So Bundesliga start again tomorrow and we will have very tough time if we want to start on a positive note. We travel to Schalke, who we smashed 3-0 on the opening matchday but who have ultimately played a very strong Hinrunde: they are in third place, only 3 points behind the league leaders, and will be big favourites for this one. On the other hand, an away win if it did occur could really instill a sudden sense of optimism for a Rueckrunde in which any attempt to make the European spots is going to be a very tough task. Injuries: Gentner is injured, a shame after his strong finish to the Hinrunde. Gebhart is hurt again and Boka, Traore and Bah are all at the African Cup of Nations. Audel (remember him?) is of course not fit. So how are we looking in the different positions? Defence: Ulreich just prolonged his contract. I imagine the Tasci/Maza partnership will continue after its stability in the Hinrunde. This being said, Delpierre is fit again and hopefully he can make it into the matchsquad. We have a new challenger in the wingback positions courtesy of Sakai. It will be interesting to see how he does and I look forward to getting a look at the kid. But Molinaro and Boulahrouz are both back after their respective suspensions / injuries, and so expect these two to occupy the wingback positions. Midfield: Gentner is out, a shame. Lots of speculation surrounding Kuzmanovic and it is still unclear what will happen in that area. Tomorrow, however, I imagine he will be starting and partnering Kvist. Expect us to play with one striker, so Hajnal will pop in in the creator role (he was one of the best during the winter friendlies). On the wings, no Gebhart and Traore minimise the competition. Harnik is a definite on the right, and Okazaki will start on the left. But I really hope his form has improved over the break. Attack: No new striker (yet) - rumors now linking us to Ibisevic after the Lakic deal has apparently fallen through (I don't mind). Pogrebnyak has little perspective and good struggle to make the squad. I imagine Cacau will get the nod over Schieber to start - he scored a brace in the last cup game and Schieber has yet to impress since returning from injury. The squad is solid enough I think. If we have a good day, we can challenge for the result here.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Bayern get their a**es handed to them on a platter by 'Gladbach yesterday. Great way to start the second half! Did not, just now, enjoy seeing Schalke score a header 3 minutes in. And Celozzi and Prog starting? I know we're shorthanded, but come on! Could be a looong game. :/ Just caught a break with Huntelaar -- commentator said he probably wasn't offside.
So we lost. Schalke were better, they obviously deserved it. It looks like we may well sink into irrelevance in the league in this Rueckrunde. We must beat Gladbach next weekend or there really is little hope for a fight for European places.
Player Ratings: Sven Ulreich: Kicker Rating: 2 (18 played, 2.56 avg.) My Rating: 4 Stefano Celozzi: KR: 5 (2 played, 4.00 avg.) MR: 4.5 Serdar Tasci: KR: 4 (18 played, 3.19 avg.) MR: 4 Maza: KR: 4.5 (17 played, 3.47 avg.) MR: 4 Cristian Molinaro: KR: 5 (15 played, 14 as starter, 3.79 avg.) MR: 4.5 William Kvist: KR: 4.5 (18 played, 3.00 avg.) MR: 4.5 Zdravko Kuzmanovic: KR: 4.5 (14 played, 12 as starter, 3.38 avg.) MR: 4.5 Tamas Hajnal: KR: 5 (17 played, 15 as starter, 3.83 avg.) MR: 4 Martin Harnik: KR: 5 (18 played, 3.61 avg.) MR: 5.5 Cacau: KR: 5 (18 played, 16 as starter, 3.91 avg.) MR: 5 Pavel Pogrebnyak: KR: 5.5 (14 played, 5 as starter, 4.36 avg.) MR: 5 SUBS: Julian Schieber: KR: No Rating (4 played, 2 as starter, 5.50 avg.) MR: 3 Shinji Okazaki: KR: NR (15 played, 11 as starter, 3.88 avg.) MR: 3 Raphael Holzhauser: KR: NR (1 played, 0 as starter, no avg. rating) MR: NR Unused Subs: - Marc Ziegler - Georg Niedermeier - Antonio Ruediger - Gotoku Sakai Congratulations to Holzhauser on his Bundesliga debut. Two other bench members - Ruediger and Sakai - will still have to wait for the debut. In light of Celozzi's performance however, it would not be entirely unfair to suggest that either of these two would have done a better job at rightback. But I am not singling out Celozzi. Really, the entire team sucked today. Schieber and Okazaki brought something fresh in after joining play for the last half hour, but it was clearly too little, too late. I definitely have a lot of criticisms to raise about Labbadia's lineup choice here. - Boulahrouz's having to miss the game was unforeseen, and Celozzi did well in the winter friendlies. But Sakai was bought just over winter to challenge for that spot, and certainly should have more future perspective in the squad than Celozzi. Ruediger would have been more of a wild card, but also arguable one with greater perspective. I wonder when Celozzi will play again, he will certainly struggle to justify a first 11 spot next week after this. - Kvist has been very bad the last 5-6 games. He needs to rediscover his early season form pronto, our midfield has been missing it. Why a 4-4-2?? It does not work as well for us as the other formation, ever since Labbadia has started incorporating it the results have gone down hill. Hajnal is ineffective on the wings, and Harnik also does much worse (invisible on Saturday) when he has to root himself in the midfield rather than his winger spot. Okazaki may have had a poorer hinrunde, but if we must play in this formation I prefer him to Hajnal. Pogrebnyak just should not play. We want to get rid of him, his contract will not be prolonged, he sucks every time he is on the field. Why would Labbadia put him in the first 11??? Naturally he was totally shit, like usual. Schieber was much more active after his appearance, and he also has more perspective. It is beyond me how Pogrebnyak could have been allowed to start. It should be avoided at all costs.