Now that we're effectively out of the Champions League we must turn all of our attention to the Bundesliga and can't afford to any more slips as we got those scumbags breathing down our necks. Fortunately it's against bottom feeders Nürnberg, because sometimes you need an easy win to regain your confidence. Anything less than a blowout victory would be disappointing.
So I was wrong and Nürnberg changed their coach just in time for our match. I hope this doesn't give the players a boost, especially if those players get a chance who weren't first choice previously. But they are fighting for survival anyways and cannot be underestimated. The game is scheduled for monday which gives the team 1-2 more days rest than usual. Reus and LP are still out. That means we'll probably see Diallo at LB again against a team that in contrast to Tottenham will put all players behind the ball. Pulisic is injured as well but sadly it has to be said, given the potential he once showed, his absence won't weaken the team. I don't know the status concerning Weigl and Alcacer. Dahoud at 10 didn't work. Against a team like Nürnberg, I'd try to include Philipp who offers speed, danger from outside the box and is one of the few good finishers left in the team. But he always disappointed as a striker and isn't a 10 as well. I think it'd be worth a shot to try Guerreiro there.
I have no idea what to do but I could see us drawing yet again.. Really missed a chance to help this team when we didnt reinvest some of pulisic money
Weigl and Paco are in the squad. Akanji should be back within two weeks as per his own assessment. Reus and Piszczek are still out. I hope to see Weigl partner DAZ in CB. Dahoud next to Witsel. And let's give Paco a start in CF.
It's a must win game. The bad run has to stop. I would like to see this line-up. Hakimi--Weigl--Zagadou--Schmelzer Sancho--Dahoud--Witsel--Raphael ----------------Philipp---------- -------------------Alacacer-----
lol, everyone is excited to see Wolf play RB Der #BVB mit Wolf als Rechtsverteidiger! Bürki - Wolf, Weigl, Zagadou, Diallo - Delaney, Witsel - Sancho, Philipp, Guerreiro - Götze #FCNBVB— Sebastian Weßling (@fluestertweets) February 18, 2019 1097563771294441472 is not a valid tweet id #unleashthewolf! 🐺— Florian Groeger (@RN_Florian) February 18, 2019 At last, Favre has heard me. Wolf starts at right-back instead of the overplayed and error-prone Hakimi.#fcnbvb (Götze up top, Diallo as LB)[I'm still not a fan of Diallo as LB] pic.twitter.com/EeMJhbCPO0— Stefan Buczko (@StefanBuczko) February 18, 2019
Why is it so shocking to deploy Wolf as a RB? He's a waste in attack but defensively solid and can run without tiring. Now's the time to start grooming him as Piszczek's replacement.
It looks like Philipp will be the number 10. It's a bit strange because from their abilities, you'd expect Götze at the 10 and Philipp as the emergency striker. But we'll see. Wolf as RB isn't that weird but the lineup shows the limits of our supposed depth. Wolf was tested as an RB in a non-public game but I heard ambiguous reports concerning his performance. Had he been great in that game, I think we'd have seen him used there earlier and more often. I would have expected Hakimi, of course, but I guess he needs a rest. Might do him some good as well. He looked besides himself againt Tottenham after some mistakes. If both FBs disappoint in offense, it will be a tough game to watch.
Nürnberg's gameplan is clear: Go for deadballs at all costs. Several dives already that the ref keeps falling for. We aren't creating enough but the last few mins have been better. Even if we don't score, we have to tire them out for Alcacer and Hakimi.
Favre needs to change and rely on Dahoud now. Delaney/Witsel is no longer cutting it. We also badly need some leadership back in this team.
The terrible ref rewards Nürnberg's fans throwing balls on the field by just ending the half which prevents us executing a corner. That's a great lesson for those idiots. Just throw shit on the pitch.
I think it's the usual anger against monday games. Somehow Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are fine though. But Nürnberg also has a friendship with Schalke and by proxy doesn't like us. They also hate Bayern, though.
WTF was that?!?!! Up until the end we didn't have any sustained pressure. And the refs are a bunch of cünts. We just got screwed out of a corner. He wants to get his Feierabend as soon as possible. I get Witsels role in the squad but why do we have two of them? Why not use Dahoud instead of Delaney??
I'd say introduce more creating players (Dahoud, Hakimi, Paco) and widen the field a bit.. We're insisting on using the middle in the final third. I think Paco+Hakimi+Guerreiro on at the same time can create something from the left.