BL matchday 9: Werder Bremen - TSG Hoppenheim October, 17th 2009 3:30 PM CET [R]

Another 5-4? I'll be happy with also a 1-0.

 

I could just marry Wiese some days.

 

I have a good feeling about Marin this game.

I don't want to 'jinx' it, though.

 

Wiese certainly showed his good and his bad... I think he deserves to be considered one of the top penalty stoppers in the world given that as a viewer I fully expect him to make the save. The only other keeper I could say that for was Lehmann in his best years.

Then Wiese deals with a direct curled FK terribly and gets bailed out by his defense. When it comes to catching, Wiese is average at best.

Overall I think the game has been pretty even when the ball is in play. Hoffenheim have a very impressive short passing game much like ours. Özil's crosses from set pieces have been pretty good, and Pizarro's goal was just sweet (reminders of Klose, anyone?) while Merte's was a bit lucky.

A bit more luck for Hoffenheim, and this game would be 1-1 (on the Wiese bobble, not the penalty) rather than 2-0.

 

We are the better and more efficient team, we have most of the possession and shots on goal. Hoffenheim are a good team, strong as expected, that makes this very mature performance even more impressive.

Mertesacker in particular has been awesome, 100% of his 1-on-1s won! Unbelievable! He really is in excellent form lately.

P.S.: No keeper is 'perfect' in every match he plays, this anti-Wiese stuff really is going overboard lately. He is playing well today and has not conceded a goal for more than 600 minutes now, that alone speaks for itself.

 

Werder Bremen - Hoffenheim 2-0 FT

Very good and mature match against a strong team, one of our competitors for the European spots. Very important three points, no goals conceded once again. Keep it up guys!

 

Oh I'm a big fan of Wiese because his style suits Werder well. His areas of strength are exactly what an attacking team needs. What the heck was he doing in the second half coming out when his defenders were in good position?

 

Wiese's comment on the penalty (which wasn't one btw.):

Reporter: "Sie hätten den Elfer nicht gegeben?"
Tim: "Ja, kann man schon geben, ich halt ihn ja.."



Wiese for Nationaltorwart!

 

If someone finds highlights it would be appreciated.

 

Perfect result in the Hamburg - Leverkusen match for us, 0-0. We're three points behind the top now. If we continue like this, we will catch up with them in foreseeable time.

 

He was deservedly criticised last season (by me included), but this season, Frings is really doing well for us. He more and more reminds me of his 2006 form, something I really didn't think was possible anymore, and that's not exaggerating.

For me, he is one of the main reasons why our defence has been so stable lately, why we have conceded so few goals so far this season.

Hope he keeps it up, he is playing like a true captain. A travesty that Löw doesn't seem to recognise this, considering his competition in the national team. Whatever, Germany's loss.

 

I think the problem is that the German NT is a fairly old bunch to begin with. Recent call-ups seem to suggest this is changing, but I think Low is fairly reticent to nominate anymore players on "the wrong side of 30" -- even when they do bring quality leadership like Frings has done this season. (I also commented on this a few weeks ago, but it seems even more true now.)

 

A lot of times it is a mixture of both but I say let other squads complain and think it was only due to their poor result.

The difference between decent teams and very good teams is to be able to win some ugly games.

 

I am the last guy who is against a proper transition in the national team. I actually have been accused to favour young players too much in the past. So it's not the young players Löw calls up that I have a problem with, on the contrary. It's players like Hitzlsperger and to a lesser degree Rolfes, older and already established players, who are supposed to be Frings' replacement and yet have to be fully convincing in the national team. In Hitzlsperger's case, we are talking about 50 (!) caps!

Frings is slowly but surely returning to his 2006 form, which was simply world class. He isn't there yet, but he is getting close. Like I said, I didn't believe this to be possible, but he proved me and everyone else wrong. Simply put, Frings in this form does not only have to be called up, he has to start, despite his age. He is heads and shoulders above Hitzlsperger, who has been in a crappy form for months now, and he is better than Rolfes. So if it really is about "Leistungsprinzip" (performance), he more than deserves to be called up, not just because the alternatives are not fully convincing, because he actually has been really good.

The best players should play, no matter what age. And actually, Frings has a blind understanding with Ballack, as he has proven often in the past, and could cover him well. In addition to that, he is used to play with Özil week in and out. Ballack and Özil are the midfield axis that gives Germany the edge these days, one of the reasons why the fans can be more optimistic about our chances next year. It's about damn time that Löw stops being a stubborn idiot and makes the right choices.

 

Here you go. Sportschau highlights of the match:

http://videos.sapo.pt/DpqFUCLbw9mA1SCkWLV6

 

Danke.

 

I hope if Frings keeps his form, he will replace Hitz in the national team. He has no place in the team anymore, similar to Fritz 2 years ago. Need to weed out the weak links. Even as a sub, he could teach the youngsters which there is a few now a couple of things, his experience is important imo.

I don't want him to start, Rolfes for me should be the one to start. I just want Frings in the team over someone like Hiz.

 

I agree that Frings needs to be called up again, and Hitz needs to sit, but you're saying that Fritz also needs to stay off the NT, right? (For the record, I agree with that opinion as well.)

 

Fritz has been surprisingly good and especially consistent this season btw., hope he keeps it up.

 

Kicker ratings (1 = best, 6 = worst):

Werder Bremen:

Wiese (2), C. Fritz (3), Mertesacker (1,5), Naldo (3), Boenisch (3,5), Frings (2), Bargfrede (3), Hunt (3,5), Özil (2,5), Pizarro (2), Marin (2,5)

Subs:

Rosenberg (3)

The other subs were not rated.


1899 Hoffenheim:

Hildebrand (3), Beck (-), Simunic (2,5), Compper (5), Eichner (4), Ibertsberger (3), Vorsah (3,5), Luiz Gustavo (4), Carlos Eduardo (3,5), Maicosuel (3,5), Obasi (3)

Subs:

Salihovic (3), Ibisevic (4,5)

The other subs were not rated.


Mertesacker was voted MOTM.

http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/...yse_werder-bremen-4_1899-hoffenheim-3209.html

 

if hummels or boateng don't take this place by the world cup, i really hope it's frings. HITZLSPERGER = NO.

 

For the record, he's been surprisingly good since the day I received his shirt in the mail. However, he's not been too consistent lately.

Also, I'm surprised that with Frings and Ballack's understanding of each other on the pitch, Loew continues to play one and not the other. And you wouldn't know it from my posts here, but Ballack is my favorite football player.