Hollerbach's Geisterspielwurst - Bundesliga 20/21

[G-Man]

8-0 in the end. Schalke are going to fight relegation this season. The only question is how long before Wagner gets the boot.

[danielmak]

Dortmund keep rolling with a 3-0 win over Gladbach. Gladbach should have had a penalty when it was 2-0 after Hummels elbowed a Gladbach attacker (Turam, I think) in the box. Var probably viewed the situation as shoulder to shoulder. The commentator noting that the first goal was a product of two 17 year olds and the second goal as a product of two 20 year olds highlights the young talent on display. Won't catch Bayern but second place remains the goal.

[danielmak]

I was digging Dortmund's road uniforms, but not like them now after losing 2-0 to Augsburg. This is the difference between Bayern and Dortmund. If Dortmund miss too many changes, they will eventually get caught out. The players are often too young and make small mistakes. Bayern buy the players once they mature and crush the opponents.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Bayern buy the players once they mature and crush the opponents.

Really? Alphonso Davies was 18 when they bought him from the Whitecaps. Kimmich was 20 when he arrived, Alaba 18, Coman 20, they're just a few examples who are first team regulars now. I think it's pretty rare for Bayern to buy anyone who's past their mid-20s.

My impression of Dortmund is their style of play isn't ruthless. They had almost 75% possession today but, frankly, were well beaten by an Augsburg team of inferior skills, but who knew exactly how to handle them. In spite of their dominance Dortmund allowed Augsburg to play to their strengths, limited though they are. Bayern would never do that.

[danielmak]

Really? Alphonso Davies was 18 when they bought him from the Whitecaps. Kimmich was 20 when he arrived, Alaba 18, Coman 20, they're just a few examples who are first team regulars now. I think it's pretty rare for Bayern to buy anyone who's past their mid-20s.

They sold Hummels to Dortmund when he was a kid and bought him back probably too late but still in his prime. Bought Gotze and put that bid in right before the CL final with Dortmund. Tried to buy Lewandowski multiple times but that was one situation where Dortmund refused to sell so they got him for free, but there was no way Dortmund could afford him at that point. In each of those situations they not only added top talent but pulled that talent from a competitor and got that talent when the players were polished. Granted, Dortmund got a lot of money and used that money to buy other players, most of whom were sold for big profits.

The players have changed but Dortmund stay the same, as I posted above, if they don't score early during games when they have a large majority of possession and a lot of chances, they come undone.

[ursus arctos]

It appears that the elegies of a certain club from Bavaria are premature

[Amor de Cosmos]

No kidding. Which can only be a good thing.

They sold Hummels to Dortmund when he was a kid and bought him back probably too late but still in his prime. Bought Gotze and put that bid in right before the CL final with Dortmund. Tried to buy Lewandowski multiple times but that was one situation where Dortmund refused to sell so they got him for free, but there was no way Dortmund could afford him at that point.

Gotze was only 21 when he went to Bayern, certainly not old. Hummels was a Bayern youth player, developed by them then sold to Dortmund. As arguably the best pure striker in Europe at the peak of his career Lewandowski was always going to go to only one of about four or five teams. Why he chose Bayern from that group, I dunno. But you're right it wouldn't have included Dortmund.

The players have changed but Dortmund stay the same, as I posted above, if they don't score early during games when they have a large majority of possession and a lot of chances, they come undone.

You see Dortmund a lot more than I do, and I wouldn't disagree. They remind me a bit of Arsenal during the later Wenger years, very skilled but a bit too impressed with themselves.

[S. aureus]

It seems odd that a team that's just been tonked 4-1 in their second game still has a goal difference of +5.

[danielmak]

No kidding. Which can only be a good thing.
Gotze was only 21 when he went to Bayern, certainly not old. Hummels was a Bayern youth player, developed by them then sold to Dortmund. As arguably the best pure striker in Europe at the peak of his career Lewandowski was always going to go to only one of about four or five teams. Why he chose Bayern from that group, I dunno. But you're right it wouldn't have included Dortmund.

Admittedly, I'm bitter about all of these second place finishes and that losses to Bayern during the past few seasons usually follow with 2-3 poor results against teams that should be beat given Dortmund's talents. I would say that Gotze only being 21 followed a few seasons of developing. Last weekend Dortmund won with goals where 17 year olds were creating and scoring and then 20 year olds were creating and scoring. I can't remember how old Gotze was when he started to impact the side but it had been a few years so to get pinched at 21 by Bayern meant Dortmund had done the work to get Gotze ready (as much work as could be done for a guy who clearly had natural talent but later undone by injuries).

The Arsenal comparison is apt. I remember a CL match 2006-07 or maybe 2007-08 against CSKA Moscow that ended 0-0. Arsenal had all of the possession, played beautiful football, but couldn't get the win. Usually Dortmund gets the win, but that killer finishing gap between Dortmund and Bayern has led to a decade of Bayern titles and Dortmund mostly finishing second.

[imp]

Two games in, two coaches fired already - Wagner at Schalke (unsurprising given the run of 18 winless games over two seasons) and Beierlorzer at Mainz. The Mainz players briefly went on strike at the sidelining to the U23s of team-mate and Hungarian striker Adam Szalai, but already last season they were moaning about a lack of clear tactical instructions from the coach. Also, the strike was reportedly little to do with Szalai-based solidarity, much more to do with the fact the club has not back-paid them for the partial suspension of wages during the corona pandemic. Hang on, that pandemic's still going on. Seems the players think it's over - obviously it is if the Bundesliga's up and running again. Twats.

Hey, G-Man. Did you notice that Bielefeld beat FC Koeln at the weekend. Hallo, G-Man? Halloooooooooooooo? Bielefeld and Eintracht both above Bayern and Dortmund. Going to make the most of that for the next few days. Not sure exactly how, though. By staring for hours at the league table? I'm off to Cologne on Thursday, so maybe I'll just parade around town with my 115 Years of Arminia Bielefeld sticker album, waving it in peoples' faces and shouting "1-0! HA!" Or maybe I won't.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Mainz getting a bit of a hammering an der alten Forsterei.

[G-Man]

W?rzburg in the 2. Bundesliga and Kaiserslautern in he 3. Liga also fired their coaches after two games.

Hey, G-Man. Did you notice that Bielefeld beat FC Koeln at the weekend. Hallo, G-Man? Halloooooooooooooo? Bielefeld and Eintracht both above Bayern and Dortmund. Going to make the most of that for the next few days. Not sure exactly how, though. By staring for hours at the league table? I'm off to Cologne on Thursday, so maybe I'll just parade around town with my 115 Years of Arminia Bielefeld sticker album, waving it in peoples' faces and shouting "1-0! HA!" Or maybe I won't.

I don't think any FC fans are begrudging Bielefeld their win. If you want to get FC fans upset, call Timo Horn the best keeper in the Bundesliga. The way some went on, you might get lynched for saying that.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Wasn't Timo Horn briefly linked with Liverpool?

[G-Man]

Yeah, before he turned into a weekly Karius.

[imp]

I was just in Cologne for 24 hours. I saw more Eintracht Frankfurt shirts (one - young bloke working out in the park with a personal trainer) than I saw FC K?ln (none). The local gutter rag is predicting Gisdol's firing if they don't beat Gladbach.

[sw2borshch]

... so maybe I'll just parade around town with my 115 Years of Arminia Bielefeld sticker album.. .

So it appears I know at least two people who have collected this album.

[sw2borshch]

I still have not been able to buy the kicker Sonderheft, if anybody is interested.

It's driving me crackers.

[G-Man]

I was just in Cologne for 24 hours. I saw more Eintracht Frankfurt shirts (one - young bloke working out in the park with a personal trainer) than I saw FC K?ln (none)..

But you know that's because your fellow Eintracht fans have difficulty reading the calendar. You were supposed to come on the 18th of October!

As for Gisdol's firing... the sooner the better. I grabbed my head, as the Germans say, when I heard that Koln extended his contract. Really, everybody knows that Gisdol is a fireman. You call him to put out the fire and avoid relegation. But for the rebuilding, you get a proper coach. So, when Gisdol goes, it'll be Martin Schmidt, won't it? Have mercy!

Happily, Mainz and Schalke are even worse at the moment than my gang.

Oh, imp, and don't get a sunburn at the top.

[danielmak]

Dortmund rebound after a tough week beating Freiburg 4-0. First 25-30 minutes were tight but then Dortmund took control. Reyna with 3 assists, Haaland with two goals, and unselfishly set up the fourth when he could have had a hat trick.

[imp]

So it appears I know at least two people who have collected this album.

Ooh, have they got any swaps? I'm about 100 shy of completion and with no prospect of people to swap with in Frankfurt. And my friends in Bielefeld - needless to say, about my age - I think actually refused to believe I was serious when I asked if they were collecting or not. Tsk, so-called fans.

[imp]

Oh, imp, and don't get a sunburn at the top.

It was so hot we could only stand the heat for a couple of hours. I'm sure we'll be cooling off between eighth and 14th. soon enough.

[sw2borshch]

Ooh, have they got any swaps? I'm about 100 shy of completion and with no prospect of people to swap with in Frankfurt. And my friends in Bielefeld - needless to say, about my age - I think actually refused to believe I was serious when I asked if they were collecting or not. Tsk, so-called fans.

I am in the process of finding out...I have it in my head you live in the Frankfurt (Main) area, he lives in Bielefeld proper, he'll have access to other collectors too. He's a bit younger too, but still a grown man (winky thing).

On the Sonderheft saga that everyone is fascinated by, I downloaded the eMagazine app to my phone today and bought it without problem. Seems to have been a Kindle Fire issue.

[sw2borshch]

Imp, apparently he has given them all to the Fanprojekt.

[imp]

Imp, apparently he has given them all to the Fanprojekt.

Thanks for asking, sw2. It's almost a point of pride that almost all my sticker albums are incomplete. I think I prefer them like that. Finishing one off is like getting to the end of a crime novel and finding out who did it - I'm always somehow dissatisfied by the disclosure.

[Stumpy Pepys]

I know this is a Bundesliga thread, but over in the 3. Liga, there are now four Munich teams competing--Unterhaching, Sechzig, Bayern II and arrivistes SV Tuerkguecue-Ataspor Muenchen.

Why the owner has put so much cash into Tuerkguecue, I'm not sure. And there's too many non-Turks playing for them nowadays for them to be considered a Turkish club. They're also based about 1.5 km from my flat, although they're playing their home games at the Gruenwalder.