A four-day weekend leaves us with loads of stories on the Bundesliga beat. From the Friday night kickoff to the Monday six-goal thriller, we've got it all covered for those who missed out on the initial post. League-Wide Talking Points: Round 21 Nagelsmann defers until Tuesday The Friday night fixture between Leipzig and Augsburg predictably proved a wretched game of football. Heiko Herrlich's Fuggerstädter racked up four first-half bookings; two of which could be considered accumulator cards. The outclassed Bavarians engaged in so many wince-inducing tactical fouls that, with better finishing, the Saxons might have heading into the dressing room up 4-0. Heading into this … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 21
Arminia Bielefeld
Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 19
German footballing enthusiasts could have hardly wished for a more intriguing round the second matchday of the 2020/21 "Rück-runde". All the madness of transfer deadline day may leave some still yearning to catch up with the previous weekend's talking points. There's no shortage of riveting storylines heading into week 20. League-wide Talking Points: Round 19 Cooling Iron After losses to Leipzig and Augsburg, the Bundesliga's Cinderella team couldn't quite hold off Gladbach at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. The 1-1 draw now makes it three winless matches for Urs Fischer and die Eisernen. While such a streak certainly doesn't offset all of the Köpenick club's marvelous … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 19
Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 17
A midweek "Englischer Woche" officially brings the 2020/21 German Bundesliga to its halfway point. There's plenty of football to catch up on for those who might not have caught the hot-sheet. We've got the repost here as the campaign prepares to flip over to the "Rück-runde". League-Wide Talking Points: Round 17 Bundesrepublik Tabloid Time What to do with a flaccid football match devoid of talking points? Borussia Mönchengladbach's 1-0 win over Werder Bremen furnished the very definition on boring football. Hanseaten trainer Florian Kohfeldt continues to build tactical constructs that station as many as eight outfield players at or behind the halfway line. This week's version … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 17
Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 14
The ball once again rolls in the Bundesrepublik after the shortest Winter break ever. Both footballers and those sincerely devoted to covering them had to be on hand to put some serious work in one day after the advent of the New Year. This week's hot sheet hit the site on January 3rd. Ahead of another great weekend of football, we're pleased to re-post here. League-Wide Talking Points: Round 14 How to beat Bayern Why not begin with a spot of pejorative fun? The latest comeback victory from the German giants delivers a proof-positive blueprint for defeating the seemingly invincible. Hiking tourists know better than to poke a hibernating bear. That's the key. How does one knock … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 14
January Transfer Window 2021: The Complete German Bundesliga Transfer Primer
January 1st 2021. A calendar change means precious little in this of all years. At least football fans can, as usual, rely upon some novelty and renewal. Those who didn't get a chance to catch the hot sheet can also, as usual, catch the re-post here. A brand new calendar year and football's next international transfer window arrive in a few short hours. This year sees different Euro-zone nations open the market on different dates. Germany, England, and France shall be the first countries to allow their domestic clubs to engage in transactions on Saturday, January 2nd. Four more nations, including Italy and Spain, join the fray on January 4th. Austria and Switzerland will permit their … [Read more...] about January Transfer Window 2021: The Complete German Bundesliga Transfer Primer
Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 11
With the Bundesliga's first internal "Englischer Woche" set to kick-off just ahead of the holidays, we'll supply an early re-post for anyone who missed this week's hot-sheet. So much to talk about following another eventful weekend. It goes without saying that Lucien Favre earns quite a bit of space in this one. League-wide Talking Points: Round 11 Congratulations to the new "Spitzenreiter" What seemed probable heading into the weekend did indeed transpire. Another huge win for once-fired Dortmund head-coach Peter Bosz and the high-octane 4-1-4-1 we discussed last week. As noted then, they should be considered title contenders. Fatigue can't stop this team, even as so many … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 11