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

I watched the Mönchengladbach vs Hannover match tonight, Xhaka really is looking the business, his passing and reading of the game both offensively and defensively was class, plus he's a good athlete as well. Much bigger test for him next week against Bayern though, should be interesting.
 
I don't think it helps that the police now start to make up these ridiculous figures. It alienates the fangroups even more. It's important to tell the truth obviously, but without exaggerating. But then, the development is really worrying and I fully understand that policemen are really pissed that they have to spend so much time protecting stupid football fans from killing each other. I get that they want to be heard and that they want to let the world know that even those 'minor' injuries are very very wrong.

Everything that happened around RB Leipzig in recent weeks is especially sickening. Fangroups are basically blackmailing clubs into giving into stupid demands under the threat of violence. It's insane.
 
NoLogo said:
Wow that would be a surprising move. Especially since I'm not quite sure that Pep is already done with Bayern.
Click to expand...

He had a long talk with Pep some weeks ago - he has asked the club for that meeting. I would not be surprised if Tuchel would be a staff member next season. I could imagine that Pep would like to work together with him and vice versa. I am not really so sure if Tuchel is so keen on being the manager in the front line - similar to Vogel who went back from first coach at Basel to youth coach at Bayern.

But I could imagine that they build up Tuchel as successor of Pep at Bayern.
He is a similar type when you see how he thinks and works. He teaches his teams different systems and sometimes even shifts them around after some minutes and changes the match plan - sometimes even makes early substitutions.

Some connect Tuchel with Klopp because they were together at Mainz - but Tuchel comes from the Stuttgart coaching school. His mentor and teacher there was Holger Badstuber's father (and Hermann Gerland's best friend).
 
Last edited:
Sean_RedDevil said:
More from Bayern Munich's possible coaching changes.......

Bayern Munich are planning a move for Manchester City's EDS coach Patrick Vieira to put him in charge of their U23 team
Click to expand...

This is all very very odd.
 
Sean_RedDevil said:
Why makes your club so many friendlies during the season???
Click to expand...

I guess we play so many to try out different tactics as our offense is still not really working.Our squad is pretty big as well with all the youngsters from the second team. We have a lot of players coming back from injury (Holtby, Diaz, Rajkovic, Jung etc.) too so I think they want to get in the rhythm.
 
gofelx said:
I guess we play so many to try out different tactics as our offense is still not really working.Our squad is pretty big as well with all the youngsters from the second team. We have a lot of players coming back from injury (Holtby, Diaz, Rajkovic, Jung etc.) too so I think they want to get in the rhythm.
Click to expand...
But it isn't just this season......they've done it under Fink, Van Marwijk and Slomka too.

Anyway massive match against Hertha Berlin tomorrow :)
Sean_RedDevil said:
More from Bayern Munich's possible coaching changes.......

Bayern Munich are planning a move for Manchester City's EDS coach Patrick Vieira to put him in charge of their U23 team
Click to expand...

 
Last edited:
I do not think that playing friendlies is a harm. Heynckes used to make a lot friendlies during the treble season, too - but mainly in autumn - even in the weeks with two matches. He used the smaller clubs in the surrounding for that to give the bench players practise and players that came back from injuries. The little clubs liked that as they got a full stadium for free.

It was an advantage later on as he really played with an A and a B team that season - especially in March and April after the win of the league. Schweinsteiger, Lahm nearly never featured in the Bundesliga after the win in Frankfurt - and others only part time. Players like Shaqiri, Gustavo, van Buyten, Gomez, Rafinha, Contento, Pizarro, Tymoschchuk were used to play with each other...
 
This is the line-up for the upcoming U21 games:


Tor: Timo Horn (1. FC Köln), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc-André ter Stegen (FC Barcelona), Loris Karius (Mainz 05)

Abwehr: Christian Günter (SC Freiburg), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund), Julian Korb (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Robin Knoche (VfL Wolfsburg), Willi Orban (1. FC Kaiserslautern), Nico Schulz (Hertha BSC)

Mittelfeld: Leonardo Bittencourt (Hannover 96), Johannes Geis (Mainz 05), Moritz Leitner (VfB Stuttgart), Yunus Malli (Mainz 05), Max Meyer (Schalke 04), Amin Younes (1. FC Kaiserslautern), Emre Can (FC Liverpool), Kerem Demirbay (1. FC Kaiserslautern), Joshua Kimmich (RB Leipzig), Felix Klaus (SC Freiburg), Jean Zimmer (1. FC Kaiserslautern), Maximilian Arnold (VfL Wolfsburg)

Angriff: Kevin Volland (1899 Hoffenheim), Philipp Hofmann (1. FC Kaiserslautern), Serge Gnabry (FC Arsenal)


That is an amazing squad in my opinion. Players like Goretzka and Selke are not even included. Especially happy for Demirbay, he's having a very good season and was called up for the first time today, played for the Turkish U21 before.
 
The goalkeepers in that squad are ridiculous, better than just about every other country's first team keepers.
 
Indeed. Incredible pool of talent in that department. Not really impressed with the striker options though.
 
What happened to Gnabry btw? Was talked into our national team by the Football Weekly podcast last year or so.
Had a laugh then but he seemed on a good way.
Totally left my mind.
 
It's an amazing squad. Maybe even more talented than the 2009 winners. Time will tell, how good they'll become.
 
Balu said:
It's an amazing squad. Maybe even more talented than the 2009 winners. Time will tell, how good they'll become.
Click to expand...

Technically - yes. But do they have the "winner" types, too?

I think it is always that mixture of that that makes a winning squad. The special players that guarantee a winning often aren't the most (technically) talented lads.
 
anchan1989 said:
What happened to Gnabry btw? Was talked into our national team by the Football Weekly podcast last year or so.
Had a laugh then but he seemed on a good way.
Totally left my mind.
Click to expand...
Has been injured most of this season. Had a serious knee injury I think. About to return to action sometime soon. It's a shame though, as he had some good games for us.
 
Sean_RedDevil said:
I would really like to know what Podolski knows about Löw :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Now that Löw extended his contract till 2018, I fully expect Podolski to surpass Matthäus' 150 caps and become the German player with the most games for the nationalteam. It's ridiculous.
 
Balu said:
Now that Löw extended his contract till 2018, I fully expect Podolski to surpass Matthäus' 150 caps and become the German player with the most games for the nationalteam. It's ridiculous.
Click to expand...

The entire extension is ridiculous...
 
Piratesoup said:
The entire extension is ridiculous...
Click to expand...

Balu said:
Now that Löw extended his contract till 2018, I fully expect Podolski to surpass Matthäus' 150 caps and become the German player with the most games for the nationalteam. It's ridiculous.
Click to expand...

Guys....
Podolski was a very important player under Löw in his first 4 years. He never or very rarely cancelled a Germany game and he gives it all in Germany games.
Still 29! Löw honours that a bit. These games are against Australia and Georgia btw....
And there are so many records about Podolski and his importance to the chemistry in the Germany camp, specially in Brazil.
Löw just keeps him around. And thats fine.

And really? Still the Löw bashing?
2nd in the euros 2008, 3rd in the WC 2010, semis in the euros 2012 and now world champion. So many credit him for the new modern style of the national team.
But yeah. Why keep him?
Sigh...some people just love to hate.
 
anchan1989 said:
Guys....
Podolski was a very important player under Löw in his first 4 years. He never or very rarely cancelled a Germany game and he gives it all in Germany games.
Still 29! Löw honours that a bit. These games are against Australia and Georgia btw....
And there are so many records about Podolski and his importance to the chemistry in the Germany camp, specially in Brazil.
Löw just keeps him around. And thats fine.

And really? Still the Löw bashing?
2nd in the euros 2008, 3rd in the WC 2010, semis in the euros 2012 and now world champion. So many credit him for the new modern style of the national team.
But yeah. Why keep him?
Sigh...some people just love to hate.
Click to expand...


Podolski's inclusion in the national has been an absolute joke ever since 2010. But it's not only his inclusion, it's even more that he constantly features in important games. May I remind you of Euro 2012 where Podolski started in the semis against Italy while Reus, Müller, Schürrle, and Götze were all on the bench? What does Podolski offer and how is it fair to those who've outperformed him in those years where he got selected that they're not even featuring in the squad while he's starting most games. The only thing he appears to offer is being a fun guy you can have a laugh with.

Yes, Löw has a good record, but the question is, could other managers do better. This is an amazing generation for Germany so you'd expect him to perform the way he does really. The stupid squad selections and formations, his stubborness, and the sometimes questionable tactics are some of the reasons why he's not exactly coming over as the best possible option to everyone. In all seriousness, who in the world would play the highest line imaginable and start with Mertesacker at CB? Reus drops out as an attacking option and his backup isn't Volland, it's Mustafi, an unproven CB, who then starts multiple important games at RB ahead of the actual fullbacks that are in the squad. It was only Mustafi's injury that forced Löw to play Lahm at RB again. Otherwise we'd have seen some more of Mustafi's great performances like the ones he put on show against Ghana, the USA, and Algeria. (I actually rate Mustafi as a CB and I had seen him a couple times before he ever featured for the senior team)
 
anchan1989 said:
Podolski was a very important player under Löw in his first 4 years. He never or very rarely cancelled a Germany game and he gives it all in Germany games.
Click to expand...
That's simply not true. He's lazy as feck on the left wing, rarely tracks his fullback or helps out in defense. He's not trying to make runs in behind the defense as well, when we're in possession. He's strolling around and from time to time takes a shot. Pretty much all his performances since the world cup in 2010 were embarrassingly bad, especially in tournaments. Not only because he struggled individually, but also because he's not working hard at all.

Fair enough, I agree that he's a likable guy off the pitch and good for the team chemistry. Let him come along as some sort of party clown for all I care, the German FA can pay for it, if it really helps. He shouldn't be part of the playing squad anymore though. It's blatantly unfair against all the other great players who actually try hard when they're on the pitch and perform clearly better than him for half a decade now.

Löw deserves some credit for reviving Klose's career in 2010, when he looked done and the trust, Löw put in him, paid off in South Africa and Brazil. To a smaller degree, it's also true for Podolski in 2010, when we still lacked quality options to replace him. But while Klose actually did work hard for the team every time he was on the pitch and earned his spot in the squad, Podolski has done the exact opposite since 2010. Maybe being left out and forced to work for his spot would actually help him getting back on track. Like you say, he's still only 29 and should be in his prime now, yet he's wasting his career.
 
anchan1989 said:
Guys....
Podolski was a very important player under Löw in his first 4 years. He never or very rarely cancelled a Germany game and he gives it all in Germany games.
Still 29! Löw honours that a bit. These games are against Australia and Georgia btw....
And there are so many records about Podolski and his importance to the chemistry in the Germany camp, specially in Brazil.
Löw just keeps him around. And thats fine.

And really? Still the Löw bashing?
2nd in the euros 2008, 3rd in the WC 2010, semis in the euros 2012 and now world champion. So many credit him for the new modern style of the national team.
But yeah. Why keep him?
Sigh...some people just love to hate.
Click to expand...

I think it really has a lot to do with the fact that Podolski has become a big of a mascot for the national team. It's also not really that he takes playing time away from better player, he rarely ever starts these days anyways. The occasional sub in a non important game maybe but that's all he gets these days.
 
NoLogo said:
I think it really has a lot to do with the fact that Podolski has become a big of a mascot for the national team. It's also not really that he takes playing time away from better player, he rarely ever starts these days anyways. The occasional sub in a non important game maybe but that's all he gets these days.
Click to expand...
He was subbed in in the first group game at the World Cup and started the 3rd group game. He didn't deserve these minutes and watching him play was a horror show. Even Löw realised it and didn't use him anymore in the rest of the tournament, but instead of finally making the cut after the World Cup and telling him that he has to earn his spot back by playing well for his clubs, he keeps bringing him along for the qualifiers. And he got to play in all 4 competitive games we had since. 3 subs and 1 start in our 4 qualifying games for the Euro 2016. It's not right, it's really unfair to other German players and it hurts the team because he's incredibly bad.
 
Balu said:
He was subbed in in the first group game at the World Cup and started the 3rd group game. He didn't deserve these minutes and watching him play was a horror show. Even Löw realised it and didn't use him anymore in the rest of the tournament, but instead of finally making the cut after the World Cup and telling him that he has to earn his spot back by playing well for his clubs, he keeps bringing him along for the qualifiers. And he got to play in all 4 competitive games we had since. 3 subs and 1 start in our 4 qualifying games for the Euro 2016. It's not right, it's really unfair to other German players and it hurts the team because he's incredibly bad.
Click to expand...

Okay that's probably a fair point especially because Löw always says you have to get games for your club and be in good form to get a spot in the team. It makes him implausible if he than goes on and nominates Podolski again and again. In the end though Löw will have his reasons to why he keeps including him and if he loses the support of the team because of it that's his problem but as long as it works I don't really see the reason why he absolutely shouldn't be in the team.
 
Amin Younes needs to give up and declare for us (Lebanon). He will never be a regular for Germany. Having said that I can imagine why it's not that easy of a decision :lol:
The selection of goalkeepers is Ridiculous. Are there any promising strikers coming through? Germany lacks a top striker.
 
anchan1989 said:
Guys....
Podolski was a very important player under Löw in his first 4 years. He never or very rarely cancelled a Germany game and he gives it all in Germany games.
Still 29! Löw honours that a bit. These games are against Australia and Georgia btw....
And there are so many records about Podolski and his importance to the chemistry in the Germany camp, specially in Brazil.
Löw just keeps him around. And thats fine.

And really? Still the Löw bashing?
2nd in the euros 2008, 3rd in the WC 2010, semis in the euros 2012 and now world champion. So many credit him for the new modern style of the national team.
But yeah. Why keep him?
Sigh...some people just love to hate.
Click to expand...
You have forgotten the sentence "Poldi is world-class"
 
Ballache said:
Amin Younes needs to give up and declare for us (Lebanon). He will never be a regular for Germany. Having said that I can imagine why it's not that easy of a decision :lol:
The selection of goalkeepers is Ridiculous. Are there any promising strikers coming through? Germany lacks a top striker.
Click to expand...
No, for some reason we don't develop quality strikers anymore. I think we have to make do with Müller upfront. We have an abundance of quality wingers, wide forwards and attacking midfielders, so even if it isn't Müller's best position, it's still a quality solution.
 
Balu said:
That's simply not true. He's lazy as feck on the left wing, rarely tracks his fullback or helps out in defense. He's not trying to make runs in behind the defense as well, when we're in possession. He's strolling around and from time to time takes a shot. Pretty much all his performances since the world cup in 2010 were embarrassingly bad, especially in tournaments. Not only because he struggled individually, but also because he's not working hard at all.

Fair enough, I agree that he's a likable guy off the pitch and good for the team chemistry.
...To a smaller degree, it's also true for Podolski in 2010, when we still lacked quality options to replace him. But while Klose actually did work hard for the team every time he was on the pitch and earned his spot in the squad, Podolski has done the exact opposite since 2010. Maybe being left out and forced to work for his spot would actually help him getting back on track. Like you say, he's still only 29 and should be in his prime now, yet he's wasting his career.
Click to expand...

Fair enough to you too, Balu. To be honest, I never had such an eye on him during the Germany games after 2010. He also has only a few scorer between 2010 and last year. Thought his stats would be better.
But there are the stories, that he was the best in the training camp before the world cup. And he is more old school, just not the kind of player who tracks back all the time imo.

And to be fair; his Arsenal numbers are very good. But you are right; he let me down in Italy so far. We will see. He should be in his prime, I agree.
But someone who was a first team member in 2 world cups and 2 euros can help. That was Löws idea behind a Klose with a terrible club record in 2010.

Sean_RedDevil said:
You have forgotten the sentence "Poldi is world-class"
Click to expand...

Still a world champion who earned that title with 2 main roles in 2 world cup semis teams.
Not so bad. ;)
 
See, that´s not so freaking hard is it? Straight forward, fast, direct passing with a good finishing. First goal from us in around 200 minutes (league only)...
 
Sphaero said:
See, that´s not so freaking hard is it? Straight forward, fast, direct passing with a good finishing. First goal from us in around 200 minutes (league only)...
Click to expand...
And again 5 Dortmund players rushing back and no one is tracking the runners. Obviously it isn't easy to defend after losing the ball in such a stupid way in midfield, but the way the team defends counterattacks is just not good enough.

/edit:
again. it's not that Dortmund is outnumbered at the back in these situations, they just all run back like headless chicken without knowing what the opponent is doing.
 
10470908_977253092305882_3876657518695578567_n.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.