Bundesliga Talk

News and Analysis of the Bundesliga

die Tabelle lügen nicht! (Bundesliga Week 12)

November 14th, 2008 · Comments · 1. FC Köln, 1. FC Nürnberg, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, DSC Arminia Bielefeld, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Bayern München, FC Energie Cottbus, FC Schalke 04, Hamburger SV, Hannover 96, Hertha BSC Berlin, Karlsruher SC, SV Werder Bremen, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Bochum, VfL Wolfsburg

Edin Dzeko Against Cottbus

1. Bayer Leverkusen
The subtitle to their season should be “how we got to the top with a crap defense”. They conceded goals by a misdirect from the wall on a free kick, allowing Tim Sebastian to waltz freely on another and letting 5’9 Iashvilli outjump a defender. If it […]

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Bundesliga Matchday 12 by the Numbers

November 12th, 2008 · Comments · Statistics

1-2-3 - Current ranking of Bochum, Cottbus, and Bielefeld on the “Anti-Fair-Play Table.” Here Bochum has a commanding lead thanks to their 33(!) yellows in 12 games. This trio tops another table as well, but this one’s about “Anti-Results.” All three are currently in the relegation zone. Coincidence? Probably not […]

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die Tabelle lügen nicht! (International Break Edition)

October 15th, 2008 · Comments · 1. FC Köln, 1. FC Nürnberg, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, DSC Arminia Bielefeld, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Bayern München, FC Energie Cottbus, FC Schalke 04, Hamburger SV, Hannover 96, Hertha BSC Berlin, Karlsruher SC, SV Werder Bremen, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Bochum, VfL Wolfsburg

Please click on picture to see all the caricatures of German footballers from Pit Hammanns
Hamburg SV
The Dinosaurs face Schalke in the most intriguing game of the weekend. They have lost three of the last four matches against the Royal Blues at Nordbank. Chances for this weekend’s game don’t seem great with Nigel de […]

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The Eagle Has Landed!

October 9th, 2008 · Comments · Bayer 04 Leverkusen, German National Team

The future is now as Germany are hit by injury to Robert Enke. Not that I wanted any injury to Enke, as I think he is a fantastic keeper and seems like an all around good guy; however, he has broken his hand during the run up to this round of World Cup qualifiers […]

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Week 6 by the Numbers

September 29th, 2008 · Comments · Statistics

0 - Number of wins by Frankfurt, the last remaining winless team
5 - Total number of shots by Gladbach in their 0-1 defeat to Hamburg
7 - Goals scored by Patrick Helmes this season, that’s equal to or more than 8 teams (Hertha, Köln, Hannover, Karlsruhe, Bochum, Cottbus, Frankfurt, and Gladbach)
8.06 - The average number of […]

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The Sync: Bayer 04 v. Hannover 96

September 19th, 2008 · Comments · Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Hannover 96, Tactical Analysis

A hat trick by Patrick Helmes and an unrelenting offense saw Bayer Leverkusen take apart Hannover 96 tonight. The illness and injury riddles Reds, were humiliated by Bayer 04, but also their lack of fight as they seemed disinterested in the proceedings.
Bayer have the most fluid attack in the Bundesliga with […]

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Tactical Analysis: BVB

August 26th, 2008 · Comments · Borussia Dortmund, Tactical Analysis

I have just returned from my summer holidays, where I had a lovely respite from footie. However, here we are with the season two weeks deep and I am behind. But I am afforded the luxury of making my tactical analysis on two games rather than one, which can be useful.
I decided to […]

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die Tabelle lügen nicht! Preview

August 14th, 2008 · Comments · 1. FC Köln, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, DSC Arminia Bielefeld, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Bayern München, FC Energie Cottbus, FC Schalke 04, Hamburger SV, Hannover 96, Hertha BSC Berlin, Karlsruher SC, Relegation, SV Werder Bremen, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Bochum, VfL Wolfsburg

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 […]

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Interview With Raphael Honigstein

August 13th, 2008 · Comments · European Competition, Interviews

The new Bundesliga season is just days away, so Bundesliga Talk writers Mark Moll and Double Pivot decided to interview one of the preeminent writers and authors on the topic of German soccer, Raphael Honigstein.
Many readers may know Honigstein best from his appearances on the Football Weekly Podcast by The Guardian. Here’s the transcript of […]

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The New Gaffer: Introducing Rutten at Schalke 04

July 27th, 2008 · Comments · FC Schalke 04, Gaffers

This week we make the short trip west on the A40 from Dortmund past Bochum to Gelsenkirchen, home to Schalke 04 and their new coach, Fred Rutten. Much like his new Ruhr rival, Jürgen Klopp, Rutten has been a one club man for almost his entire 30-year playing and coaching career, all with FC Twente […]

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