Never thought I'd say it, but I felt sorry for them, mainly because of their fans. You surely cannot blame Hamburg for a bad atmosphere in their stadium. Plus, when a few idiots started with the pyro bs at the end that led to the interruption of the match, the large majority of them took a stand against them. The whole stadium whistling and booing down these clowns while celebrating that the game got not cancelled was a thing of beauty. Hopefully a signal for all clubs. This also made a positive goodbye together with the team possible instead of sending vitriol towards them. That was one final classy contribution to football in the end. Also, they were easy points for us the last two years...
So the tactical genius has been officially unveiled as PSG coach. Let's hope the first thing he does is sign Castro and Toprak since he considers them both world class players. I also expect Slash to start rooting for PSG.
Yeah, 100 mil is quite the stretch, but 30-40 is more than manageable. Here's hoping he takes the ''wonder trio'' to PSG. Can't believe we splashed so much cash on such mediocre players.
3 for 100 mio and throw in Rode for free, the Qataris will bargain down to 70 and think they got a good deal. Keep replaying Weltmeister Schü's world cup winning assist until they bite.
Last year I had said if Reus is unfit then there will be no presence from Dortmund in the NT squad...turned out to be true - Reus is fit and he is the only player called up
What do you all think of the kerfuffle cause by Özil and Gundogan, German citizens meeting with Erdogan and calling him “my president?” Unwitting political tools, undermining international politics, or it’s nothing? https://www.google.de/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-europe-44122247
I think its a stupid move for footballers to get involved in the politics especially this that involves the Nation they represent. Still not enough to drop them from the squad or even think of that
Some are telling them to play for Turkey not Germany because they called Erdogan their president, it would be like telling Pique that he cannot play for Spain because he voted for Catalan independence and is a traitor. The two German Turks are idiots but political views should have no bearing on professional capability. Removing them from the team because of their political views would be a draconian move in line with how Erdogan's regime behaves.
It's certainly not a good look. Maybe 10 years ago it would be innocuous, but given how Erdogan has suffocated Turkey's democratic institutions it's quite disappointing to see Özil and Gündogan suck up to him. On the opposite end of the divide, Hakan Sükur of 2002 World Cup fame is in exile for his support of Gülen and protests against Erdogan - and running a cafe in my hometown. It looks like a nice place, maybe I'll go stop by and ask him for a photo.
It seems that Leipzig and Hasenhüttl will part ways. I wouldn't mind getting him. Not sure what didn't work for Leipzig this season or why the club didn't want to extend with him though. Would be a nice plus if he brought Werner with him but that is impossible.
He did a great job there developing the talent and achieved another European season for them despite playing the first time in CL for staff and a young team. I think it's very shortsighted by Rangnick. Who, in this inflated market, better manager is available for them?
Maybe they'll just make the easy inner company switch and give Salzburg's Rose the job. But unless they had different views concerning future plans, it's a strange move. I think concerning the style, Hasenhüttl would be a good fit but for whatever reasons, Leipzig also didn't make a step forward this year. Could be getting accustomed to international play, could be signs of his limitations as a coach to adjust. I'd still rather give him a chance instead of Favre.
Ugh, Atlético de Madrid win their third Europa League title thus furthering Spanish dominance in European club competitions, meanwhile a German club hasn't won the tournament since Schalke won the UEFA Cup 21 years ago, and to make matters worse, German clubs not named Bayern continue to underachieve in European competitions, with no German club making the semifinals of the Europa League in nearly 10 years. It's almost as if the ambitions of German clubs don't go beyond merely securing a European tournament spot, leading to embarrassing situations like early this season when Hertha BSC was knocked out in the FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND OF THE EUROPA LEAGUE by a club whose name I don't remember from some insignificant minor league, and later in the group stage Hoffenheim could not make past a relatively accessible group, and of course our embarrassing ousting at the hands of an Austrian club in the round of 16. This reflects badly on a league that supposed to be among the Top 5 of European football. The whole situation pisses me off, mainly because I grew up hearing stories about how German football teams were famous for their win-at-all-costs mentality, a never-say-die attitude and a willingness to fight til the last second, never giving up no matter the odds, but from what I've seen throughout the last five years I must say that I'm frankly disappointed. This also ties into what I posted a page back in this thread that something needs to change culturally in the Bundesliga because the rest of the league needs to be shaken from its complacency and they need to stop those scumbags from Bayern from continuing to get away with everything, and no, I'm not talking about abolishing the 50+1 rule. I'm talking about bringing your A-game when in European competitions, improving defensively which is crucial in international tournaments, as I have noticed German clubs are currently amongst the most defensively naive. Look at Roma, despite the many disadvantages plaguing them they still made it all the way to the semifinals of the Champions League, or Napoli, who ultimately lost due to squad shortage but made the title race appealing and kept the point gap respectable in Serie A. I really needed to get this out of my chest and the cynic in me says nothing will change next season will be more of the same, those scumbags from München will once again run away with the title while the rest of the league fights for scraps, and in the case of BVB it will another mediocre trophyless season but our management won't care because their actions have made it clear their only concern is turning into a profit.
Yes, I posted about that towards the end of the group stage phase when I was puzzled that teams celebrate that they qualified for international competition after a respectable, successful season, and in the next season it's treated as an annoyance. In a few games, you throw away something so easily when you fought a whole season for it. We weren't better this campaign but at least we tried. Also, Griezman is a fine player, but his celebrations make him one of the most obnoxious ones. As if his old celebration wasn't irritating enough, his recent Take the L dance is downright disrespectful. Even though it's probably just imitating the motion out of a video game, the message isn't really good sportsmanship.
The two biggest issues are money and the competitiveness of the league. Below the CL spots there is not much separating 5th -10th in the league. You always have a surprise side earn a spot in Europe only to see all of their top players sold. BL sides don't have the finances to hold on to star players and add additional talent. You see it every season. 1 or 2 clubs over achieve, sell a ton of key players and get embarrassed in Europe.
Here's how I suspect Bundesliga clubs will fare in Europe: - Schalke: Tedesco's first ever European campaign might prove too much so at best he'll make the last 16 but that's it. I think they'll be better off in the Europa League. - Hoffenheim: Nagelsmann has a lot to make up for after failing to advance from an accessible Europa League group. Let's hope he learned the lesson. - Borussia Dortmund: A repeat of this season I'm afraid, as Favre has severely underperformed in Europe. - Bayer Leverkusen: They will be a joke as usual. - RB Leipzig: Perhaps the Bundesliga's best chance of winning the Europa League, which obviously upsets many, nevertheless they are representing German football. - Stuttgart: They have the squad for a deep run, but I'm not sure about Korkut. All in all, things are looking very grim and next season is set to be another embarrassment for one of the so-called best five leagues in Europe.
Just like last season (Rudy, Wagner, Sule) he is losing several key players (Uth, and Gnabry are big losses). I don't expect much as a result.
Leverkusen fell at the end but I do like how they have kept their players. I think they will have a strong next season