he never played in the first team on his first time( it was not a trial), and he was under 18 most of the time and he was not allowed to play with the first team. He strictly played midfield on the second and had only a handful of games. On his third he has not played much more than 1 game equivalent. So this statement does not mean much, unless it is just for the purpose of insulting or denigrating Donovan.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/64606-bundesliga-the-greatest-football-league-in-europe http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/european/3473963/Bundesliga-shows-Premier-League-blueprint-for-fans.html
I thought he was better this game than last but BM is struggling. No ideas and the system is not a good one for LD as a striker. Simply stated, I hope he finishes strong but I think he may better off moving in the summer.
What is really a shame is I think theoretically Donovan could have played an important roll as a sub coming in when they Bayern is up by a goal and the other team is pressing to equalize. Then Donovan could take advantage of the space much more effectively than Toni, to score the goal to put them up by two goals. Given that this is Bayern, you would think they would be in that situation a lot. Unfortunately as it has worked out, he has been coming in as a sub when they are behind, and that just doesn't favor Landon's strengths. Hopefully he will still have time to show that he can perform in that roll, which is really the best he can hope for at Bayern. I agree that I would rather see him play with another team where he would be a starter, istead of having to hope that the Bayern matches work out in a way that gives him a chance to play this limited roll.
you should watch the Bundesliga more than just Landon Donovan/Bayern Munich matches... they average nearly 3 goals a match this season... its like a faster Serie A...
Oh, like Ronaldinho who has been shite for AC Milan? Who can only play a single position effectively for his national team? The most ridiculous thing I see when people criticizing the 'watched player' is the absolutely unreal expectations. Again, is Donovan showing the things he needs to benefit the team? Proclaiming him 'not good enough' merely because he is equally as ineffective as every other player on the team, does not make any sense. Imagine being 100% objective for a minute. If Klose had no history with Bayern, and HE was on loan and you looked only at his performance today. Hell, *ANY* of them individually today, would you not have the exact same questions? Again, your sample size is far too small to make sweeping conclusions. What you can say is that he hasn't changed the game in a dramatic way yet, nor has he looked out of his element and made numerous costly mistakes. Last I saw, it was his teammates that failed in possession and in defense. If one of their central defenders was an American on loan, you'd kick him out of the league right now. As it is, you just argue Donovan doesn't have 'IT' because he can't single handed stop a horrible slide of form for the entire team. In the competitive games since the break, he has spent more time on the bench than on the field. So far I conclude that they have been as bad, and perhaps worse, when he's been off the field. I won't waste time with the math, but Americans loves stats - someone tell me how many goals for and against Bayern, with him off the field, vs. on the field.
Nevermind, I got curious and did it myself. With Donovan on the bench: -3 GFA 4 goals against Bayern 1 Goal for Bayern With Donovan on the field: +2 GFA 2 goals against Bayern 4 goals for Bayern I'm not saying this proves a damn thing. But if people are judging his impact solely by whether he scored a goal in 120 minutes of play while settling with a new side, none as a starter, then this is equally valid to consider. Draw your own conclusions.
These are the thoughts I've been trying to convey, but I did so very, very inartfully. Would rep if I could.
I also agree with much of what Riotom has said. Bayern's major strength appears to be their forwards, when healthy. Even if nothing comes of this offseason move in terms of a future with Bayern, I think its been a good thing for Landon and the USMNT. Though he might not be able to secure a starting spot with BM, a top 15 club and clearly the BL's premier club, he has demonstrated that he can hang and do good things. Perhaps he will show enough that he can secure a move in the summer time when MLS is not in the spot light [Beckham] and perhaps are more willing to deal him. And maybe he can find a spot with another BL team where he might have a full preseason to get acclimated and the opportunity to start with more regularity without the attendant pressures of thousands of BS posters monitoring his every move over at tight two month time frame. I also think he should stay in the BL. It seems to be fast enough and technical enough as well as physical, that its bound to bring out the best in him. If nothing else, at least this experiment has had the unintended effect of getting more BL in my life which has been a surprising pleasure in contrast to constant EPL games. Lastly, its probably been a plus for Donovan to have to go over and fight and be around top notch players, De Michelis notwithstanding.
Just for the record, could we get a show of hands from those of you who believe it is reasonable to determine a player's success or failure based on goals scored in roughly three halves of soccer?
He hasn't played poorly and isn't failing to the point where he is no longer an option to get time on the field. He is going to be needed during this next stretch of games to help keep players rested, at minimum. He just isn't exhibiting anything that tells BM that he would be a great help beyond what they have next year.
Which is why I put "trial" in quotes, so I did not have to make an explanation for the different circumstances of each German experience. No insult intended but facts are facts. The bottom line is goalscorers have to score, there is no requirement that clubs be patient or have to buy the explanations/excuses that US fans might make. Players have to impress as soon as possible. Didn't McBride score in his first game and chance at Everton? Yes, that is unreasonable to expect if you are not getting chances but as I understand ,he has had a few good ones.
Well, the point I was making was that Donovan was a player that as far as I have read by posters here, can play in several positions, including forward. Now he is being played out of position by Klinsmann and excuses are being made to his subpar performances? My "not good enough" comment came as a response to how well he could adapt to another position if needed. I would attribute LD below acceptable performance to the way things are at BM at the moment before stating that its Donovan being outta position. I don't think anyone is saying this...but for the past few months several of the extreme LD supporters have often stated that he is extremely versatile and stating that perhaps he is even as good as Olic, Podolski, Klose or Toni at one point in another... So now lets not compare all these players as I am sure many have their pros as well as cons but the truth is, Donovan has not been able to make an impact on the pitch coming on as a sub for any of his BL apprearances. This is not to say that the rest of BM have been playing beautifully, they haven't, and this perhaps adds to LD not looking his best - but he has not been able to make his own luck either impressing that he might actually be worth 8-10 million. This is the issue. This is the debate. Is it "failure"? No, but I think we can all gree that LD had everything going for him to work at BM...now he just needs to do it on the pitch and has a fewer games to do so than when the midseason training sessions ended.
some people on message boards are idiots? they should give him a start on the road against a team that will try to control possession. his counterattacking is by far the best part of his game.
yup, that's what I thought, good reply, I don't watch many bundesliga games. Bayern may not be the best fit for him, except he has Klinnsmann there to hold his hand. I really thought this transfer would get done, guess I was wrong.
I think we all agree Landon hasn't looked great in his time so far, but would anyone argue with me that he has looked as good or better than the other fowards/ mids that have played while hes has been there? I've got Toni,Klose, Ribery, as consistantly out shining Landon in games and that's it.
its sad then.... I want Landon to do well in Bayern but its like people are creating reasons why he isnt playing great...
it is all history-the gen manager said they won't buy him before this game. His play has been fine, normal.
Well, at the moment, there is one thing we can all agree on; Bayern, as a team, aren't playing great - Donovan or no Donovan!!!
that has nothing to do with my post... their are some posts on here that's saying Donovan isnt getting any favors because he is not being played in his right position... the only match I would say that about was the Hamburg match... he has played forward the last few matches...
Exactly...my follow up was that a true versatile play should be able to adapt to any of the managers instructions and be able to read the game as the modisifactions in tactics and strategies call for. Am I talking about putting Ribery at goal? Of course not - let's keep the discussion semi-serious. The posters arguing Donovan playing out of position does not sit well with an 8-10 mil price tag if a player cannot adapt when need be. As I stated, I would say the sub-par performance is not Landon's alone to bear as the whole team seems to in a slump - even more of an opportunity for LD to shine, rather than follow their lead and slump along with them. Can't blame him though, he just might not be good enough to rise above a team of super-stars like Bayern.