Overplayed Schweinsteiger too hasn't he? Although, that's due to other injuries, and now he could be knackered for a couple weeks. Guardiola is definately overrated. I think even ciderman could have managed that Barcelona team.
Bundesliga 13/14
- Thread starter Balu
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How is it Guardiola's fault? His team was well enough prepared to dominate up until 5 minutes before the end and his players created a lot of great opportunities. What's the point of having such a squad if you can not trust your second string and even that second string would probably easily make top 4 if it was playing regularly.
How is Guardiola at fault when the players missed easy chances and Dante fecked up when we conceded the goal? Just one of those games and Freiburg away is far from easy to play. 10 points from the first 4 games is a great start.
Really hope Schweinsteiger's injury isn't too serious or we're fecked.
Says a lot when an away draw vs last season's 5th placed side is considered a "feck up".
It's probably my fault Bayern fecked up tbh.
Oh the irony of Bayern scrambling for a suitable midfielder just a month into the season.
Freiburg lost like half of their XI from last season. They are still a decent team that no one likes to play against, but I expect them to finish midtable. And it's not really just the result but more the how that makes it a feck up.
Freiburg lost like half of their XI from last season. They are still a decent team that no one likes to play against, but I expect them to finish midtable. And it's not really just the result but more the how that makes it a feck up.
Their good placing of the last season actually cost them a lot of players. Their budget is one of the lowest in the league. They simply overarchived because of a really good coach.
Freiburg is still very uncomfortable to play on their own pitch, though.
The hard and sad truth of the Bundesliga is right now, that given Bayern´s squad strength any game vs. a Bundesliga team not named Dortmund or Leverkusen that they not win, is considered a feck up.
Which is bullshit, imo. I think Dortmund and Bayern will push each other to the league title and most likely both will finish with more than 80 points, but Bayern's run last season made the gap between us and the rest of the league look way bigger than it actually is. Our reserve team won games with ease at the end of last season that our first team lost the year before (Hannover and Mainz, for example). Last season was so much about mentality and there's no way, we can do that again. Finishing with 80-85 points means we have to win around 26 games and draw a few and probably loose 3 or 4. Considering all the changes and injuries, our start is very good and a point away at Freiburg is acceptable, far from a feck up. Of course, we should have won, the way the game played out, but that's a different story.
Guardiola was clearly saving Robben and Ribery for the game versus Chelsea though. The rotation keeps the players happy as they all get to play but sometimes it backfires on you, like in this game.
Robben and Ribery are Bayern's two most dangerous players and the game against Nurnberg once again proved that, along with the whole last season. Leaving them on the bench means you're not putting your first choice eleven on the field and that's why it's not always a good idea.
You're right though - 10 points from 4 games is a great start but Bayern should have won today. They were controlling the game and their players clearly underestimated their opponents judging by some of their finishing. Most often than not in football, you pay dearly for that in the end.
I hope they beat Chelsea on Friday, don't want that cnut Mourinho lifting any trophies this year.
So what? The whole point of Bayern's squad is that they can rotate a lot. Götze and Müller both scored a decent amount of goals last season. Pizarro is still an excelent striker and probably on of the best in the league, him and Shaqiri (who of all people scored Bayern's goal) aside every single player in their midfield/attack might very well make it as a regular starter in the future.
I very much agree on the bold. However, this mostly does not come down to the fact, that you won most of the games in the league (CL is a completely different matter), but the way how you won the games. The utter dominance in the games was the truly remarkable part.
You mention how well your reserve team did so well at the end of the season, but ignore the fact that your reserve team alone would easily be Euro league material. You have a higher wage bill than all teams bar Dortmund have as total annual revenue. Over the last three summers you invested around 135 Mil. € into the squad. These figures are completely out of reach for any other German team. On top of the unbelievable depth of the last seasons team you added one of the most promising Spanish talents and the most talented player of Germany, who was at the same time a key player of the team, who is supposed to be your sole rival in the league.
You can talk all of that down and call a draw in Freiburg acceptable, but most of the audience won´t share that view. Bayern Munich is the juggernaut of German football, the by a landslide richest club that is to be expected to win 90% of their games. You won´t win all that of course, but these draws and losses will apart of some very few exceptions viewed by the media, the neutrals and the fans of the rival teams as mistakes and failures. Mistakes half the nation are waiting for in hope that Dortmund can capitalise on these and keep the title race from becoming such a dull affair like last season.
It is not like Bayern Munich is the only club with a certain role. Over the last years, Borussia Dortmund has also gotten his clear expected role in the Bundesliga: the rival of the juggernaut. Look at their last league season. They met their set goal (top 3) quite comfortably with a 10 point distance to the 4th. Did that satisfy the most? Hell no. They concentrated on the 20+ points distance to Bayern. They failed at what they are supposed to do: keep the league exciting. Consequently their league season was viewed as such: decent at best.
Guardiola didn't understand where he is.
Ribery elected "UEFA Best player in Europe 2013" by european sports journalists.
Results: Ribery 36 - Messi 14 - Ronaldo 3
Interesting distribution:
http://www.uefa.com/uefa/uefa-best-player-award/season=2013/how-was-won/index.html
It seems Spain (understandably) and the british islands rate him differently than the rest of Europe.
Congratulations Franck, you deserved it!
Results: Ribery 36 - Messi 14 - Ronaldo 3
Interesting distribution:
http://www.uefa.com/uefa/uefa-best-player-award/season=2013/how-was-won/index.html
It seems Spain (understandably) and the british islands rate him differently than the rest of Europe.
Congratulations Franck, you deserved it!
This weekend's games:
Hamburg - Braunschweig 4-0
Hannover - Mainz 4-1
Gladbach - Bremen 4-1
Nürnberg - Augsburg 0-1
Wolfsburg - Hertha 2-0
Later today at 17:30 BST:
Schalke - Leverkusen
Tomorrow's games:
14:30: Stuttgart - Hoffenheim
16:30: Frankfurt - Dortmund
already played on Tuesday:
Freiburg - Bayern 1-1
Hamburg - Braunschweig 4-0
Hannover - Mainz 4-1
Gladbach - Bremen 4-1
Nürnberg - Augsburg 0-1
Wolfsburg - Hertha 2-0
Later today at 17:30 BST:
Schalke - Leverkusen
Tomorrow's games:
14:30: Stuttgart - Hoffenheim
16:30: Frankfurt - Dortmund
already played on Tuesday:
Freiburg - Bayern 1-1
Kevin-Prince Boateng is already starting today, as is Aogo who also moved to Schalke after they secured CL football.
The line-ups:
Schalke:
Hildebrand - Aogo, Matip, Santana, Uchida - Höger, Neustädter - Draxler, Boateng, Farfan - Szalai.
Leverkusen:
Leno - Boenisch, Toprak, Spahic, Donati - Castro, Reinartz, Bender - Son, Kießling, Sam
Looks like Schalke will play with Boateng behind the striker and Draxler wide on the left. Leverkusen as expected, the usual 433.
The line-ups:
Schalke:
Hildebrand - Aogo, Matip, Santana, Uchida - Höger, Neustädter - Draxler, Boateng, Farfan - Szalai.
Leverkusen:
Leno - Boenisch, Toprak, Spahic, Donati - Castro, Reinartz, Bender - Son, Kießling, Sam
Looks like Schalke will play with Boateng behind the striker and Draxler wide on the left. Leverkusen as expected, the usual 433.
So whee are these two clubs expected to finish this reason? Schalke are I think the 3rd best side in Germany right?
Leverkusen will finish above Schalke, again.
This match should be a cracker.
This match should be a cracker.
They should finish 3rd and 4th. I think Leverkusen is the better team right now, Schalke has more potential but there's not much between them. Schalke is always good for fights in the squad, fireing a few managers and finishing midtable though.
Schalke had a really bad start to the season (only 1 point out of 3 games) and two difficult games coming up, Mainz away and then against Bayern. They really need to win today, if they don't want to fall far behind early in the season.
Just heard there are more bad news for Bayern, Götze got injured in the super cup game and will be out for another 3 weeks.
Leverkusen are better than them and I reckon Wolfsburg will finish ahead this season too. Schalke aren't really very good.
10-14 days is what I heard, with the upcoming international break it's not that bad, but yes, he misses again 2 or 3 games. I doubt we'll see the best of Götze before the winter break. There are still questionmarks around Martinez and if he needs surgery, that would be a big problem.
Gladbach will finish ahead of Wolfsburg imo, no idea where Schalke will finish. The game today is really important for them and could turn around their season.
Good game so far from Schalke they really seem to be willing to fight to get back into this season and I guess them qualifying for the CL group stages have set free some new energies.
I also think we should do everything in our power to get Draxler next summer.
I also think we should do everything in our power to get Draxler next summer.
Sidney Sam looks like a decent player
He definitely is. Smart little player, very fast and with an eye for goal as well as for a good pass.
Leverkusen has a few of the 2nd tier German players who aren't good enough for the nationalteam right now, but if used the right way, they are very good players. Sam, Castro, Reinartz for example, that's along with Lars Bender, Kießling and Leno a great German core.
2-0 for Schalke. Important victory against one of the other top teams in the league. It's going to be key for them though to keep this form up and not fall into another form crisis the next time something goes wrong.
Stuttgart - Hoffenheim 6-2.
The number of goals we've seen so far this season in the league is shocking, really. I have no idea what the teams are doing, but there's almost no team trying to start with a solid defense.
In 5 minutes Dortmund is playing in Frankfurt.
The line-ups:
Dortmund:
Weidenfeller - Schmelzer, Hummels, Subotic, Großkreutz - Sahin, Bender - Reus, Mhiki, Kuba - Lewandowski
Frankfurt:
Trapp - Russ, Anderson, Zambrano, Djakpa - Aigner, Schröck, Flum, Inui - Rosenthal, Kadlec
The number of goals we've seen so far this season in the league is shocking, really. I have no idea what the teams are doing, but there's almost no team trying to start with a solid defense.
In 5 minutes Dortmund is playing in Frankfurt.
The line-ups:
Dortmund:
Weidenfeller - Schmelzer, Hummels, Subotic, Großkreutz - Sahin, Bender - Reus, Mhiki, Kuba - Lewandowski
Frankfurt:
Trapp - Russ, Anderson, Zambrano, Djakpa - Aigner, Schröck, Flum, Inui - Rosenthal, Kadlec
Mhiki scores, Dortmund 1-0. Dortmund's transition is incredible. Loosing the ball in your own half is almost always a goal for them.
I was just thinking the same thing. I also find it strange that teams seem to collapse so easily after going down one or two goals, you can almost be certain they will concede another 2-3 goals in those games.
Weidenfeller showing his greatest strength: 1v1 situations. World class save. Really fun game.
Both teams attacking like mad but defensively both look shaky as hell. Definitely fun to watch but I doubt their managers will be too happy with that defensive work.
Deserved equalizer for Frankfurt. Schmelzer deep asleep. Dortmund is really looking shaky at the back today.
Kadlec scores for Frankfurt, 1-1 now. Would be funny, if Bayern's feck up is still enough to take over the lead in the league table. But usually Klopp makes a few tweaks at half time and Dortmund will win the game. I'm impressed with Frankfurt though, after getting destroyed in the opening match they recovered and had a few really good performances.
First card of the season for Dortmund.
Maybe Klopp uses Hummel´s booking and takes him off for Sokratis in the half time. Very poor performance by him so far. Kuba and Mkhitaryan with a really good game, though.
Dunno, Mkhitaryan finally scored his first goal, but I think he should've at least one more. Kuba was looking good, however kind of killed that counterattack towards the end of the half.
Phenomenal individual scene by Mkhitaryan. 2-1 Dortmund,
Nice goal from Mkhitaryan