BayernWake
06 Sep 2007, 01:24 PM
Jaypro, you jerk! I want to watch the Bundesliga. Then again, I'll moving to Austria in a few weeks, so no big deal.
Anyway, teams to watch in the Bundesliga? There is of course Bayern, who have an all-star roster (Toni, Ribery, Klose...and Hamit Altintop, believe it or not, is amazing). Once Werder Bremen get healthy, they are going to light it up with their attacking play...Diego is the man. I'd also keep an eye out for Mario Gomez and VfB Stuttgart, just to see 1) his amazing goals, and 2) to see if VfB can even come close to defending their title (doubt it). I'd be very surprising if the top 3 weren't Bayern, Werder, Schalke.
HOWEVER,
It'll be fun to see if the current 2-4 teams can keep it up (Bochum, Arminia, Frankfurt). Bochum have long been the doormat of the 1. Liga, the team who barely miss relegation each year; moreover, they're one of the many "overlooked" teams in the Ruhr Valley (the big two there being Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund). Arminia Bielefeld are off to their best start in their history, but no one seems to care (the running joke among Germans is that Bielefeld doesn't exist, because the train that runs past the city is blocked off by a huge wall that blocks any sort of view). Frankfurt, meanwhile, are looking for a return to some sort of glory.
Finally, Hamburger SV threaten to break into the top 3 after some key additions such as Mohamed Zidan, Romeo Castelen and Argentinian Juan Pablo Sorin. There was some drama in August when captain Rafael van der Vaart publicly voiced his opinion to sign with Valencia, and was even photographed holding a Valenica shirt! This royally pissed off every HSV fan. Valencia almost signed him, but couldn't come to an agreement with HSV. So it will be interesting to see if they can get past this. Also, they've switched to some sweet adidas kits, wearing Puma last year...and Nike two years before that. Weird.
Anyway...it's an interesting league. Everyone expects Bayern to win it all, so there's enormous pressure on them (but we keep getting injuries). Also, everyone expects the two clubs from former East Germany (not Hertha) to be relegated (historically the East German clubs have always struggled)...it'll be interesting if they avoid this fate.
Basically there's a story behind every match :D
Anyway, teams to watch in the Bundesliga? There is of course Bayern, who have an all-star roster (Toni, Ribery, Klose...and Hamit Altintop, believe it or not, is amazing). Once Werder Bremen get healthy, they are going to light it up with their attacking play...Diego is the man. I'd also keep an eye out for Mario Gomez and VfB Stuttgart, just to see 1) his amazing goals, and 2) to see if VfB can even come close to defending their title (doubt it). I'd be very surprising if the top 3 weren't Bayern, Werder, Schalke.
HOWEVER,
It'll be fun to see if the current 2-4 teams can keep it up (Bochum, Arminia, Frankfurt). Bochum have long been the doormat of the 1. Liga, the team who barely miss relegation each year; moreover, they're one of the many "overlooked" teams in the Ruhr Valley (the big two there being Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund). Arminia Bielefeld are off to their best start in their history, but no one seems to care (the running joke among Germans is that Bielefeld doesn't exist, because the train that runs past the city is blocked off by a huge wall that blocks any sort of view). Frankfurt, meanwhile, are looking for a return to some sort of glory.
Finally, Hamburger SV threaten to break into the top 3 after some key additions such as Mohamed Zidan, Romeo Castelen and Argentinian Juan Pablo Sorin. There was some drama in August when captain Rafael van der Vaart publicly voiced his opinion to sign with Valencia, and was even photographed holding a Valenica shirt! This royally pissed off every HSV fan. Valencia almost signed him, but couldn't come to an agreement with HSV. So it will be interesting to see if they can get past this. Also, they've switched to some sweet adidas kits, wearing Puma last year...and Nike two years before that. Weird.
Anyway...it's an interesting league. Everyone expects Bayern to win it all, so there's enormous pressure on them (but we keep getting injuries). Also, everyone expects the two clubs from former East Germany (not Hertha) to be relegated (historically the East German clubs have always struggled)...it'll be interesting if they avoid this fate.
Basically there's a story behind every match :D