Bundesliga Talk » Petit

The Set: Borussia Dortmund 1–0 Köln

Double Pivot — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:23:58 +0000

I missed the first round of games on family vacation. While I still have the Gladbach-Bochum game on DVR to watch for fun, my first game of the season, albeit delayed, was Dortmund’s 1–0 victory at home over Köln. It was a thoroughly deserved victory where Dortmund put the Billy Goats to the sword and could have easily won by half a dozen goals, so commanding was their display. They held possession for 58% of the match, had 16 corners to Köln’s 1, out-shot them 24 to 7 with 11 shots on goal. Soldo’s men had no shots on goal. It was a misleading 1–0 victory, where the visitors looked unlucky to have given away an own goal. That was hardly the case, with Dortmund proving that they have the defense and midfield to push for a European slot this year.

Seven Notes About the Match

An argument could be made that Köln were without their biggest stars. However Geromel’s absence was negligible, as McKenna and Mohamad were two of the best players on the pitch on the day. Podolski would have made little difference as the midfield is where Köln lost the game. Novakovic would have provided a long ball target, but still it was the selection of Maniche, Chahi and Sanou where the problems lay as they were woeful on the day, incapable of passing the ball or holding it for more than two seconds.
The real issue was that Soldo got his tactics wrong. Last year Daum would not play Petit as a holder but as a conductor, with Pezzoni and Brosinski behind him. He tried to slot Maniche into that role, who was clearly not up to a full game. He was absent for most of the game and looked ready to keel over at any second. Meanwhile Sanou was quickly subbed for Ehret, who was a tidy player on the left last year. And markedly absent for Chahi was Vucicevic, who they let go, but was a solid player last year. So either Soldo needs to reevaluate his tactical plan or find the right players for a 4–2-3–1, which he looks set to play.
This brings us to the third issue: Why did Soldo take off Petit for Matic? Köln were having massive issues with getting the ball and retaining it. Taking off the one guy up to the fight was lunacy when you had another guy in Maniche who wasn’t physically ready for a full game
Hummels stint as a DM at the Euro’s seem to have made an impression on Klöpp as he brought the young center-half in late with the lead to pair with Sahin in a double-6 to lock down the game. It worked quite effectively.
Less effective was Hajnal on the wing. Absent except for corners in the first half, it wasn’t until Klöpp changed shape to a 4–1-3–2, letting Sahin set behind Hajnal, Kuba and Tinga, that we started to see the mad Magyar. He began to drift to the center and cause havoc for the Köln defense. It’s a very English move, to make a classic #10 into a wing player, but it is an option that Klöpp will have to look at unless he moves to a 4–5-1 as Kehl and Sahin are both too good to sit.
Barrios is going to have to toughen up. He wasn’t bad, but he did shy away from the physicality of the play and if German defenders start to sense that he’s timid, he will be a massive waste of money. He’s only been in Germany for two weeks, so I do think he will adapt. But the sooner the better as his most shining moment was a header that just missed when he lost his mark. Had McKenna stayed with him, he would haven’t tried for that ball, in my opinion.
The MOM would have to go to Köln’s physio. Early in the first half, keeper Fayrd Mondragon asked to be subbed after pulling a muscle in his leg. It looked to be a hamstring; however, we don’t know as they kept Mondragon on. He limped admirably through the first half, only to return in the second and play out-of-his-skin. 11 saves was almost enough to earn his side an undeserved point, but an errant leg my Matic was too much for the Colombian shot-stopper.

The Bundesliga XI 2009

Double Pivot — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:47:26 +0000

Goalkeeper

Jaroslav Drobny (Hertha Berlin)
Make no mistake about it, Berlin’s rise from bottom half side to title contenders was based on defense. They were a hard side to break down and on the off-chance that a team did, there was Drobny to get by. His performance against Bayern was the stuff of legends.

Defenders

Nevin Subotic (Borussia Dortmund)

Borussia Dortmund had an outstanding season defensively. At the heart of it were youngsters, journeymen and a slew of injuries. Yet despite this their goal against was 37 and only slightly bettered by Schalke 04, who played a very defensive brand of football. The only consistent starter in Jurgen Klopp’s back four was Suba. Few 19 years old are ready to lead a back line in any major European league, but Subotic proved why he is the hottest defensive property in the universe by leading and leading well.

Matthieu Delpierre (Stuttgart)

When Delpierre plays, Stuttgart is a better team. Full stop! This has been true for the past four years, helping them to a cup, a league title and another late season run this year. Last year when he was injured most of the season, Stuttgart struggled. On top of his positioning and reading of the game, he has helped turn Sedar Tasci from a defender that caused one to cringe to a solid center half, who deservedly won his first call-up.

Pedro Geromel (Koln)

Last year’s best defender in Portugal has a case to be this year’s best defender in Germany. And he did it manning a poor back line in front of a dodgy keeper. If Koln keep him this summer, it will be one of the biggest shocks since Wolfsburg won the title.

Andrea Barzagli (Wolfsburg)

No Italian has made such a quick and decisive impact on the Bundesliga since the heady days of 2007/08. Unlike compatriot Zaccardo, Barzagli fit right in with Magath’s system and the league and his leadership at the back gave the the magic triangle time to work out the kinks. Much is lost the further you back on the Wolfsburg tactical lineup, but holder Josue, winger Gentner and keeper Benaglio could have all made this list as well.

Midfielders

David Jarolim (Hamburg SV)

With the loss of Van der Vaart, Manchester City poking massive holes in their center and Alex Silva’s histrionics, Martin Jol was still able to compete on three fronts despite an ever evolving midfield. One of the biggest factors was captain David Jarolim, who led the team, provided the cover for the back after De Jong left and still chipped in offensively with a pair of goals and three assists.

Petit (Koln)

While all three promotion sides survived this campaign, they each did it in a different way. Gladbach were just the best of a bad bunch, Hoffenheim attacked and Koln defended. And in order for Koln to shine with a keeper they weren’t keen to keep behind an inexperienced back line, they needed cover and someone to set the counter. Christoph Daum rebuilt the team around yjr veteran Portuguese holder, with Petit as the engine of the midfield rather than as the guy that just breaks up play. Providing cover along with Pezzoni and launching the attack from deep for the likes of Ehret, Vucicevic and Novakovic, Koln were a tough team all year. They may have had ups and downs, but they were safe very early for a promoted side thanks to the leadership and performance of the Pitbull.

Sejad Salahovic (Hoffenheim)

One of the things we quickly learned about Ralf Ragninck’s side was that he had accumulated a plethora of young talent. Salahovic was the most talented of the lot, providing expertise set pieces and being the wide outlet on Hoffenheim’s blistering counters. Along with Carlos Eduardo, they made a better 1–2 punch than Diego and Ozil until a mid-season team slump.

Zvjezdan Misimovic, Edin Dzeko and Grafite (Wolfsburg)

It wasn’t all defense, but the magic triangle was the difference between Wolfsburg and everyone else. Contributing a total of sixty goals and twenty-nine assists, these three were a steam-roller, crushing teams and putting them on the back foot all year long. Grafite and Dzeko became the first pair in Bundesliga history to score 20 goals from the same side. Dzeko turned out to be one of the best link forwards in Europe, pursued more than a baseball player by Madonna; meanwhile, Grafite was too strong for Bundesliga defenses, bulling his way to the scoring title despite a long absence. And Misimovic was just the best player in the league. It was his control of the pace and pinpoint passing that allowed the forwards the chances. These three were absolutely incredible.

Bench

Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04)

He had 84 saves and 11 clean sheets. And he was injured early in the season and missed 7 matches. And for a team that couldn’t score he had one assist. Neuer’s steady presence (along with his cutting out of young keeper errors) allowed him to overtake Rene Adler as the hot young keeper in Germany.

Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg)

Martin Jol overcame a lot to make it back to the UEFA Cup. He suffered as much injury as anybody. He obviously lost many of his best players in the summer and winter windows. He went too deep in too many competitions. But he survived and can build on his success next year. One reason for that is center half Mathijsen, who made 33 appearances and was the central figure in one of the Bundesliga’s stingiest defenses.

Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04)

He never played a position enough to be given consideration for any one. When asked, he provided excellent work at center-half, fullback, defensive midfielder and as a box-to-box. No matter the position, he played it well. And when Schalke was inept up top, Westermann was their leading scorer, helping to keep Fred Rotten in a job way too long.

Sebastian Kehl (Borussia Dortmund)

The steady presence in the back, he allowed the Kuba/Hajnal pairing to flourish early and late in the season. When he was injured Dortmund suffered their only long term slide. He’s the rock that Dortmund’s squad is built upon and with a few tweaks, Jurgen Klopp can build around him for a Championship run next year.

Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)

As went Ribery, so went FC Bayern. He is the heart and soul of the Bavarian giants. Unfortunately, they rely too heavily upon him and that was part of their problem as he started the season injured and suffered with niggling issues throughout.

Mario Gomez (Stuttgart)

Super Mario is Super Mario. There’s not much more you can say about him, other than awesome. Oh, and please stay!

Artur Wichniarek (Arminia Bieliefeld)

While they came in last, it wasn’t the Polish international’s fault. He scored almost half of Bielefeld’s total goals and may well have kept them up had he not suffered late season injuries. And his 13 goals were scored without the benefit of a partner of any Bundesliga level service. No player was more important to their team than Wichniarek, and we don’t acknowledge those players enough.

We would love to hear your best XI of 2008/09. Please leave a comment!

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: Köln 1–0 Schalke 04

Double Pivot — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:28:03 +0000

Schalke has a superb record against Köln, but manager Christopher Daum has only ever lost twice in seventeen matches against them in the Bundesliga. That form continued today as Köln walked away deserved 1–0 winners against the league leaders.

Indeed, the score line doesn’t do justice to the performance by Köln. They completely outplayed the Royal Blues and bossed them around the pitch. While they allowed the Miners to control play in the first 15 minutes, they quickly realized they could take the game to them, shifting from direct counter-attack to more link-up and possession. This allowed them to command the game. They could have easily had half a dozen goals. The only two faults they had in the entire match were poor decisions in front of goal, which squandered chances to put the game to bed, and dreadful set pieces. Defensively they were organized and solid and only allowed one shot on goal the entire game.

Schalke looked tired and listless, seemingly worn down by the three games in seven days. The passing was off across the entire squad, with Rakatic, Pander and Jones incapable of hitting a target. In fact, Rakatic was so poor, he was subbed at half. Farfan is looking like an expensive flop, 6 ft.6 midfielder Orlando Engelaar was continuously outmuscled off the ball by 5 ft. 8 Petit, and the aging center halves were a mess. The only player to come away looking good for Schalke was young keeper Ralf Fährmann. His six saves kept Schalke within striking distance and is going to continue to be a good problem for Fred Rutten, who now has a fit Manuel Neuer.

The only goal was by defender Youssef Mohamad who scored on a throw in by Wome which five Schalke players watched bounce across the box. Mohamad headed in the loose ball for the winning goal after having, minutes before, headed a corner off the woodwork.

Ratings (out of 10) for Köln

Mondragon (5) Little work but was almost caught by Halil late
Wome (6.5) Great throws
Mohamad (9.5) Great in defense and the goal
Geromel (10) Immense performance, cleaning up everything
Brecko (5.5) Average going forward and allowed some of the few attacks by Schalke
Pezzoni (6) Shadowed Farfan well but was rarely involved
Ehret (8) Good movement and pinned Rafinha back all game
Antar (6) Good defensive performance.
Petit (10++) Just amazing both breaking up play and distributing the ball
Novakovic (7.5) Dangerous up front but made many poor choices
Vucicevic (8) Was everywhere.
Adil Chihi (5) Not convincing in brief appearance
McKenna (NA) Not much time
Radu (NA) Not much time

Boo-urns
Last week Kevin Kuranyi was booed off the pitch by his own fans even though they won against Eintracht. This didn’t seem to have inspired him as he was absent from today’s game with not one chance taken. Some of the blame for Kuranyi’s woeful start has to be placed on Rutten, who leaves him isolated, and his tactics, which see his great aerial ability under utilized.

Pas Petit! Tres Grande!
What a fantastic pickup for Köln. Petit was magnificent to watch in this match. He ran the midfield and broke up attack for the full 90 minutes. At 32, he never stopped running and he didn’t allow those around him to stop either. He milked the clock when he was fouled and set up Novakovic twice with beautiful passes that should have been put away.

In the 76’, he helped get Farfan booked. Farfan tried to place the ball a meter forward on a free kick, which Petit spotted and argued. The referee agreed and placed the ball back. As Petit and the referee turned, Farfan tried to get the meter back and the fans at the RheinEnergieStadion made the infraction know. Myers booked Farfan for this and had it not been for Petit, he would have gotten away with it.

That Other Guy from Superliga
Geromel was considered the best defender in the Portuguese Superliga last year. He was a good buy by Daum in the off-season. Tonight he showed why he was such a good buy. He never allowed Schalke to get close to goal. Anytime the Knappen found their way past the midfield, Geromel was immediately there to break up play. Had it not been for Petit, he would have easily been man of the match. He should probably let Kuranyi out of his back pocket.

So while Petit was the better know signing from Portugal, Geromel is going to be more important going forward as he just turned 23.

Try a Little Imagination
Wome has a hard shot, but he’s not very gifted at free kicks. When you have someone like Diego, you can trust them to score often on free kicks. When Wome is your best option, you should look to be inventive on free kicks. Try freeing a player off the wall or taking the ball wide for a quick inswinger. In the long run, Köln had half a dozen free kicks from dangerous areas and not once did they look dangerous.

Seeing Red
Ernst’s red card and three game suspension have taken the life out of the attack for Rutten’s men. They haven’t scored in the past two games. Today they had a total of four shots, with one on goal, and two of them came in the dying minutes of added time. Their second attempt wasn’t until the 80th minute.

What does this have to do with a defensive midfielder? Everything! Without their ball winner, Schalke are starting from a deeper position when attacking. The extra three or four meters gives defenders time to see the buildup develop and be proactive rather than reactive. Without their hardman, Engelaar has to take up some of the duties, which isn’t his strong suit. He’s better suited to creating from deep. Westermann has had to take on some of the duties as well, which has pinned him back. He is obviously a player you want getting forward more than two or three times a game, like today. Ernst is sorely missed.

die Tabelle lügen nicht! Preview

Double Pivot — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:35:53 +0000

1st

Schalke

What You Know: If baseball’s Chicago Cubs had a baby with the Red Sox prior to 2004, Schalke would be the offspring.

What You Don’t: All things both good and bad must end.

What to Expect: Yes, Campeones! I say that, bucking all trends, and knowing full well that Schalke could be leading the league by 6 points going into the last week and still pull a fubar.

But I look at this team, and quite frankly, it’s just better than Bayern Munich. Rakatic, Farfan and Jones are an amazing attacking three with Zé Roberto, Streit, Varela and PPA (poor people’s Altintop) to provide options. In Engelaar and Ernst they have the perfect double pivot, with Ernst the ball winner and Engelaar the deep-set passer.

Bordon, Westermann and Krstajic? (a fantastic man marker) are bookended by two of the best fullback in the Bundesliga in Olympiad Rafinha and D.J. Christian Pander. Behind them sits Manuel Neuer, who while prone to a young mistake on occasion is brilliant 98% of the time.

And with Kuranyi they have a forward that can hold, distribute, release, find space and finish. They can switch mid-contest to a 4–4-2 and play Farfan with Kuranyi, and Rutten can even call upon Asamoah, Lovenkrands or Sanchez.

So along with the talent, they have new attack-minded trainer Fred Rutten, who has at his disposal the most versatile side in the league. They can move from a 4–2-3–1 to a 4–1-4–1, 4–4-2 or 4–3-3 in one move. If the tactical acumen that we are led to believe exists in Rutten, they will win the league. No blowing it on the last weekend.

2nd

Bayern Munich

What You Know: Jurgen Something. I forget.

What You Don’t: It’s F.C. Bayern. What could you possibly not know about a team that has more press coverage that Lindsay Lohan.

What to Expect: I am alone on this, which will make me either a genius or quickly forgotten, but I don’t think they have what it takes for the Bundesliga this time around. I think the UCL they may well win, but Jurgen hasn’t proven to anyone he can handle a year-long schedule. On top of that, will he see that the team is built for a 4–2-3–1 or will he continue to force, as Ottmar Hitzfeld did, two lone forwards into a dual attacking line. He will be granted amnesty on this choice while his talisman returns from his Euro injury, but he is in for a headache when Ribery returns.

Also putting your faith in a kid at goalkeeper is a big gamble. Rensing could be the bomb. He could also fold under the pressure and demands of Germany’s biggest club. Also does Jurgen have the will-power to keep Lucio from exposing his defense. It was Hitzfeld’s greatest accomplishment last year, but I doubt someone Lucio would call “the kid” is going to keep him from leaving Demichelis wishing he had stayed a DM.

3rd

Wolfsburg

What You Know: Felix Magath won two doubles as manager of Bayern. After a slow start two seasons ago, he took up the position at Wolfsburg, but he has done so as the one true English manager in the Bundesliga. He guided Wolfsburg to 5th place last year.

What You Don’t: He has a Puerto Rican father and thus he’s the most famous person on this list who hasn’t won a Grammy.

What to Expect: Christian Zaccardo and Andrea Barzagli would be a massive signing for any team not in Milan or Turin. The fact that a factory town has two world cup winners should make everyone pay attention. The fact that Magath has taken over and built a young squad with good chemistry and excellent conditioning should scare them. I think this team is going to be in Champions League next year.

With Misomovic already to take the mantle of playmaker, the move of Marcelinho to Flamengo has me even more convinced. Too much went through the aging captain, and that might have been fine when the squad was dodgy, but not with all the talent the have now. They should benefit from an attack that doesn’t have to go through one man.

4th

Bayer Leverkusen

What You Know: I heart Rene Alder

What You Don’t: No court order will keep us apart.

What to Expect: I joke about Rene Adler, but seriously, he is the only keeper in the world who I watch a game just to see his exploits. When he’s on his game, he’s impossible to beat. Add to the best keeper in the world (I mean that), a young talented squad with the likes of Simon Rofles, Tranquillo Barnetta, Gonzalo Castro, Arturo Vidal and Stefan Kiessling. Add to that mix new signings Patrick Helmes, Henrique and Renato Augusto, and they have the makings of a team that will slip in and out of the top three for most of the season.

This biggest question mark for the Werkself is new trainer Bruno Labbadia. If the up and coming manager has the personality to focus this young team and the tactics to win games, there’s no reason they can’t be playing for Champions League this season. I personally think he will be up to the task, but they won’t have enough to get to their traditional spot of #2.

5th

Werder Bremen

What You Know: Diego is off to the Olympics, which sucks for Werder, but has meant that nobody came in with offers for the highly sought after midfielder.

What You Don’t: The Team Motto is “Defense Schmefense”

What to Expect: We know they can score. That’s not an issue. Werder’s problem is always a lack of defense. They are capable of thrashing teams, but are also able to lose focus at home to the likes of Bochum. With Per Mertesacker out for the beginning of the season, Sebastian Prodl will have to step in and partner Naldo in central defense. The problem is that Prodl was most likely brought in to be the understudy for the erratic Naldo. Putting a promising kid with Naldo, when Torsten Frings plays a loose version of a DM, is a recipe for disaster, especially when the keeper Tim Wiese is prone to blunders. Additionally their two fullbacks, Fritz and Pasanen are more attack minded than defense minded. With all of that in mind, Werder’s defense could cause them massive headaches this season.

6th

Hamburg

What You Know: Rafael van der Vaart has left, taking his bad attitude and hot wife with him.

What You Don’t: His teammates aren’t distraught.

What to Expect: Martin Jol’s ability to turn a squad of crap into a good side is being proven on a daily basis as Spurs are stripped of the players that Juande Ramos doesn’t consider good enough. Jol got that squad to two 5th place finishes, by some miracle, over in the Premiership. At Hamburg, Jol actually has a lot more talent than he did at Tottenham. Perhaps he lacks the superstar quality of Dimitar Berbatov, but his midfield, even with the loss of van der Vaart, is better. Piotr Trochowski, Jonathan Pitroipa and Romeo Castelen (when healthy) can open up most defenses while de Jong and Jarolim can lock down a midfield. A solid defense and the most underrated keeper in the league will keep them in most games.

The worry for HSV is the strikeforce of Ivica Olic, Paulo Guerrero and Mohamed Zidan. They haven’t been the most productive strikers and if they can’t finish, HSV will become nil-draw specialists.

7th

Hannover 96

What You Know: Robert Enke is the heir apparent to Jens as Germany’s #1.

What You Don’t: Their nickname is die Rotten, which sounds really cool until you translate it and it becomes “the Reds”. Commies!

What to Expect: Here’s a name you don’t know, but should: Arnold Bruggink. The 31 year old Dutch playmaker has been leading Hannover’s turn of fortunes as they have finished 12th, 11th and 8th since he joined. Overshadowed by the likes of Ribery, Diego, van der Vaart and Marcelinho, he has been one of the most creative forces in Germany since he moved. Surrounded by the likes of Jan Rosenthal, Szabolcs Huszti, Sergio Pinta and Altin Lala, while Hanno Balitsch cleans up behind him, Hannover’s midfield is an obvious strength.

By upgrading the defense in front of the solid Robert Enke by adding Mario Eggimann to replace an aging Michael Tarnat to go along with work-horse Steve Cherundolo as well as Frank Fahrenhorst, Valerien Ismael and Christian Schultz, Dieter Hecking’s side have strengthened significantly in a weak area.

In addition, the two new forwards in Jan Schlaudraff and Mikael Forssell is a huge upgrade on the hot and cold Mike Hanke and should take the impetus off the midfield to provide goals as well as service. Last week I did a “best transfer” list and leaving Jan Schlaudraff off of it will be a huge mistake.

8th

Eintracht Frankfurt

What You Know: Come on. Be honest. You don’t know anything about Frankfurt.

What You Don’t: Friedhelm Funkel, who henceforth will be referred to as da Funkenshizzle, has steadily improved this once yo-yo team and they can contend for Europe.

What to Expect: Da Funkenshizzle has built a team that has an equal measure of youth and experience. But the young guns are where all of the excitement is coming from. Since last January, Frankfurt have added Markus Steinhöfer, Umit Korkmaz, Habib Bellaid and Martin Fenin. All of them are highly regarded youth players. Capturing Fenin was one of the biggest coups by a smaller club in a long time.

If these kids can start to gel with the existing spine that includes holder Junichi Inamoto, captain Amanatidis, the underrated Markus Proll, playmaker Alexander Meier and defender Christoph Spycher; Frankfurt could be more than a mid-table team this year. Add to that the free transfers of veterans Zlatan Bajramovic from Schalke and Nikos Liberopoulos from AEK and da Funkenshizzle has had one of the most impressive off-seasons of any trainer in the Bundesliga.

9th

Stuttgart

What You Know: Jens Lehmann is a douche bag and a crap keeper.

What You Don’t: Knowing that, he’s still a 100 fold improvement over Rafael Schaefer, who might have had one of the worst seasons ever in the Bundesliga. I mean the word awful doesn’t do his performance justice.

What to Expect: Welcome to mid-table mediocrity. The Swabians may have one of the hottest commodities on the planet in Mario Gomez, but while good at developing talent, they have proven themselves to be poor purchasers of talent. Adding a couple of questionable EPL castoffs isn’t reason to believe that they can be any better this year, than they were last year. While Pardo is a great holding mid, he’s getting old. Letting their best player from last year, Fernando Meira, go is not the best way to shore up a defense that doesn’t impress. Bouhlarouz has been a shell of the player he was at Hamburg. While they have been making questionable choices in the market, Schalke, Wolfsburg, Bayern and Bayer have been signing quality. If things go right, like it did two years ago, they could push for a UEFA Cup slot, but I am not confident of this. I think that Armin Veh will be the first trainer to lose his job this campaign.

10th

Hertha Berlin

What You Know: If Marko Pantelic gets hit by a bus, the league has been instructed to drop them to Zweite immediately.

What You Don’t: They are changing their name to Herta Berlinho. They now have five Brazilians. Their fortunes ride on how many of them are “talented” Brazilians.

What to Expect: They are in the UEFA Cup through the Fair Play rule. I’d advise them to avoid red-cards again. This is a team that might be a year away from being the real deal, and if the management gives trainer Lucien Favre time to mold this very young team with a lot of potential, then it could pay dividends by next season. If they put undo pressure on him to deliver the goods, they will surely fire him as Hertha should run hot and cold as the kids gel as a unit. And all the hard work to get rid of the trash (such as Dejegah, Minero and da Prince) and bring in a new core, such as Cicero, Kaka, Domovchiyski, Goyko, Rodnei, Amine Chermiti and Marc Stein, will be for naught. Chermiti signed too late to make my best transfer list, but by all accounts the Tunisian Maradonna is lights-out and this 20 year old kid will make you want to watch Hertha this year.

11th

Borussia Dortmund

What You Know: The first club publicly traded on the German stock exchange, financial mismanagement has seen this powerhouse turn into a laughing stock of German football. Things look set to change.

What You Don’t: With their colors, one might think an official nickname like the Bee’s would be on the cards; however, their official name is Die Schwarzgelben, which goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller does not like one bit.

What to Expect: Jürgen Klopp’s enthusiasm gets even me excited. And I have no specific feelings about Germany’s second biggest team. But I do feel that BVB has turned a corner financially, and have brought in a coach that could take them back to their former glory. This man took Mainz to the Bundesliga and kept them up for three years. That’s a phenomenal achievement.

And who did Klopp bring with him from Mainz? The internationally sought best defender in Zweite last year Neven Subotic. He’s already a vast improvement over the ancient Worms, who showed his age last year. It would seem they hope to make him the cornerstone of their defense with loanee Mats Hummels, if they can make his move from Bayern permanent. That is a juicy sounding U20 pairing. Time will tell how good it can be.

If the keep hold of winger Jakub Blaszczykowski, they have a vastly improved midfield over last season with the additions of playmaker Hajnal and the return of FM legend Nuri Sahin. With Federico, Kehl, Tinga and Marc-André Kruska, they are loaded in the middle. Up front, they have depth with Alexander Frei, Nelson Valdez and Mladen Petric.

I see BVB improving over last year’s performance. Klopp and his young defense will need time to settle, and I hope the management will have as much patience as I am willing to give. They are still in dire need of a decent keeper; otherwise, I would have them higher. By next year, Dortmund fans could be very happy indeed.

12th

Borussia Mönchengladbach

What You Know: Borussia has turned into the biggest yo-yo club in the world. However their new state of the art stadium should provide them with the footing to rebuild their reputation in the coming years.

What You Don’t: How to pronounce their name. Don’t worry…we all fake it.

What to Expect: The only move that mattered in this off-season was holding onto 19 year old phenom Marko Marin. His arrival to the Bundesliga dwarfs any of the big transfers, as everybody wants to see how he performs at the highest level. But Jos Luhukay and Christian Ziege, the training duo, do not preside over a one man team.They have a deep squad with youth and experience. Most of that experience comes in the form of Oliver Neuville, the ageless wonder. He partners Canadian Rob Friend up top and the pair chipped in 33 goals combined last year. The service of Marcel Ndjeng, Sascha Rösler and Marin is top notch and they can be expected to score a few this year as well.

Their biggest concern is their defense, which has significant changes, from the best defense in Zwei last year. If Callsen-Bracker and Juares settle in quickly, they should be fine.

13th

Karlsruhe

What You Know: They were the surprise package of last campaign, flirting with Europe before dragging across the finish line in 11th.

What You Don’t: I want chicken every time I look at their crest.

What to Expect: I think they have what it takes to avoid the sophomore slump. They were unfortunate to lose playmaker Tamás Hajnal to BVB and CB Mario Eggimann to Hannover. Both were integral parts of the team that won the Zweite and did so well last year. However, they shrewdly picked up Antônio da Silva to replace Hajnal as a creator. In addition, they raided Hansa for Tim Sebastian to replace Eggimann. They lost very little in talent, although a bit in cohesion, but it should be enough to keep them up for another year.

They held onto some of the key components of last year’s team, such as Joshua Kennedy, who they picked up in January and immediately started building the team around. It’s no coincidence that their late season dip corresponded to his injury. Markus Miller turned out to be a top notch goalkeeper, and holding onto him is basically the difference between relegation and staying up. Freekick specialist Massimilian Porcello, highly underrated fullback Christian Eichner, the versatile Iashvilli and Michael Mutzel all return to Edmund Becker’s side. While I can’t see them pushing as high as they did last year, they look to be a fixture in the league for years to come with this progressive trainer.

14th

Köln

What You Know: Christoph Daum, the disgraced manager that lost out on a chance to coach the German nationals, has rebuilt his reputation and has pledged himself to the club that first game him a chance after playing. Having won trophies in Turkey and Austria, and being one of the biggest also-rans in Bundesliga history, he has as much pedigree as any manger outside of Magath.

What You Don’t: Three times they have secured promotion recently. Three times they have made a hasty retreat. Also goats seem to be very gigantic in that region.

What to Expect: A team that barely won promotion used its resources wisely to add an international holder in Petit, the Superliga’s best defender in Pedro Geromel and Duisburg’s Ishiaku. The latter unfortunately takes the place of their “chubby” captain Patrick Helmes, who has joined Bayer Leverkusen. Overall they have a solid defensive spine, which kept Karlsruhe up last year. With the Columbian Mondragon in goal the Canuck Kevin McKenna to partner the highly anticipated Geromel, they are looking solid in this area. That alone will make them capable of surviving the year. How their attack survives without Helmes will indicate their ability to move beyond 15th.

15th

TSG Hoffenheim

What You Know: SAP. Yeah that SAP, the world’s largest business software provider. Dietmar Hopp, the former Hoffenheim youth player is one of the founders. He has been the team’s backer since 1990 when they were in the eighth tier of German football.

What You Don’t: Hoffenheim (pop 3K) is a suburb of the tiny town of Sinsheim (pop. 33K), which is essentially a suburb of Camryn Manheim (pop 325K), who hasn’t been able to get work in Hollywood due to her gravitational force. So when people call it the world’s richest village team, they aren’t kidding.

What to Expect: I want them to succeed. I really do. I think it would be one of the best stories in football. I think I am going with my heart when I pick them for 15th, rather than my brain. However, I can point to their phenomenal infrastructure and the new stadium in January as reasons to believe they can survive.

They have not enhanced much over last season’s side. Admittedly, they already had some solid midfield play in Carlos Eduardo and Sejad Salihovic, and the fact that they held onto them might be more important than who they brought in. Mostly it comes down to their strike force of Demba Ba and Chinedu Obasi. Are they good enough for this level? Or will goals be like Camryn’s feet: Not often spotted.

Relegation

Bochum

What You Know: Bochum is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Germany. I typically feel older just watching them.

What You Don’t: If you pronounce the “ch” in the middle of their name as a hard “k” sound rather than a guttural “h” sound, rabid spider monkeys will attack your genitals with a hammer. I’ve seen it happen and it ain’t pretty.

What to Expect: Not good. I know they seem like a mid-table side, but their comfortable position last year had much to do with the under-performance of bigger sides like Nuremburg, BVB and Hertha as well as the large number of poor sides that resided in the bottom half. The newly promoted sides this year are one of the strongest crops in a while. And Dortmund are getting better.When your best players are Stanislav Sestak and Shinji Ono, and you can point to keeping them as being a sign of progress, you are bound for a rough ride.

Arminia Bielefeld

What You Know: The King is dead. We will miss Zuma the Puma (much like he missed the net). Long live the new King: Katongo the Tsunami!

What You Don’t: There is not one Armenian on their squad. What’s up with that?

What to Expect: Trainer Michael Frontzeck is highly experienced in easing a team into the Zweite after doing it with Aachen. His experience should be helpful this year. However, one can never predict with confidence the demise of Arminia, as they will inevitably bring back Ernst Middendorp, who could save them this year.…AGAIN.

Energie Cottbus

What You Know: Their squad wasn’t raided this year by bigger clubs.

What You Don’t: There’s a reason their squad wasn’t raided by bigger clubs.

What to Expect: Hey, if they give us another great match like their home victory over Bayern Munich, it will be a fantastic parting gift before returning to Zweite.