Hamburg losing 4-2 in the end. 
Bundesliga 13/14
- Thread starter Balu
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If Adler is part of the German squad for Brazil, I'll cry.
Bayern are ridiculous. As good as Barcelona between '09 and '11?
You know he will be. Meanwhile Weidenfeller will sit at home and ask himself what the hell he has done wrong. All we can do is pray that Neuer will stay healthy and not get suspended.
You better buy some tissues then, Balu!
Wait until Herr Löw nominates Westermann for the squad as well.
Gonna need a whole tissue factory to dry all those tears.
Hmmmmm, Schalke finding a bit of form just before their encounter with us, should I start to get a little worried my German friends?
Leverkusen seem to be missing Sam, who I assume isn't allowed to play today due to his transfer to Schalke?
Not really, no. Still way too many injuries and it's highly unlikely that they can play 180 minutes without several brainfarts. Efficient teams will punish their inexperience and naivety, just like Chelsea did, and I'd say your team is clearly the most lethal team at the moment. I wouldn't rule it out, that Schalke will play some decent football though, but they will loose the tie.Hmmmmm, Schalke finding a bit of form just before their encounter with us, should I start to get a little worried my German friends?
Stupid move by Hyypiä. It's quite common in Germany that this happens and the players always play and it's rarely a problem. Massive feck up imo, but yes, he admitted that's the reason why Sam isn't in the squad today and that he prefers the way these situations are handled in England. Well done
.Cheers, Balu, not that I was overly afraid or anything but Schalke has got nothing to lose coming into this tie as the clear underdog. Hope we just don't underestimate them.
Shame Raul doesn't play for them anymore, would have loved to see him back at the Bernabeu.
Stupid move by Hyypiä. It's quite common in Germany that this happens and the players always play and it's rarely a problem. Massive feck up imo, but yes, he admitted that's the reason why Sam isn't in the squad today and that he prefers the way these situations are handled in England. Well done
But it also shows lack of depth of the team. This will be the bane of their league season aswell, although they will unlikely fall deeper than fourth place.
Was just about to quote your last post about Schalke being the main competitor for the 2nd place in the league
. Yeah, I agree. They lack squad depth, which makes Hyypiä's decision even more idiotic.How did Goretzka do? I know he was highly rated last season but not heard much of him this season so was a bit strange to see that he started such a big game and scoring to boot.
Played out of position on the left wing because all their left wing options are injured (Draxler, Obasi, Clemens). He was pretty quiet besides the goal, imo he moved way too often inside instead of stretching the play, but Schalke didn't really play great. Leverkusen probably deserved at least a draw.
Thanks. Not really surprising about him moving inside too often as it's a position he isn't used to.
Schalke have some fine young German talents in their squad and would cope well even if they sold Draxler.
Haven't seen the game today but afaik he's still attending school this season and that probably makes the already difficult transition from Bochum to Schalke a lot tougher.
Has anyone ever done an unbeaten league season in German football?
Not been done yet - one loss (Bayern last season) still the record.
Nürnberg with a 1-0 win in Augsburg, that should put even more pressure on Hamburg. It looks like Slomka, who was fired in Hannover 2 months ago, will be the new manager.
Hertha - Wolfsburg 1-0 after 40 minutes. Wolfsburg needs at least a point, if not a win to have a shot at the CL next season. Right now it looks like we finally have something like a big four in Germany. Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke and Leverkusen should make it to the CL two seasons in a row. I don't think we ever had that before in Germany. The league is still developing and we need consistency at 2 more clubs, not only Bayern, if we want to have more than one European top team longterm. It's great if Wolfsburg fecks up for now and allows those clubs to gain some momentum. Wolfsburg has enough money anyway.
/edit:
Jinxed it , Wolfsburg win the game 2-1.
Hertha - Wolfsburg 1-0 after 40 minutes. Wolfsburg needs at least a point, if not a win to have a shot at the CL next season. Right now it looks like we finally have something like a big four in Germany. Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke and Leverkusen should make it to the CL two seasons in a row. I don't think we ever had that before in Germany. The league is still developing and we need consistency at 2 more clubs, not only Bayern, if we want to have more than one European top team longterm. It's great if Wolfsburg fecks up for now and allows those clubs to gain some momentum. Wolfsburg has enough money anyway.
/edit:
Jinxed it
, Wolfsburg win the game 2-1.
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Nürnberg with a 1-0 win in Augsburg, that should put even more pressure on Hamburg. It looks like Slomka, who was fired in Hannover 2 months ago, will be the new manager.
Hertha - Wolfsburg 1-0 after 40 minutes. Wolfsburg needs at least a point, if not a win to have a shot at the CL next season. Right now it looks like we finally have something like a big four in Germany. Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke and Leverkusen should make it to the CL two seasons in a row. I don't think we ever had that before in Germany. The league is still developing and we need consistency at 2 more clubs, not only Bayern, if we want to have more than one European top team longterm. It's great if Wolfsburg fecks up for now and allows those clubs to gain some momentum. Wolfsburg has enough money anyway.
/edit:
Jinxed it
Leverkusen will have to invest into their squad and change their mentality on the International stage to solidy their place, though. This won´t be easy, because the difference in fanbase between them and the other three is massive and they don´t have the same pulling power in terms of transfers as Dortmund, let alone Bayern Munich. This could be very well seen in the Summer when three names stood on the top of their list: Sokratis, Aubameyang and De Bruyne. The negotations with the former two very already advanced when Dortmund sweeped in and simply snatched than up. De Bruyne´s interest also basically cooled instantly off when Dortmund became serious about him and it was ultimately Chelsea´s veto (these Bastards.....), that stopped the transfer.
They will lose Sam in the Summer for basically nothing and sooner or later Wolfsburg will take their place. Although both clubs are owned by companies the Bayer AG is way more conservative in their spendings than the "generous" Volkswagen AG.
Schalke has the potential to reach similar heights as Dortmund, but for that they need better decision maker. They are not even remotely as bad as the ones of Hamburg, though, who managed to ruin a club with amazing potential.
Speaking of Hamburg, they appointed Mirko Slomka as the new head coach today. I personally rate Slomka very highly and IMO he did an amazing job at Hannover, only to become a victim of the unrealistic ambitions of president Martin Kind. He is for me in the same bracket as very good coaches like Favre, Tuchel and Luhukay, just after the two star coaches of the league.
Now, he knows how to handle teams in difficult situations. The state of Hannover following the tragic death of Robert Enke was not a good one, but he turned it around very well. I can see him saving Hamburg from relegation but I don´t see him becoming happy there in the long run. I fear that the unprofessional actions of the Hamburg deciders will wear him down just like it did happen at Schalke.
He chose his new club wisely then
.I like Slomka as well, but I believe he's a level below Favre and Tuchel. I'm also not sure if he's the right manager for the job right now. For a rebuild? Probably yes. For the fight against relegation? Not so sure. Hannover was a different story, imo. It wasn't a problem with the general mentality of the squad, they just needed someone to help them get over what happened. There's nothing to get over at Hamburg, the team is full of idiots, unbalanced and lacks quality. They need someone to make them work hard, run more, fight more. That's not what Slomka did at Hannover and I can't see him turning it around at Hamburg. Of course, it's still close, so doing slightly better and a bit of luck, might be enough to avoid relegation?
It sucks for Dortmund though, you have no idea what to expect from the team in the game next Saturday, they might actually believe they can get a result against you because of the results last season (despite the loss in the first game this season) and you play your CL game in Russia 3 days later. Great timing.
Max Meyer is a tidy player. Only 18. To be fair Germany could really do with a real talented attacking midfielder......
Yeah, its a shame that he plays in Germany´s most competive position. He has enourmous potential, though. His control and passing is really, really special for his age. Together with Stuttgart´s Werner the biggest offensive talent we have in the country right now.
I rate Max Meyer very highly too. He seems to have a higher ceiling than than Draxler. I'd compare him to Gotze but that might be too far and I'm no Bundesliga expert. Any German guys/ Bundesliga fans want to shed some light on Meyer, Goretzka and Werner's potential compared to guys like Gotze/ Reus/ Draxler ? Two more questions if you have spare time.
1 How good are likes of Ginter, Tah and Knoche as defensive prospects ?
2 Who are Dortmund lining up to replace Lewandowski ? Or will they just play on with Aubameyang. Thanks in advance.
1 How good are likes of Ginter, Tah and Knoche as defensive prospects ?
2 Who are Dortmund lining up to replace Lewandowski ? Or will they just play on with Aubameyang. Thanks in advance.
Media are linking them heavily with Hertha's Ramos. However Kicker reported that they want to sign two strikers.
Being/looking talented is one thing. What they make with it another. Take Draxler for example: he looked like he'd be worldclass in one or two seasons, but this years he's more or less stagnating.
Being/looking talented is one thing. What they make with it another. Take Draxler for example: he looked like he'd be worldclass in one or two seasons, but this years he's more or less stagnating.
Schalke have been so poor against Mainz tonight. Really disappointing.
I rate Max Meyer very highly too. He seems to have a higher ceiling than than Draxler. I'd compare him to Gotze but that might be too far and I'm no Bundesliga expert. Any German guys/ Bundesliga fans want to shed some light on Meyer, Goretzka and Werner's potential compared to guys like Gotze/ Reus/ Draxler ? Two more questions if you have spare time.
1 How good are likes of Ginter, Tah and Knoche as defensive prospects ?
2 Who are Dortmund lining up to replace Lewandowski ? Or will they just play on with Aubameyang. Thanks in advance.
Let´s see: Meyer is the most similar to Götze from the ones you mention. His close control, maturity on the pitch and creative passing resembles the 18 year old Götze quite a bit. I think he has the potential to match Götze in maybe two or three years, but nothing is set in stone, yet. He does have a higher ceiling as Draxler, as I currently see the latters maximum at around Reus´ current level. Werner is not really comparable to the others as I see him as a natural striker. His eye for space reminds me a little of Thomas Müller. I personally see a lot of the young Miroslav Klose in him. Goretzka was very highly rated in the last year when he played an important role for 2. League club Bochum, but his season with Schalke so far did not really impress me, which is probably a bit harsh because he is often played outside his favoured position as central Midfielder.
I can not say that much about Tah and Knoche, because I have not followed them closely, but Ginter is without a doubt the biggest CB talent of his age bracket for me. He can also play in the DM, but is clearly more at home in the back line. He could turn out as the next Hummels, because his build up play is probably his most outstanding ability.
Now coming to Dortmund´s striker situation. Since I´m a lazy bastard and nothing has changed since then I will just quote myself from a couple of days ago:
"Auba is quite clearly a natural striker and finisher so assists are not his main concern. It will be interesting to see what plans Klopp has for him in the next season when Lewandowski is gone. There is of course the possibility of moving him forward on the pitch.
One thing becomes more and more clear. Dortmund won´t choose a marquee signing like Dzeko, Martinez or Costa to replace the Pole. They will very likely split the burden up on mulitiple shoulders. We are heavily linked with Adrian Ramos, who has a remarkable record this season but whose biggest strength is actually the interplay with the midfield. Additional reports point towards the huge German talent Kevin Volland, who is an offensive allrounder. With Ji a player of this mould is already certain to join in the summer.
So maybe we won´t see that much of a "classic" CF in the next seasons play of Dortmund, but rather a group of versatile offensive players, who interchange with each other and all offer goal threat like the current offensive midfielders Reus, Kuba and Mkhitaryan."
Mainz defended well to be fair. I'm impressed with their squad, got some good young players.
Still felt Schalke never really looked like they could be bothered with the match. Appeared like a few had their eyes on the Madrid match, Thought the decision to take off Meyer was poor, as he looked their most threatening player for me.
You just can´t help but praise Tuchel for the way he sets up his team overall. Such a talented manager. Its scary what he could do with a stronger squad. He was linked with Schalke a couple of times in the past...
I dunno, I give credit to Mainz, they had the same possession and more shots on goal as well as corners. I follow them as I have a few of their players in Soccermanager. I've been impressed with Karius. Since he broke through they've done the following:
Lost: 2
Drawn: 3
Won: 6
Clean Sheets: 5
Conceded: 12
That's pretty bloody good for a 20 year old goalkeeper. Then you have Geis who's also playing very well for them at 20 and Bells turning into a tidy player too.
Important game for Dortmund in Hamburg coming up. Because of the draw of Schalke yesterday, we put a little bit of distance between us and them (4 points) with a win. We could also temporaly jump to second place, because Leverkusen plays in the evening today vs. a strong Wolfsburg team. The most important aspect of it all, though: We could cut down the difference to Bayern, which play tomorrow, to just 14 points and put some real pressure on them .........
.........That's not funny really. You guys could still feck up a few records we want to break this season. I'm nervous here, go Hamburg!!!Important game for Dortmund in Hamburg coming up. Because of the draw of Schalke yesterday, we put a little bit of distance between us and them (4 points) with a win. We could also temporaly jump to second place, because Leverkusen plays in the evening today vs. a strong Wolfsburg team. The most important aspect of it all, though: We could cut down the difference to Bayern, which play tomorrow, to just 14 points and put some real pressure on them
I feel really dirty at the moment, I want Hamburg to go down, so I actually root for Dortmund here.
Deleting the white text in the quote is pretty low of you :PSupporting the train wreck Hamburg now? Thats pretty low of you
Nah, just blind
Ugh, just saw that Reif is commentating us. Why can´t the idiot torment you guys instead?
At times I prefer watching English rivers to Sky on my tv just for the commentary. How sad is that?Nah, just blind
Ugh, just saw that Reif is commentating us. Why can´t the idiot torment you guys instead?