Bundesliga Talk » Tactical Analysis

This Week in The Bundesliga: The Rise of the Bridesmaid!

Double Pivot — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:53:12 +0000

Another week, another victory! This week was a 4–0 route of Nuremburg. Bayer 04 have become, along with HSV, one of the dominant teams in the Bundesliga. But it was only a year ago that Bayer, under Bruno Labbadia had a blistering start. But it wasn’t anything comparable to this start, because the Werkself aren’t just winning, their winning with panache and style. They are also playing defense (five shutouts already). The question will be whether they will falter late this season, much like they did last year. It doesn’t seem to be on the cards. Let’s look at seven reasons that the Bundesliga’s 2nd place specialists might be on course for their first title.

Home Sweet Home
They are back home at the BayArena after a 20 months project to expand and cover the almost 90 year old stadium drove them away for the second half of last season. With an increase in 8,000 seats to take BayArena over 30,000, they are no longer a Zweite level club when it comes to attendance. There is also the uniqueness of the ground, which is now the world’s largest Makrolon roofed stadiums. This new roof covers almost the entirety of the pitch and has proven to be much better at capturing noise than the more repressed awnings of the 1986 additions. With a loud imposing stadium, Bayer are undefeated this year. This is a direct contrast to the home form they had last season when they moved to the LDU in Dusseldorf. With their own home, they shouldn’t suffer through a seven game winless streak at home at any point. Undoubtedly they will do better than the seven points they mustered in Dusseldorf.
Kid’s Can’t Finnish First
It was a simple change, and one that FM gamers would kick a puppy over, but when Rudi Voller swapped the future superstar Henriquie for the old warhorse Sami Hyypia, it would be one of the smartest moves he ever made. Hyypia has lost a step, but physically can handle the big forwards that dominate the league. There is no better reader of the game in the league and his ability to command and organize the back gives Leverkusen a stronger spine than any of their competitors, perhaps for Hoffenheim. He has also shown the ability to start play with a long pass out of the back. But really where he will be worth his weight in gold, will be his influence on Rene Adler. Always a shot-stopper with few peers, he is learning the most keeper’s most important skill set under the veteran – command.
Germany’s #1
Adler looked off-the-boil last year. There was no doubt about it. A kid that had been one of the few keepers that could make you watch a game, seemed disinterested. We chalked it up to his back, but suddenly he’s looking nimble again. Could it be that the pressure of being Germany’s #1 along with trying to lead a young defense for his club was weighing too heavily on the emerging superstar? It seems very plausible now. With Hyypia as the leader, Adler seems to be unburdened a little bit. Does Bayer now have the best keeper in the league after a year of having its biggest enigma? And with Schalke desperate for cash, Bayer should be able to hold onto the keeper through the winter break. How long they can avoid Adler’s inevitable move to Old Trafford is another story.
Finally!
Stefan Kiessling was once called the next Jurgen Klinsmann. I’m not fond of these “next” labels. But what Kiessling is doing this season is living up to the potential that everyone saw in him. He has become a fantastic link man, who can finish and is good in the air. He is also willing to start the defense by his pressing opponents in their own third. In many respects, he is quickly catching up to Ediz Dzeko in ability to link and finish. He has 7 goals in the first 8 games and has become pivotal in the buildup play for this high octane attack.
Midfield Dominance
Simon Rofles is perhaps Europe’s most cultured defensive midfielder. He doesn’t tackle recklessly, he doesn’t foul unnecessarily and he doesn’t panic. But he gets the job done. He is able to break up play, distribute the ball, bring the ball out from deep and finish when needed. Renato Augusto is the best #10 in the league, now that Diego has departed. Arturo Vidal is a highly skilled Jack-of-all-Trades, who can bomb down the right or play deep with Rofles in a double pivot. Barnetta is a great left wing, and is brutal on the counter. As a unit, they force teams wide and they attack and defend in equal measures. While Bayern has the bigger names, the reason that Bayer and HSV are at the top of the league is because they have better all-around midfields.
Depth
Bayer was recently a team that could look to perhaps the 12th man at best. Voller has begun to build a squad that has overall depth to deal with the inevitable injury. In fact, it already has. When Augusto went down, Toni Kroos was able to slot in on the right, pushing Vidal into the center. They haven’t even started using wunderkind Lars Bender. And with Kladec, Schwaab and Castro as fullbacks, they have depth in an always tenuous position, but also the ability to bring Castro to the midfield if needed. Up front, they have four forwards with the aforementioned Kiessling, newcomer Erin Derdiyok, veteran Gekas and last year’s top scorer Patrick Helmes, when he returns from injury. In the back, Hans Sarpei provides cover for Hyypia and Freidrich. It’s not Manchester United depth, but they are only competing in the league.
It’s Always the Coach
Rafael Honigstein covered Juup Hyneckes’ contributions in his column this week at the Guardian. Needless to say, the man that almost won Bayern the title last year, when all look lost, is a much better match for such a young squad. A team built on youth needs a father figure and Hyneckes is much better at the role than Labbadia could ever be. His calm demeanor seems to be the perfect match for the laid-back Voller and squad too. It’s not that Labbadia isn’t as good as Hyneckes (although only time will tell), but Hyneckes is the better fit at Leverkusen.

The Set: Hamburg 4 – 1 Borussia Dortmund

Double Pivot — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:06:56 +0000

Hamburg shook off their early season funk and tore apart Dortmund at the Nordbank Arena. It was the 4th straight victory for the Dinosaurs at home against BVB. A series of early goals seemed to settle the match by the 12th minute. Guy Demel pushed the first over the line after a massive keeper error in the 4th. Ze Roberto found a gap, a post and a rebound for the 2nd in the 10th and Guerrero finished, after a blistering run by Elia in the 12th. Dortmund who scored an equalizer after the first goal, when Hamburg were guilty of a lack of concentration never seemed up to the fight after Elia’s run and would conceed a 4th late in the game.

For Dortmund’s Jurgen Klopp, he at least escaped Hamburg without a fine this year. And that’s about the only positive thing that can be said for his team’s performance.

7 Notes About the Match

I think Hamburg were a little guilty of what English clubs do in the UEFA Cup/Europa League. They didn’t take the second leg of their tie with Randers seriously, having a 4–0 road victory in hand. They then let themselves get complacent, which happens when teams don’t take a game seriously. They then went out and lost at home to Randers, barely scraped by Fortuna Dusseldorf and put in a pedestrian performance against Freiburg to start the season. Aston Villa last year and Tottenham two years ago never seemed to recover. This week in their first home game of the season, they seemed to get over their slump and thus the change in Fortuna.
This must be the best-rounded midfield Hamburg has had in a while. With Eljera Elia being an excellent left wing, Piotr Trochowski back in a more natural RW position, Ze Roberto as the runner and Jarolim as the holder, this midfield is perfectly balanced. It seems even better than when van der Vaart was there with De Jong behind him, because they didn’t have such good wingers at the time. Jarolim and Ze Roberto overwhelmed the Dortmund midfield.
Part of this was Sahin. Unlike last week, he seemed absent as Kehl’s replacement. Had the captain been out there, I don’t think Hamburg would have had such dominance in attack. Sahin didn’t show up until the 29’ minute and that was for a shot on goal.
Roman Weidenfeller’s error on the first goal was ridiculous by the standards of ridiculous keeper gaffs. He came out for a cross and pulled away from it. It took more effort to stop himself punching the ball to safety than to carry through with his initial moment. He’s never came off to me as shaky on crosses, like Neuer, but maybe it’s time to reevaluate.
Marcus Berg (who has also scored today) had good movement and looks to be another great addition to the Dinosaurs. On the final goal, it was his pressure on Santana that forced and errant clearance, which Ze Roberto one-timed for an effort on goal. Weidenfeller got to the ball but parried it in front of goal, where Berg was ready to pounce, splitting Schmelzer and Santana.
This is the second week in a row that a tactical decision by Horst Hrubesch at the U21’s in Sweden seems to have made an impact on a Bundesliga coach (last week I mentioned Hummels). Jerome Boateng, who had played mostly as a fullback, was given a job in the center for the winning German team. Labbadia is now playing Boateng, who had a solid game, at center-half too, despite spending money on Rozenthal during the summer.
I’ll admit that I allowed Ze Roberto’s age to cloud my judgment. I dismissed his move to Hamburg, rating is as interesting rather than significant. I couldn’t have been more wrong as he is just ageless. And I think Bayern Munich will indeed regret not granting him a two-year extension. He was wonderful against Dortmund, with his goal coming out of sheer determination. He also set up Berg’s and should have aided Elia in the 38’ on another.

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The Set: Why My Spending Habits Didn’t Doom Wolves

Double Pivot — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:28:39 +0000

I did not cost the Wolves the title this weekend. I didn’t! Sure, this was the weekend that I finally bought my first German car. When I say German, I don’t mean that it has a German name, I mean it has to be made in Germany. If I wanted a car made in Mexico, I would buy a Pontiac and wonder why it keeps breaking down and they are now out of business. I wanted mine from the country of origin. But here in the states, that requires buying high-end: Audi, Porsche, most Mercedes and BMW’s and the most expensive of the VW line. Having ridden in a pretty sad little car for a number of years (my AC/heat switch was a vice-grip), I decided enough was enough and bought myself a Passat Komfort: built in Wolfsburg.

So having finally gotten a car of desire (it’s not the Audi R8), I feel that my purchase on the same weekend that Felix Magath’s side slipped up 2–0 against lowly Cottbus is too coincidental to ignore. But rather than incur the wrath of the Wolves faithful (and the thanks from VW employees is this economy), I have decided to make my case as to why it wasn’t my fault that Wolfsburg lost.

Grafite and Dzeko just had one of those days. It happens to any striker that they are going to have a day when they can’t hit a stationary luxury sedan from a meter away. This was just one of those days.
But when they or any midfielder did get a shot on target, Gerhard Tremmel was there to save Cottbus’ neck. Seven outstanding saves from the keeper, most of them coming during the hectic 10 minute period after the break, when Wolfsburg made their big push to take command of the match, were as important to the outcome as either goal.
My new car could have done a better job of marking in the box than Barzagli and Simunek, who decided that Rangelov’s inability to stay on-side meant he wasn’t necessary to mark. And my Passat could have done so with Tiptronic transmission.
Mariusz Kukielka’s return to the Cottbus lineup gave Energie a physical presence. He dogged both Misomivic and Grafite the entire game and helped neutralize two of the reasons that Wolves are a goal machine this season. And his 1.8 liter turbo engine never stopped running the entire game.
Bojan Prašnikar’s tactics took the attack to the flanks and he was able to negate Josue’s influence over the game. And the number of long chances from the flank by Skela could have won the game at a much earlier point. This tactic was so instrumental that Magath changed his formation at half to neutralize the wing play of Cottbus.
While Helmut Fleischer is one of the most experienced refs in the business, he did allow Cottbus to engage in way too much simulation. Had he put a stop to it by brandishing a yellow, the flow of the game would have suited Wolfsburg much better. I don’t begrudge Cottbus their cheeky play, as their entire operating budged costs about as much as Barzagli and Zaccardo, and they are fighting for their survival; however, had Dr. Fleischer taken this out of the game, then my car might not have to worry about being a hex.
History is history. No team has ever won more than 10 on the trot in the Bundesliga. This is about the same time as last season that Cottbus pulled off their miracle against top side Bayern last year. And let’s be fair, other than this run Wolves have not been a prolific road side this campaign. With 3 of the last 5 at the VW, they are still in the driver’s seat. Much like me:)

Tactical Analysis: Did A Birthday Bash Cost Hertha Saturday?

Double Pivot — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:50:42 +0000

Last Thursday, Lucien Favre suspended his right winger Patrick Ebert indefinitely. While the reason for the suspension is that Ebert was out until 3 AM celebrating his birthday, which breaks team curfew rules; there is a bigger story is that during his drunken walk home (points for walking), there is every indication that Ebert along with his Ghetto mate Kevin-Prince Boateng smashed up three autos.

The result this weekend, a 2–0 away loss to Stuttgart, would indicate that Ebert’s suspension affected the team. In fact Lucien Favre seemed to point to Babic’s role (taking the left wing from Nicu who cover Ebert’s spot) as being part of the problem Saturday. But I don’t think this is a fair assessment. Ebert’s absence didn’t really cost them the game. While Stuttgart dominated the first half on Saturday and created a bevy of chances, Hertha was able to absorb the attacks and snuff them out in the final third. It’s been one of their strengths this year. Maximilian Nicu, moving over from the left, did the work defensively on the right with Stein sitting behind him and limited play in Ebert’s area. In fact, most of the chances Stuttgart created came down the center of the pitch.

So through the first half, Hertha were playing no differently than typical and looked primed to grind out the result. However, they conceded two early goals in the second half. Neither was scored from build up. The first was a route 1 goal, that Hertha has often been accused of playing this year, where Lehmann took a goal kick and found Gomez who out-jumped Simunic and found Cacau, who slotted the ball home. The second was scored off a free kick given away by Rodnei and scored by an unmarked Khedira because Hertha was too focused on Gomez. What these both had in common, were the fact that they were aerial in nature and Arne Freidrich had to be subbed in the 25th due to injury. Had he played the full game, these may have never led to goals.

So defensively it wasn’t Babic/Ebert that cost them the game, so maybe Favre meant offensively. However, eight of his teams 12 shots came after the second goal, when he had switch from a 4–4-2 to a 4–3-3, which points to his tactics more than Ebert’s hatred of cars. But the argument could be made that Babic and Nicu, who were the two players at the center of Ebert’s absence, were subbed to make this 4–3-3. So perhaps Ebert might have allowed for more expansive play had he been included. No! The problem before the change was that Cicero and Dardai were out classed by Hitzelsperger and Khedira in the middle of the pitch. They saw little of the ball and weren’t able to swing it wide, which is their job. In addition, Raffael did his best disappearing act again and took away Hertha’s ability to link play. Therefore they were limited to lofting the ball to Voronin.

So rather than blaming this on a stupid, but childish incident, Hertha fans and Favre just need to accept that it was poor tactics offensively by the trainer and bad luck on an injury to their captain.

But with Pantelic seemingly ready to return, at least Hertha fans can look forward to seeing Raffael in his best posting, sitting on the bench.

The Political Derby: Radical Left 3–2 Hard Right

Double Pivot — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:35:51 +0000

It all started so wrong for FC St. Pauli. And air of impending doom hung over what has become Germany’s Politischen Derby with Hansa Rostock visiting. The threat of violence was once again on the cards with the neo-nazi supporters of Rostock visiting the radical left kult team of Hamburg. In fact the game was delayed for five minutes at the start of the second half when Rostock Ultras set off flares that engulfed the Millentor in a cloud of impenetrable smoke. Trainer Dieter Eilts was enlisted to calm down the visiting fans and riot police had to enter the stands. Order was restored, although further flares were set off late in the game.

Hopefully the scene after the game will remain calm unlike the reverse fixture this year.

On the pitch, Hansa Rostock, the league’s worst road teams stunned one of the Zweite’s best home sides with 2 goals in the first five minutes with goals by Henri Myntti and Fin Bartels. After that, the game turned quickly pedestrian with no team dominating and few chances (ten total outside of the goals) for the remainder of the first half.

The problem for St. Pauli was penetrations. Man-mountain Morike Sako was employed as lone forward, but Holger Stanislawski’s midfield lacked the creativity to play off long balls to him and they were equally inept at penetrating into the final third. David Hoilett, who has been a sensation since joining on loan from Blackburn, was marked out of the game in the first half by Oczipka and Retov. With changes needed, Stanislawski made a move so bold, that even Jose Mourinho would be impressed. He used all three substitutions to revamp his midfield during the break.

Björn Brunnemann, Florian Bruns and Rouwen Hennings came on for Timo Schultz, Filip Trojan and Alexander Ludwig. The impact was immense and immediate, and set the stage for 45 of the most enthralling minutes of football anywhere in Europe this year.. St. Pauli grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck with the subs leading the charge. Hansa found themselves on the back foot and defending frantically. The first goal came in the 54th when Kevin Schöneberg tripped Brunnemann in the box and Sako converted the penalty. 20 more minutes of sustained pressure followed with another blatant penalty being ignored and chances squandered by the home side.

In the 71st minute a long free kick into Hansa’s box, bounced off a defender’s head and fell to a ghosting Hoilett who leveled the game. Rather than standing on their fight back to parity, St. Pauli continued to show initiative and 12 minutes later Brunemann got free on the left and floated a cross to Hennings in the middle of the box. The ball bounced past the substitute and fell once again to a ghosting Hoilett, who fought off the goalie to slot home the winner.

St. Paul set the stall at that point, and even thought they lost Sako late to a second yellow, they were able to hold on secure the full three in one of the Zweite’s games of the season. And in doing so, they possibly put the nail in the coffin of their ideological opposites in their effort to stave off relegation.

The Set: Cologne 1–1 Arminia Bielefeld

Double Pivot — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:05:55 +0000

Cologne dominated much of the game at home against Arminia Bielefeld, but in the end, couldn’t break down the central-half pairing of Herzig and Andre Mijatovic with Dennis Eilhoff in goal. With over 60% of possession and 16 shots on goal by Cologne, it was down to the organization of the two central defenders to frusta rate the home side and deliver the crucial point for Arminia.

Cologne opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Matip found Ehret free down the left with a pitch-long pass. Ehret then sent an in-swinger into the box where Vucicevic made a good dummy run that pulled the defenders forward, allowing Petit to ghost in and head the ball in for his 3rd of the campaign. It looked like a rout was on as Eilhoff was called on to save two more definitive chances in the 17th and 22nd. But those saves proved crucial as Arminia found a leveler late in the 2nd half.

Bielefeld took advantage on the one mistake by the Cologne defense. In the 42nd, Brecko tried to send a ball back to the keeper. The ball hit Geromel, accidentally, and Katongo picked up the loose ball and made a beautiful shot from the top of the box to equalize. It was only the second goal of the campaign for the creative midfielder.

While Cologne continued to dominate the game in the second half, they could never find a winner. Novakovic was subbed at half due to injury, so most of the chances in the second stanza fell to Vucicevic and his finishing isn’t the best part of his game.

In the end, Cologne will felt hard done by with a point, but they are safe from relegation. Meanwhile, Bielefeld earned a point on tenacity and sees itself two places off relegation, as they leapfrog Cottbus in the standings.

7 Random Things About Cologne and Arminia

Wichniarek was essentially taken out of this game by the poor crossing of Bielefeld. Jonas Kamper had a game to forget as he provided more souvenirs than chances. While McKenna did a solid job on the Bielefeld captain, he only had one real chance the entire game due to a lack of service.
Markus Bollman was the weakest link. And it was obvious that Daum had targeted him from the beginning as Cologne’s attack flowed down its own left hand side to pick on the RB. If it weren’t for Herzig and Mijatovic, Bollman’s poor performance would have been much more notable.
19 year old Kevin Pezzoni is going to be a massive star in the Bundesliga. He is very solid in front of the back line and puts in some of the most crunching, yet legal, tackles in any league in Europe. In a game where a good DM is worth his weight in gold, Pezzoni is going to be a household name within two years.
Sergiu Radu, on the other hand, is well past he sell-on date. The reason he is passed around more than Pokemon cards at a Elementary school is because he has turned to complete and utter garbage over the past two years. Daum tried to change the formation by bringing him on, but he did nothing, and it ended up costing them when Ehret sustained an injury late in the game and couldn’t come off.
I can’t help but think that Cologne supporters aren’t doing themselves any favors. Yes, I understand the frustration they have felt at being a huge club that has turned into a Yo-Yo side. However, they are quick to get down on the team, which puts the players under pressure and has led to Cologne being a better road team than a home one. Hopefully, Cologne fans will see the error of this destructive tendency and fix it next year.
Michael Frontzeck made a quick move in the 75th when he subbed Robert Tesche for Oliver Kirch. Kirch had just made a late challenge on Kevin McKenna that was arguably bookable. But while the ref was preoccupied with the injury, the Arminia trainer replaced the midfielder before he could get his second yellow. It may have well, saved the point.
Considering that they lost both Petit and Novakovic during the match, it should be noted how much Cologne have grown over the season. These two players were the crux of the team when the season started. Without both, they still played well and with a lineup of young players like Ehret, Vucicevic, Pezzoni, Brecko, Matip, Brosinksi, McKenna and Geromel, this is going to be a team to contend with in the coming campaigns.

The Set: Bayern Munich 1–2 Cologne

Double Pivot — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:50:45 +0000

I doubt many people expected Cologne’s visit to Allianz to produce one of the best games of the weekend, but Christophe Daum and his scrappy side went to Munich (with only one win in their last 15 visits) and shocked the Bavarians. Two beautifully crafted counters along with 45 minutes of organized defending was the formula for the Billy Goats. But one cannot look past the egregious call made 13 minutes into the game that would have changed the look of this game significantly.

However, the poor decision by the linesman should not clear Bayern of a woeful display in front of their faithful, and it should definitely not take away from an inspiring performance by Cologne. The win breaks a streak of four straight draws and sets the promoted side 10 points clear of the drop zone, which should clear them of any further worries. Meanwhile, the favorites lost their fifth game of the season (3 more than the whole of last year) and they now have allowed as many goals as bottom-dwelling Gladbach at home. Defense is a big issue, and it would seem that they might possibly be the least likely of the “group of six” to end up with the title come season’s end.

Seven Random Facts about Bayern and Cologne

1. Offsides

So Babak Rafati interprets the rule for offside differently? In his world, any pass, whether its from your own player, or glanced off say the head of a defender like Kevin McKenna, counts toward the attacking player’s position. Had Klose’s goal been allowed to stand, rightfully, how different the game might have been. Cologne were playing a simple counter attack, which could be expected of any underdog away side. But had they been forced to chase the game, especially so early on, this tactic would have had to been abandoned and Bayern would have had more organization. Thus Cologne would not have been able to exploit the bevy of holes in the Klinsmann’s defense.

Regardless, the most impressive part of this goal was that, despite the deflection by McKenna, Klose kept his concentration, adjusted his angle on the ball and finished the goal. It’s too bad it didn’t stand on it’s merit alone.

2. The Modern “M”

We call it at 4–3-3. It is closer to a 4–5-1. But the truth is that Daum has set out a modern M (without the W) in his midfield. It looks like this:

In our haste to define systems in a slightly rigid way, it is interesting to note that Daum is doing something completely different. And it is working. It is easy to look at Petit and say he’s a DM, but he’s not playing that Makalele type role that we have come accustomed to defining the position by. He plays higher up, breaking up play before it can get to the deeper lying Brosinski and Pezzoni. And play does flow through him, unlike a typical holder. And with him obviously capable of tracking back, the deeper midfielders do have license to get forward. Brosinski was able to get forward and was pivotal to both goals. I’ve seen Pezzoni do the same, although today he was more committed to defense.

3. Brosinski and Brecko on the right

First, you do not need to check their pockets for Franck Ribery. Few could completely nullify the diminutive Frenchman. But the two of them had an objective, which was to crowd Ribery’s space, and they did a spectacular job of it. Ribery was still a danger, but Brecko shadowed him the entire game on the wing and Brosinski covered the channel. Ribery was not the factor we have come to expect as he wasn’t able to run at the defense and he was often forced into hurrying his passes. These two showed that tenacity is enough to limit Ribery’s impact and give any team a chance.

4. The Sweet Counter

A nice counter attack is a beautiful thing. Cologne’s first goal came of a fantastic one, led by their new signing and Ribery agitator, Daniel Brosinski. Podolski was stripped of the ball by Brosinski who then threads a pass to Vucicevic through three Bayern players. Vucicevic plays two give-and-go’s with Petit in his own half and Novakovic in Bayern’s half that covers and third of the pitch and sets him free in front of Bayern’s defense. Ehret meanwhile ghosts in from the left. Oddo fails to follow and Dimichelis, who had a poor match, does nothing to stop the Frenchman’s run. Vucicevic threads a nifty pass into space and the angling Ehret gets to ball and slots it in to the far post for the first goal.

Cologne\‘s First Goal

5. Speaking of Ehret

Perhaps Klinsmann was trying to get the best out of Podolski by playing him against his former/future club. Rather than inspiring the Clownprinz, what he did was inspire Fabrice Ehret, who had a blinding game. He looks to occupy Podolski’s position in Daum’s modern “M” and I don’t see Podolski being able to win the position as he doesn’t have Ehret’s tactical acumen. Ehret is a better player, at the moment, and Podolski could face an uphill battle to unseat him. It seem he’s bound for a similar situation in Cologne to the one he faces in Munich. As the saying goes, “never go back”.

6. Like for Like

Klinsmann tactic’s are going to be heavily analyzed as Bayern go into full scale crisis mode. However, it’s justified to blame them. While he set out a system that should have worked, it wasn’t. And rather than changing it, he only swapped pieces. Ribery was never moved to the center where he might have benefited from the change. He stuck to two strikers, when one or three might have caused McKenna and Geromel to change their stations. And he stuck with a back four when it was obvious that Cologne had set up shot to protect the lead.

His substitutions were all like for like with Donovan coming in for Podolski, Altintop for Schweinsteiger and Borowski for Ze Roberto. All three substitutions were like for like, rather an attempt to change the dynamics. It was either arrogance or stupidity and it did cost them the game. Not as much as the non-goal, but still.

7. Lucky

Due to the fantastic effort by the whole of the Cologne side, I find it rather hard to say that they were very lucky to win this game. While the goal-that-wasn’t isn’t their fault and they took advantage of the gift, I don’t think Daum was smart to set 10 behind the ball for 45 minutes. He got away with it, but when you defend a lead (with no care to increase your lead) for an entire half against a decent side, let alone Bayern Munich, you have to consider yourself lucky to get the full 3 points. While Bayern did pull one back late, they had a dozen build ups that should have resulted in the leveler and winner. Geromel and Mondragon were on top form, but they rode their luck to the victory.

The Sync: How Frankfurt and KSC cured my Insomnia

Double Pivot — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:11:57 +0000

Karlsruhe and Eintracht Frankfurt repaid the 80 minutes of my life (and the 51,000 strong at the Commerz Bank Arena) that they stole with a scintillating finish. A game that was so boring that it would be offensive to compare it to the oft-used paint drying scenario, erupted into a comedy of blunders in the 80’. But at least a comedy is entertaining, unlike the majority of the game, where my suicidal ideation was the most notable feat.

Perhaps the two clubs were just efficient, and I shouldn’t be so harsh. After all they compacted the game into 10 minutes, and five moments that mattered.

1. The First Shots on Goal
They came in the 80’ by Gorlitz and 81’ by Carnell and while not that spectacular, they did wake me.

2. Goal #1
In the 82’, Karlsruhe had a corner. Bradley Carnell swung the ball into the near post. Marco Russ treated KSC defender Maik Franz like a set of car keys and lost him in the box. Franz got to the ball and headed it cleanly in for the game winning goal.

Or at least that’s how KSC treated it, because they all piled on Franz, their traveling support started singing Seven Nation Army and they effectively shut off.

3. Goal #2
Celozzi’s sole contribution to this game was a 84’ foul that led to an Inamoto free kick from about 40 meters. Not one to find a target with his free kicks, Inamoto sent it right to Markus Millar who punched the ball literally straight down to a completely free and stunned Benjamin Kohler. Kohler had spent most of the game giving a clinic on how to get dispossessed, but nobody was near him as Millar’s blunder fell to his feet. You could literally hear Bruchhagen ripping up Funkel’s pink slip as Kohler slotted it home.

4. Karlsruhe’s missed opportunity
Karlsruhe hit on a quick counter in the 88’ when Christian Timm found a streaking Sebastian Freis free in the left channel. Freis calmly slotted the ball past Oka Nikolov and then past the far post. Nikolov, who was poorly positioned and left his near post in danger, wrote a thank you card to Freis and is just waiting to find a stamp to mail it.

5. The Late Winner
Franz conceded a corner in added time. On the ensuing in-swinger, the ball ping-ponged to Amanatidis. He was allowed to waltz to the near post where he proceeded to nutmeg Millar for the goal that Funkel described as “I don’t have to clean out my office tonight!”

The Synch: Arminia Bielefeld 1–2 Karlsruhe

Double Pivot — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:13:35 +0000

KSC went to Schüco Arena and came away with their first victory in four road matches and ended an eight game winless streak against Arminia.

Arminia were their own worst enemy as they played a terrible first 75 minutes of football. They looked technically deficient compared with their southern foes. They gave away possession too easily in the midfield and even more worryingly from deep. Defender Radim Kucera had a nightmare game trying to mark Sebastian Fries. While their front pairing of Artur Wichniarek and Katongo were their best players, they missed their few chances and had their effectiveness dampened by a superb tactical approach by Edmund Becker.

A last ditch scramble clawed one back for the home-side. In the 80th minute, Berat Sadik found space on the left gathering a misplaced cross. He was able to thread the ball to Nico Herzig, who headed the ball home. But they had left it too late, and Karlruhe was able to wind the clock down with smart possession and professional fouling.

Karlsruhe’s first goal came from an error by Arminia keeper Dennis Eilhoff. Their second came off lost possession. Katongo came back deep to gather the ball and lost it to Mutzel. He quickly slotted it to Josh Kennedy who turned Kucera and made a superb low volley that Eilhoff got down to parry away. It fell to Freis, who finished with aplomb.

Ratings
Kornetzky [6] Glaring mistakes in the first half were offset by his handling of crosses late.
Sebastian [8.5] Excellent game in tandem with Franz and cleared some important balls.
Eichner [8] Always one of my favorite to watch.
Celozzi [5.5] Not much impact on the game and allowed Sadik space for the cross on the goal.
Franz [8.5] Solid game from the captain.
Mutzel [6.5] Drifted in and out of the game but set up winner by taking the ball off Kanogo
Porcello [5.5] Scored a gift but was otherwise poor.
da Silva [7] Ran his socks off, which isn’t typical for him.
Iashvili [8] Threatening on the left and put in a great effort
Freis [9] Made Kucera looked foolish and scored the winner.
Kennedy [5.5] Slow feet.
Adoube [5] Like a bull in a china shop.

1. Set in Stone
It felt like Becker’s 4–3-3 was a demarcation rather than a tactic. Mutzel, Porcello and da Silva seem to be stationed within a zone and unwilling to get past some invisible border. Once they hit a wall around 28 meters from goal it was down to Kennedy, Freis and Iashvilli to create the chances. These three need to be willing to get forward if they hope to be effective against better defenses.

2. Speaking of Set in Stone
Joshua Kennedy plays like his feet are set in concrete. With faster feet he could have created so many more opportunities. He is a fine target man and does a solid job of holding the ball for Iashvilli and Freis, but anytime he receives the ball in a threatening position, it feels like you’ve pressed the slow-motion button on your TV. Next thing you know a chance is squandered as he is unable to get off a shot.

3. And Just After Making Him XI
The first goal for Karlsruhe was a blunder of epic proportion by Eilhoff. Poor positioning on the freekick was his first mistake. He was too close to his near post. This positioning gave him a false perception of the trajectory of the in-swinger, thus when he rushed out to get the ball, he was two feet off target. Instead it bounced off Lamey, flew by Eilhoff and went right to a ghosting Porcello.

4. A Hand for Wiki
The game might have been different had Artur Wichniarek not panicked in the 29th. He got by the defenders on a long through ball and had only keeper Kornetzky to beat. Kornetzky had come too far for the ball and was outside of the box when the ball fell, so unable to handle the ball. It bounded to the left, and had Wichniarek kept on the ball, he would have had an open net to shoot on. Instead he handled the ball, squandered an open net and got himself booked. It was very telling of Arminia’s day.

5. KSC’s Defensive Organization
Knowing they were facing pacy Kanogo and Wichniarek, who likes to drive in from deep, Karlsruhe had some decisions to make. They decided to drop their defense deep and allow Wiki to run at them in order to concentrate on nullifying Kanogo’s pace. It worked perfectly as Kanogo couldn’t beat the trap and Franz and Sebastian could push Wichniarek out to wait for help. The result was only four shots on goal and the only breach came from a by-line cross late.

The Sync: Bayern 1–1 Lyon

Double Pivot — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:47:46 +0000

Blue days at the Allianz

Bate and Bayern had the same idea in the second halves of their respective matches. Hold on for a home draw. However unlike Bate, Bayern Munich happened to be one of the 10 richest clubs in the world. Lyon visited the Allianz tonight and scraped by with a 1–1 draw against FC Bayern thanks in part to an own goal by DiMichelis; however, it more so due to a startling lack of immediacy on the part of Jurgen Klinsmann.

Bayern leveled in the 52’ when Oddo threaded a ball to Klose at the edge of the box, which the German international took to the by line and let fly across goal. Toni made a superb run than sucked in two defenders, leaving plenty of space for the ghosting Ze Roberto to run into and head the ball in for the equalizer. Things looked on the up for under fire trainer.

Oddly, after that, Bayern seemed content to sit on the point for certain, while hoping for a gift in two more. They completely dominated possession throughout the match. They had a significant advantage in shots, corners and free kicks, but as they visibly tired, there was no cavalry for the rescue and thus no win.

What they lacked was change.

Ratings for FC Bayern
Toni: 5.5 – Maybe its bad luck, but he’s just missing too many chances.
Klose:8 – Energetic throughout and created many opportunities.
Ribery:6.5 – Lively, but forced to the fringes by Toulalan. Visibly tired early in the second half.
Scweinsteiger:5 — Much like Ribery was forced out of the game but even on the wings he provided little.
Ze Roberto:9 — The suggestion that he has lost his legs is absurd. Covered more ground than anyone and scored the equalizer.
Demichelis:8.5 — Mark Van Bommel just lost a job. Didn’t put a foot wrong as DM. Unfortunately did put his head wrong once.
Lahm:7 — Solid coming forward and I think I saw him defend once or twice.
Oddo:4.5 — Crossing was rubbish to the point of being comical. Ran his socks off but was done late.
Lucio:6 — Hard to judge as Lyon weren’t attacking. But didn’t do anything wrong.
Breno:6 — See above
Riensing:6.5 — Little to do, but after recent events, doing his job when called upon is a good thing for the young keeper.
Borowski: N/A — And we will get to this

Either/Or
It’s really this simple. Klose works well with Podolski. Toni works well on his own with Ribery working behind him. Mixing and matching outside of those parameters becomes a formula for frustration. So either go with the 4–2-3–1 with Toni holding as I keep harping upon; or, bench Toni and play two complementary forwards. It ain’t rocket science.

Out of Ideas?
Borowski was the only sub made by Klinsmann and it was in the 83′. Do you know what an 83′ substitution is called? Time-wasting!

There was quite simply no plan B. He played a strong lineup. I liked the very Spanish 4–4-2 he employed. It gave Bayern possession and chances. But this is a team lacking confidence. So some of those chances were squandered. So rather than seeing that his opponent was playing a very conservative counter-attacking system which clogged the middle, he left well enough alone. He passed on a chance to shake things up to help them get the boost of confidence.

Ze Roberto and Demichelis both performed excellently tonight. But one would have sufficed. Klinsmann didn’t need a double pivot when he wasn’t facing an attack. The obvious thing to do is sacrifice one for an attacker: Borowski, Sosa or Podolski. With three in attack, Toulalan can’t focus on Ribery and Makoun can’t focus on Schweinsteiger. The new variable forces change to the organization of Lyon and frees someone to get the ball down the center channel. This should have been done at the half.

Also Ribery is just returning from a long lay-off. Oddo has just joined the team. Both of these players faded midway through the second half. Rather than putting on fresh legs to run at the defense minded French, Klinsmann did nothing and their input into the game deteriorated as his chances at full points went down the drain.

Tactics isn’t change for change sake. It’s recognizing the opposition and responding. Klinsmann failed on this measure tonight.

Jermey Toulalan
What an amazing game this guy had. He would not allow Ribery to roam. He closed down the left channel inwards and forced Ribery to the periphery. It should be something Bundesliga trainers take note of. However, Toulalan is also one of the classiest defensive mids around, so don’t expect all clubs to replicate his performance. Also he plays the simple pass, which is nice. Bayer 04 should take note. Toulalan was easily man of the match over both DiMichelis and Ze Roberto.

Lyon’s Tactics
Here was Claude Puel’s talk with the team before the game.

“Try to get fouled about 50 yards from goal. We will use Juninho’s set piece ability to devastate them.”

Well at least that’s how it played out. Juninho’s free-kicks were the only offense Lyon attempted other than a couple of counters where they literally didn’t know what to do once they had broken behind Bayern’s defense.

Playing for an away draw is common, but this was so cynical that even Ranger’s Walter Smith called it insipid. But it worked because of a lucky bounce and the fact that Klinsmann refused to react.

Apologies
I’m not a fan of Lucio, but he had a strong game tonight. Little to do, but more than capable when needed. He limited his runs and thus didn’t leave Breno stranded. Three or four times a year, I have to do this. But before long he will return to the center-back who wanted to be Pele and things will go sour.