Match about to start. Starting the discussion from my phone so not much detail. Kehl and reus replace Kirch and Hoffman respectively from the Hannover match.
It was pretty even in the first 30min - a lot of battling in midfield and not much going on in the final thirds of each side. But after that we took the initiative. Reus missed two very good chances.Mkhitaryan had a good shot from distance.
This is one of the things I hate about counter attacking "gegen-pressing" German football. The unwillingness to look for space and second guess instincts. As soon as players get into box or close from wide they always favor the first pass even if a defender is ahead. Rarely if ever do these players slow down, have a second look or pass it back out to retain possession. For Dortmund in particular it's such a waste specifically because of a larger emphasis on getting the ball forward as quickly as possible. The U-curve logic is if you push too far to an extreme it works but sooner or later it becomes a victim of its own potency and then dips. This has been evident for Dortmund for a while and we see an overt reliance on individual skill.
Schalke are playing with kids. 68 min in and we still can't score a goal at home ffs. What is going on ? How are we going to score against Real when we can't against this Schalke team ? I gotta say Schalke's keeper Faehrmann is in God mode.
Miki didn't pick his head up. It's very possible that the poor luck Dortmund has had this season has affected the players mentally where it results in sloppier play, not converting chances, etc.
Miki off for auba, would have taken off Grosskreutz, Miki was at least playmaking, now we have no touch, can't pass Auba
We should have won the game. Anyways, fantastic performance from Hummels and Reus. Miki was good too.
Unfortunately we lost two points today and Schalke won one point. They were very happy to take it. All in all, I think we played good football, it seemed like we knew what we were doing which is very good. I think we still can suprise some people and get past Real. Its not like they are invincible. However first we need to think about Stuttgart, important to grab three points there.
a win was essential, I think this result will come back to bite us on the arse. S04 have an easier schedule and fewer matches too (no CL etc.). They have also been far more consistent than BVB and also have had their own injury problems. I reckon they are odds on favourite to take second spot after this pissy effort.
Going by way he speaks and nature of post-match and pre-match comments. Also, Uli Hesse has some unique things to say about him that validates this statement, more or less but yea subjective I suppose. I haven't heard a smarter player who is also playing at this level.
I'm just giving you a hard time for using such definitive statements instead of saying one of the smartest. Which is easier to accept since we can't really prove who is the smartest player. It also depends on what you mean by smart. Are we talking about football IQ, witt, book smarts, etc?
Well I say smartest based on whom I've heard speak, etc. Football IQ, it goes without saying he is one of the smartest but his insight and objectivity go beyond any PR-trained ramblings players usually give. He also reads!
He has the right mentality. Note his comments regarding leaving Dortmund and plans for building team, etc. Anyway, if Uli Hesse is impressed with someone, it's worth noting.