions and corrections though can't do it on a daily basis.

I expect a number of games to be broadcasted (hopefully not just on German TV) and streamed (sometimes, sponsors of the clubs offer a free livestream for friendlies), and some could be really interesting to watch (Liverpool-BVB, for example :D).

  • Augsburg
    • Jul 25: Stade Rennais
  • Bayern
    • Jul 31: Deportivo Guadalajara (New Jersey)
    • Aug 7: MLS Allstars (Portland)
  • Dortmund
    • Aug 10: Liverpool FC (Liverpool)
  • Frankfurt
    • Aug 2: UC Sampdoria
    • Aug 10: Internazionale
  • Freiburg
    • Jul 5: FC Winterthur
    • Aug 9: Stoke City
  • Hamburger SV
    • Jul 6: Guanzhou EG (China)
    • Jul 8: Guanzhou RF (China)
    • Aug 8: Lazio
  • Hannover
    • Jul 19: Ajax Amsterdam
    • Jul 25: PEC Zwolle
    • Aug 10: Lazio

  • Hertha
    • Jul 18: Vitesse Arnhem

  • Hoffenheim
    • Jul 25: FC Tuggen (Brunnen/Switzerland)
    • Aug 9: FC Genoa (Hoffenheim)

  • Leverkusen
    • Jul 12: Lierse SK (Leverkusen)
    • July 19: Galatasaray
    • Jul 30: Seoul FC (Seoul)
    • Aug 9: Southampton

  • Mainz
    • Jul 12: FC Zurich (Mainz)

  • Mönchengladbach
    • Jul 19: Stade Rennais
    • Jul 20: Stoke City
    • Aug 2: Twente Enschede (Enschede)
    • Aug 9: Atletico Bilbao

  • Schalke
    • Aug 2: Fulham FC (Gelsenkirchen)
    • Aug 3: West Ham United (Gelsenkirchen)
    • Aug 9: Spurs (White Hart Lane)

  • Werder Bremen
    • Jul 2: Changchun Yatai (China)
    • Jul 5: Tianjin TEDA (China)
    • Jul 8: Pogan Stettin (Stettin)
    • Jul 27: Bilbao
    • Aug 9: Leicester City (Leicester)

  • Wolfsburg
    • Aug 2: Cardiff City (Cardiff)
    • Aug 10: Atletico Madrid (Wolfsburg)
 
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10august: LIVERPOOL vs DORTMUND

a football dream of mine comes true. sadly it's only a test match.
 
Honestly, watching Leverkusen vs us this past season you just felt there was very little craft on offer from their team to be a threat. Too much of the same, something they could solve by purchasing a couple or more technical footballers who could add some method to the madness. Losing sam also isn't good for them.
 
RooneyLegend said:
Honestly, watching Leverkusen vs us this past season you just felt there was very little craft on offer from their team to be a threat. Too much of the same, something they could solve by purchasing a couple or more technical footballers who could add some method to the madness. Losing sam also isn't good for them.
Click to expand...

I thought so too, but then Brandt coming into the team changed their style a little bit. Adding Drmic in will give them some extra bite and craft upfront as well. They're bringing in Tin Jedvaj (18 year old CB) from Roma, so I imagine once thats done they'll concentrate on getting a CM and possibly renewing their interest in Hakan.
 
maze said:
10august: LIVERPOOL vs DORTMUND

a football dream of mine comes true. sadly it's only a test match.
Click to expand...
It's still a possible scenario for the CL group stage; can't wait for the draw. :D

I read that Werder is negotiating with Chelsea for a pre-season friendly on Aug 3 but haven't found any confirmation yet.
RooneyLegend said:
Honestly, watching Leverkusen vs us this past season you just felt there was very little craft on offer from their team to be a threat. Too much of the same, something they could solve by purchasing a couple or more technical footballers who could add some method to the madness. Losing sam also isn't good for them.
Click to expand...
Sam is quite injury-prone and had - therefore? - only one really good half season. I'm not so sure how much of a loss he is to Leverkusen, TBH.
 
RedSky said:
I thought so too, but then Brandt coming into the team changed their style a little bit. Adding Drmic in will give them some extra bite and craft upfront as well. They're bringing in Tin Jedvaj (18 year old CB) from Roma, so I imagine once thats done they'll concentrate on getting a CM and possibly renewing their interest in Hakan.
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Brandt certainly adds some craft. Big big talent that young lad is. Don't see why they'd purchase hakan if they have him, they pretty much play the same position although hakan is more developed. A proper midfielder is what they should be looking for, someone who can keep the ball and distribute it inteligently. Plus they also need someone on the right wing. Sseems they are going very young with the signings, I like their approach.
 
ManniKaltz said:
It's still a possible scenario for the CL group stage; can't wait for the draw. :D

I read that Werder is negotiating with Chelsea for a pre-season friendly on Aug 3 but haven't found any confirmation yet.

Sam is quite injury-prone and had - therefore? - only one really good half season. I'm not so sure how much of a loss he is to Leverkusen, TBH.
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Sam is a very useful player despite being injured a lot. When fit he gives them a very tangeble end product.
 
RooneyLegend said:
Sam is a very useful player despite being injured a lot. When fit he gives them a very tangeble end product.
Click to expand...
The problem is that he's often injured and does need a lot of time to come back, as perfectly demonstrated at Leverkusen last season.

IMO, Brandt was the much better investment for Leverkusen; the question is, however, for how long, as he insisted on a buy-out clause (which clubs like Bayern and Dortmund refused to grant him).
 
RooneyLegend said:
Brandt certainly adds some craft. Big big talent that young lad is. Don't see why they'd purchase hakan if they have him, they pretty much play the same position although hakan is more developed. A proper midfielder is what they should be looking for, someone who can keep the ball and distribute it inteligently. Plus they also need someone on the right wing. Sseems they are going very young with the signings, I like their approach.
Click to expand...

Brandt finished the season for Leverkusen playing on right midfield, with Son on the left and Castro in the middle. Hakan would replace Castro in the middle, in behind Drmic.

I also like their approach, it's going to be interesting to see how it develops and who else they bring in this Summer.
 
RedSky said:
Brandt finished the season for Leverkusen playing on right midfield, with Son on the left and Castro in the middle. Hakan would replace Castro in the middle, in behind Drmic.

I also like their approach, it's going to be interesting to see how it develops and who else they bring in this Summer.
Click to expand...
Brandt has no business playing on the right. They are better of playing him as an attacking mid, and getting in a proper right winger. Drmic should play up top competing with Kiesling for a spot.
Son-------Drmic-------RW
------------Brandt----------
-------Bender--CM---------
Back 5
Makes more sense to me. Hakan in midfield would be a big risk, doubt he'd be good enough defensively plus his passing is really sloppy, even Brandt would be better there IMO.
 
Am I the only one concerned about Leitners lack of progress? He's a elite talent but is putting on less than elite performances and not getting much game time. His move away from dortmund was so he could get more game time but that didn't happen this past season. It'd be a shame if he doesn't fulfil his potential. Should be thinking of a move to spain IMO.
 
RooneyLegend said:
Brandt has no business playing on the right. They are better of playing him as an attacking mid, and getting in a proper right winger. Drmic should play up top competing with Kiesling for a spot.
Son-------Drmic-------RW
------------Brandt----------
-------Bender--CM---------
Back 5
Makes more sense to me. Hakan in midfield would be a big risk, doubt he'd be good enough defensively plus his passing is really sloppy, even Brandt would be better there IMO.
Click to expand...

Disagree. Brandt was fine on the right for Leverkusen. 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 games. You could line up with:


----Son----Drmic----Brandt----
------------Hakan-------------
-------Bender---Reinartz-------

Using a system like that would allow the front 4 to switch positions with Drmic being the focal point. All aged 21 or younger, all proven goal scorers and all have brilliant technical ability. Could be a very good front 4 combination for Leverkusen that. Get in a replacement for Reinartz and it's looking pretty tastey.
 
RooneyLegend said:
Am I the only one concerned about Leitners lack of progress? He's a elite talent but is putting on less than elite performances and not getting much game time. His move away from dortmund was so he could get more game time but that didn't happen this past season. It'd be a shame if he doesn't fulfil his potential. Should be thinking of a move to spain IMO.
Click to expand...

He played a lot at the start of the season, but had a stop/start second half of the season. Injuries, suspensions and with Stuttgart being a relegation scrap they couldn't afford to give game time to a kid coming back from injury. Big season for him coming up, I don't really rate Stuttgarts transfers though, think they'll be in trouble again.
 
I am really surprised about Leitner. In 10/11 - during his "break-through" season for 1860 (2.division) - I thought he would become a world-class player. Since his transfer to Dortmund (and now to Stuttgart) he didnt make any progess. On a good day you can still see his incredible talent, but for some reason he cant really utilise it. Next season will be his last chance to make progress or he´ll end up in mediocrity.

Leverkusen will be better off without Sam. He is a poor man´s Theo Walcott. Very one dimensional and incredible injury pron. Since 11/12 he missed over 50 matches only because of muscle injuries. Even Robben, who is 4 years older, has less problems with his muscles. Add the matches that he needs to get back in form and he is missing about 50% of every season. Leverkusen is rebuilding their team and I think its the right decision. They had/have too much deadwood. They still need to get rid of 3-6 other players.
 
Update to the international pre-season friendlies post:

Frankfurt plays Internazionale on Aug 10. I also corrected that it's them (and not Mainz) who play in Genoa against Sampdoria on Aug 2.
 
Update to the international pre-season friendlies post:

Wolfsburg plays Atletico Madrid on Aug 10; the CL finalist against the EL newcomers/longer time absentees.
 
Update to the international pre-season friendlies post:

  • Freiburg plays Stoke City on Aug 9.
  • Hannover plays Lazio on Aug 10.
  • HSV plays Lazio on Aug 8.
  • Leverkusen plays Galatasaray on July 19 and Southampton on Aug 9.
  • Werder plays Bilbao on Jul 27.
 
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Some very interesting friendly matches this time around. I'm liking the German-English pairings, should be a fun pre-season.
 
The DFL released the fixtures for the season 2014/2015. It'll kick off with Bayern – Wolfsburg on Friday, Aug 22.

Further matches on day 1 (Saturday/Sunday):
  • Dortmund - Leverkusen
  • Gladbach - Stuttgart
  • Hoffenheim - Augsburg
  • Hannover - Schalke
  • Hertha - Werder
  • Frankfurt - Freiburg
  • Köln - HSV
  • Paderborn - Mainz
 
What an exciting first match-day this is. Can't wait!
 
Finally, I was waiting for this to happen for several months now. Great job by Watzke and a huge step to stay competitive in Europe in the next years.

http://www.bvb.de/eng/News/Overview...d-their-partnership-on-an-international-level

Borussia Dortmund and Evonik Industries are launching a joint international campaign by placing their successful brand partnership on a sound long-term basis. Borussia Dortmund's main sponsor Evonik has extended its sponsorship agreement with the Bundesliga club from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2025.

To underpin its sponsorship, Evonik will be taking a direct stake in Borussia Dortmund GmbH & KGaA through the planned capital increase, acquiring 9.06 percent of its capital stock which will lead to a gross proceeds of Borussia Dortmund in the amount of 26,744,448.07 Euro for the issue of new shares. This was approved yesterday by Evonik's Supervisory Board. Together, the eleven-year sponsorship agreement and the direct stake in BVB hold Evonik's annual commitment at a level that is very attractive by European standards.

The two partners are laying solid foundations for new business and sporting success with an international focus. Through its alliance with Evonik, BVB gains a sound basis for participation in top-level national and international competitions over many years. For Evonik—a specialty chemicals company with a global presence—the alliance is a way of enhancing international recognition of its brand.

BVB chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke sees the alliance between BVB and Evonik as key to the club's future potential: "Through our recent success in the Champions League, BVB has the ability to help drive the success of Evonik's international brand-building process. In future we will have a presence in Asia—where Evonik has been present for many years— and will be building up a BVB representative office in the region. At the same time, the new sponsorship agreement and Evonik's stake in BVB mean we will be consistently able to field top players both in Germany and abroad. That is both a pleasure and an obligation for us."

Klaus Engel, chairman of the Evonik’s Executive Board, stressed: "We are forging an alliance of strength between two partners in Germany's Ruhr region that both stand to benefit from and promises strong international appeal. We know what we mean to each other and we know that together we can still derive many benefits. BVB's black and yellow colours stand for professionalism and passion. That already brings a good deal of brand empathy and brand awareness for our brand as well. Evonik and BVB have a joint message for fans and friends, and for their competitors: our success story is set to continue."

This is the fourth successive time that Evonik has extended its sponsorship of BVB. The alliance started in 2006, when Evonik's interest in sponsoring was mainly on a national level. Shortly after the introduction of the company's new name—Evonik— in 2007, recognition of the brand was 47 percent. Today, 64 percent of the general public in Germany is aware of Evonik, mainly because of BVB. Among financial and business decision-makers, a particularly important target group for Evonik, recognition is 95 percent, with 74 percent associating Evonik with BVB. Evonik CEO Klaus Engel comments: "Going forward, we want to build on the rising awareness and empathy with the Evonik brand internationally—in partnership with BVB. That enables us to reach key target groups such as customers, specialists and investors in many countries even more effectively through BVB."
Click to expand...
 
do.ob said:
Wolfsburg is controlled by VW, that's the complete opposite of autarky.
From what I understand he says that a big corporation might buy shares on the market (Dortmund wouldn't gain money from that afaik) in order to form a (public) bond with the club. He further adds that this corporation would have to be big time and have a 100% identification with the club.

He doesn't talk about receiving lots of money however - at least not in the link.

He could be hinting at some deal with their main sponsor Evonik.
Click to expand...
Balu said:
Doesn't that sound like a possible increase in capital stock, which would allow a well chosen company to buy shares, become a part of the club and bring some money into the club? If not, how could the club control who buys the shares?
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do.ob said:
Well he says explicitly that it's not about selling more shares so I doubt they'll increase the captial stock.
I think the idea is that a company will buy a lot of shares on the market in order to prove their commitment to the club and then the club might give them a spot on the board or smth like that.
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Told you, they'll increase the capital stock to generate money if they find an investor. Great for the club in my opinion, a huge step to stay competitive in Europe in the next years. But it also shows that it's impossible to take anything Watzke says serious, he's constantly contradicting himself :lol: (not that it's unusual for the chairman of a football club to do that, it's just funny how Dortmund fans often defend him (that's not aimed at you, just remembered the conversation, that's why I dragged it out) when he's obviously talking bullshit to present his own club in a better light than all the other clubs).
 
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Well.. usually he just leaves small loopholes in the phrasing of his statements that he may or may not use, but this time it looks like he really said something that was as definite as it was wrong. Not sure why.
 
Maybe interesting as it might run on Man Utd-TV or for Man Utd fans that live in Germany. In addition to the yearly Bayern team presentation in the Allianz Arena on August 9th there is a match from the Bayern Allstars against Manchester United Allstars.

There will be an additional highlight this year. Paul Breitner, FC Bayern brand ambassador and 1974 World Cup winner, will lead out the FC Bayern All Stars against the Manchester United Legends. This unique clash will see former pros from the two clubs, including Paul Scholes, Dwight Yorke, Owen Hargreaves, Paulo Sérgio and Mark van Bommel, come out of retirement to put on another display of their talents on the pitch.
Click to expand...
 
Rumours now that Puma will be the 2nd investor buying into Dortmund. That would be really interesting. The Adidas - Puma rivalry will be carried into the Bayern - Dortmund rivalry and it could heavily influence Reus' contract extension. He's highly popular in Germany, especially with the youth, and already the face of Puma's marketing campaign. I wouldn't be surprised if Puma throws money at him to stay at Dortmund longterm. The whole development in Dortmund gave Puma finally a chance to get back into football on the highest level and compete with Adidas again, pretty sure they don't want to give up on the chance to stay competitive in that market and Reus at Dortmund is pretty much their way in, they won't find someone better for it.
 
seems like the move of highly praised 20-year-old hakan calhanoglu from hamburg to leverkusen is close. the fee is reported to be at around €14m - money that hamburg will be likely to use to finance the acquisition of hertha's striker lasogga, who had already been loaned out to hamburg in the last season.
 
any realistic chance of it being competitive this season? or can we assume Bayern Munich have already won it again?
 
LoiusVanGaal said:
any realistic chance of it being competitive this season? or can we assume Bayern Munich have already won it again?
Click to expand...
If the flaws they have shown towards the end of last season carry into the new season (namely showing toothless, lethargic possession football) it'll be a big worry for them. Not sure if either Gundogan or Reus can come back fit for the start of next season, though.
 
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