Andi Brehme has died. He was 63 years old. One of the greatest fullbacks of all time. RIP.
German Football 23/24 |
- Thread starter do.ob
- Start date
Apparently the investor deal is cancelled. The DFL gives in to fan pressure. Finally the right decision.
I am really surprised, curious how they will sell this.
I'm not surprised at all. I expected as much after Blackstone removed themselves from competition, leaving only CVC as potential investors. That made the entire idea of auctioning the rights off a non-starter, and would have almost certainly led to drastically reduced gains for the DFL. That is what I expect to have been the anchor sinking the deal, not so much the fan protests or some clubs demanding a new vote.
From what I read Aki Schwatzke also quotes the happenings around H96, where Kind almost certainly voted with yes instead of no as ordered by the club and thus violating the 50+1 rule, as another reason which cast the validity of the vote that approved the investor deal into doubt. Not like the DFL ever cared until now, and still they don't get tired of highlighting that the vote was considered legal and binding, but they sure like to use it as a good cop-out when they need to justify dropping this now.
Plus of course some blabbering about the "integrity of the competition" being endangered by all the conflict this whole thing caused between fans, club members, management, players, employees, etc, and of course the massive disruptions every match day by fan protests.
From what I read Aki Schwatzke also quotes the happenings around H96, where Kind almost certainly voted with yes instead of no as ordered by the club and thus violating the 50+1 rule, as another reason which cast the validity of the vote that approved the investor deal into doubt. Not like the DFL ever cared until now, and still they don't get tired of highlighting that the vote was considered legal and binding, but they sure like to use it as a good cop-out when they need to justify dropping this now.
Plus of course some blabbering about the "integrity of the competition" being endangered by all the conflict this whole thing caused between fans, club members, management, players, employees, etc, and of course the massive disruptions every match day by fan protests.
Promote this one right away, the German football thread needs him/her.
Kroos coming back to the German national team. To be honest I don't know why he does it. Scapegoat if the tournament is another bad affair for Germany, like it was in Russia and the Euro’s in 21.
Because he loves the game and wants to play. Sometimes it’s that simple.
Kroos always acts like he has the biggest self-confidence on earth (well maybe 2nd to Zlatan) and he never seems the least bit patriotic or even to miss Germany (he said in a recent interview that he and his family may stay in Spain after his career) but I think deep down his "bad" (at least for his career at Real) standing in Germany hurts him.
This is his chance to turn it around.
If it would be that simple he wouldnt have retired.
Why? He didn’t want to play anymore back then. Now he wants to. People change their minds.
People change their minds all the time.
It's always nice to have experienced high quality players in the squad, but I don't think he really adresses die Mannschaft's main issues. I mean the balance of the team is just completely off.
At CB Hummels to me is still clearly the standout player and I guess with him being 35 and at risk of getting exposed by pace, that kind of says something.
I guess Henrichs is passable as a RB.
LB can be described with one word: Havertz.
DM can be described with two words: non existant.
Goretzka is the only physical player in midfield and he hasn't exactly been at his best lately, has he?
So how does Kroos fit in here? I don't see it. He plays good passes, but this isn't a team that can dominate their opponents to death. Even without him they desperately need players, who are crisp against the ball. There is no one, who can cover for him, they can't afford a passenger, who sits in front of the defense and watches opponents breeze past him.
This is the very essence of Kroos in Germany's midfield:
At CB Hummels to me is still clearly the standout player and I guess with him being 35 and at risk of getting exposed by pace, that kind of says something.
I guess Henrichs is passable as a RB.
LB can be described with one word: Havertz.
DM can be described with two words: non existant.
Goretzka is the only physical player in midfield and he hasn't exactly been at his best lately, has he?
So how does Kroos fit in here? I don't see it. He plays good passes, but this isn't a team that can dominate their opponents to death. Even without him they desperately need players, who are crisp against the ball. There is no one, who can cover for him, they can't afford a passenger, who sits in front of the defense and watches opponents breeze past him.
This is the very essence of Kroos in Germany's midfield:
Interesting thing to say since Jonathan Tah is playing the season of his life currently, but then again Im not suprised in the slightest seeing which user said this.
Why are you so insecure about Leverkusen players? Yes, Tah is having a very good season. But doing well in a dominant team in the league doesn't necessarily translate to doing well in a dysfunctional team at a WC/EC. Hence Gnabry and Sane having 1 goal and 2 assists against Costa Rica between them at tournaments, despite putting out good to great numbers consistently in Bundesliga. Werner is another example, used to be great for Leipzig in the Bundesliga and in friendlies for Germany (for a while), but 0G/0A at tournaments. And that's just some lazy examples from Germany. I could also name just about every other English player in history. So I won't assume that his form will automatically carry over. To me it's more like apples and oranges.Interesting thing to say since Jonathan Tah is playing the season of his life currently, but then again Im not suprised in the slightest seeing which user said this.
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Is this ref from Munich?
Dreadful referee. That should be a red card.
Very bad refereeing again, unfortunately
Oh no
The keeper
ouch
ouch
Is that Karius?
Karius-ed it
so deserved for all the time waste from Zentner.
Keeper even has the same hairstyle
St. Pauli is really getting promoted, aren’t they? I have mixed feelings about this… On the one hand I have been a supporter since the 90s so I am obviously thrilled about how they have been playing the last two seasons and I cannot wait for them to play in the Bundesliga again. On the other hand I fear that they will get slaughtered and lose their core players afterwards.
While Tah has done really well this season, and I think he did well last season as well, we have to remember this is part of a 3 man defense, which is very different to playing with 2 at the back. I like Tah a lot, and that he's fulfilling the potential he showed so long ago, but would prefer someone more familiar with a 2 man system at the back. Rudiger is a shoe-in , his partner will be difficult to decide. Hummels, Sule and Schlotterbeck, neither have really impressed a lot, Anton has been good at Stuttgart but he's inexperienced at international level.
Henrichs and Raum should definitely play at RB and LB, it doesn't make sense that you have two players who are starters, and doing well, for a team in the top 4 in the league but we are still persisting with back-up options like Wolf and fecking Havertz in those positions. Mittelsdat is doing well this season so I think he should be in the team, it'll be interesting between him and Gosens. One has international experience while the other is having a better season.
There is a very easily solution to the DM, someone I've been saying for two seasons now, Andrich. There were, and still are, concerns around his technical ability on the ball but he's done well since moving in for Palacios, so there is no reason why he can't play in the NT because he will give a lot of balance to the team. I was never a fan of Kimmich-Gundogan-Kroos because of the lack of legs in that midfield, Goretzka had to be there for his energy but, as you said, he's been out of form for two seasons now.
Kimmich-Kroos-Andrich could be too defensive, especially when you consider there is Musiala and Wirtz who can play as a CAM, but if you want to select one of those two and then you need to drop one of Kroos-Kimmich (Andrich, or another DM, has to play in all situations). We played a similar formation at the 2014 WC with Basti-Kroos-Khedira and that was honestly one of the best midfielders I've seen, though it was for a short time. It would also give Henrichs and Raum more freedom to bomb forward if we have 3 midfielders that can cover ground behind them.
There's also the question of Gundogan, who can slot in for either the Kroos or Kimmich role, what he has above the other two is technical ability in progressing the ball foward. I haven't followed Barca in depth this season but he seems to having a good season there.
I would go for something like this:
Henrichs - Rudiger - Tah/Hummels - Raum
Kroos - Andrich - Kimmich
Sane Fullkrug/Undav Musiala
Leipzig themselves don't even play Raum and Henrichs together in big games anymore. Rose did so at the very beginning of the season, but since then it's usually Simakan, who gets to play on the right.
In the absence of (m)any players, who have proven themselves to form a reliable or cohesive unit, you can propose just about any player as a more or less reasonable candidate. But I think it's naive to believe that most/all those Stuttgart and Leverkusen players just coincidentally made leaps in their development at the same time as their teams as a whole went on a run of good/great form. I think it's usually only a few players, who are genuinely at top level and a whole lot more, who are swimming with the tide.
The promoted teams have actually proven to be quiet resilient in recent years: Like Heidenheim, Bochum, Bielefeld, Union all survived at least one season and if I remember correctly few of them were consistent top teams in the 2nd division before they won promotion.
And if those teams could do it, why shouldn't Pauli?
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That is true to be honest, that Raum and Henrichs don't play in big games together. Maybe a solution would be to play Klostermann at RB, though he hasn't played there for ages I feel. I suppose playing Kimmich at RB and Gundogan at CM would be an ample solution to this. Gundogan does have better offensive stats than Kimmich, in terms of creating chances and progressing the ball, so it can work better with Kroos than Kimmich with Kroos.
I've been calling on Andrich to play for a couple of years now so it has nothing to do with his form this season. It's simply that he is a pure DM and the type of player who can balance the German midfield.
Kimmich will play RB, Nagelsmann said so
Darmstadt ..
What happens to Wirtz who is having a better season than almost every player right now
Kroos coming in means Goretzka Kroos Gundogan Wirtz Musiala, 4 players who like playing in the middle for maximum 6 spots. None a striker, DM nor pacey enough to play on the wings
Wirtz is having a great season but I don't think he will work with Gundogan and Kroos behind, same issue as before with us being caught on the counter way too much.
Don't think it should be necessary to play Wirtz just because he's having a great season when he might not gel with the other midfielders tactically.
Nearly a Kane goal already.
If Wirtz is the most in form then it makes sense to start him and drop either Goretzka Kroos Gundogan or Musiala
Sane has entered his apathetic state after the winter break. Another reason for Bayern's results plummeting.
And he wastes a great chance just now
I think every Bayern senior player has regressed under Tuchel
Don't really get why Gündogan/Kross shouldn't work out when Xhaka/Palacios does in a 3-4-3. For me it is more about how well you can drill the system in in such a short amount of time. The 4-2-3-1 would be the more pragmatic and less ambitious choice but it could also make sense.
One way or another, Wirtz has to start. He does everything Musiala does better than him so I struggle to see any reasoning to have him in the starting eleven ahead of Wirtz. But it really shouldn't be one or the other.
But why would he not work with Gündogan and Kroos? That would actually be ideal seeing how well he links up with Xhaka, Palacios, Andrich and Grimaldo. They are a match made in heaven.
One way or another, Wirtz has to start. He does everything Musiala does better than him so I struggle to see any reasoning to have him in the starting eleven ahead of Wirtz. But it really shouldn't be one or the other.
But why would he not work with Gündogan and Kroos? That would actually be ideal seeing how well he links up with Xhaka, Palacios, Andrich and Grimaldo. They are a match made in heaven.
Sané form fell off the cliff. No goal since October.
One shot in 40 min. What is wrong our attack. That's just abysmal.
One shot in 40 min. What is wrong our attack. That's just abysmal.
People were calling Mourinho a dinosaur for his stagnating ideas and football over the last decade or so, Tuchel is a close second.
Imo
Which of them has the grit engine and hardwork of Xhaka
what will be a starting 11 with all of them in the team