Well so far they have restricted him to one great chance, which is impressive enough against a player of his calibre.Wonder if they have a solid plan to contain Malen
Well so far they have restricted him to one great chance, which is impressive enough against a player of his calibre.Wonder if they have a solid plan to contain Malen
I am just looking at the starting line up and I am in awe. No proper dm/cm. Little quality out wide. No one can really dribble. No proper CF, who can lead the line. But they have Malen, Adeyemi, Reus and Brandt.Dortmund seem to have the sheer defensive problems as usual
Pretty sure it will happen. Werner wants out, Tuchel wants Werner out, and there is a vacancy @die Schwarz-Gelben. A prolific and charismatic German striker who's still to reach his peak? That's an irresistable proposition for Aki, for sure. Guess it's gonna be some loan with a 35.40m obligation to buy next year. Can't wait to see him in their kitThey should buy Werner to complete their collection of forwards.
They have the same issues year after year. This defence with Meunier, Hummels and Süle is beyond slow. Getting caught out again and again. It will be targeted all season long even now they look like they can't score any goals.I am just looking at the starting line up and I am in awe. No proper dm/cm. Little quality out wide. No one can really dribble. No proper CF, who can lead the line. But they have Malen, Adeyemi, Reus and Brandt.
They should buy Werner to complete their collection of forwards.
Süle isn't slow and played in a high line in Munich. CBs are the least of their worries.They have the same issues year after year. This defence with Meunier, Hummels and Süle is beyond slow. Getting caught out again and again. It will be targeted all season long even now they look like they can't score any goals.
While I agree that Dortmund's squad is not bad at all they are IMO missing quality wing play. Well, that an FBs...I actually think their squad is fine. They have quality in almost every position and great talents with potential to become world clas coming through, such as Adeyemi, Reyna, Moukoko, Bellingham and Bynoe-Gittens. The team has pace, quality on the ball and a football brain. It will be interesting to see how they utilize it.
The only thing that really baffles me is that they still haven't signed a class RB. Sure, Raum would have been great as well since Guerreiro wasn't that good last season, but it was clear how important Hakimi was to them and to this date they haven't replaced him. Morey is very talented but after this horror injury, it is a real gamble to trust him to solve their problems there. Maybe it's a also sunk cost effect with Meunier. I recently read he was one of their top earners which is pretty hillariouy to be honest.
That's by the way the one thing I'd criticize at their transfer strategy. They burned lots of money by prioritizing experience over quality in some cases.
The "problem" with Süle has always been that he often just doesn't use his physical gifts properly. Too many times he just strolls around the field and is mentally(!) slow because he simply doesn't anticipate situations. In that area he is the opposite of a (younger) Hummels, a player who was excellent at that and could thus compensate for his lack of speed. With Süle you always feel like he needs a kick up his butt to properly put his quality on the field and that can be frustrating and is certainly what frustrated our leadership.Süle isn't slow and played in a high line in Munich. CBs are the least of their worries.
Their fullbacks are dodgy when it comes to defending. Additionally they don't have a proper CM since Axel Witsel declined. Thats an issue for a long time now. Weigl had one really strong season as DM (either 15/16 or 16/17, I don't remember), but couldn't replicate his performances + Gündogan leaving, left a massive hole in the squad. Dahoud, who is still around, never kicked on. Witsel joined them and managed to fill the gap for a while, but after ~2 years, he declined pretty substantially. Bellingham is a great talent, but more offensive minded and Emre Can is shit. Maybe Özcan can save them, but I don't really know him.
You think so? I believe the only ones who are similar at Adeyemi and Malen as both are dynamic striker/winger hybrids who are strong in one on ones. Moukoko is IMO an Aguero or maybe Lautaro type of striker while Haller is a Lewandowski or Benzema type (only lesser of course). And thenbthere's also Bynoe-Gittens who is a bit similar to Sancho. Add to that Reus, Reyna, Brandt anf Hazard and you have lots of variety in the attack. Playmaking, goal threat, pace, technique, long shots.. it is all there. The only thjng that's missing is crossing quality which I believe is why they were after Raum.While I agree that Dortmund's squad is not bad at all they are IMO missing quality wing play. Well, that an FBs...
And Moukoko, Adeyemi, Malen, Haller are a bit like different age versions of a similar player.
I agree they don't have a good midfield but they have had problems with their highline for years it's nothing new. This defense will have huge problems again this season. Fullbacks will have problems and it showed yesterday Vs Villarreal where they constantly found spaces out wide. Hope I am wrong here but Bayern will walk this again.Süle isn't slow and played in a high line in Munich. CBs are the least of their worries.
Their fullbacks are dodgy when it comes to defending. Additionally they don't have a proper CM since Axel Witsel declined. Thats an issue for a long time now. Weigl had one really strong season as DM (either 15/16 or 16/17, I don't remember), but couldn't replicate his performances + Gündogan leaving, left a massive hole in the squad. Dahoud, who is still around, never kicked on. Witsel joined them and managed to fill the gap for a while, but after ~2 years, he declined pretty substantially. Bellingham is a great talent, but more offensive minded and Emre Can is shit. Maybe Özcan can save them, but I don't really know him.
Dortmund were never looking like title contenders, given the rebuild they are triyng to do and Bayern buying half the Dutch team certinaly hasn't helped things on paper.. That's not the benchmark for this season.I agree they don't have a good midfield but they have had problems with their highline for years it's nothing new. This defense will have huge problems again this season. Fullbacks will have problems and it showed yesterday Vs Villarreal where they constantly found spaces out wide. Hope I am wrong here but Bayern will walk this again.
I agree this squad lacks speed and trickery.Dortmund were never looking like title contenders, given the rebuild they are triyng to do and Bayern buying half the Dutch team certinaly hasn't helped things on paper.. That's not the benchmark for this season.
I think the obvious weakness of the squad is that it's light in wide areas. Other than that it's a collection of quite talented players, of which quite a few have certain flaws. So to me it's quite pointless to discuss individual players, because none of them will make or break things by themselves (other than Julian Brandt, occasionally). In the end it all comes down to whether Terzic can find some form of balance.
If he can repeat his late Cologne performances he can, the question is only how fast he'll be integrated from my point of view. He excelled in a system which is probably the most demanding for a DM (playing the lone DM in a highly attacking 4-1-3-2 system) so he has experience and proven quality covering for a bunch of attacking players with little support in deep positions. Something which is similar to Dortmund's style of play in many cases.Maybe Özcan can save them, but I don't really know him.
Yeah, that penalty didn't really make sense, though I haven't watched 342 different slow-motion replays.So what happened in the #H96SCSP match yesterday? I only just saw the highlights, Jude Bellingham must have enjoyed watching them.
I don't think it's a big deal either way: a captaincy doesn't begin and end with the referee's whistle. I imagine for professional footballers the work they do outside of the games is more important anyway. Reus and Hummels can do that even if they don't happen to play.Yeah, that penalty didn't really make sense, though I haven't watched 342 different slow-motion replays.
Btw, do you think it makes sense to promote Bellingham to third captain?
Given the injury history (and the possible decline in playing ability) of Hummels and Reus, I can very well imagine that he will be on the pitch quite often with the armband. And in the games in which I have seen him, he did not appear as captain material. Simply too impulsive.
Obviously still holding a grudge over this WeltpokalsiegerbesiegerIndeed puzzling why Bellingham isn't loudly on the case - clearly Zwayer was installed to referee this 2. BuLi top game in order to rig the competition for Bayern.
Oh yes, he's definitely a cnut on the pitch. I'm just saying that doesn't necessarily make him a bad captain for his own team.@do.ob I agree that it makes sense to have a younger player step up in the hierarchy for Dortmund. Bayern does the same with Kimmich and Coman.
I just question the choice of Bellingham. Whenever I watch BVB (granted, it is not that often) he is always looking for a fight, moaning, diving and collecting fouls. He just seems unpleasant but might be one of those players that you love, when they are on your team.
Gotcha! The classic Mark van Bommel case.Oh yes, he's definitely a cnut on the pitch. I'm just saying that doesn't necessarily make him a bad captain for his own team.
You have to look at the positives, the season can't get any worse now. It's all upwards from here on..This season can do one
Second half still to come, mateYou have to look at the positives, the season can't get any worse now. It's all upwards from here on..
You think it's going to be worse than 0:3?Second half still to come, mate
Not looking bad so so far.Second half still to come, mate
They are faking the "can a loss be a win scenario" only to concede two more in the last minutes.Not looking bad so so far.
Feels like it, yeahThey are faking the "can a loss be a win scenario" only to concede two more in the last minutes.
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Maybe the technical quality of the CBs is better in the first division? If two technically good players can play the same passes as three technically "just ok" players (2 CB+GK) together there is no need to involve the GK that way.Tweet
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It's not the first time I've seen a keeper used like this, but it's usually in the second division (#Pollersbeckenbauer), why is that? Are Bundesliga teams just too good at pressing for coaches to use their keepers in such an advanced way?
To be honest that doesn't sound convincing to me. Build up is first and foremost about geometry. It's about creating situational numerical superiority that leads to clean passing angles, that make progressive passes relatively safe and easy. That's why it has become so common for the #6 to drop between defenders, to retain that numerical superiority and by that same logic there's always great value in an active goal keeper, because if it's the goal keeper who steps up properly during build up, then you have an "extra" midfielder. And if your CBs can spread wider, that means they have diagonal passing angles into the center (usually much harder to cover than just orthogonal passes) and the attackers who press them have longer distances to cover, which means they get more time on the ball, which means they can pick better passes or even get the time to go past their presser.Maybe the technical quality of the CBs is better in the first division? If two technically good players can play the same passes as three technically "just ok" players (2 CB+GK) together there is no need to involve the GK that way.
Probably a mix of reasons i the end, but that'so thought I had.
Maybe they're just more adventuresome. I mean, it is rare that tactical innovation happens first in first divisions, isn't it? Arguably even Klopp and Guardiola tested their systems in lower leagues before bringing them to the big stage. I imagine most clubs want some "proof of concept" before trusting a new system.Tweet
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It's not the first time I've seen a keeper used like this, but it's usually in the second division (#Pollersbeckenbauer), why is that? Are Bundesliga teams just too good at pressing for coaches to use their keepers in such an advanced way?
It's not some brand new system that requires overhauling of the squad though. All you need is a GK, who is comfortable on the ball, most better teams have someone like that already. The rest is instructions.Maybe they're just more adventuresome. I mean, it is rare that tactical innovation happens first in first divisions, isn't it? Arguably even Klopp and Guardiola tested their systems in lower leagues before bringing them to the big stage. I imagine most clubs want some "proof of concept" before trusting a new system.
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Not a wholly new system but still risky. Probably takes a bit of time and confirmation until coaches in the Bundesliga adapt to it.It's not some brand new system that requires overhauling of the squad though. All you need is a GK, who is comfortable on the ball, most better teams have someone like that already. The rest is instructions.
I could see 2nd division clubs having a more daring mind set in general, since it's promotion or bust at the top (4th (maybe even 3rd) place is almost as worthless as 14th place) and with relatively balanced finances being a step ahead of the competition tactically can make all the difference.