first round of DFB-Pokal starts today Borussia is facing Rot-Weiss Essen (RWE) of the heavy populated Ruhr region not far from Gladbach this is the club of Helmut 'The Boss' Rahn, one of the most legendary characters in German soccer in the fifties they won both the Cup and the 'Meisterschaft' due to a long streak of mismanagement they are where they are now: at fourth tier (like Borussia's U23 they play Regionalliga West) they still have a huge following, no wonder: Essen has almost 600.000 inhabitants... 17 minutes and the Essen is coached by our former U-23 manager Demandt players to watch: Benjamin Baier (CM, their captain and brother of the underrated Daniel Baier of Augsburg) and Marcel Platzek (CF) who didn't make it at Borussia league matches so far: two! one loss, no win here you can watch how they defeated Dortmund in pre-season: most likely this will be a physical "Kampfspiel" (lots of running and lots of not too soft 1on1s) in front of a loud and very supportive crowd (not the best time to test youngsters I'm afraid)... it's up to Borussia to calm them down with two early goals...
First XI as expected Interesting bench: half a defender (Johnson - the others aren't fit) and Yeboah!
it was tight, there was fighting AND playing... plus excellent support... I like matches like that and it was SUCCESFUL!!! (BILD as always without a clue) everyone could see why Düsseldorf is leading 2.Bundesliga (and everything could see that Neuhaus might have a great future)... they more or less only made one mistake which was immediately punished by Raffa & Thorgan in 2nd half you finally could see who is playing 1.Bundesliga... still we got lucky (Jantschke got tired which led to a -missed- penalty) I like Zakaria more and more... at first I thought Borussia paid too much... but they didn't
Zakaria may not prove to be the ridiculous bang for your buck that Benes & Cuisance wlll prove themselves to be, but all of these kids have world class talent & instincts. Neuhaus is going to be an absolute stud and he may not struggle to even get on the pitch until Zakaria and/or Benes are sold.
demanding a loan to a 2.Bundesliga club before signing for Borussia was a smart move of Neuhaus I guess I was sceptical at first because I thought: is this the kind of soccer he has to learn to be useful for Borussia? but he's gaining lots of experience and growing as a player... Benes is not... Neuhaus might even be ahead when he returns Zakaria is the most mature of them all... he certainly hasn't all the abilities the others have... he just is a different kind of player with qualities which could get him steady playing time even if there is more 'talent' around his style of play is quite intoxicating... gives me a hunch who's becoming the next supporter's favourite anyway: interesting midfield-competition next year, that's for sure... we probably see a midfield of five like you assumed...
I loved Benes with Slovakia's youth teams and thought he was showing well the bits we saw of him before his injury. If he can come back at that same niveau I think he's still a smidge ahead of Cuisance & Neuhaus, but it really will be a blast watching all of that midfield talent...especially if you can get a more tactically innovative coach like Tuchel. Benes & Cuisance may have the most talent in their primes, but Neuhaus may be the most prepared to step into a spot next to Zakaria & Kramer depending on how much PT the two left footers can get under Hecking this year. As for Zakaria, his talent level is very high on top of his athletic gifts and work rate against the ball. I watched a good bit of him in switzerland and he really showed a knack for the kind of long balls that made Xhaka so successful for you, but with much better pressing-resistence due to his superior dribbling & athleticism. I'm not sure Hecking is the coach to get him there, but the kid seems to have the mind & instincts to challenge Weigl for the title of best young 6 in the BuLi. Who knows if he stays long enough to get there with you, but I'm hopefully he'll be here next season...especially if you can get TT... which I am lowkey praying for. If he can't get the NT job after the WM, I want him replacing Hecking or Keller...with my preference actually being the former since I could see him having a very attractive & extended stay with you guys.
somewhat strange: Borussia seems to be interested in Alexander Torvund (he already appeared at training for some days) that's another midfield-talent... maybe we should watch on other positions, too ;-) you know him in greater detail? I'm pretty sure Zakaria is with us next season... he told it was no option to sign for one of the "big guns" which showed interest in him... and he spoke with Xhaka about 'building a career' (who did it the right way unlike Shakira, who was close to sign for Borussia, too).. so next season is safe ;-) I'm not sure what to make out of Tuchel right now... he surely had better control than Bosz so far... but he never came close to undermine the position of this club in the deep south... I don't blame him for not winning the league but D'mund for some time wasn't even best of the rest and then there seems to be quite some scepticism about his character (I don't know the details), B*y*rn f.e. apparently don't even want to touch him with pincers... still, I would call it healthy self-confidence to think he could sign at Union ;-))))))) (not even sure about Borussia... and not sure if Borussia on the other side would be interested... if the vibes aren't right tactical smartness doesn't help ;-) I'm not sure about Germany's new coaching messiah Nagelsmann either what was he up to in the transfer period? their euro-campaign was a disaster! Bundesliga isn't running smooth either... maybe he is thinking too much about the FCB-job? interesting thing: before H'Heim played against Borussia he mentioned that Gladbach is his favourite Bundesliga club... because of the style we play soccer... he doesn't seem to think that Heckings's approach is uncreative/unadventurous at all... maybe it partially is just the same thing Kramer mentioned in the other thread: the inside people may see a bigger picture (on a time scale f.e.) than us, the supporters & the media (~the outside people)
Gladbach is worried about Raphael and Elvedi Hecking over whistles: "I'm sorry for the guys" On Wednesday (6.30 pm, LIVE! On kicker.de) Borussia Mönchengladbach will welcome Bayer Leverkusen in the cup of the knockout round. Recently, there was a bitter defeat for the foals against the Werkself, but coach Dieter Hecking does not want to talk about an open bill. Rather, he takes all - including the fans - on board, in order to envisage the common goal of Berlin. Keep an eye on Berlin: Gladbach coach Dieter Hecking. © imago At Leverkusen Gladbach has painful memories. In the league game in late October, the foals led to the break with 1: 0, lost at the end then clearly 5-1. "In the foreground tomorrow is not the 1: 5, but the Cup. It says: Hop or top," said Hecking, who knows: "If you invite them with simple ball losses, Leverkusen is one of the teams that it is currently best exploited. " The Gladbacher have not only experienced this in the league, they were also able to watch it on Sunday. Bayer showed his offensive strength in the spectacular 4: 4 in Hannover, but also allowed some opportunities. "In Hannover you can see what a quality Bayer Leverkusen has and you have a lot of moves to go forward, but you also score a lot of goals," says Hecking. "It will usually be an open game tomorrow, because both teams have their qualities forward." In terms of personnel, the coach must face Christoph Kramer (problems in the shoulder and neck area), Fabian Johnson (back problems), Jonas Hofmann (knee ligament tear in the knee), Ibrahima Traoré (torn thigh muscle), Tobias Strobl (cruciate ligament rupture), Laszló Benes (Metatarsal break) and Mamadou Doucouré (muscle tear) abstain. The use of Raphael (calf problems) and Nico Elvedi (horse kiss on the thigh) is questionable. Hecking: "We need this support" Whether with or without the two, the goal is clear. "My appeal for tomorrow: We have the destination Berlin - and for this we all, together with the spectators, Bayerfer Leverkusen downrun," said the Gladbach coach. Especially because of the spectators there was last trouble, sporting director Max Eberl had criticized the whistles in the match against Hamburg . "I am 100 percent of my opinion on the whistles that I have said after the match against Hamburger SV," emphasizes Ebert. "When the audience whistles, I feel sorry for the boys, I understand the inner workings of a fan, he can not live as head coach himself," says Hecking, adding: "There will be difficult stages in the game tomorrow, too that the fans are behind us then. Together with the spectators, the foals will then reach the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup. And with which march route is the sixth in the duel with the fourth? "We always want to be in possession of the ball and employ the opponent," says the coach.
So here we are again...against B04! Can the boys return the favor and avenge our huge break down against them early in the season??? Emotional footballing brings nothing but more disasters...so lets hope the boys can run and run..and then some more and use their brains and if they score early try to keep their feet on the gas and not drop back.Lever is on fire these days...if we can see it am sure so can the boys...its safe to say they know what they are up against!
Bailey is a threat! Bailey vs. Wendt could be a huge mismatch (it already was once) we should have signed this guy, he comes from our hinterland! I hope there will be no penalties! Sommer is a much better goalie than Kamps ever was... but saving four penalties (like Kamps did in the cup against L'kusen in the good old days)... I can't see that... even one is hard to imagine... Sommer vs. penalty-taker ... that's a mismatch, too ;-) ... at least up to this point
Your pushing my buttons here lol damn...i just cant compare any of these guys to the old fohlenelf...they may be better when it comes to technique...but they lack & miss by a huge long shot that fighting spirit and pride for club and the jersey they represent ...and thats the most ingredient a team needs to succeed
I need a shot of some sort of opioid based pain killer after seeing the game tonight Aspirin just aint going to cut it! One of those games i cant blame the coach or the players...the guys ripped their heart's and soul out there..at points Leverkusen had no answehere whatsoever...and only settled for killing time and interrupting the game by any means...but wait we had some good one on ones in front of their goal..and our finishing skills sucks...clear example identical situation for both bailey and hazard...bailey scores and sends the ball into the opposit direction of Sommer..and our good Thor sends it right into...well nevermind...also Herrmann screwed a couple..u wonder why some strikers get paid so much..b/c they are simply worth it..and only need that one opportunity to score...and boy talk about Cuisance..love his swager...fight and pride...he really reminds me of the old Gladbach players. Anyway we are out on a night that a lot of things went well and the entire team came together almost perfectly and perhaps our missing link was a stone cold killer...Stindl screwed up a few as well..damn! Not the Xmas present i was hoping for!
yep, that's right, we lost and at the end the supporters applauded so: no title this season! ;-( and Herrlich is a ridiculous jerk... I like what the English are doing! https://www.premierleague.com/news/444152... we should send him there to teach him manners...