Bastard.Our bench looks a bit weak today:
Starke, Thiago, Shaqiri, Ribery, Lahm, Alaba, Martinez
Bastard.Our bench looks a bit weak today:
Starke, Thiago, Shaqiri, Ribery, Lahm, Alaba, Martinez
Yeah makes sense. I thought it was more to integrate Götze again because he is probably at his best when playing behind the striker but your explanation is most likely the main reason.We played quite a lot 4231 since the winterbreak. I think Pep realised that only Lahm can play that lone pivot role. Neither of Schweinsteiger, Martinez, Thiago and Kroos looked convincing enough, so to include all the best players, the 4231 is still the best formation. I liked the 4141 more though.
I don't think it makes a big difference for Götze. I actually think he looked better next to Thiago with Lahm as the lone pivot than as the lone AM ahead of a double pivot.Yeah makes sense. I thought it was more to integrate Götze again because he is probably at his best when playing behind the striker but your explanation is most likely the main reason.
Our line-up:
Neuer - Contento, van Buyten, Boateng, Rafinha - Kroos, Schweinsteiger - Müller, Götze, Robben - Mandzukic
Somehow I'm not really confident about our defense in this game . Well, need to score at least 3 goals to stay on track for 102 goals anyway, so it should be an entertaining game.
Replacement for Lampard in the squad I think. Give Oscar some competition, or if they're chasing a game play something like this (they used this formation against Spurs).Chelsea? Well, I suppose they are short of attacking midfielders
feck sakes. Apart from Starke, each of them would start in our XI right now.Our bench looks a bit weak today:
Starke, Thiago, Shaqiri, Ribery, Lahm, Alaba, Martinez
Yeah, but none of our back four on the pitch would, that's why Leverkusen already had quite a few chances .feck sakes. Apart from Starke, each of them would start in our XI right now.
weidenfeller is a good shot stopper and keeper but at times he makes some very bizarre decisions.
What a goal. What's the goalkeeper doing though
Finally someone who shares my opinion of him. He has good reflexes, but not so much that it would stand out, and in other terms is the opposite of a modern goalie. Why such am a man of the past was called up to the Nationalmannschaft remains a mystery.weidenfeller is a good shot stopper and keeper but at times he makes some very bizarre decisions.
lol what's the general opinion of him? one of top keepers in germany?Finally someone who shares my opinion of him. He has good reflexes, but not so much that it would stand out, and in other terms is the opposite of a modern goalie. Why such am a man of the past was called up to the Nationalmannschaft remains a mystery.
Yeah, but only because half the country hates Neuer while the other half doesn't watch Bundesliga regularly and has only seen ter Stegen making errors at the NT. So Weidenfeller obviously has to be a world-class keeper since it's currently 'in' to cheer for BVB.lol what's the general opinion of him? one of top keepers in germany?
Weidenfeller is a very solid keeper and capable of producion amazing performances (usually against Bayern...), but really the only reason everybody's been clamoring about him playing for the national side is that his team won 2 championships. Doesn't make him a great keeper, but he can't be called bad by any standard.Yeah, but only because half the country hates Neuer while the other half doesn't watch Bundesliga regularly and has only seen ter Stegen making errors at the NT. So Weidenfeller obviously has to be a world-class keeper since it's currently 'in' to cheer for BVB.
I didn't claim he was a bad goalkeeper. For me he's on the same level as René Adler or Diego Belagio. All three are very good goalkeepers with weaknesses in certain areas of their game.Weidenfeller is a very solid keeper and capable of producion amazing performances (usually against Bayern...), but really the only reason everybody's been clamoring about him playing for the national side is that his team won 2 championships. Doesn't make him a great keeper, but he can't be called bad by any standard.
Weidenfellers most important function was being one of the few grown-ups in Dortmunds bratpack in 2010, something the Nationalmannschaft is hardly in demand for. I'd take Adler or Kraft over him any day.I didn't claim he was a bad goalkeeper. For me he's on the same level as René Adler or Diego Belagio. All three are very good goalkeepers with weaknesses in certain areas of their game.
The gap to Manuel Neuer who is the only mature world-class goalkeeper is quite huge whereas Marc-André ter Stegen is the only other goalkeeper with world-class potential. Too bad for BMG and the Bundesliga but he's off to Barcelona.
Kraft? You must be joking. Weidenfeller has been nothing short of sensational for around two years now.Weidenfellers most important function was being one of the few grown-ups in Dortmunds bratpack in 2010, something the Nationalmannschaft is hardly in demand for. I'd take Adler or Kraft over him any day.
Kraft played more than solid 2 seasons for Hertha now. He is completely ignored by everyone since his Bayern disaster, but imo he's been better and more consistent than the likes of Baumann, Zieler or Trapp, all of which have been hailed as the next big thing.Kraft? You must be joking. Weidenfeller has been nothing short of sensational for around two years now.
More consistent yes, better? Not sure. Baumann is struggling this season. Zieler had a bad season after his first cap for Germany, but since then he's consistently good, nothing special, but a level above Kraft, imo. Trapp was exceptional for Frankfurt until his stupid injury. He's been significantly better than Kraft ever was, imo. Kraft's been decent for a midtable team this season and was okay for a team walking the 2. Bundesliga last season. Can't remember a single exceptional performance of him though, he's not worth discussing him for the nationalteam. None of those you mentioned are, which makes the suggestion that Kraft is better than Weidenfeller so strange.Kraft played more than solid 2 seasons for Hertha now. He is completely ignored by everyone since his Bayern disaster, but imo he's been better and more consistent than the likes of Baumann, Zieler or Trapp, all of which have been hailed as the next big thing.
Seriously, Adler? That guy was injured for years, came back with a few brilliant performances over the first 3-4 months at Hamburg and has been outright shit since. He obviously struggles with the pressure, struggles with injuries again this season like he did all his career and has a way worse overall skillset than Weidenfeller.My goalkeeper line-up for the World Cup would be Neuer as the clear #1 whereas ter Stegen as the world-class talent and Adler as an experienced quality alternative fight for position behind him. There is no need to add Weidenfeller to the mix who has a history of stirring up controversy when it comes to the National Team, why bother if there's no need for him?
I expect Weidenfeller would struggle as well at a club in turmoil like HSV. It's not like he isn't making any mistakes, we know he does and he confirmed it just this past weekend. At BVB he simply receives less ridicule than Adler at HSV. Those are the normal mechanisms when you're the goalkeeper of a team facing relegation. Fact is, Adler had a very strong 2012/13 season and has always done very well when wearing the jersey of the German National Team, even in the big games. His injuries played a huge part to his spell of bad games but I don't see a problem with a healthy and fit René Adler in goal. This Adler is convincing.M
Seriously, Adler? That guy was injured for years, came back with a few brilliant performances over the first 3-4 months at Hamburg and has been outright shit since. He obviously struggles with the pressure, struggles with injuries again this season like he did all his career and has a way worse overall skillset than Weidenfeller.
I also think it's ridiculous to use a few stupid comments from a few years back as a reason. Weidenfeller so obviously has matured as a person. He probably can't stop grinning since he got his first cap for Germany and there's nothing, absolutely nothing that suggests he would be a negative influence in the dressing room or stir shit up.
If the three goalkeepers are Neuer + 1 talent + 1 experienced goalkeeper, it has to be ter Stegen and Weidenfeller. Adler is neither a good fit to the playing style, nor experienced enough on international level and his performances in the last 2 years are definitely worse than Weidenfellers, it's not even close.
He has 12 caps, his last competitive game for Germany was in 2009 and his only stand-out performance was back then away at Russia in a worldcup qualifier. He never played a single CL game or a game at an international tournament. Since then he played two meaningless friendlies and so much has changed, that I don't see his performances almost 5 years ago as relevant.Fact is, Adler had a very strong 2012/13 season and has always done very well when wearing the jersey of the German National Team, even in the big games.
Do not underestimate that point. Living together 6 weeks in a competition can really stir trouble. Weidenfeller is not a type like Butt who in that situation will really help the team.Especially as a team player who will most likely not receive much playing time it is the choice between two goalkeepers on a similar level of which one is known as a total team player whereas the other has a loud mouth and said history of stirring up controversy. Why should Löw take any chances?
Why would this be a problem when they received a windfall from last year's Champions League run and the 39 million euros from the sale of Goetze?Ramos is very good value for money but it will be a significant drop in quality if that's all BVB can afford. At the moment BVB is already on € 15m net investments for the summer (Ramos + Sahin) and they still need a new central defensive midfielder or they face the danger of entering yet another season with two injury prone players like Kehl and Bender alongside Sahin. The ideal scenario would be a healthy Gündogan extending his contract or being sold for considerable money, but that's not going to happen. BVB can't afford to give a potential invalid a long-term contract at € 4-5m while no other club will spend big on him. In the meantime they also want to avoid losing him on a free in 2015, worst case scenario they are giving him a lot of playing time in 14/15 out of pure necessity and he leaves as a free-agent.
This is really a tough situation for their management. I couldn't say what to do with Gündogan's prognosis being as unclear as it is.
By the way, I read BVB paid € 52m on wages during the first half of 2013/14 season which is a considerable increase of €7.8m compared to last season. Including bonuses for advancing in the CL and DFB cup their personnel expenses might very well amount to € 110-120m. So much for the myth that BVB players earn apples and oranges over there and only care about 'true love'.
I'm not a financial expert but I read the key figures of their last business reports and found some numbers which lead me to believe Dortmund's net investment won't surpass € 30-35m this summer. This is also the amount many Dortmund fans expect.Why would this be a problem when they received a windfall from last year's Champions League run and the 39 million euros from the sale of Goetze?
In addition, they are likely to get substantial revenue money from this year's CL run, even if they get knocked-out in quarter-finals. They should have some relative financial muscle going into the summer, both in transfers and wages. They will also be offloading Lewandowski's 80 grand a week salary, giving them enough flexibility regarding wages.
You raise some good points. Thanks for clarifying.I'm not a financial expert but I read the key figures of their last business reports and found some numbers which lead me to believe Dortmund's net investment won't surpass € 30-35m this summer. This is also the amount many Dortmund fans expect.
Regarding Götze and their earnings last season, they indeed received € 37m for him initially minus 10% to the player due to a contractual clause decreasing the amount to € 33.7m. They also had to pay profit tax on their financial result, having a lot more earnings than expenses makes you good friends with the tax authorities. You also need to be aware that Watzke timed his transfer activities very well, their financial year ended in June 2013 which means it included the Götze fee but excluded the expenses of € 50m for Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang and Sokratis. BVB's very own financial report released on February 28th 2014 seems to prove me right: 'cash and cash equivalents: € 6.8m' (can be found here http://aktie.bvb.de/eng/Publication...eports/Semi-Annual-Financial-Report-2013-2014). Their balance sheet is very healthy but there are no huge cash reserves to be found.
Their CEO Watzke on the other hand announced a major offensive on the transfer market next summer, the same procedure as last year. In the end they didn't spend a lot more money than they earned which makes me hesitant to believe him. I expect most of what they are going to spend next summer needs to be earned this season. So while there is still room for investments, the decreasing profits of the first half of the season (50% drop compared to last year) in my mind clearly indicate that all the contract extensions of players like Piszczek, Weidenfeller, Hummels, Subotic and Kuba leave BVB with less possibilities on their wage bill than some people think. Still, BVB is growing and they have room to invest, just not as much as we'd like.
I wouldn't mind being proven wrong though. The Bundesliga needs a strong Borussia Dortmund.
I'm not 100% sure but profit- as well as solidarity tax should amount to something around 30% of a company's profit. If you add the dividend to the shareholders more or less € 30m of BVB's € 50m profit should have remained with the club. There are certain measures to decrease the profit tax like loss carryforwards but afaik BVB had few of those left as they decreased their debt considerably over the last decade.What is the profit tax in Germany? If Dortmund reported a profit of €50m in 2013, there is a good chance that at least half of it remains in the club accounts after tax and dividents to the shareholders. Your rationale regarding the 50% drop in profits compared to the first half of last year makes sense. Lewandowski alone had a salary increase of 400%, going from 20000 a week to 80000 a week.
However, even with the purchases of Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang and Sokratis, they should be on the black come the end of season. Their TV money from the Champions League will be distributed after the CL finals, and they will likely get at least a minimum of some 20 million Euros (depending on how deep they go into the competition). Add to that the matchday revenue for CL games, and winning prizes (which will probably be offset by financial rewards stipulated in player contracts).
If Dortmund is to compete with the big clubs, they need to increase their ticket prices and attract bigger sponsors. There is no guarantee they will make it past the CL groups each year, meaning their financial books will suffer significantly as a result - although as long as they make it into the Champions League, they should be fine.