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

Sphaero said:
In top form this is certainly true, but he is not there yet. He is on a good way, his flashes of brillance becoming more and more frequent, but still nowhere near where he was before his injury. He used to be one of the best midfielders in terms of pressing resistancy, which is now even a weakness of his. He still plays too many dangerous missplaced passes and holds onto the ball too long, losing it in dangerous areas in the process. In the first season half these things led to quite a few conceded goals. The difference now is, that he has a partner who manages to bail him out most of the time.

Nuri Sahin is currently not only the better performing midfielder but also the more important one. IMO the most underrated starter by neutrals and Dortmund fans. This has mostly to do with his (changed) play style. He is less flashy and elegant, worse in terms of dribbling and key passing compared to Gündogan. He is way better defensively, though. His positioning and tackling behaviour (both on the ground and in the air) are second only to Bender in the team, who is in turn way more limited in his passing and technique. Sahin is the player who brings the most amount of balance, structure and organisation to the team and his return to the team after his long injury was one of the major game changers for Dortmund. On top of that he is an undisputed lead player and managed to take charge after the other lead players (Weidenfeller, Kehl, Hummels) failed to do so due to lack of form or fitness.

In the end a player, whose importance really shows when he is not on the pitch. Kinda similar to Pool´s Henderson in that regard.
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Nope, the difference is that he's improving and getting back to his levels so makes less mistakes and is generally at a higher level. Not someone else bailing him out. Sahin is doing a good job at the base of midfield replacing the never fit bender but Gundogan on this form is something else, a much superior player to him. All facets of Gundogans game are almost back, just his driving of the ball that he seems to not have full confidence in. His passing is pretty much at its former level and his workrate is improving by the match. He's the player that pretty much takes Dortmund to the next level, certainly not Sahin.

The problem was that their simply just isn't another quality mid in the side. With Bender out for so long and with Sahin also out the options are limited and fillers were used in the middle of the park, not that sahin is that important to the side.
 
According to rumours, Schalke want to get rid of Kevin-Prince Boateng in the summer. Would make a lot of sense and maybe make the Khedira deal possible. Boateng most likely is their biggest earner and totally failed to deliver so far. What's so mind-boggling about him is that he's actually a good box to box midfielder if he accepts that role, but wants to play as a number 10/second striker, even though he's really not good further forward. Khedira would be exactly the player they need and Boateng failed to become in the team.
 
Jaap said:
BILD+ abo, @Balu?
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No. I don't think I've ever visited the bild website, let alone would pay for it. Luckily, there are more than enough sports websites who are happy to quote them quickly (in this case spox).
 
Sphaero said:
In the end a player, whose importance really shows when he is not on the pitch. Kinda similar to Pool´s Henderson in that regard.
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Glad your team is on the up :drool:. You guys went through some tough times.

Am I wrong in thinking that Gundogan was brought in as Sahin's replacement? Or was there a period where they played together, before Sahin's move to Madrid?
 
Balu said:
No. I don't think I've ever visited the bild website, let alone would pay for it. Luckily, there are more than enough sports websites who are happy to quote them quickly (in this case spox).
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Yeah, their so-called secret articles - like The Sun+ - are easy to find.

Reckon we'll see Schalke go head to head with Dortmund for Khedira, although I think Schalke might need him more than Borussia.
 
RooneyLegend said:
Nope, the difference is that he's improving and getting back to his levels so makes less mistakes and is generally at a higher level. Not someone else bailing him out. Sahin is doing a good job at the base of midfield replacing the never fit bender but Gundogan on this form is something else, a much superior player to him. All facets of Gundogans game are almost back, just his driving of the ball that he seems to not have full confidence in. His passing is pretty much at its former level and his workrate is improving by the match. He's the player that pretty much takes Dortmund to the next level, certainly not Sahin.

The problem was that their simply just isn't another quality mid in the side. With Bender out for so long and with Sahin also out the options are limited and fillers were used in the middle of the park, not that sahin is that important to the side.
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Well, we simply have to agree to disagree on that point. I can name at least three instances in every game in the second season half, where him losing the ball could have lead to deadly counters. It was then usually Sahin winning extremely important tackles or intercepting the pass.

And Sahin´s importance was already proven last season, when we played a league season, which could have been good enough for the title in the past while battling a major injury crisis, losing the Cup final in an extremely close fashion and being the only team in the CL defeating the Champions Real Madrid. This was all while missing Gündogan the whole season.

Gündogan in top form certainly adds an additional layer to our strength, especially in the creative department but he has turned out to be not nearly as irreplacable as many thought.

I also have a hard time determining the "much superior" one between two payers who clearly developed into very different types. Gündogan is the prime example for a modern box to box midfielder, while Sahin is now way closer to being a DM than a CM. They both have different strengths and have the potential bring out their best together. Gündogan needs an midfield anchor to truly be able to play the way he does, because his General play style carries quite a lot of risks. Sahin has lost some of his creative edge from 2010/2011, which can now be provided by Gündogan but has improved immensively in the defense, which allowed this pairing to become as viable as it is today. Sahin from 2010/2011 and the current Gündogan would be too offensive and carry the constant danger of being overrun vs. a lot of teams.
 
German Cup tonight and tomorrow.

Tuesday, Mar 3 2015
18:00 Bayer Leverkusen vs Kaiserslautern
18:00 Aalen vs Hoffenheim
19:30 Freiburg vs FC Cologne
19:30 Dynamo Dresden vs Borussia Dortmund

Wednesday, Mar 4 2015
18:00 RasenBallsport Leipzig vs Wolfsburg
18:00 Arminia Bielefeld vs Werder Bremen
19:30 Kickers Offenbach vs Borussia M.Gladbach
19:30 Bayern Munich vs Braunschweig
 
Blackwidow said:
German Cup tonight and tomorrow.



Wednesday, Mar 4 2015
18:00 RasenBallsport Leipzig vs Wolfsburg
18:00 Arminia Bielefeld vs Werder Bremen
19:30 Kickers Offenbach vs Borussia M.Gladbach
19:30 Bayern Munich vs Braunschweig
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Not fond of red bull?
 
Sly said:
Not fond of red bull?
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That's their official name because it wasn't allowed to use "Red Bull" as part of the team's name. Hence "RasenBalsport" ("lawn ball sport", utter bullshit).
 
Piratesoup said:
That's their official name because it wasn't allowed to use "Red Bull" as part of the team's name. Hence "RasenBalsportl" ("lawn ball sport", utter bullshit).
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Oh. It's different from Austria i suppose.
 
Sly said:
Oh. It's different from Austria i suppose.
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Yeah, we have some good rules regarding investors and sponsors in Germany. I think in regular clubs, it's not allowed to have the sponsor's name in the club name. Bayer Leverkusen is an exception because they really were the company team back when they were founded in 1904 and they were allowed to keep their long existing name. Red Bull called it RasenBallsport Leipzig, so that at least the letters RB still exist. Rasen is German for turf.
 
Piratesoup said:
Thank god, it's gotten incredibly ridiculous in austria.
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:lol: They practically run the country. Why not name the championship RedBulldesliga? Rapid Red Bull? Austria Red Bull? Admira Red Bull? In the end Red bull always wins
 
Balu said:
Yeah, we have some good rules regarding investors and sponsors in Germany. I think in regular clubs, it's not allowed to have the sponsor's name in the club name. Bayer Leverkusen is an exception because they really were the company team back when they were founded in 1904 and they were allowed to keep their long existing name. Red Bull called it RasenBallsport Leipzig, so that at least the letters RB still exist. Rasen is German for turf.
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Same here in Portugal in regards the integrity of the clubs name, identity and respective history.
 
inb4 Leverkusen bottle it today. :boring:

Yes I know they played well against Atletico
 
gofelx said:
inb4 Leverkusen bottle it today. :boring:

Yes I know they played well against Atletico
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Well, before this round started I would have rated Leverkusen vs. Kaiserslautern as the closest fixture. Lautern is on a good day a pretty solid team and Leverkusen is hardly consistently good at the moment.
 
Sphaero said:
Well, before this round started I would have rated Leverkusen vs. Kaiserslautern as the closest fixture. Lautern is on a good day a pretty solid team and Leverkusen is hardly consistently good at the moment.
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Yeah I really rate this Kaiserslautern team. A lot of young and promising players and they play good football usually.

Demirbay almost...
 
There has been no football played the last 15 minutes in the Leverkusen game. Soft foul calls and time wasting by Kaiserslautern.
 
I really like Gündogan. Every touch from him just oozes class.
 
LinkesAuge said:
Klopp should learn to rotate players like Reus. I don't understand why he has to start in a cup game like this.
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I don't think it has anything to do with Reus being overplayed. His ankle is simply made of glass. That was the third time now he got injured after someone hit him in the ankle.

Edit: Okay not his ankle this time. Kinda happy for him. Still the injury was due to a foul and not due to being overplayed.
 
LinkesAuge said:
Klopp should learn to rotate players like Reus. I don't understand why he has to start in a cup game like this.
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Take a look at the state of the pitch and you know the answer. Reus is by far our best set piece taker and the one who can make the most happen with a flash of individual brillance. You don´t win a game under these circumstances with pretty pass combinations. This was always going to be an ugly match. The fact, that none of the Dresden players have seen a card today is still a joke, though.
 
Reus' ankles are really starting to be a major worry...

Leverkusen didn't bottle it after all.

Just tuned in and Dortmund's white jersey's are doing my head in. Confusing as hell.
 
NoLogo said:
I don't think it has anything to do with Reus being overplayed. His ankle is simply made of glass. That was the third time now he got injured after someone hit him in the ankle.

Edit: Okay not his ankle this time. Kinda happy for him. Still the injury was due to a foul and not due to being overplayed.
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My point was not that he is "overplayed", it is why risk such a situation at all especially against a lower league team which is known to be very physical?

Sphaero said:
Take a look at the state of the pitch and you know the answer. Reus is by far our best set piece taker and the one who can make the most happen with a flash of individual brillance. You don´t win a game under these circumstances with pretty pass combinations. This was always going to be an ugly match. The fact, that none of the Dresden players have seen a card today is still a joke, though.
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The reasons you stated are all arguments for why Reus SHOUDLN'T play in such a game.
 
Immobile scores the 1:0 and Marcel Reif almost didn't notice.
 
Hegele with a major blunder :lol:. Karma is a bitch, cúnt.
 
LinkesAuge said:
My point was not that he is "overplayed", it is why risk such a situation at all especially against a lower league team which is known to be very physical?
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Because we want to win this competition....
 
LinkesAuge said:
Oh come on, you don't need Reus for that in a game against Dresden. You argue like some average BL team while you are still competing in three competitions.
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On the other hand, imagine the backlash if they hadn't played Reus and they somehow had gone out. The criticism and uproar would be immense, especially after the season they've had so far. Arrogance, hybris, underestimating the opponent, Klopp has really lost it now etc. ... The german cup system does carry a high risk due to its lack of a 2nd leg, so if you want to win the competition, you should field what you think is necessary to win it. Unlike us, Dortmund can't just play a relatively fresh Müller or Lewandowski to give Ribery or Robben a rest without losing too much quality. Reus is paramount.

It's not like this is Klopp's fault now. The problem is that Reus' ankles seemingly shatter when touched. I hope he just got hit unlickily right in the worst spot all the time, otherwise this fragility is worrying.
 
Sphaero said:
Not that surprising IMO. The people who are mostly critical with him are just closer to German sports journalism. While Honigstein has made some hilarious claims in the past, some of the stuff he writes has some truth in it. It is simply copied from German sources, though. As long as what he writes about stuff which appeared in German papers (the "Kicker" for example) one or two days before, you can accept that with a pinch of salt. It is when he begins "analysing" on his own, you are better off ignoring it. The guy simply does not have much clue about German football on his own.

This works both ways, though. I don´t trust any "expert" in the German media who talks about football in EPL. Most of the opinions by the quality posters on here are usually way more worth than that. It is one of the reasons why I came to the Café in the first place.
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I wasn't aware that he had a poor reputation in Germany. Are there any good English speaking Bundesliga experts that you (or any other Bundesliga follower in here)would recommend?
 
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