I always rated him...ahem
German Football 2024/25
- Thread starter SilentWitness
- Start date
I almost feel for Hoffenheim, 3:0 after 26 minutes despite them playing quite well so far.
This handball rule really needs to change, so fecking ridiculous to penalize defenders for that. The ball travelled barely a metre, Akpogouma wasn't even looking at the ball and was trying to challenge the cross.
Hoffenheim have actually looked really good in possession but Bayern have been clinical in front of goal. Was looking forward to watching Bischoff and Geiger but gameover now anyways.
Hoffenheim have actually looked really good in possession but Bayern have been clinical in front of goal. Was looking forward to watching Bischoff and Geiger but gameover now anyways.
Trouble in Hoffenheim, brilliant interview 
Trouble in Hoffenheim, brilliant interview
"I can sense your frustration" - next level empathy here from the journo, Kramaric hid it so well
Even if Hoffenheim aren't relegated this year they'll be relegated in future when their sugar daddy isn't around to artificially prop them up as a top flight club. He's 84.
Eventually they'll be in the 2. BL or 3. Liga which is still much better than the Kreisliga-tier club they were before Hopp.
Eventually they'll be in the 2. BL or 3. Liga which is still much better than the Kreisliga-tier club they were before Hopp.
That was brilliant
Trouble in Hoffenheim, brilliant interview
Kramaric is/was way too good for that useless club.
Gotze doing some pretty lovely stuff on the ball.
Geez, how did Dortmund get denied that penalty? That was blatantly wrong.
Surprised that VAR didn't check the pull on Guirassy
This has to be it for Sahin. Frankfurt wins
I always think Emre Can is too slow to be a top footballer
I always think Emre Can is too slow to be a top footballer
So that's Ten Hag to Dortmund
I think that Guirassy was partially at fault for that being dismissed, fell very dramatically with little contact. Definitely could have sold that better.
I wasn't talking about that scene though, I was talking about the other one with the hip-check on the left wing of the penalty box.
Sahin't when? Was that it for him?
Most important thing we learned today: There is a life after Marmoush for Frankfurt. Pretty important for them to make this immediately clear.
I actually think this could work quite well.
Ekitike, Knauff and Hojlund will have to step up massively
Frankfurt have their way of getting by from Haller-Rebic-Jovic to Kostic-Rafa Borre to Marmoush-Ekitike
He is very high up on my list of “what could have been”. It really is a shame.
And not a single one could maintain his level after leaving Frankfurt. I think Marmoush will be the next flop considering his price.
He doesn't fit City imo.
What's your opinion?
Absolutely. There couldn't have been a better timing for Højlund's first goal for Frankfurt than the first match without Marmoush.
I think he will flop too because Marmoush seemed to thrive in a more free role
Pep confines his attackers to specific roles to maximize their outputs. Savinho is also picking up. But Doku has been a major exception and a flop so far
Let's see. You don't sell your best scorer AND creator by far in mid-season without serious consequences. I think it is an absolutely shameful and pathetic thing for an upper table club with any kind of ambition to do.
And people pointing to the money, Marmoush would have brought in money also in summer.
I also don't think he will flop, I think he will add serious firepower to their attack. Very annoying.
Frankfurt showing they don’t need Marmoush
A shame that Bayern ruined him, indeed.
I think Dortmund are still mentally broken from missing out on the German title two seasons ago. Last year’s UCL loss doesn’t help either.
Played for the 2 biggest German clubs, won the Golden Boy award and was hailed as the German Messi, then scored the winning goal in a World Cup final. That's still a better career than most wunderkinds e.g. Moukoko, Havertz, Max Meyer, Pato, Joao Felix, Renato Sanches, Martial.
He had a thyroid issue and was always chubby, he's lucky Dortmund took him back and paid him while he got treated.
Yeah, I think it's a career you sort of expect from a great but still 2nd or 3rd tier #10. Some ups and down moves, an immortal moment, doing well as an older player surrounded by young legs on a CL group stage level team/Europa League contender. I feel like that could roughly describe at least 2 of the Argie Number 10s of the 90s/2000s in Riquelme/Aimar/Ortega and maybe Djorkaeff and James Rodriguez and probably some other guys I've forgotten.
Havertz could still have a better career. You wouldn't rule out him scoring a World Cup or Euro winning goal due to Germany's lack of true striker options, and he's only 25. I feel like if he was Wirtz' replacement at Leverkusen or went to Juventus or something he could put together 4 or 5 pretty great seasons with the right setup around him. England might just be the wrong league for him, as it has been for a weird number of tall, intelligent players, even as it's gotten more cosmopolitan. He's at 20 in 55 for Arsenal and Germany, oddly enough, and I feel like he could peak as a 1 in 2 striker whose overall game is very good for a #9, or get to play a more hybrid 9/10 role, similar number of goals but more influence, like his time near the end for Leverkusen.
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I known that you are joking but probably not everyone on here knows about Götze‘s illness.
Leipzig managed to throw away a 3 goal lead at Bochum
Very slowly we get a real relegation battle. St. Pauli now jumped out of the relegation zone, Hoffenheim wins as well.
And Dortmund now has as much distance to 3rd as to being third last (11 points).
Massive signing for Bayern. Kid is going to be a superstar.
Will be interesting to see how this impact's the Kimmich renewal. Do Bayern have a buy-back clause for Stiller? Can imagine a midfield squad of Stiller, Pavlovic, Palhinha and Bischof (with Laimer as backup) being very exciting, not just for Bayern fans but Germany as well given 3 of them are very talented young players.
Hope this doesn't derail Bischof's campaign with Hoffenheim though.
EDIT: Just saw that Stiller went to Hoffenheim for free, rather than a loan that I thought it was. So Bayern wouldn't have any buy back for him. Getting would be expensive then so better to keep Kimmich and help Bischof slowly get into the team.
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In hindsight Stiller is a big loss for Bayern but you can’t keep them all. And I am always happy when someone from the Bayern campus “makes it big”. I am very happy about the Bischof signing. He has so much potential.
Oh, he really did it.
Bischof grew up in the same bavarian province as me and the guy was known to be a huge talent since he was a small kid.
1 or 2 years ago i was skeptical if he could have a big career, because in the youth he always played as a CAM and i thought he is too slow and small for modern football in that role.
But this year playing deeper in CM for Hoffenheim he really surprised me with his tacklings and overall defensive work.
Pavlovic needs to step up, otherwise we will see e CM pair of Kimmich+Bischof more often than many people would guess today.
Bischof grew up in the same bavarian province as me and the guy was known to be a huge talent since he was a small kid.
1 or 2 years ago i was skeptical if he could have a big career, because in the youth he always played as a CAM and i thought he is too slow and small for modern football in that role.
But this year playing deeper in CM for Hoffenheim he really surprised me with his tacklings and overall defensive work.
Pavlovic needs to step up, otherwise we will see e CM pair of Kimmich+Bischof more often than many people would guess today.
Bischof and Pavlovic are really quite similar, aren’t they?
Kimmich-Bischof would be interesting. My first instinct was that it's too risky from a defensive point of view but one thing that goes unnoticed for Bischof is his high work rate. He averages very high in tackles for midfielders, which is surprising given he usually plays the more attacking of the two central midfielders with Stach.
I think Kimmich-Bischof would lead to the same problems Bayern wanted to solve with Palhinha. Two CMs with a high work rate and the space in the middle is vacated too often. But both can also play a more attacking oriented role or in Kimmich's case even RB which is a weak spot in Bayern's lineup anyway.
One way or another, top class transfer for Bayern.
Looks as if Sahin is gone. Didn't give post match interview, Dortmund's CEO Ricken didn't confirm that he will stay manager but that they will discuss "what is best for Dortmund" tomorrow. Really sounds like the sack will be confirmed tomorrow.
They won’t get better as long as Ricken and Kehl plus Watzke are involved. Nepotism over quality and it is/was the same with Sahin. Simply a badly run club over the last few years.
I think it can work if both have an understanding of who goes forward while the other stays back. I know you don't agree with me that Goretzka-Kimmich worked in previous seasons, before Goretzka lost his physicality in the last two seasons, but for me I thought they were a good combo.
It's not just Goretzka though, I also feel Kimmich has lost some of his legs and therefore would be better playing with someone who stays deep rather than also venturing forward. The issue we've seen with Palhinha, and why he hadn't gotten to play a lot even before his injury, is that he isn't good on the ball so if Kimmich goes forward and he stays back, then the opposition can press Palhinha and Bayern would struggle to bring the ball up.
In that way, Pavlovic is a perfect partner for Kimmich because he is good on the ball. Really surprised how Kompany has preferred Goretzka recently, ironic considering how Bayern were trying to force him to leave at the start of the season, but he has done well in fairness. He's playing much more as a DM now than the B2B he was in his prime.
To be honest, i keep forgetting that Bayern bought Palhinha. But I also keep forgetting that Boey and Ito (allegedly) exist.