It's a lengthy one this week as we take the midweek slate of domestic cup fixtures into account. The repost of yesterday's hot sheet also contains plenty of good news for those rooting US internationals in the German top flight. The DFB-Pokal quarterfinals leads us to another multi-match column. Although four Americans were eligible for double duty this week, only Tyler Adams ended up playing maximum matches. Edin Terzic opted not to use Giovanni Reyna in the Pokal. Josh Sargent saw his Tuesday fixture cancelled on account of COVID. John Anthony Brooks had to serve a suspension this weekend. There remains a great deal to catch up on. Chris Richards' ascendancy at Hoffenheim pushes the … [Read more...] about Americans in the Bundesliga: Reyna on the comeback trail, Sargent and Adams impress
FC Schalke 04
Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 23
Matters couldn't be busier in the Bundesrepublik as the 2020/21 campaign heads for a frenetic finish. Inside this week's re-post we've all the intrigue surrounding the goings on in Germany's top football flight for those who missed the Sunday column. League-wide Talking Points: Round 23 Prelude to the Basement Battle The inspiring story of a resurgent FSV Mainz 05 took a week off as Nullfünfter trainer Bo Svensson took no risks against Augsburg on a badly beat up home pitch. Kevin Stöger played from the beginning, working beside captain Danny Latzka in what looked like a bundled 3-3-2-2. This constituted something of curious choice considering that the condition of the pitch … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 23
Americans in the Bundesliga: Brooks takes a deserved bow, Adams picks up assist
A repost of this week's scouting column lies below. Not a great deal of storylines are shifting at the moment, but there's still tons of nuance to discuss. A busy week for Americans playing in Germany's top footballing flight leaves us with six graded sections for the five starters and one trainer. Young phenom Giovanni Reyna found himself excluded from Edin Terzic's starting XI this week, playing only ten non-graded minutes at the tail end of the BVB's victory over Schalke. We still await the first bench squad appearance for Borussia Mönchengladbach's Joe Scally even if, by all accounts, the 18-year-old remains fully fit. John Anthony Brooks, VfL Wolfsburg Minutes played … [Read more...] about Americans in the Bundesliga: Brooks takes a deserved bow, Adams picks up assist
Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 22
With the snow melted and February nearly out, it's time to gear up for a great 2020/21 Bundesliga "stretch run". There's another fine weekend of football on tap. Here's the re-post for those who didn't have a chance to catch last Sunday's comprehensive breakdown of the previous round. League-Wide Talking Points: Round 22 The VfL Streaks Who can resist a nice and clean streak narrative? Oliver Glasner's Wolfsburg record their seventh consecutive clean sheet on the trot. Friday's 3-0 win over Bielefeld also marks the sixth consecutive time the VfL trainer deployed the exact same starting XI. We know for certain that one series is officially over. Defender John Anthony Brooks … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 22
Americans in the Bundesliga: Reyna, Hoppe, and Sargent continue to slump
Another fantastic weekend of German Bundesliga football is on tap! One genuinely hopes that the US internationals earning their living in Germany's top flight have a better round than the last. For those who missed out on the initial release, we'll repost here. This week's analysis of US internationals earning their pay checks in the Bundesrepublik features only four players. Leipzig trainer Julian Nagelsmann rotated out midfielder Tyler Adams in anticipation of the upcoming UCL duel against Liverpool. The played 27 minutes of half-speed relief again Augsburg on Friday. Chris Richards regrettably missed the chance to build upon his strong debut for loan-squad Hoffenheim this weekend. … [Read more...] about Americans in the Bundesliga: Reyna, Hoppe, and Sargent continue to slump
Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 21
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