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
Filip Kostic
Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 20
From a snow-flurried opener to a snow-cancelled capper, we've got all the relevant action from the 20th round of the 2020/21 German Bundesliga covered. It may be frigid in the Bundesrepublik, but the storylines of this campaign remain red-hot. Here's the re-post for all those needing to catch up on Sunday's column. League-Wide Talking Points: Round 20 Bayern's "Arbeitssieg" The English have a saying. True championship football teams, it is said, must be able to prove their mettle "on a windy night in Stoke". This round, Germany's record champions eked out a grinding victory during a "blinding snowstorm in Berlin". For anyone who might have missed the 1-0 victory of Hertha, … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 20
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 18
The 2020/21 "Rück-runde" officially begins! Down the stretch we go as all 18 top flight clubs play themselves in the exact same order as they did during the first-half of the season. A turning point in the campaign calls for a new commentary-heavy segment in which we assess the journey of certain clubs as they traverse this demanding year. Those who didn't catch last Sunday's release can, as always, catch up here. League-Wide Talking Points: Round 18 Bayern's new right-back It turned out to be quite the weekend for defenders in Germany's top flight. Gladbach's Nico Elvedi netted a brace against Borussia Dortmund, as did Mainz's Moussa Niakhaté in the upset win over Leipzig. … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 18
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