Well shit. That was a perfectly miserable end to one of the most wretched years most of us semi-evolved simians have ever experienced. So much for the normal trajectory toward optimistic support of the national team. Looks like another trend gets bucked in this year of endless shattered norms. Germans won't gravitating toward the side of the "Schwarz und Weiß" anytime soon. If anything, we stand grateful that we can completely forget about them for four full months. Despite all of the yacking about a "historic defeat", one actually doesn't have to reach back a full century or more to locate parallels. The languid performances in the lead-up to the 2006 World Cup engendered similar … [Read more...] about Nationalelf Tactical Focus–“Eyes wide shut”
Serge Gnabry
Bundesliga UEFA Report–“Tipping the Final Showdown”
Football fans across the globe have every reason to expect an instant classic when FC Bayern München and Paris St. Germain contest the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League Final in Lisbon. While one can never truly be sure when it comes to football, a boring midfield slog seems highly unlikely. Hans Dieter Flick's ultra-attacking side are among the most prolific scorers in the history of the competition. They've managed an incredible 4.2 goals-per-game ratio. Despite the fact that the COVID-19 Pandemic reduced Bayern's fixtures this year from 13 to 11, Flick's crew may still top the competition's all-time-goals record. They need only four more tallies to best the 45 scored by the 1999/00 … [Read more...] about Bundesliga UEFA Report–“Tipping the Final Showdown”