Bad news - scoring is infinitely harder without Auba. Good news - Stoger seems to have tighten up the defense quite a bit so at least we don't concede. And just as I type this we Hertha pull up...
I don't blame Auba. He doesn't get paid as he could, the managers play poor tactics, his team mates are much worse and he does not compete for trophies. Sancho looks like he could be really good. I am tired of seeing the same failed Weigl/Gotze/Kagawa midfield again. This team is in real trouble. Reus and Auba probably go and then we will have no world class players. We are wasting Dahoud and Raphael. Hopefully we make top 4 and have a long hard think about the direction of the club.
On the more positive side - at least we didn't lose against Hertha - an opponent against whom we tend to have frequent slip ups. And that's about it with the good things. Without Auba this team seems lost. Well, it might not be Auba in particular, but without a highly prolific striker that is. It is no secret that PEA has been angling for a move for the better part of about 1.5 years now, but a sale in the winter was always a worst case scenario. Even more so now with just Isak as a true striker. Keeping him could cause problems in regards to squad harmony, but unless we have a ready option, then keeping PEA will always be better. The midfield just looks tired and jaded. It is just a brilliant reflection of the club right now. We desperately need the players to be played in their natural positions. The injuries we have are also a major factor here, but still - no spark, no desire, just a bland shell of what was and what could be. Stoger is trying to the best with what he has and to his credit he has improved the defense quite a bit. However, the problems that are looming over BVB have been present for a long time now, namely, Watzke and our board. Even if Nagelsmann comes, if Watzke and the board pursue the current transfer policy and delay the squad overhaul, than we won't have progressed one bit. Fresh faces is what BVB needs - not just players but also higher in the hierarchy, business people with high aspiration. Much higher that being content with the position of a second tier feeder club...
Meanwhile PEA is getting absolutely destroyed by fans and journalists on Twitter. Since the former can't speak German the only thing they're accomplishing together is to butcher the English language. The biggest problem at the club is not PEA or Peter Stöger but rather Aki Watzke. This guy cannot be booted soon enough.
There is only 1 point separating 7th and 2nd in the table. Plenty of time to solidify a top 4 position.