Bundesliga 2023/24 - Wolfsburg or Bayern? - It's the same question as the years before

Needing some more ammo, Freiburg signs the Austrian with the an English name; Eileen Campbell. She’s n quick paced striker & recently taken over as her NT’s leading scorer, Dunno what club she was previous on, might have been an Austrian 2nd div club.

 

thanks, my usual handy Soccerway guide refused to honor Austrian Bundesliga(as no club popped on quick check of her name)

meantime Soccerdonna got their league as 8th highest ranked in the world based on market value

 

... This is a really good signing for Freiburg, and I'm honestly shocked they'd complete this type of transfer in line to have the player come to them this winter too... wow.

Still waiting on Bouziane to return, and now missing Folmi for the rest of the season, Freiburg in need of genuine fire power, and manage to recruit Austria's new first choice striker...

 

🚀 The women's club competition landscape is evolving!

Today, the UEFA Executive Committee announced:
- A new format for the UEFA Women's Champions League
- A brand new second club competition for the 2025/2026 season.

Full details to be announced on 4 December: ⤵️#UWCL

— UEFA (@UEFA) December 2, 2023

This is women's club football feeling the first effects of what I believe UEFA's coming fight to halt the progress of a new break away European competition...

And while I'm not personally convinced this created to improve the depth of quality within future UWCL competition, it's should be clear to some this also likely to be the initial step towards UEFA establishing a brand new European Super League for women's clubs...

 

there's some good info here on FIFA'a report of the state of woso teams/ clubs. The Bundi comes out shinning, especially on the brief bio of each league around page 40--for example 93% of its players make it their source of main income, but than, alonf with the WSL, doesn't place them on page 52's salary charts of indivual leagues. So why bother with such an comprehensive report, lol
digitalhub.fifa.com/m/4220125f7600a8a2/original/FIFA-Women-s-Benchmarking-Report-2023.pdf

another interesting info, from Soccerdonna on what league has the 'highest market value' players. With the WSL & Primera battling for 1st place, Bundi only at 4th, and the poor French only at 6th(at least Blissett be happy with the Italians at 5th)
The women's football portal - - Women's football on soccerdonna.de

 

WOW... a lot of information here, and... I'm not going to read any of it lol...

Knowing how much more successful French and German clubs are within European competition, I can't help but feel like this type of market value assessment of players, heavily dependant on a new level of clout attached to clubs/leagues marketing efforts, alongside improved media visibility...

But looking at the generally quality of some UWCL group matches this season, I think we could see a genuine aberration enter the semi final stage, making an even greater mockery of this type of market value evaluation for players/leagues...

 

anyone know if the wolfsburg v koln game is streaming somewhere on youtube ?

 

I’m on my phone—-can’t give you a direct link. bit it’s currently in an YouTube channel called Livesports FX

 

Hmmmm, I said last season Endemann had produced one of the single most impressive 45 min performances I'd seen from any wide forward in this league, and felt her form within a mid table Essen side more than good enough to have seen her be a strong element for a potential wnt WC selection.

But this season, now only one goal and assist away from matching her previous career high, it's getting very hard to not fully acknowledge Endemann as one of Germany's best offensive talents...

Not only scoring another impressive goal today, but doing so within a season her general game to game consistency easily justifying her retaining a starting role within a talented but inconsistent Wolfsburg side.

Even if I already felt Endemann 100% a wnt level player while she was with Essen, when I see her with Wolfsburg, I'm genuinely starting the believe she might be the main starter for the present, and future wnt coach, when it comes to selecting wide forward options for the right side of the field...

 

Hoffenheim vs Frankfurt currently shown on DAZN YouTube channel with HOF leading 1-0 after just 5 minutes

 

1-1 halftime. After thrir early goal HOF stayed back & allowed the more aggressive EF back into the game. Alber on the bench, hopefully she’ll come in shortly. Still no sign of Kossler on the roster

 

Finally Alber comes in after HOF gave up another goal, but than take our Linder, who was their best player up to then
2-1 EF 66 min.

 

Well, after their positive start to the season, Hoffenheim continue to underwhelm, as Frankfurt do what Frankurt do best (not being efficient in the final 3rd), in the end wining with a final score saying 3-1; but in reality, for a game it doesn't tell the true story of the major gap in quality that existed between these two sides today...

Hoffenheim clearly needing Kössler to return ASAP, also appearing to have a potential issue arising between Linder and Lerch now; where should this continue, I could actually see Linder at a new club come next season...

But the way Frankfurt would dominate this contest for 3rd place, I have a hard time believing Leverkusen the next best team to maintain momentum over the 2nd half of the season, and stop Frankfurt from being able to continue their place as one of Germany's UWCL representatives.

If I still believe the title race likely to have another twist or turn before it decided... regardless of what Leverkusen do, I feel like Hoffenheim's inconsistencies might have made the race for 3rd place a formality for Frankfurt now...

 

Frankfurt wins 3-1, looking like way more the polished team in doing so & now take over temporary 3rd place.

 

Essen won't be able to maintain the needed consistency to push for 3rd, and I'm not sure Leverkusen have the squad depth to push for 3rd place either. But the way Hoffenheim's defence continues to look like complete trash, I'd be concerned they might not even finish in the top 4 if things don't improve soon...

 

Bremen’s Weidauer temporarily becomes the leading scorer in the league along with teammate Hahn leading in assists(though she missed quite a few games). Those two are new and his season & could explain why their doing so much better than previous seasons

did watch a bit of Leipzig vs Nuremberg. Despite a bottom dweller, NUR impresses me with their athleticism & determination, but ultimately are obviously an amateur squad that probably can’t get on the practice field enough. I like their 20 year old FB Thole & striker Haim, definitely a lot of hustle, but lacks enough chances/would be interesting to see what she can do on a stronger team. Finally Lein(25 goals in 2021-22 Div 2) came back as an late sub.
Leipzig still missing their fine AM, Rockow, but a do like the hustle of their DM , Hipp. Otherwise the club hadn’t gotten quite the performances it was hoping to get from some more familiar names like Starke Landesberger Pollak Mueller

Essen as well feels like an amateur club(just not enough practice) as they didn’t look refined at all despite taking the game to Freiburg’s side for most of the 90 minutes.

 

LOL.. a supposedly poor Popp has more assists with even less time played... But with Weidauer doing so well, it still has me speculate with the idea a healthy Kössler would have been the leagues leading scorer by winter break...

You really have a hard time grasping how different it is for Euro teams playing within a promotion/relegation system lol. Where a forward scoring 30 goals in 2.Bundesliga, not instantly equating to success with a far tougher 1.Bundesliga...

The reality check for promoted teams is always tough, with strong defence typically the driving force behind any hopes of survival, not scoring more goals.

This teams best player all season has been Krug... and she's the one player they have right now, who could leave for a stronger team, and potentially be successful there too.

But beyond Krug, they also have a player like Fudalla, who still in desperate need of a intense strength and conditioning boot camp.., posses the always rare ability to score goals from absolutely nothing.

Meaning it was always delusion for people to believe Leipzig anything more than relegation candidate in their first year within 1.Bundesliga. With their likely #1 goal only ever being to finish above Nürnberg and Duisburg this season, nothing more.

 

They are the only women's club left in the nations highest division... so yeah, they might be slightly disadvantaged in the leagues professionalism arms race...

But regardless of this well known financial disadvantage, seeing you call Essen unrefined isn't truthful at all; when they just lost a tight contest they still end the weekend sitting in 5th place, same points total as 4th place Hoffenheim, with the joint 2nd best defensive record in the league lol.

Do you know how god damn organised a team like Essen have to be (joint youngest squad in the league) with their limited resources, to match some of the leagues best teams all filled all with numerous senior internationals...

 

@hotjam2 Essen have been fantastic this season, with their most established names like Meißner, Ostermeier, and Maier, all doing a great job providing stability to an otherwise incredibly young team.

Meaning I'm starting to looking at players like Purtscheller, and Piljic, and thinking I might have got it very wrong to initially suggest this team nowhere near the quality of their 2019/20 season...

The 2019/20 seasons Essen featuring 8, yes 8 would be senior wnt players, with 9 if you include Meißner...
------------------------------ Schüller ------------------------------
Anyomi ------------------- Oberdorf -------------------- Knaak
---------------- Feldkamp ------------ Senß --------------------
Ostermeier ----- Hegering --- Brugermann ---- Meißner
----------------------------- Johannes ----------------------------

I look at the current Essen, and know they don't have 8 wnt level players, but could easily have at least 5 in their current team, with Purtscheller already an Austrian senior international making that 6. And that's a stupidly high number, considering the current lowered status of women's only clubs within elite level football.

 

that was an great squad, but still suffered from being an amateur club; I mean I did read an article that season on how Knaak had an full time day job, then took the 45 minute train ride only to find out that practice cancelled when she got there, & Oberdorf occasionally missing games cuz she preferred school field trips instead. There was even something about Hegering working an 12 hour an day, construction job, while playing at Essen(though unlike the other two, not sure if it was in that particular season)

to be sure, Essen currently got some good prospects now, but that’s why you would hope that some serious investment money can be put into the team so can be fully paid professional.
My fav is(obviously with her athleticism) is Elmazi. But still a work-in-progress who needs to learn to be able to control the ball quicker(essentially from medium & long passes). The best way for this is to get her on the practice field full time, in this way she’ll only get better, for that, good professional pay would help

 

... Did you skip the part where I say Essen always going to be financially disadvantaged as a women's only football club...?

Repeating the same few negative connotations over and over again, doesn't change the fact SGS Essen are a very small football club, facing larger rival clubs every week with the backing/resources of male football institutions.

So yes... we ALL know their not fully professional, but having to preface every topic on Essen with them being semi professional, just feels like you've got ZERO intention of grasping the true significance of their continued success within 1.Bundesliga.

See, not only do they showcase great player analysis (might be the best in the league...) in their recruitment policy, but also mix this with fantastic tactical understanding from this coaches too, that makes a genuine mockery of your recent claim Essen's football somehow unrefined...