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German Football 2024/25
- Thread starter SilentWitness
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Hello, Guest! We have four new competitions (with taglines and awards as prizes) starting.
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Jamie (@Vault Dweller) get the depressing job of reviewing United's 3-0 loss at Old Trafford to Liverpool. They discuss what went wrong, Casemiro's day to forget, and the pressure now on Erik Ten Hag. They also take some time to give McTominay a proper farewell, and give their overall thoughts on the Summer Transfer Window.
@do.ob do your thing! 
The 2. Bundesliga starts and no one is here to talk about it? How Sacrilegious!
A total crowd of 290975 means an average of 32300 spectators watched the games. If we ever get all the big clubs to play at home at the same time this could lead to some new records...
Anyway, in a typical twist the pre-season favorites Köln and Hertha both lose at home while Schalke climbs to the top with an impressive 5:1 win over Braunschweig.
Who do you see making it to the Bundesliga this time...will HSV fail again? Which small-market team will surprise all the heavyweights and end at the top this time around?
A total crowd of 290975 means an average of 32300 spectators watched the games. If we ever get all the big clubs to play at home at the same time this could lead to some new records...
Anyway, in a typical twist the pre-season favorites Köln and Hertha both lose at home while Schalke climbs to the top with an impressive 5:1 win over Braunschweig.
Who do you see making it to the Bundesliga this time...will HSV fail again? Which small-market team will surprise all the heavyweights and end at the top this time around?
So, the kicker just reported that Leverkusen had to make concessions in the negotiations with Bayern about the transfer of Jonathan Tah, reaching a principle agreement. If de Ligt moves to United, Tah will move to Bayern and if not, Tah's popularity among Leverkusen fans has taken a huge hit and the rumour caused a bit of distraction. One could argue it's a win-win-situation for Bayern but enough has been said about their domestic transfer strategy, so let's leave it at that and talk about Tah.
Obviously Bayern is still a huge step upwards from Leverkusen, despite last season and sentimentalities aside, there are many arguments for Tah to move there. He always dreamed of playing in England but he's approaching 30 and probably thinks that it's now or never for him when a top club comes calling. Anyway, I still think this move is a mistake. Tah is a confidence player and profited immensely from Alonso's system. But Bayern will be completely different. Kompany isn't undisputed as the fifth choice or so for Tuchel's succession and nobody knows if his system will work for Bayern and Tah in particular. The gray eminence Uli Hoeneß is reportedly not convinced of Tah. After a year of Upamecano and Kim, the Bayern fans are sick of error prone CBs and vividly remember all the decisive mistakes Tah made in the past, especially against Bayern itself in key moments. Especially if he comes in to replace the only solid CB they had last season in de Ligt. One error that leads to a goal and the pressure will be immense. His social media channels will be full of gloating Leverkusen fans, the sports outlet will happily question whether leaving Leverkusen immediately after winning the leage was a good decision and so forth.
Obviously Bayern is still a huge step upwards from Leverkusen, despite last season and sentimentalities aside, there are many arguments for Tah to move there. He always dreamed of playing in England but he's approaching 30 and probably thinks that it's now or never for him when a top club comes calling. Anyway, I still think this move is a mistake. Tah is a confidence player and profited immensely from Alonso's system. But Bayern will be completely different. Kompany isn't undisputed as the fifth choice or so for Tuchel's succession and nobody knows if his system will work for Bayern and Tah in particular. The gray eminence Uli Hoeneß is reportedly not convinced of Tah. After a year of Upamecano and Kim, the Bayern fans are sick of error prone CBs and vividly remember all the decisive mistakes Tah made in the past, especially against Bayern itself in key moments. Especially if he comes in to replace the only solid CB they had last season in de Ligt. One error that leads to a goal and the pressure will be immense. His social media channels will be full of gloating Leverkusen fans, the sports outlet will happily question whether leaving Leverkusen immediately after winning the leage was a good decision and so forth.
Pretty much, my guess is there isn't as much interest from abroad, at least from clubs much bigger than Leverkusen, so for Tah the move to Bayern is his last chance to play at a truly big European club. I don't think he's good enough to play there in a 2 at the back system but I'd be delighted if he does do well, I really liked him as a younger player and it was disappointing to see him regress over the years.
He wasn't horrendous during the Euros so there is still hope.
Even though he profited massively from Alonso's system, I think he is good enough to play in a back two at a top club in principle. I just don't think he's doing himself a favour with this move like this considering how he dealt with pressure in the past. It is obvious that he hears the clock ticking but who can blame clubs not being interested in him when he's just played his first excellent season in probably 6 or 7 years. If he was serious with his wish to play in England one day, he could have stayed for another year and see if a big club is interested in a then 29 year old free agent who's been in title winning form and starting for one of Europe's best international sides over the past two seasons.
It reminds me a little bit of Brandt's exit. He left the club immediately after his first truly great season for a team that didn't really have a place for him. I mean, Tah himself attributed his rise in form to psychological aspects. And now he joins a club in disarray where huge parts of the leadership aren't convinced of his transfer and the fans don't want him fully aware that his former supporters with loath him for it. If he relapses back into old patterns and makes silly mistakes that cost his teams points again, he has only himself to blame.
Wouldn't say Brandt is the same since he went to Dortmund and not Bayern. As much as we might say Tah isn't ready for the jump, he's still managed to get a chance at one of the best clubs in Europe and he's taking it rather than risking staying at Leverkusen for another season and maybe struggling and losing that opportunity. There's no point in having a choice to go where he wants if he doesn't have a choice of top clubs, few clubs would be bigger than Bayern anyways.
Bayern are struggling, yes, but they will still have a great squad and they'll believe they should win the BL and challenge in Europe.
I wasn't really talking about the size of the club. Both Brandt and Tah were very inconsistent for a long time, than had one excellent season and moved clubs immediately instead of proving that they can maintain that level. And both IMO chose clubs that weren't ideal for their personal situation: Brandt finally excelled under Bosz because he moved him into a central role in a possession and pressing based system, then moved to a club that played completely differently and planned with him as a wide player. Tah on the other hand frequently succumbed to the pressure of the occasion. Now he has played one more or less flawless season and he immediately goes for a club at which he will find himself under very close scrutiny from the very beginning, much more so than at any other possible destination. I think both players misjudged what they should be looking for in a move.
So don't get me wrong, Bayern is a worldclass club and I think a move there would make sense for many of our players but I don't see it working out for Tah in particular.
I don't disagree that both didn't make moves that were suitable for their careers, though I was hopeful of Brandt doing well at Dortmund and he mostly played central role since joining. But that's not how players really think, I'm sure they have confidence in themselves that they'll succeed in any situation and for them it was the attraction of joining a bigger club and bigger salary, certainly makes more sense for Tah since its Bayern.
I completely understand Tah making this move, like I said it's a risk for him to not accept this and wait for next season. Anything can happen this season that could jeopardize a move next season.
@do.ob do your thing!
To be honest, I don't feel like it's worth the time. When I open the site I often feel like closing it again immediately after just reading the thread titles - not to mention the actual intellectual level of most discussions - and the current events forum has turned into a circle jerk where people dump the most biased and unverified Twitter posts they can find. So anyone is free to just copy paste last year's post, I mostly just changed some screenshots anyway.
Having said that: what's the feeling at Bayern?
I mean it seems a bit random that De Ligt is the CB they chose to sell and for a somewhat moderate fee, too (high wages I assume?). Then Davies is entering the last year of his contract and was already kind of trending downwards before.. Guerreiro is not someone that can be relied on either, for fitness and defensive reasons. Palhinha has one of the most lop-sided statistical player profiles I've ever seen, there could be a risk that they are trading one problem for another with his signing. And of course Kompany seems a high risk appointment, too. I also find their pre-season schedule a little bit curious, making the trip to Asia fairly late and then having their final test against WSG Tirol, instead of e.g. making the PR trip early and then putting the full focus on the sporting side of their pre season afterwards.
But of course I haven't watched a single friendly and don't know some of those signings that well, so I could just be dead wrong and Kompany will be able to tie it all together nicely.
I do not think that the Asia trip was late. It was just short with only one match and a lot of marketing. But the other big teams played their last matches in the US days later than Bayern did. Like this Müller and the other Germans were on the tour and that meant a lot for our marketing there.
We looked pretty good in the first halves against Tottenham and will go into the Cup on Friday probably with that team. Our first Bundesliga match is 9 days later on Sunday. Until then we have time to get e.g. Kane etc. in better shape.
We looked pretty good in the first halves against Tottenham and will go into the Cup on Friday probably with that team. Our first Bundesliga match is 9 days later on Sunday. Until then we have time to get e.g. Kane etc. in better shape.
Not gonna lie, seeing Vincent Kompany in our coaching zone is utterly, utterly odd.
Apart from that, Müller with a vintage Klose performance in today's cup game, scored from a goal mouth scramble and a tap in (so far).
Apart from that, Müller with a vintage Klose performance in today's cup game, scored from a goal mouth scramble and a tap in (so far).
I was very surprised to hear how good his German is. A lot better than I would have ever expected out of somebody who played at Hamburg for two seasons sixteen years ago.
I actually have not heard him speak German so far, but maybe now I get another with the post-match interviews.
Not a bad match from Bayern (against a second tier team, of course), even though there was a weaker phase early in the second half. With the subs new energy and control returned, which was encouraging.
And assist for the 4:0 to give Kane his goal.
And Olise with his first touch assisted Coman for the 3:0
I saw a headline saying that Klopp (left Dortmund 9 years ago) is managing a testimonial at Dortmund for Błaszczykowski (left Dortmund 8 years ago) and Piszczek (left Dortmund 3 years ago).
Is this normal in Germany? If an English club announced a testimonial for a player who left 3 years ago, nevermind 8, it would be super weird.
Is this normal in Germany? If an English club announced a testimonial for a player who left 3 years ago, nevermind 8, it would be super weird.
Sueddeutsche had a number of background pieces on him, including a lengthy interview a year ago. Interesting reads. His dad immigrated to belgium, started as a cabbie, became an engineer, a university teacher, holds a few successful patents with wind turbines, got elected mayor and is now an MP. Kompany himself is fluent in several languages including german, french and english.
Piszczek was active until last season and returns to BVB as assistant coach. I imagine that is why now.
It’s Dortmund. They can only dwell on the past. What else is there for them? (Ducks and runs)
Terrier sent off for an ankle-breaker on his Leverkusen debut in the Super cup.
This definitely isn't a pre-season friendly.
I was kind of expecting it to be when I saw Leverkusen's lineup, but they're bloody killing each other out there.
Think they are taking the game very seriously and both teams really want to win it. Not just taking it as a nothing throwaway game.
Tempted to stick with it for the second half, but Barcelona and Valencia was the plan tonight.
This game is crazy. All kinds of shithousery and emotions, definitely one of the most fun matches I've watched in a while.
Of course they tied the game at the end.
Leverkusen seem to retain their proclivity for drama 
They know it's the only title they have a realistic shot at this season.
We sell Nous: Stanisic gets injured for weeks just days later. The cycle continues.
At least that solves the incoming Pavlovic/Palhinha/Kimmich "issue" in midfield.We sell Nous: Stanisic gets injured for weeks just days later. The cycle continues.
Do you think Kimmich will play RB now? I would have expected that Boey starts in Stanisic' absence
I keep forgetting that they signed Boey.
I'd put Boey on the bench and have him come on after 65 minutes. Start Kimmich at RB and Pavlovic and Palhinha in midfield. Boey will probably injure himself again anyways.
I keep forgetting that they signed Boey.
I'd put Boey on the bench and have him come on after 65 minutes. Start Kimmich at RB and Pavlovic and Palhinha in midfield. Boey will probably injure himself again anyways.
Can't blame you
I've read that Kompany sees Kimmich primarily as a CM and that Boey is his first choice RBbut that was a couple of weeks ago so I was wondering whether he changed his mind on that.No. We need Kimmich on the 8. Pavlovic has not even tested with Palinha before. Kimmich is clearly the 8 and both Pavlo and Palinha the no. 6s.
Laimer functions as right fullback. Or Boey.
Neuer has retired from the national team.
Greatest keeper I've seen in my lifetime. Ter Stegen will finally get a run for the NT, don't see any competition for him right now.
Just waiting for ter Stegen to have two blunders in the next Germany game and people calling for Nübel.
Phew.
Kroos, Müller, Neuer.
3 legends gone from International football.
And Müller (and maybe Neuer) on their last (victory) lap of club football.
3 players i watched since their first game of professionall football for almost 20 years until the day they retire.
Im getting old.
Kroos, Müller, Neuer.
3 legends gone from International football.
And Müller (and maybe Neuer) on their last (victory) lap of club football.
3 players i watched since their first game of professionall football for almost 20 years until the day they retire.
Im getting old.
i had that feeling when the 2001 generation with Liza, Jeremies, Scholl, Kahn, Kuffour, Elber, Effe phased out. Thought i'd never be so emotionally involved with a specific lineup again. Then along came Robbery, Müller, Lahm, Basti...