I do not even like the Frankfurt fans (apart from friends) in Frankfurt... I worked 15 years in Mainhattan inner city - so you meet enough at the Hauptbahnhof prior or after the matches...
Doesn't sound too far from the truth. I mean our stadium only barely got past 2. Bundesliga regulations and that only on the last minute or so.
Yeah that was really great. Massive respect for Bayern for doing stuff like this time and time again, also did it for St. Pauli and helped Dortmund with a loan so you guys are certainly not all evil.
Especially if you compare it to the charity game against Eintracht Frankfurt whose "fans" cause more damage than we made from the game. That's also one thing I would certainly not look forward to, if we manage to get promoted, having their "fans" back in our "stadium".
Thiago Alcantara at Bayern
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I don't think that either of them should be mentioned on the same sentence as Gundogan, Kroos (which I forgot), Veratti, Pogba and Thiago.
Wilshere is still living in the reputation of a single game 4-5 years ago. In his team, Ramsey has been a better player (despite being at around the same age) while in the league Henderson has been better than him too. No idea why he get mentioned in his forum as one of the best midfielders of his generation. There are tens of midfielders his age who are better.
A very talented player and a very injury-prone player.
I'm glad you have such "moderate" opinion of yourself.
Yes - but if he would stay injury free - he will just be it. He has the vision and the technic - the mentality and the character off the pitch.
That he e.g. scored that hattrick in the U21 finals just shows that he has the mentality for the big games.
I just hope for him that he gets over the next half year without any new injuries or atleast over his current or old injury. If he does not it probably will mean the end of his career - before it actually really started.
But Thiago needs two fit things in the next months.....his legs and his head.
If you are so injury-prone then you must be very strong in the period you are just in the gym room and if you are back on the pitch then you hold back maybe in some tacklings.
The poor ligue 1 league that just pissed on two English clubs. And one of them played with 10 men for 90 minutes. Would Wilshere produce the performance that Veratti did against Chelsea? I don't think so.
Wilshere has done nothing of note for three years now. He wouldn't get in the Arsenal team if everybody is fit.
You're deluded if you think wilshere has only had a single classy game in his career. Obviously they are doing better than him atm since he's always injured but when he hits form he's significantly better than either ramsey or Henderson. We are talking who's the biggest midfield talent of their generation, not best since they've pretty much accomplished little at this early part of their careers. What's Thiago done for example?
Yes. But with him it is first that his band - the one that was damaged again and the surrounding area - stays intact even under stress. I do not even think that this is such a head-thing. That he needs to find a way to handle things mentally, too... - maybe he does.
Götze has been more injury prone before he came to Bayern, too. It is now about one and a half seasons without any injuries - not even little muscle injuries.
Won 2 La Liga, 1 Bundesliga, 1 UCL and leaded Spain to two European Cups U21. What has Wilshere done?
Ramsey has been playing better for years than Wilshere, while Henderson has become one of the best midfielders in the league while also starting for NT. Both of them are Wilshere's age.
Wilshere - similarly to Anderson - is living on a reputation created by playing a good game a millennium ago. He was a player with high potential 4 years ago, but so far has done absolutely nothing to justify it and isn't fit to clean Thiago/Gundogan/Pogba/Veratti's boots.
@Revan
You are reaching mate with those accomplishments. His impact in those title winning seasons was negligible. At barca he was just a squaddie and at bayern he got injured for god knows how long, don't act like he's been some key player...
We're talking big boy football here, that U21 can go out the window.
Wasn't it just last season when Scholes said that Wilshere was englands best player? Come on, the stuff he's done vs bayern, brazil and brazil is more impressive than anything those other lads have done, hence he deserves a mention. He's injured all the time mate(like thiago) so you can stress that they are better than him all you want but its wrong, just cause he ain't around doesn't mean they are better. Henderson is not even close to wilshere level and ramsey himself has failed to regain last seasons form since coming back from injury.
You are reaching mate with those accomplishments. His impact in those title winning seasons was negligible. At barca he was just a squaddie and at bayern he got injured for god knows how long, don't act like he's been some key player...
We're talking big boy football here, that U21 can go out the window.
Wasn't it just last season when Scholes said that Wilshere was englands best player? Come on, the stuff he's done vs bayern, brazil and brazil is more impressive than anything those other lads have done, hence he deserves a mention. He's injured all the time mate(like thiago) so you can stress that they are better than him all you want but its wrong, just cause he ain't around doesn't mean they are better. Henderson is not even close to wilshere level and ramsey himself has failed to regain last seasons form since coming back from injury.
Thiago played more than a hundred games for Barca - the team which had the best ever midfield - so hardly insignificant. He also played 25 matches for Bayern last season.
I mentioned U21 because it was a tournament on which played the best players of his generation, and he was brilliant the first time while completely dominated it the second time. Hardly a proof, but I guess is more relevant than Wilshere doing well in friendly match against Brazil.
From all of these midfielders, I think that Gundogan has proven himself more than others, by being arguably the best midfielder in the world in 12-13 (and definitely on top 5). Also, for whatever reason we forgot Koke who is definitely there.
Wilshere IMO is on the next tier with the likes of Herrera, Ramsey, Henderson and co. And the cynic on me says that even that might be generous.
Finally, I really don't care what Scholes said for an English midfielder. I make opinion myself, otherwise I would have rated Jones as our best player. What is true though, is that Henderson and Ramsey have been playing better than him for his club/NT, so I don't get why anyone should rate him more than those two (who anyway aren't in top bracket).
Those fluffing Wilshere and daring to make a comparison to Thiago 
'Daring'.Those fluffing Wilshere and daring to make a comparison to Thiago
We're talking about a player who can't stand upright without his knees shattering at the moment, not Zinedine Zidane.When he's actually played a whole season as a first team regular for anyone, ever, then you can start getting sniffy about who we may and may not compare his excellence to.
English myopia, nothing new
On topic: he's back training with the team and will probably be back by the end of march.
He was a squaddie at barca, that's why he left. He didn't really have big games for bayern last season. When the time came to prove himself on the grand stage, he was injured.
How's it more relevant? Its kidies football. He's 24 now, his crowning achievements shouldn't be what he's done at u21 level. Who from these other midfielders that we mention were at those tournament dare I ask?
True about koke, he shouldn't be omitted.
He's to be rated higher than those two cause he's proven that he can do it against the very best in the game, while they haven't. When Bayern's martinez/shweinsteiger were eating up all midfielders in the world from iniesta to pirlo, he's the only one that put in a great performance against them. That's just to show the magnitude of his talent. Don't let his injury troubles cloud your judgement.
Thiago has showed in the matches he has played and was injured last season how great he can be on the long run. Yes, more a promise than he has actually proven it. It was different to that what he played at Barca where he always was more the talent and junior partner.
You are right that he actually has not done much on adult ground. But for me playing big roles in the most important matches that the player has been confrontated with shows a special mentality that I like in players. Actually - that are the matches a lot of the "big guys" never have shown great performances...
Thiago in his few matches has shown that he has the eye for the fellow and the situation - that he is not just technic.
But - at the moment he just has to get fit and healthy. That is the most important. I do not really expect him to do something special this season. It is just too early for him.
He is on the bench against Gladbach today. 
So good to see him back. We have one of if not the best midfield around but he is already such an important part of the team.
Fast, good tackler and an artist on the ball.
Welcome back Thiago!!!!
So good to see him back. We have one of if not the best midfield around but he is already such an important part of the team.
Fast, good tackler and an artist on the ball.
Welcome back Thiago!!!!
I hope he can stay healthy now, proper class player.
Already making a good impact.
You just feel his class.
The CL games against Porto will be very interesting.
You just feel his class.
The CL games against Porto will be very interesting.
Any time this is bumped I assume he's injured himself again 
Sigh. Tell me about it.Any time this is bumped I assume he's injured himself again
But this thread really should go better and talk about his special games, his crazy talent.
He's so good its frightening how good he could be now if he hadn't had those injury set backs.
Hope that knock to the knee didn't do any damage again.
He is sensational.
Feck sake, surely not again?
He is an alien
Feckin hell that's really hard to pull off without taking a touch from a pass. Sublime.
Is that is real-time? His leg moved faster than my brain could register it.
Better quality:
It's like watching a mix between a lite version of Ronaldinho and Xavi on the uprise.
He said on Twitter, that there isnt a problem.
Thiago is really special. Im still surprised how much he sticks out of such a great great team.
He can do anything with the ball. Just
Great news!
How could Barca be so stupid and just let him go like that? He should have got way more game time than he did.
Yeah - bit of a blooper from them - would have been a perfect Iniesta or even Xavi replacement but they had to show loyalty & persist with those 2 even though Thiago was the future.
He couldn't wait anymore and wanted guaranteed game time - especially on the biggest stages which barca couldn't promise. Just a very, very unfortunate bit of timing. I still think we'll see him back at barca during his peak.
I suppose it was a bit of a Vidic-Rio thing. They were very good, so you had to play them even though their time was coming to an end, & you had Smalling/Jones in reserve. Maybe not the most apt example, but you know what I mean.
Moyesy why....
I think Pep´s successors simply didnt have the balls to bench Xavi/Iniesta sufficiently. Right from the start at bayern, he showed that he is ready to play on a very high level. Its nothing like the Smalling/Jones situation. Its hard to find the appropriate words for his quality. He is that good.
Maybe a bit more like the Welbeck situation. We ended up having to let him go despite him obviously being a 30 goal a season striker.
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