German Football 23/24 |

[do.ob]

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I guess we better take the reportings of mr "contract guilty" with a grain of salt, but this looks a bit like Köln act like they have nothing to lose.

I obviously know next to nothing about thse guys, so I'm just making very superficial observations, but:

Kohler's CV looks quite interesting for a 32 year old, but as far as coaching seniors goes, he can boast of lasting less than 6 months at two random minnows.

Stamm at least had one very good season with Freiburg's second team, but this season he's even outdone Kohler with 9 points from 20 games.

Henriksen though looks a lot more reasonable, based on my very thorough 2 minutes worth of research.

 

[do.ob]

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Appointing a failed coach as SD in his first management role. Sounds a bit crazy if you ask me.

Not at all as strategically sound as trying to fix a struggling coaching team by adding two inexperienced former players.

 

[JuriM]

Dier potentially joining Bayern is a weird rumour.

 

[Acrobat7]

Dier potentially joining Bayern is a weird rumour.

Wasn't there this rumor as well in the summer?
I mean it is silly season and Bayern has been linked with about every RB, CB and DM on this planet, so...

 

[2ndTouch]

Dier potentially joining Bayern is a weird rumour.

Well, his name kinda matches our sitiuation at the back line, so...

 

[Acrobat7]

Well, his name kinda matches our sitiuation at the back line, so...

I know he is not great but he can cover CB, RB, DM. If it’s cheap I don’t even mind. Better than having to rely on 17 year old kids.

 

[Blackwidow]

Wasn't there this rumor as well in the summer?
I mean it is silly season and Bayern has been linked with about every RB, CB and DM on this planet, so...

You usually do not really get best quality for good prices. But we are in such a desperate situation that we played Mazraoui and Goretzka as central defenders. We do not have this great 17-year-old defender kids - or the only one that even is planned for the pros is always injured...

I do not mind Dier. He is atleast good enough to play reservist or can come in as defensive possibility to hold a result.
And not playing with a contract ending in June he cannot be expensive.

 

[Acrobat7]

You usually do not really get best quality for good prices. But we are in such a desperate situation that we played Mazraoui and Goretzka as central defenders. We do not have this great 17-year-old defender kids - or the only one that even is planned for the pros is always injured...

I do not mind Dier. He is atleast good enough to play reservist or can come in as defensive possibility to hold a result.
And not playing with a contract ending in June he cannot be expensive.

See my post above yours.

 

[mazhar13]

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Appointing a failed coach as SD in his first management role. Sounds a bit crazy if you ask me.

Not at all as strategically sound as trying to fix a struggling coaching team by adding two inexperienced former players.

He has history and familiarity with Schalke. Also, based on what a Schalke fan elsewhere told me, the local journalists reported that Wilmots isn't going to be responsible for player recruitment. He'll be there to cover all other responsibilities, though.

I'd like to verify what he said, but that fan didn't tell me which outlet and which journalist(s) covered Wilmots' responsibilities. It's not a major outlet like Bild, but that's all I know.

 

[do.ob]

He has history and familiarity with Schalke. Also, based on what a Schalke fan elsewhere told me, the local journalists reported that Wilmots isn't going to be responsible for player recruitment. He'll be there to cover all other responsibilities, though.

I'd like to verify what he said, but that fan didn't tell me which outlet and which journalist(s) covered Wilmots' responsibilities. It's not a major outlet like Bild, but that's all I know.

He's the highest representative of the sporting side. And the press release contains this sentence:
" As sporting director, Wilmots who won the UEFA Cup with the Royal Blues in 1997, will be responsible for squad planning, the coaching set-up and backroom staff "

The English translation is a bit incomplete, but the German version says about the other director role that it's (among other things) responsible for the execution when it comes to transfer business. It sounds a bit like a right hand man.

Clubs like to hire former players in management roles, but usually they get to prove themselves under an experienced sporting director, e.g. in the role of team manager, staying close to the team, so the SD can focus on strategy and transfers.

 

[mazhar13]

He's the highest representative of the sporting side. And the press release contains this sentence:
" As sporting director, Wilmots who won the UEFA Cup with the Royal Blues in 1997, will be responsible for squad planning, the coaching set-up and backroom staff "

The English translation is a bit incomplete, but the German version says about the other director role that it's (among other things) responsible for the execution when it comes to transfer business. It sounds a bit like a right hand man.

Clubs like to hire former players in management roles, but usually they get to prove themselves under an experienced sporting director, e.g. in the role of team manager, staying close to the team, so the SD can focus on strategy and transfers.

Right, thanks for the added context. In that case, Wilmots is setting the whole plan and philosophy in place, and whilst he won't necessarily be hands-on, he'll still be directing the strategy for the whole team. In that case, whilst he had history with Schalke, I'm not sure that he's the best person for the role. Anyways, they've had very poor directors in general, so Wilmots won't feel that much different if things get bad. This also indicates that most directors probably aren't that keen on a role unless they have no constraints.

 

[do.ob]

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It's probably the right time to do this.

 

[hasanejaz88]

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Massive blow to Leverkusen's title aspirations, not just the BL but also EL and Pokal. Schick would really have to step up now, as would Hlozek because they'll need rotation with the two additional cup competitions.

One more injury to their strikers and I think any chance of a title is gone. Schick has had injury issues in the past so that will always be a concern. Would be interesting to see if they make a loan move in January.

 

[ForEverEleven]

Schick is the better striker in my opinion so as long as he stays fit, we will be fine.
Insiders already confirmed that we will be going for another striker in January though. Curious who it will be.

 

[Acrobat7]

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Massive blow to Leverkusen's title aspirations, not just the BL but also EL and Pokal. Schick would really have to step up now, as would Hlozek because they'll need rotation with the two additional cup competitions.

One more injury to their strikers and I think any chance of a title is gone. Schick has had injury issues in the past so that will always be a concern. Would be interesting to see if they make a loan move in January.

Damn, that sucks. But as you mentioned, Schick and Hlozek is an okay cover. Obviously far from ideal, but nonetheless.

 

[Zehner]

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Massive blow to Leverkusen's title aspirations, not just the BL but also EL and Pokal. Schick would really have to step up now, as would Hlozek because they'll need rotation with the two additional cup competitions.

One more injury to their strikers and I think any chance of a title is gone. Schick has had injury issues in the past so that will always be a concern. Would be interesting to see if they make a loan move in January.

Considering how well Schick has been integrated the last few games, I'm relatively relaxed although it definitely sucks. But Boniface has actually somewhat lost his form towards the end of the year and received more and more criticism for being both wasteful and egotistical in front of the goal and having erratic decision making in general. He was still very good, mind, but it was always going to be a close call between him and Schick as long as the latter stayed fit. Hlozek IMO isn't too bad of a cover either and we shouldn't forget that we already went on a very good streak last season with Hlozek, Adli or even Wirtz as a false 9 up front. So while Boniface was definitely a shooting star of the season thus far, I think we will be fine.

The only player who we can't replace is Wirtz, IMO.

 

[hasanejaz88]

Considering how well Schick has been integrated the last few games, I'm relatively relaxed although it definitely sucks. But Boniface has actually somewhat lost his form towards the end of the year and received more and more criticism for being both wasteful and egotistical in front of the goal and having erratic decision making in general. He was still very good, mind, but it was always going to be a close call between him and Schick as long as the latter stayed fit. Hlozek IMO isn't too bad of a cover either and we shouldn't forget that we already went on a very good streak last season with Hlozek, Adli or even Wirtz as a false 9 up front. So while Boniface was definitely a shooting star of the season thus far, I think we will be fine.

The only player who we can't replace is Wirtz, IMO.

Yep agree with all of that. Also noticed that Boniface's form fell a bit after a brisk start, and he does waste chances despite his goal tally. Checked on fbref and indeed his goals - xG is negative. That being said, he also has a high assists count as well that should not be ignored. I'm a massive fan of Schick so would be more than happy if he goes back to the form he had pre-injury. He's a quality striker that I wanted United to sign as well.

Wirtz is definitely the irreplaceable. No one has the playmaking skills he has.

 

[Zehner]

Yep agree with all of that. Also noticed that Boniface's form fell a bit after a brisk start, and he does waste chances despite his goal tally. Checked on fbref and indeed his goals - xG is negative. That being said, he also has a high assists count as well that should not be ignored. I'm a massive fan of Schick so would be more than happy if he goes back to the form he had pre-injury. He's a quality striker that I wanted United to sign as well.

Wirtz is definitely the irreplaceable. No one has the playmaking skills he has.

Yeah, he is generally stressful for every defender and that doesn't really show in the stats. He can rough up pretty much everybody with his strength and his dribbling ability and pace is far ahead of Schick. At the beginning of the season I thought that there was no way Schick could displace him but so far, he's done so much with clever positioning and composure that I thought it was a 50/50 who would be starting after the Afrika-Cup. Think this injury is probably worse for our cup campaigns than the Bundesliga. Schick will need pauses regularly and I think Alonso will prioritize the league.

That being said, I feel Hlozek is a bit underrated as well. This season he's at 60 minutes per scorer (though a good proportion of that occured against low quality opposition) and over his total playing time at Leverkusen, a still respectable 118 minutes.

 

[do.ob]

I think with Schick it's hard to predict which version you get. I liked him at Leipzig, then he seemed a bit lost in his first season for Leverkusen, then he was great for a season, then he seemed lost again, then he was injured for ages and now he's shown his better side again in the few games he's played so far.

Leverkusen are going to face a lot more hurdles in 2024 either way: the EL and DFB Pokal are heating up, they'll probably have to invest a lot more energy into those competitions than they did so far, the AFCON is taking out a bunch of important players for a bit and the longer they can continue their good form, the closer they get to actually winning something, the bigger the pressure will become. Losing Boniface is a terrible start to the year, but it's possible Schick can fill in. It's the WBs, CMs and Wirtz that look like the designated breaking points to me, if they begin to tire or get injured.

 

[ForEverEleven]

Yeah, he is generally stressful for every defender and that doesn't really show in the stats. He can rough up pretty much everybody with his strength and his dribbling ability and pace is far ahead of Schick. At the beginning of the season I thought that there was no way Schick could displace him but so far, he's done so much with clever positioning and composure that I thought it was a 50/50 who would be starting after the Afrika-Cup. Think this injury is probably worse for our cup campaigns than the Bundesliga. Schick will need pauses regularly and I think Alonso will prioritize the league.

That being said, I feel Hlozek is a bit underrated as well. This season he's at 60 minutes per scorer (though a good proportion of that occured against low quality opposition) and over his total playing time at Leverkusen, a still respectable 118 minutes.

I like Hlozek but I dont think Xabi necessarily sees him as a viable option up front. Right now he seems to be the backup for Wirtz/Hofmann behind a sole striker and I personally think this role also fits his profile better. When he played as a number 9 last season there were many games whrere he did absolutely nothing and couldnt hang on to the ball with a big defender on his back.

Im really curious which striker we are going to get this winter, has to be a loan I believe.

 

[Acrobat7]

Jamal Musiala is pretty good at football, isn’t he?

 

[Blackwidow]

Frankfurt with starting player van de Beek leads in Leipzig after 8 minutes.

 

[GhastlyHun]

These Leverkusen feckers

 

[RG77]

These Leverkusen feckers

Very much deserved to be fair, should’ve probably won like 0-3.

 

[DavidDeSchmikes]

Youtube livestreaming the Darnstadt/Dortmund match

 

[stefan92]

Very much deserved to be fair, should’ve probably won like 0-3.

This kind of late win is what really can be the difference between runners up and winning a title. Pressure really is on Bayern now.

And this isn't a case of Bayern struggling, if you look at historic finishes, the best seasons have been:
91 points in 12/13 Bayern under Heynckes
90 points in 13/14 Bayern under Guardiola
88 points in 15/16 Bayern under Guardiola
84 points in 17/18 Bayern under Heynckes

On their current average Bayer is on track for 90 points and Bayern for 87 points, which would be the second best and fifth best Bundesliga season ever if they actually both finish this way.

In other news Dortmund really is under pressure now. Leipzig losing means that they have a chance to close the gap to top four, but at the same time Frankfurt winning means that Dortmund drop to sixth if they don't win today and Frankfurt is in the race for CL again.

 

[Redplane]

Bit surprised to see Leipzig imploding this season. Had them down as an outside chance for the title.

 

[stefan92]

Bit surprised to see Leipzig imploding this season. Had them down as an outside chance for the title.

They are not really imploding. They won the supercup and comfortably qualified from their CL group. Still in the top four in the league which is on par, only the early cup exit is negative, but after winning it twice in a row I guess that's ok for them.

 

[Redplane]

They are not really imploding. They won the supercup and comfortably qualified from their CL group. Still in the top four in the league which is on par, only the early cup exit is negative, but after winning it twice in a row I guess that's ok for them.

Fair enough. I know it's not fair to Frankfurt to say today's defeat was a total surprise but the two defeats against Mainz and Wolfsburg for instance, did take my surprise.

 

[HTG]

Bit surprised to see Leipzig imploding this season. Had them down as an outside chance for the title.

With all the players they have lost, they were never going to challenge for the title.

 

[Acrobat7]

This kind of late win is what really can be the difference between runners up and winning a title. Pressure really is on Bayern now.

Yes, but…
They still play against Leverkusen. If Bayern wins all games they are champions.

 

[kaiser1]

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[GhastlyHun]

Hertha's president Kay Bernstein died suddenly, he was only 43

 

[stefan92]

That's a sad surprise. RIP

 

[LilienFan]

Dier potentially joining Bayern is a weird rumour.

Tuchel is probably the best example of great coach - awful DOF. He´s great at optimization of a functioning squad, but he is absolutely dier and trippiering, when it comes to talent evaluation and future squad building. The fastest way to destroy Liverpool and City would be to get Tuchel as their manager/DOF. Sure first year, he probably wins the quadruple, but by the end of year two he probably plays a 5-2-1-2 with Dier behind Choup-Moting and Lukaku.

 

[Nani Nana]

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He will win a second Bundesliga title in a row and get all the plaudits he deserves in Germany. Class coach

 

[stefan92]

He will win a second Bundesliga title in a row and get all the plaudits he deserves in Germany. Class coach

Winning the league with Bayern might (!) secure your job as their manager, that's about it. Plaudits are reserved for record breaking league titles or winning the CL. And he might not win the title this season, which would be a disaster for his reputation.

 

[FortunaUtd]

Massive game for Leverkusen's title challenge (yes, I did type that out loud) starting in a few minutes

 

[JuriM]

Xavi Simons ballin.

 

[DJ_21]

Simons is a top player for Leipzig. English clubs should be all over him in the summer.