2013-2014 Borussia Dortmund Champions' League Thread [R]

With all the chances Miki was missing, I think an extra half hour would have helped him find the net at least once (or am I being too optimistic?). I just couldn't envision Madrid scoring as the game went on.

 

In my defence, I got a lot of things right too. I correctly predicted the result of the first leg and I also said that over the the two legs ''we may keep the scoreline close but Real will go through. It's as simple as that'' which unfortunately came true. Yeah, if Dortmund didn't have the injuries, I would've predicted Klopp and co advancing. Probably a 55/45 to Dortmund IMO(70/30 is too high). Anyway, it's useless to talk about the ''what ifs''

 

Have yet to watch the match as I was at work, but heard you guys played a wonderful game. Good luck against Bayern, hope you come out with a win.

 

You guys should be proud of your team..

A team 10x the price tag of your 11 players and you guys completely out played them off the park..

Lots of what ifs over the 2 legs, but this was your best match of the season

 

I doubt bayern care anymore about the BL matches. I am expecting at least a point for bvb this weekend..

1-1 a most likely score and both teams move on to important dfb semifinal match that midweek.

 

No. You just need him to settle in and management needs to discover how to properly utilize him. Then we can start assessing him properly.

 

I'm with whomever said Lewandowski is best striker he's ever seen in Bundesliga. In my time watching the league, I have to agree with this completely.

 

Thats not a lot of things. Its one thing. The second - you said "may". Thats not like saying "will". Besides, if they were similar you wouldn't have rubbished mine after one leg

 

Maybe deeper in a creative role because he does so much running or move him closer to goal and try what Lucescu did last season.

Or perhaps just give him better outlets in the position he plays now and take some pressure off. If he was good at finishing last season, no player just loses that. It's just nerves and coincidences that have a domino effect so there is absolutely no need to panic here. He is absolutely a good purchase and a very very good player. No player is beyond help and every player can have a place in a given team if he follows a set of rules. The most important in Klopp's system is tireless running and pressing which he does very well.

 

I agree that the issue with Miki is psychological. Dortmund fans need to take some pressure off him because he was excellent this match in Dortmund's system, when not in front of the goal. In front of the goal he has been a bit shaky but that probably came with the huge weight of 27m expectations and the fans unjustifiably juxtaposing him with Gotze and Kagawa. His into-the-box runs, movements, and link-up was fantastic and I see potential in him truly making up for his value in future.

I think Dortmund needs to bring a playmaker and play Miki as a wing-forward or support striker. They wanted a direct solution and this is what they got but most of their attacking midfiled is way too similar.

It would be great if you guys could land Calhanoglu.

 

I think you are taking Weidenfeller's performance for granted. There was the Hummels save on Benzema. They had plenty of chances and Bale was settling in. We didn't have many opportunities the final 15-20 minutes.

 

I am not talking about management needs to do. This is specifically about what Miki should and is capable of.

He can because he'd have a full season under his belt in the BuLi and with his team mates. That should be ample time to develop some chemistry with the squad, comfort with the club and fans and more than just a perception of what to expect week in week out in the league. He definitely has the skill set to perform as a classic b2b no. 10.

He should because he isn't someone like Gundogan from last year. He is in his mid 20's, has played in the CL for 3 years straight. It's not like he was just tearing up the Ukranian league; he was the club's best player in the CL as well, a club that had Fernandinho, Srna, Willian.

He needs to because we won't have Lewandowski next season. Our goals aren't going to magically appear from Reus, Auba and the replacement striker. You tell me I am greedy with Sahin. But our goals and creativity have to come from multiple sources not just one or two. With every passing year teams take us more seriously (we just saw this exactly a week ago).

 

tough luck guys... but it's amazing how history repeats itself... last year you guys beat RM by three goals, then lost by 2 in the 2nd leg and just hung on to win the tie... 1 year later and they win the first by three and then just hang on in the 2nd after conceding 2, but I'd say Dortmund were definitely the better side over the 4 games over the 2 legs in the last two seasons, but sad to see you guys go out...

 

I was convinced we were going to advance prior to the match. Your prediction was closer though.

 

You understate the value of belief and structure management gives players. Every player is different and can be managed differently.

Like I said, you're overstating his case. Finishing is something he excelled at. He doesn't just lose it. It came from somewhere, mostly the pressure to perform in a very strange season he was thrown into, coming from a not so elite level to elite level. Every player should be allowed one year to settle without so much unbelievably unfairly aimed criticism.

 

Play Miki deeper behind an AM. It worked wonderfully last night.

 

I feel Klopp deserves heaps of praise for tactical preparation for this match. There were doubts as to his tactical flexibility before, but last night he stepped up in a big way. This is a monumental moment in BVB's development and shows we can fully expect Euro and domestic triumph next season.

 

This is based on absolutely nothing. When BvB first tried to extend Lewandowski's contract (maybe late 2011 or early 2012) he had done nothing yet to earn himself 7 million. His first year was mediocre at best and he had only just taken over the starting striker spot because Barrios was injued. Then came the 2nd BL championship and the DFB-Pokal final humiliation of Bayern which inspired them to buy Dortmund's players, like they always do when another BL team is better than them.

In the summer of 2012 Bayern approached Lewandowski with their usual methods. Probably a pre-contract with a "loan" that has to be payed back if the player doesn't sign for Bayern in the end. It is proven that they did this with Deisler and Kehl. In Kehl's case (back in 2002) Dortmund offered higher wages than Bayern and Kehl actually payed the money back and signed for Dortmund. But trying to financially compete with Bayern was a bad idea and nearly killed BvB a few years later.

Wenger confimed that Bayern signed Lewandowski 1.5 years before he was officially allowed to put his signature under a new contact (January 2014) . Wenger probably heard that directly from Lewandowski's agents as Arsenal were interested in him as well. Dortmund never had a chance to extend the contract after Bayern bought Lewandowski's loyalty.

And Dortmund can never compete with Bayern's wages anyway. Why would Lewandowski sign for Dortmund for 7 million a year when Bayern pays him 10 to 12? It was the same with Götze.

 

If you take Lewy for example, his first season with us wasn't that impressive either. He only scored 9 goals in 43 games, but we still won the Bundesliga.
First time in European competition we didn't do so well. Then we got into Champions League and did worse. The following year we got to the final.

Was that magic or did the team (including managerial staff) learn from their mistakes and adapt for the next season?
I believe the managerial team and the technical director know what kind of players they want to get, in order to fit the systems Klopp utilizes.

The problem lies with the fact that we don't have a deep bench to replace the many players we lost this season to injury. I mean no other player can replace what Lewy, Reus, Gundogan, Kuba+Piz, Hummels+Sub do, as opposed to Bayern who have millions of midfielders to chose from.
Aubameyang has the speed of Lewy but he doesn't have the killer finish that Lewy does. Miki is good with linking up, like Goetze was, but he seems to go missing in games (confidence issue?). Etc etc.

With a healthier squad we would've done much better this season but unfortunately that was not the case.
I also believe Miki and Auba will improve next season as Klopp will get the best out of them, and utilize them accordingly.

 

A bit too optimistic but Klopp deserves credit.

Still want to see if he continues to be so other than when a desperate situation calls for it.

A lot will depend on whether Ilkay can make it back or not.

 

A lot more I think will depend on how Miki is utilized and his mental strength, as well as how Jojic will develop. All of this is up to Klopp et al now.

 

It's not one thing. I said Real will definitely qualify so that's two. You said it's 50-50, any of the two can qualify. Technically, my statement was more accurate than yours I didn't expect Dortmund to get embarrassed like S04 and Leverkusen. Before the two legs, I thought it would be 2 or 3 goals difference for Real on aggregate. One thing is for sure - this Real team is mentally very weak. I would be very surprised if they win the CL this season.

 

Puts the idiotic Mourinho vitrol to bed. Turns out the special one was right about this Madrid side. Also Ancelotti dropped the ball big time. Not the first time in a big match in Europe either.