That's the thing with tactics. Sooner or later, other teams figure out how to counter it. It'll be interesting to see how Klopp adapts to teams parking the bus. Still, 7 points in 8 games is pretty bad. That said, Dortmund have had bad luck with injuries. It's a shame that Bayern will most probably have the league wrapped up by December.
Bundesliga, DFB Cup, and other Bundesliga business 2014/2015
- Thread starter ManniKaltz
- Start date
What's this?
'your style - it's successful, do you also think it's nice [in an asthetic sense]?'
Di Matteo says that he didn't understand him then he repeats the exact same question and when di Matteo walks off he says 'that's an answer too'.
Usually that guy is one of the better interviewers of German sports media, dunno if he was pissed off because Bayern lost or if it just was a very cheap attempt to get some sort of reaction from di Matteo, either way it was very pathetic.
I'm not sure if you can really call it countering Dortmund's tactics, at least not in an absolute way. Klopp isn't exactly as pedantic about his style as some other coaches and besides: the whole (counter-) pressing thing is what you do without the ball it doesn't dictate how you behave during possession phases.
Parking the bus against top teams is neither something specific to facing Dortmund nor is it some new revelation. Teams have been doing that for quite a while now and Dortmund have been able to deal with that in the past (at least in the sense of creating more than enough chances to win every game) but this season with all the injuries: except Kagawa all the players who's job it is to organize build up/provide penetration/keep up circulation in the opposition half have been injured and even now that they are coming back those players need to find their match rythm/form and the team needs some time to become a unit because most of those guys are playing together for the first time.
So I don't think there is a systematic problem, they need to somehow get through this crisis and then they should be fine. especially Gündogan already made a big difference in their build up.
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It's only the 2nd Bundesliga, but it's just too wonderful to ignore:
1860 3-0 down at halftime and at the moment next to last in the table, while Ingolstadt is 1-0 up in Frankfurt and top of the table. I'd love it if Augsburg and Ingolstadt played in the Bundesliga while 1860 with all their sugardaddy money stayed down or even better got relegated to the 3rd league.
1860 3-0 down at halftime and at the moment next to last in the table, while Ingolstadt is 1-0 up in Frankfurt and top of the table. I'd love it if Augsburg and Ingolstadt played in the Bundesliga while 1860 with all their sugardaddy money stayed down or even better got relegated to the 3rd league.
No surprise that journalists try to stir up a reaction from managers. It's pathetic.
Thanks for this. Their defence is looking shaky though. Hummels seems unusually shaky at the moment.
I'd rather not see Audi FC with their average attendance of 7k in Bundesliga.
It's not like they've actually a big enough budget to compete and they won't finish in the top 3 anyway. I actually like the new stadium in Ingolstadt though and could see them filling the stadium in the Bundesliga regularly, not that 12-15k average attendance would be something special for the league, but it wouldn't be 7k. Whatever way you look at it, it's impressive what Augsburg and Ingolstadt are doing in comparison to 1860.
Oh I definately respect their achievements, but I'd always prefer a proper football club to get promoted.
How has Alonso been for Bayern so far?
I wrote the following yesterday during the game:
Our best player so far this season in my opinion.
From what I've seen, he has been the best midfielder in the world this season. Set a ridiculous record with 200 touches in a game, too.
It's like when Milan booted Pirlo off to Juve...
Good game in Hamburg so far, 1-1 halftime score.
I had no idea 1860 were a money club? I always thought they were your extremely poor neighbours?
Why are they so bad?
Their sugardaddy is more on the Vincent Tan side and less of a Roman Abramovic. The whole club is in tatters, amateurish management, horrible waste of ressources... a complete travesty.
They aren't really a money club, but they sold half of the club to a rich investor from Jordan and got several (for a 2nd Bundesliga club) huge money injections. They most likely would have gone bankrupt without his money, but overall it caused as many problems as it solved. Because of the restrictions regarding ownership in German football, there is now a constant power struggle at the club, which lead to sheer chaos. Of course they wasted all that money and play now worse than before, while Augsburg and Ingolstadt, two small clubs from the region around Munich, did/do a much better job with a smaller budget in the 2nd Bundesliga. Augsburg established themselves in the Bundesliga and Ingolstadt sit top of the table at the moment.
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We're moving in the right direction. Good game today, should've got 3 points really but I can't complain about a draw against a 2nd placed team.
Lasogga was very good today, he's getting back to his best. Our U23 right back Götz also played very well today.
And Djourou and Westermann, I don't know what happened but they are a rock solid partnership at the moment.
Lasogga was very good today, he's getting back to his best. Our U23 right back Götz also played very well today.
And Djourou and Westermann, I don't know what happened but they are a rock solid partnership at the moment.
I have never seen a player integrate so quickly and seamlessly into a new team. He literally got off the plane, onto the Bundesliga pitch and had the whole team in his palm. And he turned it into a weapon again after the first few questionable performances. Preseason was a horror, now it seems we're back on track. Mostly thanks to Alonso, what with Schweinsteiger being out and all the other injuries. I'm still baffled by the developments. I remember last season and how I kept hoping that Kroos would stay, but this ain't too bad. Not too bad at all. Everyone can be replaced, it's true.
Edit: Alonso's bloody humble, too. I like that guy on a personal level. Do not fancy the beard, tho.
The matchday in short...
The kit sponsor of Werder Bremen is Wiesenhof - a company that sells frozen chicken... the "Hühnerhof" word that you see in the video means "chicken farm"
The mascot of Cologne is Hennes a billy goat.
I especially like the end scene with Rummenigge and Watzke as Waldorf and Statler...
The kit sponsor of Werder Bremen is Wiesenhof - a company that sells frozen chicken... the "Hühnerhof" word that you see in the video means "chicken farm"
The mascot of Cologne is Hennes a billy goat.
I especially like the end scene with Rummenigge and Watzke as Waldorf and Statler...
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Great CL week for the Bundesliga teams this time around.
It's good to see that all the teams are finally showing what they are capable of in Europe. Hopefully this win also gives Dortmund another confidence boost.
17-4 goals, 3 out of 4 teams are on top of their group!
It's good to see that all the teams are finally showing what they are capable of in Europe. Hopefully this win also gives Dortmund another confidence boost.
17-4 goals, 3 out of 4 teams are on top of their group!
I do not think that any Bundesliga team apart from Bayern takes the ball and let's Dortmund play on the counter with spaces in masses.
So after a brilliant week for German football with 6 wins in 6 games in European competitions, we head into the Bundesliga weekend with a few really interesting games and the true classic of German football, finally a clash at the top again, 2nd placed Gladbach against top of the table Bayern.
The league table at the moment:
# Team Name P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Bayern Munich 8 6 2 0 21 2 19 20
2 Borussia Monchengladbach 8 4 4 0 12 4 8 16
3 Mainz 05 8 3 5 0 12 7 5 14
4 Hoffenheim 8 3 5 0 12 7 5 14
5 Wolfsburg 8 4 2 2 13 9 4 14
6 Bayer Leverkusen 8 3 4 1 16 14 2 13
7 Paderborn 8 3 3 2 13 11 2 12
8 Eintracht Frankfurt 8 3 3 2 13 13 0 12
9 Schalke 04 8 3 2 3 13 12 1 11
10 Hannover 96 8 3 1 4 5 11 -6 10
11 FC Cologne 8 2 3 3 6 7 -1 9
12 Augsburg 8 3 0 5 9 11 -2 9
13 Hertha Berlin 8 2 2 4 11 16 -5 8
14 Borussia Dortmund 8 2 1 5 10 14 -4 7
15 VfB Stuttgart 8 1 3 4 9 15 -6 6
16 Hamburger SV 8 1 3 4 3 9 -6 6
17 Freiburg 8 0 5 3 8 12 -4 5
18 Werder Bremen 8 0 4 4 10 22 -12 4
The games:
(all times BST/GMT+1/UTC+1/whatever you guys call your timezone at the moment)
Today 19:30
Werder Bremen - FC Cologne
Bremen again with a horrible start in the season. If they don't win today, Robin Dutt might lose his job and Bremen will look for a new manager. It really is a bit sad how deep the club has fallen after being constantly in the top 5 for most of the last decade. Cologne should go with a lot of confidence into this game after last week's win against Dortmund and they looked very good in defense so far this season.
Saturday 14:30
Augsburg - Freiburg
Dortmund - Hannover
Frankfurt - Stuttgart
Berlin - Hamburg
Hoffenheim - Paderborn
Mostly midtable games, the big questions probably are:
1. Will Freiburg's bad luck finally change, the one team that really was screwed over by bad referee decisions again and again and really deserve to be higher up the table?
2. Can Dortmund finally find some form in the league after another impressive display in the CL?
3. Not really a question, but Armin Veh left Frankfurt to return to Stuttgart and lead the club into a successful future again, after all he managed them in their title winning season in 2007. So far it's not working out.
4. Hamburg showed some clear improvements since Zinnbauer became the new manager, including a draw against Bayern and a win against Dortmund. Will it continue? With a win they would finally leave the relegation zone.
5. Both Hoffenheim and Paderborn play impressive seasons so far. It looks like Hoffenheim actually found a bit of balance between attack and defense, their games aren't as exciting as last season, but Firminho still comes up with a bit of magic from time to time, which definitely makes it worth watching, which lead to him finally being called up to the Brazilian nationalteam for the upcoming friendlies.
Saturday 17:30
Leverkusen - Schalke
With Gladbach doing so well, this game could already be crucial in the fight for a top four finish. One of those two teams could miss out on CL football next year.
Leverkusen is probably one of the most impressive and most idiotic teams at the same time so far this season. Many brilliant performances should see them closer to the top in the league, but they still can't avoid the occasional bottling job of huge dimensions like drawing a game after being 3-0 up at halftime last week. Their reaction and their overall performances in the CL so far are great though, which means they sit at the top of their CL group at the moment.
Schalke are their usual chaotic self, great performances followed by shockingly bad games. I don't think di Matteo has improved them so far, but he definitely brought his CL winning luck with him, which gave them two probably undeserved wins in a row. It could be awful, it could be great, it definitely has a lot of potential for drama and no matter what the score is at halftime, it won't be over until the final whistle, that's certain with those two clubs.
Sunday 14:30
Wolfsburg - Mainz
Wolfsburg finally seem to get going this season and de Bruyne is getting better and better and was fantastic again yesterday in the Europa League with 2 goals and an assist. The goal for Wolfsburg has to be to make it into the Champions League after so much investment in recent years. Mainz is in my opinion a huge surprise so far this season. They are doing fantastic work for more than a decade, but many expected (me included) that they would struggle after losing mastermind Tuchel. They struggled initially with embrassing performances in the Europa League qualification and the German Cup, but look excellent now and maybe have a decent shot at another Europa League qualification this season. Hopefully Mainz can take advantage of Wolfsburg's long and probably exhausting trip to Russia yesterday.
Sunday 16:30
Gladbach - Bayern
The true classic of German football. Bayern are looking stronger and stronger with every game, but in recent years Favre's Gladbach often provided an interesting fight. Heynckes' Bayern side always struggled against his team, only winning one out of 4 league games, losing twice. Guardiola did better last season, but I'm sure Favre will come up with great ideas to make this an interesting game. He's a brilliant tactician and over the last years built a really strong team with surprisingly great squad depth, which means they shouldn't be too tired after yesterday's home game in the Europa League, where they showed another great performance in a 5-0 win. Gladbach is also, just like Bayern, still unbeaten in all competitions so far this season (4 wins, 4 draws in the league, 1 win in the cup, 1 win and 2 draws in the Europa League).
Between 1968 and '77 these two clubs dominated the Bundesliga with Gladbach winning 5 and Bayern 4 league titles. Just as a reminder of the great battles in the 70's, highlights from one of my favourite games between these two teams with most of the German greats from that decade involved in the goals:
The league table at the moment:
# Team Name P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Bayern Munich 8 6 2 0 21 2 19 20
2 Borussia Monchengladbach 8 4 4 0 12 4 8 16
3 Mainz 05 8 3 5 0 12 7 5 14
4 Hoffenheim 8 3 5 0 12 7 5 14
5 Wolfsburg 8 4 2 2 13 9 4 14
6 Bayer Leverkusen 8 3 4 1 16 14 2 13
7 Paderborn 8 3 3 2 13 11 2 12
8 Eintracht Frankfurt 8 3 3 2 13 13 0 12
9 Schalke 04 8 3 2 3 13 12 1 11
10 Hannover 96 8 3 1 4 5 11 -6 10
11 FC Cologne 8 2 3 3 6 7 -1 9
12 Augsburg 8 3 0 5 9 11 -2 9
13 Hertha Berlin 8 2 2 4 11 16 -5 8
14 Borussia Dortmund 8 2 1 5 10 14 -4 7
15 VfB Stuttgart 8 1 3 4 9 15 -6 6
16 Hamburger SV 8 1 3 4 3 9 -6 6
17 Freiburg 8 0 5 3 8 12 -4 5
18 Werder Bremen 8 0 4 4 10 22 -12 4
The games:
(all times BST/GMT+1/UTC+1/whatever you guys call your timezone at the moment)
Today 19:30
Werder Bremen - FC Cologne
Bremen again with a horrible start in the season. If they don't win today, Robin Dutt might lose his job and Bremen will look for a new manager. It really is a bit sad how deep the club has fallen after being constantly in the top 5 for most of the last decade. Cologne should go with a lot of confidence into this game after last week's win against Dortmund and they looked very good in defense so far this season.
Saturday 14:30
Augsburg - Freiburg
Dortmund - Hannover
Frankfurt - Stuttgart
Berlin - Hamburg
Hoffenheim - Paderborn
Mostly midtable games, the big questions probably are:
1. Will Freiburg's bad luck finally change, the one team that really was screwed over by bad referee decisions again and again and really deserve to be higher up the table?
2. Can Dortmund finally find some form in the league after another impressive display in the CL?
3. Not really a question, but Armin Veh left Frankfurt to return to Stuttgart and lead the club into a successful future again, after all he managed them in their title winning season in 2007. So far it's not working out.
4. Hamburg showed some clear improvements since Zinnbauer became the new manager, including a draw against Bayern and a win against Dortmund. Will it continue? With a win they would finally leave the relegation zone.
5. Both Hoffenheim and Paderborn play impressive seasons so far. It looks like Hoffenheim actually found a bit of balance between attack and defense, their games aren't as exciting as last season, but Firminho still comes up with a bit of magic from time to time, which definitely makes it worth watching, which lead to him finally being called up to the Brazilian nationalteam for the upcoming friendlies.
Saturday 17:30
Leverkusen - Schalke
With Gladbach doing so well, this game could already be crucial in the fight for a top four finish. One of those two teams could miss out on CL football next year.
Leverkusen is probably one of the most impressive and most idiotic teams at the same time so far this season. Many brilliant performances should see them closer to the top in the league, but they still can't avoid the occasional bottling job of huge dimensions like drawing a game after being 3-0 up at halftime last week. Their reaction and their overall performances in the CL so far are great though, which means they sit at the top of their CL group at the moment.
Schalke are their usual chaotic self, great performances followed by shockingly bad games. I don't think di Matteo has improved them so far, but he definitely brought his CL winning luck with him, which gave them two probably undeserved wins in a row. It could be awful, it could be great, it definitely has a lot of potential for drama and no matter what the score is at halftime, it won't be over until the final whistle, that's certain with those two clubs.
Sunday 14:30
Wolfsburg - Mainz
Wolfsburg finally seem to get going this season and de Bruyne is getting better and better and was fantastic again yesterday in the Europa League with 2 goals and an assist. The goal for Wolfsburg has to be to make it into the Champions League after so much investment in recent years. Mainz is in my opinion a huge surprise so far this season. They are doing fantastic work for more than a decade, but many expected (me included) that they would struggle after losing mastermind Tuchel. They struggled initially with embrassing performances in the Europa League qualification and the German Cup, but look excellent now and maybe have a decent shot at another Europa League qualification this season. Hopefully Mainz can take advantage of Wolfsburg's long and probably exhausting trip to Russia yesterday.
Sunday 16:30
Gladbach - Bayern
The true classic of German football. Bayern are looking stronger and stronger with every game, but in recent years Favre's Gladbach often provided an interesting fight. Heynckes' Bayern side always struggled against his team, only winning one out of 4 league games, losing twice. Guardiola did better last season, but I'm sure Favre will come up with great ideas to make this an interesting game. He's a brilliant tactician and over the last years built a really strong team with surprisingly great squad depth, which means they shouldn't be too tired after yesterday's home game in the Europa League, where they showed another great performance in a 5-0 win. Gladbach is also, just like Bayern, still unbeaten in all competitions so far this season (4 wins, 4 draws in the league, 1 win in the cup, 1 win and 2 draws in the Europa League).
Between 1968 and '77 these two clubs dominated the Bundesliga with Gladbach winning 5 and Bayern 4 league titles. Just as a reminder of the great battles in the 70's, highlights from one of my favourite games between these two teams with most of the German greats from that decade involved in the goals:
Bayern will win easily. A cool 2-0.
Matchday 09, 24/10/14 - 26/10/14
And tonight they are bottom of the league!
Another lose for Bremen today, that's it for Dutt then, everything else would surprise me.
I struggle to find two sides that are worse than Bremen. Teams like Paderborn, Köln, Augsburg, hannover or even Berlin play much better. I think they are going down this season with or without dutt.
If Werder Bremen gets relegated then the club's very existence is threatened because of the significant stadium debt and the lack of cash reserves. Fifty-one years in the Bundesliga only second to Hamburger SV, a Champions League team until 5 years ago, DFB cup winner in '09 and Bundesliga champion in '04. The whole nation was in love with Werder Bremen, but they failed to capitalize on that popularity. Over all these years they needed the CL money to finance their wage-bill, that was the cardinal error from the very beginning.
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Except the people of Hamburg of course.
The scheduling is so crap this weekend. Bayer-Schalke clashes with Real-Barca and then on Sunday the United game overlaps with both the Mainz game and Gladbach-Bayern.
Bremen hasn't won a single game this season and hasn't looked convincing, right now I'd tip them for relegation, as early as it may be to do so. Hamburg on the other hand seems to have stopped arsing about for the time being.
It really sucks
I hope Dortmund can finally find some form in the league again. Bayer vs. Schalke also looks like a potential goal bonanza with the amount of goals they both let in atm.
Dortmund asked the German football league for the permission to play in the champions league kit today instead of the regular league kit
. Maybe it'll help.Dortmund's starting XI: Weidenfeller - Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Durm - Bender, Gündogan - Auba, Reus, Mkhitaryan - Ramos
Dortmund asked the German football league for the permission to play in the champions league kit today instead of the regular league kit
Seriously?
YesSeriously?
. I suggested on Wednesday that they just play the CL anthem ahead of the game, but the idea with the kits isn't bad either.Dortmund are pretty close to full strength today are they not ? Only missing Kuba and Schmelzer