If they want to leave, we have to be in for them. That won't change. Can't let their best players go to Real, Barca, Chelsea, United, PSG, City on the cheap without us even trying to sign them. Good for Dortmund if they actually want to stay and the club can offer them enough money to make it happen.Then stop looking at them then, you bastards.
Jurgen Klopp and Dortmund
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Being a Dortmund fan must be incredibly frustrating though. Getting a great team together only to have your best players poached by Bayern.
I've not been following too closely recently, has Gundogan been getting back to his best again? Or does he still look like the injuries have badly affected him?
Imo he's clearly improving. He's already an important player again, but obviously not on the same level as before his injury.
Well Reus' contract extension was as massive for the club and fans as it was unexpected and if Gündogan does indeed extend his contract the fans will probably be very happy with where the club is heading.
He's improving on a match by match basis. I'd say he's at least already at 80% the player he used to be, which is obviously still a fantastic player. Amazingly enough, it seems his passing has improved. He's still regaining that burst that made him one of the best mids in world football. City would make replacing Yaya look easy if they signed him, he's truly a marvel to watch.
Was just looking at the Bundesliga summary and Dortmund are sat comfortably at mid-table, so that should conclusively put an end to the whole relegation scare from January. That's not all, their recent run of form has been quite good - 4 league wins on the trot and 13 goals scored in the process (including the 3-0 in the Rivierderby today) with the likes of Reus and Gundogan improving in terms of fitness and performances.
And with the difference between 4th place Leverkusen and Dortmund standing at just 8 points with 10+ rounds of matches still to play, the latter are still very much in the picture for Champion's League qualification. He isn't faultless by any means but great managerial job by Klopp considering the turnaround, has to be said. Dealing with adversities can define managers in the long term and Klopp has done really well considering the amount of pressure on him and the club from external sources and the media.
And with the difference between 4th place Leverkusen and Dortmund standing at just 8 points with 10+ rounds of matches still to play, the latter are still very much in the picture for Champion's League qualification. He isn't faultless by any means but great managerial job by Klopp considering the turnaround, has to be said. Dealing with adversities can define managers in the long term and Klopp has done really well considering the amount of pressure on him and the club from external sources and the media.
They're getting their mojo back. Saw a bit of them during our half time and they looked pretty good.
He looked very good in the short period of time that I watched them play tonight.
Some comments here.
Moyes? What?
Klopp did amazing since 2008. There had to be a really bad run. And they got hit by everything. Injuries and so on.
Still won their CL group, the Super Cup(against Bayern, and yes, that is a trophy and a fine on) and their ties in the cup.
If they make the EL or better its a good season and that happens to everyone.
Moyes? What?
Klopp did amazing since 2008. There had to be a really bad run. And they got hit by everything. Injuries and so on.
Still won their CL group, the Super Cup(against Bayern, and yes, that is a trophy and a fine on) and their ties in the cup.
If they make the EL or better its a good season and that happens to everyone.
People are unsurprisingly shortsighted.
Through injuries and selling one big name ever year....a crash was inevitable at some point for Dortmund. Since Rues has come back from injury they have been a different team. Fair play to Klopp for turning his first major crisis as a manager around comfortably.
One of Klopp or Pep simply have to be the next manager when Van Gaals time is up. The Glazers should break the bank to get either of them
One of Klopp or Pep simply have to be the next manager when Van Gaals time is up. The Glazers should break the bank to get either of them
He will lead to Dortmund to a 3rd place finish this season
Would still take him even now.
From Dortmund's facebook page
Fantastic manager, I don't know how anyone with a brain can say otherwise, simply because they hit a bad patch. It happens to everyone and he has managed to turn it around. You can never avoid adversity in life, it's how you respond to it that defines you.
Come on Dortmund! Get the feck in!!! 10th placed now, just eight points off fourth place. Third will be a bit of a stretch and will need some luck. Let's see.
From what I saw they got battered tonight. Seemed pretty easy going for Juve. Wonder how they will do in the league for the rest of the season.
I thought they were picking up a bit of form but going by that game they seem to be just as shite as usual. Can't see them getting relegated but they certainly won't be in CL or EL next year.
They were poor tonight but Juventus scoring so early had a large part to play. If it had stayed 0-0 Juventus couldn't have defended so deep and in such numbers. The early goal meant they could sit deep knowing Dortmund they could concede 2 and still go go extra time. They just hit on the counter and flooded the middle. Dortmund had all the possesion but their wingers were terrible (kampl especially) and kept trying to go through the middle where there was no room at all.
To be fair: that first goal killed their game.
Juve sat back and let them play around. Would have been hard for any team.
But yeah; not their best day and struggling again.
Juve sat back and let them play around. Would have been hard for any team.
But yeah; not their best day and struggling again.
I wonder how long it will take before we see another Dortmund game in the Champions League.
They look so easy to play against. Very uncreative upfront, and making mistakes in defence, from what I have seen(very little thought) that's the story of their season.
It was always going to be difficult against Juve. They are masters at defending and Dortmund has problems breaking even average defensive sides down. Dortmund needs to no concentrate on securing the 40 points so that they won't go down which judging by the way they play atm isn't going to be the easiest thing in the world for them and they maybe can hope getting into Europe if they reach the cup final.
I also need to work on getting better at breaking down those deep sitting teams or even those that try to beat them with their own weapons. If they really want to get back to being the second best team in the league just relying on counter-pressing and fast paced attacking football won't be enough.
I also need to work on getting better at breaking down those deep sitting teams or even those that try to beat them with their own weapons. If they really want to get back to being the second best team in the league just relying on counter-pressing and fast paced attacking football won't be enough.
Well, that will depend a lot on this Summer and what results the officials draw from this truly terrible season. If anything, Klopp certainly has earned himself enough credit to rebuild the squad and try to make the necessary adjustments to make them successful again.
I could write a whole essay about the problems they have right now, because they are basically all over the pitch. From the lack of width due to the poor form and limitations of the Fullbacks over the lack of depth in the central midfield (they have currently exactly one player, who can give them structure and they miss him so much that it is not even funny) to the way too static offensive with too much focus towards the center. The defense is basically the only thing that improved since the winter break, but they struggle immensively to create chances. The absolute lack of threat via set pieces does not help either, which is quite frankly mindblowing given that this was a major strength of them just last season and helped to break down heavy defense lines.
I can see a major overhaul coming in the Summer, because they are too many players who have shown themselves to being part on the team more on the basis of merit than performances. Players, who were part of the successful campaigns in the past, but who stagnated or even reverted for far too long. Weidenfeller, Subotic, Schmelzer, Piscu, Bender... The list is quite long. On top of that I can see players like Mkhitaryan and Ramos leaving to finance the necessary signings. I don´t see throwing money on the market as the right way, though. Maybe it is time to go back building on what created the team in the first place: young, hungry players, who can be moulded into the necessary pieces of the puzzle. The development of talent is still one of Klopp´s biggest strengths and for that a season without International football might actually be a blessing in disguise.
In the end it was probably only a matter of time until a real rebuilding had to take place to stay on top of the game.
He's the Tim Howard of the Bundesliga.....from "Very good" to "Awful" in just 8 months
1. The fullbacks were a massive problem today. In theory, Schmelzer and Pisczek on each side and Durm covering both is solid, even at this level, but in reality they need another top fullback since those guys are often injured and Durm isn't totally proven. Maybe with more rests the older 2 will get hurt less and stay fresher in general.
2. Weidenfeller was never athletic but he's past it at this point. At best, he is a 7/10, and there are keepers out there who will steal games more often. Cech would be an interesting move, but there are talented young keepers who will be more affordable and have re-sale value too.
3. I'd look to sell Immobile back to Italy to pay or 2/3rds of a replacement and keep Ramos, who is a better plan B type and contrasts better with Reus and Aubameyang. Keeping Reus was massive and Aubameyang could still keep progressing, but you need someone to get on the ball in the attack and get the best out of them in possession and not just the counter. No idea who that is, really. Is there a slightly faster Giroud out there who can provide aerial threat and link up with runners?
4. If Gundogan doesn't stay, a replacement is needed. Even if he does, I think a top all-around CM partner for him is needed, then you can pick the 3rd guy based on matchup and form and such. Mkhitaryan could go to pay for that.
Besides the questionable success of their recent transfers and the need to replace a few of the old key players, it's crazy that the team completely lacks structure. It's what made them great from 2010 to 2013, it got lost a bit last season and is completely gone this season. Theres no organisiation in their pressing or in their defensive shape, none at all. The player, who gave them a bit of it back during their decent run in recent weeks was Nuri Sahin. He's the only one who seemed calm and smart and didn't consistently act like a headless chicken.
It's really worrying that Klopp can't fix that problem in general (yeah Sahin's injury sucks, but then, why can't anyone else in the squad act smarter again?). It's a huge problem when defending, but it's also a huge problem when they're attacking. No one seems to be able to play the ball out of defense in an intelligent way. I've said it before, Hummels' playmaking from deep is really overrated. He can hit a great long ball, but really struggles to make incisive passes through the middle for a controled build-up. The transition from defense to attack is just awful and the whole squad is selected to excel doing just that. Every big signing was chosen to play pressing/quick transition football. Kampl is the same, he offers nothing different to what was already in the team before and made absolutely no impact since he joined the team in January.
It's really no coincidence that since Sahin is injured, everything that looked promosing is lost again. But then, surely Sahin shouldn't be that important in a team with so much talent in the squad. Klopp needs to do better, a lot better.
It's really worrying that Klopp can't fix that problem in general (yeah Sahin's injury sucks, but then, why can't anyone else in the squad act smarter again?). It's a huge problem when defending, but it's also a huge problem when they're attacking. No one seems to be able to play the ball out of defense in an intelligent way. I've said it before, Hummels' playmaking from deep is really overrated. He can hit a great long ball, but really struggles to make incisive passes through the middle for a controled build-up. The transition from defense to attack is just awful and the whole squad is selected to excel doing just that. Every big signing was chosen to play pressing/quick transition football. Kampl is the same, he offers nothing different to what was already in the team before and made absolutely no impact since he joined the team in January.
It's really no coincidence that since Sahin is injured, everything that looked promosing is lost again. But then, surely Sahin shouldn't be that important in a team with so much talent in the squad. Klopp needs to do better, a lot better.
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At times like this, it would probably make sense to revert to a deeper defensive line, with less pressing high up the pitch and a bigger focus on two solid banks of four behind the ball, while trying to utilise the pace of the likes of Reus, Aubameyang or Immobile on the counter attack.
It wouldn't be pretty but they really need to start drawing teams higher up the pitch and catching them out with quick transitions up front, rather than their defence being caught high up the pitch as we've seen on numerous occasions this season.
It wouldn't be pretty but they really need to start drawing teams higher up the pitch and catching them out with quick transitions up front, rather than their defence being caught high up the pitch as we've seen on numerous occasions this season.
Really difficult match for them and generally a terrible match up. The generally aim to go through the middle of teams using little width which causes an overload in the central area, such a scenario doesn't really happen with an extremely organised side like this Juve team, so essentially they just keep running into a wall every time they attack and juve generates counters and beat the press then are then home free. With two highly mobile forwards forwards, the stupid high risk defending and now a third attacker added to the mix, a tonking was always on the cards.
The stupid risks that Dortmund take when defending just don't cut it, its like the defending defend according to a manual rather than defending the situation. Klopp needs to clue up and have his teams defending proper rather than the absolute foolishness. If the opposition team isn't a big front foot team then the style they embark on just makes very little sense from a football tactics standpoint.
The stupid risks that Dortmund take when defending just don't cut it, its like the defending defend according to a manual rather than defending the situation. Klopp needs to clue up and have his teams defending proper rather than the absolute foolishness. If the opposition team isn't a big front foot team then the style they embark on just makes very little sense from a football tactics standpoint.
All discussion about Klopp's future go here please: https://www.redcafe.net/threads/jurgen-klopp-press-conference-soon-quitting-dortmund.403511/
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