BAYERN
The defending champs have steamrolled the opposition in the preseason
like never before (they manhandled Hertha BSC 5-1 in the League Cup
Final and also won the Opel Masters against Galatasaray, Real Madrid
and Man United for example) but have been badly stung by the injury
bug once again.
In addition to the already (again) long term injured Élber and
Lizarazu coach Ottmar Hitzfeld found out yesterday that he will be
without playmaker Stefan Effenberg for around 2-3 months because
of an achilles' heel surgery.
Because of that a lot of guys like Tarnat, Wiesinger or Zickler who
normally would only be substitutes can now prove that they also have
the quality to play in Bayern's first eleven. Overall their roster
looks deep enough to once again dominate the domestic competitions
and make it far in Europe.
Tactics : With the departure of Lothar Matthäus to the New York/
New Jersey MetroStars Bayern has abandoned playing with a Libero
and switched to a flat back four in defense thus making their
tactical formation a 4-3-3.
Key Players : Kahn, Effenberg, Élber
Projected Target : The Triple (Champions League, Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal)
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Scholl Élber Paulo Sergio
Jeremies Effenberg Sforza
Lizarazu Kuffour Andersson Salihamidzic
Kahn
|____|
LEVERKUSEN
Leverkusen have lost Émerson, the most outstanding player of the last
season to Roma and set piece specialist and dynamic midfield driving
force Beinlich to Hertha. Replacements were bought in widely unknown
Brasilian midfielder Marquinhos, playmaker "Zecke" Neuendorf who
returned from Hertha BSC and Nigerian anchorman Ojigwe who had been
the most outstanding player in the 2. Liga.
It is expected that the two vacant places in midfield will be taken
by rising Croatian talent Vranjes as well as German international
Ramelow who have both interpreted these roles very well in the past.
Even though it does not look like this Bayer team is a match, even
for injury depleted Bayern, they still have a "deluxe" roster
compared to the rest of the league.
Another runner-up spot combined with a much better showing in Europe
is well within reach for Leverkusen.
Tactics : Bayer will operate with a 3 man backline revolving around
World Class centre back Nowotny. The first choices by his side are
hard-nosed Croatian internationals Kovac and Zivkovic. Because
Leverkusen's style of play is based on possession coach Daum will
most likely play with a 5 man midfield even though with players
like Zé Roberto and Neuville on the wings it basically becomes a
3-3-4.
Key Players : Nowotny, Zé Roberto, Kirsten
Projected Target : Bundesliga Championship
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Rink Kirsten
Zé Roberto Neuville
Ballack
Vranjes Ramelow
Kovac Nowotny Zivkovic
Zuberbühler
|___________|
HAMBURG
The HSV has massively bulked up their roster in the offseason. As much
as 10 new signings have been made, only half of them look like having
a realistic chance of making the first squad right away though. They
are Bosnian playmaker Barbarez, German 'A2' international Maul, Danish
workhorse Tøfting, the highly talented Ketelaer as well as versatile
Czech forward Heinz.
As the Hanseat's aim for another Top Six finish they will have to
digest the challenge of playing in three very demanding competitions
at the same time. Even though Hamburg's roster now contains well over
30 players injuries to key players like keeper Butt or midfielders
Kovac and Cardoso cannot be fully compensated.
This season will be a great test for the club who wants to once again
bring the Deutsche Meisterschaft back to Hamburg within the next three
years.
Tactics : Coach Frank Pagelsdorf will stick to his well-tried 3-3-1-3
which brought him so much success last season.
Key Players : Butt, Cardoso, Kovac
Projected Target : International Competition
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Heinz
Ketelaer Mahdavikia
Cardoso
Präger Groth
Kovac
Panadic Hoogma Hertzsch
Butt
|____|
1860
The Löwen have finally managed to back up their always very good first
leg results with an equally convincing 2nd leg which helped them to a
4th place finish. Few changes have been made to the team, besides a few
backups for defense and attack the most prominent buy is flamboyant
Norwegian international Erik Mykland who has already won over 1860's
fans and who will surely brilliantly complement "Icke" Häßler in
midfield.
Whether or not Munich's Blues will be able to repeat last season's
success remains to be seen. They have got Hertha BSC as a warning
example what can happen to a team which is still relatively 'green'
and in his first season in Europe for a long time (for those of you
who don't know what I mean, Hertha slipped badly in the Bundesliga
last season because of injury woes acquired in the Champions League).
While one can never predict a whole season when I was asked about 60's
chances of making it to Europe once again I'd answer 'rather not'.
Tactics : Same as last season, the season before and all the way back to
1992 : Werner Lorant's teams play with two forwards, a playmaker behind
them, two offensive-minded wingers and 5 defensive-minded players behind
them (normally two defensive midfielders, two man to man markers and a
Libero but this season it looks more like one defensive midfielder and
a flat back four in defense).
Key Players : Häßler, Mykland, Max
Projected Target : A single-digit place in the table
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Max Agostino
Häßler
Tyce Cerny
Mykland
Kurz Zelic Votava Stranzl
Hofmann
|_______|
KAISERSLAUTERN
Kaiserslautern has once again sold playmaker Ciriaco Sforza. The last
time they did so, they got relegated the next season. But this time
they seem to have avoided making the same mistake again by finding in
Murat Yakin not only a countryman of Sforza but also an adequate
replacement.
Additionally coach Otto Rehhagel has brought in Czech internationals
Lokvenc and Gabriel who both had a very impressive Champions League
campaign with Sparta Prague last season to bolster the Red Devils'
attack/defense.
Finally the atmosphere in the locker room cannot possibly be any worse
than last season where everybody was bickering with anybody and few
players were still happy at the club. With a new and positive attitude,
a fast integration of the new signings and a re-discovery of the almost
legendary toughness to beat at home (which was sorely lacking last
season) this FCK looks bound for a Top Six finish.
Tactics : Otto Rehhagel isn't really known for innovative tactics.
He tinkered around a little bit with a flat back four last season
but this idea has been discarded again. Kaiserslautern plays a
'traditional' lineup with two strikers, a playmaker, offensive
wingers, two defensive midfielders and three men in defense.
Key Players : Basler, Djorkaeff, Yakin
Projected Target : International Competition
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Pettersson Lokvenc
Djorkaeff
Reich Basler
Strasser Yakin
Gabriel Schjønberg Ramzy
Koch
|____|
HERTHA
A few minor acquisitions aside Hertha basically has one new signing this
season : BEINLICH ! The vastly underrated Berlin-born midfielder has been
the engine of Bayer Leverkusen for the past three seasons and has racked
up 24 goals and 23 assists during this time. Why he never had a real
shot at the national team still puzzles many experts...
Beinlich will form a partnership in midfield with fellow internationals
Wosz and Deisler as well as Hungary's brilliant workhorse Pal Dardai and
"A2" international Michael Hartmann. This collection is among the very
best in Germany. The defense is very solid as well so the only question
marks remain in attack :
1998/99 Bundesliga topscorer Michael Preetz is in the twilight of his
career at age 33, Iranian Ali Daei has never really settled into the
team and Brasilian club record signing Alex Alves has managed to get
himself banned for six weeks for lashing out on Hamburg's Kovac during
the two team's encounter in the League Cup.
Still the midfield should have enough attacking punch to exonerate the
attack and as the Hertha does not have the grueling Champions League
schedule this season but the 'lighter' UEFA Cup the aimed at Top Four
Finish should definitely be possible.
Tactics : Hertha plays a 3-5-2 with two offensive midfielders and a
flat back three in defense. When the opponent has the ball the wide
midfielders move back as well changing the system into a compact
4-4-2 counterattacking system which is very effective with lots of
fast players (Alex Alves, Hartmann, Wosz, Deisler) in the squad.
Key Players : Király, Beinlich, Dardai
Projected Target : Top Four Finish
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Preetz Alex Alves
Beinlich Wosz
Hartmann Dardai Deisler
Sverrisson Van Burik Rehmer
Király
|______|
WOLFSBURG
Wolves' management has done a good job at strengthening the squad in
needed areas. They picked up seasoned midfield veterans Wagner and
Kühbauer from K'lautern and Real Sociedad respectively as well as
adding unpredictable goalscorer Tomislav Maric who was the topscorer
in the 2. Liga last season with 21 goals.
Still it is kind of hard to see them realise their optimal goal this
season which is the direct qualification for the UEFA Cup i.e. a Top
Six Finish like they spectacularly managed in 1998/99 because even
though the team has once again been strengthened and gelled it has
clearly fallen behind the likes of Bremen or Stuttgart who finished
behind them last season in terms of overall talent.
Tactics : The VfL uses a 3-5-2 formation with a real playmaker
(Munteanu) behind the forwards but without a sweeper in defense.
When the opponent attacks using three strikers coach Wolf wants
to play a flat back four in defense sacrificing either a forward
or a defensive midfielder.
Key Players : Thomsen, Munteanu, Akpoborie
Projected Target : A single-digit place in the table
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Akpoborie Maric
Munteanu
Wagner Kühbauer Nowak Sebescen
Biliskov Thomsen O'Neil
Reitmaier
|_________|
STUTTGART
The VfB has massively impressed in preseason as well as their Intertoto
Cup encounters with Neuchatel, Liege and Auxerre. Not only does the
defense around Brasilian Bordon, Croat Soldo and World Class anchorman
Thiam (who has caught the attention of several Serie A club as well as
Bayern before signing for Dortmund for next season) allow the opponent
very little scoring opportunities, the whole team now seems to have
understood and internalized coach Rangnick's tactical system.
Stuttgart has a (very) young team (in my projected lineup only Balakov
and Soldo are on the wrong side of the 30 and in Timo Hildebrand (21)
they have the youngest 'keeper in the league between the posts) which
is clearly on the rise. Dundee, Seitz, Gerber and Meißner are all 'A2'
internationals for Germany who represent a new and fresh generation of
footballers.
Tactics : Stuttgart plays a 4-4-2 using ball-oriented zone defending.
With Balakov and Lisztes coach Rangnick fields two playmakers who,
when both are playing well, do an excellent job of creating chances
for the 2½ strikers up front (Seitz, new signing from Unterhaching
plays in the role of support striker either on the left or the right
side). Most work is done by Pablo Thiam though who untiringly wins
balls in midfield, distributes them and has even learned to finish
the action himself.
Key Players : Bordon, Thiam, Dundee
Projected Target : International Competition
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Ganea Dundee
Seitz
Balakov Lisztes
Thiam
Gerber Bordon Soldo Meißner
Hildebrand
|__________|
BREMEN
Werder for their tradition did a lot of spending in the offseason :
For the defense, which was the teams' achilles' tendon last season
sports director Allofs brought in Yugoslav international defender
Krstajic and former VfB defender Verlaat from Ajax. For midfield
the team pried away highly talented U-21 captain Fabian Ernst from
Hamburg and as a long-term replacement for playmaker Andy Herzog
they found 20-year-old Croatian youngster Banovic from NK Zagreb.
Werder Bremen guarantees offensive power football. The only
weaknesses the team has *may* be in the centre of defense where
I'm not fully convinced with Verlaat who, at age 32, has become
quite slow but has a rising defender star in Baumann next to him
to cover for possible mistakes. Problems could also revolve around
the many international matches the team has to release key striker
Claudio Pizarro for.
All (negative) speculation aside the team looks even stronger than
last season where it delighted the league with champage football
(I only say SVW 5-0 FCK, SVW 7-2 WOB or SVW 4-1 BER) and was 6th
or better for 20 weeks of the season. So if the team can stay
focussed on the league and not suddenly loses interest again like
last season after reaching the DFB-Pokalfinale plus the key guys
(Rost, Baumann, Herzog, Aílton & Pizarro) stay healthy this may
very well be the year Werder returns among Germany's elite i.e.
finishes Top 4.
Tactics : Werder plays a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 (depends on the situation).
Aílton & Pizarro in attack, Bode (who often moves into a third
forward role as well) & Herzog being the 'providers' with Eilts &
Wicky as 'vacuum cleaners' in front of a flat back four defense
which features very offensive wingbacks who always get involved in
the attack.
Key Players : Baumann, Herzog, Pizarro
Projected Target : International Competition
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Aílton Pizarro
Bode Herzog
Eilts Wicky
Krstajic Verlaat Baumann Frings
Rost
|____|
PART 2 feat. UNTERHACHING, DORTMUND, FREIBURG, FRANKFURT, SCHALKE,
ROSTOCK, KÖLN, BOCHUM and COTTBUS.
UNTERHACHING
Very little has changed in Unterhaching, the tiny suburb just outside
of Munich. The team has remained virtually the same, the only player
who left being 'A2' international winger Jochen Seitz who is now with
Stuttgart.
What will change is the attitude of the opponents towards the SpVgg.
Last season there *may* have been some teams which did not take the
team of coach Köstner 100% serious but after a sensational 10th place
finish (in front of teams like Dortmund or Schalke !) this will change.
Even though there is a saying that "the 2nd year is always the toughest"
I cannot see Unterhaching getting re-relegated this season either simply
because of their simple, basic, down-to-earth brand of football which is
going to continue to pose great problems to "fickle" teams like Schalke,
Stuttgart or Dortmund.
Tactics : Defend well, be patient and then hit the opponent with a well-
timed counter attack.
Key Players : Seifert, Schwarz, Zimmermann
Projected Target : 15th Place
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Zdrilic
Copado
Straube Schwarz Oberleitner Haber
Zimmermann
Seifert Strehmel Grassow
Tremmel
|_______|
DORTMUND
Borussia's last season was a complete and utter mess. The club started
with the goal of competing for the Bundesliga crown and the Champions
League and ended up five points above the relegation ranks. During the
season 3 different coaches (Skibbe, Krauss, Lattek) have been worn out.
Because the club lost Christoph Daum to the DFB former European Player
of the Year and "coach on the pitch" Matthias Sammer has now been handed
the difficult job of rebuilding the 1997 Champions and Intercontinental
Cup Winners'.
The team has remained basically the same with the exception of Jörg
Heinrich who returned to the Yellow & Black after two years with the
Viola as well as "Domenico" Oliseh who is the strong midfielder the
team sorely lacked last season and who joined from the BVB subsidiary
in Torino which already sold them Julio Cesar, Kohler, Reuter, Möller
and Paulo Sousa in the past.
Tactics : This Borussia will sooner or later receive the handwriting
of Matthias Sammer which is "first work hard, then good play will
come from itself". Dortmund will operate with four man in defense,
Stefan Reuter, once he returns from injury, will not play in a flat
back four but as 'traditional' Libero.
In midfield the team relies on the hard work of Heinrich and Oliseh
and looks to be carried by Lars Ricken who *finally* has to get rid
of his reputation as 'eternal talent'. Up front we are most likely
going to see a three man attack around 1995 Bundesliga Topscorer
Fredi Bobic, Nigerian Victor Ikpeba who needs to settle in and the
explosive "Billy" Reina.
Key Players : Heinrich, Ricken, Ikpeba
Projected Target : A single-digit place in the table
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Bobic
Ikpeba Reina
Ricken
Heinrich Oliseh
Dedê Wörns Evanílson
Reuter
Lehmann
|_______|
FREIBURG
Freiburg remains the "talent forge" of the Bundesliga. The club that
has brought forward internationals Heinrich, Todt, Cardoso or Jurcevic
over the years does have a couple of "hot irons" this season again.
I'm thinking of new signings Sebastian Kehl who is a U-21 international
for Germany, Regis Dorn, a French young generation striker who joined
the club from Strasbourg or Ismail Koulibaly, the captain of the Malian
national team.
They join the collection of Georgian internationals Iashvili,
Kobiashvili and Tskitishvili, Swiss U-21 defender Oumar Kondé,
the vastly underrated Boubacar Diarra who IMO is one of the
very best defenders in the Bundesliga as well as outstanding
Tunisian playmaker Zoubaier Baya only to name a few.
The big advantage the "Breisgau Brasilianer" (Breisgau Brazilians,
the nickname the team has earned for their sublime playing style)
will have this year is that even though their players are still
very young (the average age of the team is 24 years) there are
already 14 players on the roster who have the experience of at
least two years of Bundesliga play so they are not inexperienced
anymore.
Tactics : Coach Volker Finke is practicing one of the most modern
systems in the Bundesliga featuring pressing, zone defense and a
very skillful short passing game. This only works because he has
a team at his disposal which does not consist of lazy star players
but hungry younger guys who are willing to work hard in order to
make an impression for bigger clubs.
Key Players : Kehl, Baya, Iashvili
Projected Target : Place 8-15
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Iashvili Koulibaly
Baya
Kobiashvili Kehl Zeyer Willi
Kondé Hermel Diarra
Golz
|____|
FRANKFURT
What can Felix Magath do in his 2nd season with the Eintracht ? In the
past the results of the controversial coach in the 2nd season at his
respective clubs have been mixed : In Hamburg he led the team out of the
relegation zone and into the UEFA Cup before he was overthrown by the
players.
In Nürnberg he led the team out of the relegation zone and into the
Bundesliga before walking out himself because of lack of perspective.
What will happen this time ? "Quälix" has already expressed his
interest to work longer with the Eintracht and has also gotten the
backing of the board which leaves no excuses to his players.
The team has been moderately changed from last season, defensive
alrounder Lösch from Nürnberg, right-sided midfielder Wimmer from
Rapid Vienna and proven goalscorer Ciric from TeBe have been the
most important signings. The club looks ahead to a season in the
Bundesliga where they only want to stabilize and not get relegated.
Tactics : The best players of the Eintracht are all offensive ones.
Because of that we will most likely also see an offensive team as
guys like Guié-Mien or Sobotzik are simply way too talented and
productive to only sit on the bench.
As far as the tactical formation goes Felix Magath will certainly
not reinvent the wheel and stick to the proven 3-5-2. The key roles
are in the hands of Sasa Ciric who will have to carry the main load
in attack, playmaker Horst Heldt and 'keeper Dirk Heinen who once
again will have plenty of opportunity to cover for his sometimes
shaky defense.
Key Players : Heinen, Heldt, Ciric
Projected Target : Place 10-12
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Ciric Salou
Gebhardt Heldt Guié-Mien Sobotzik
Rasiejewski
Lösch Kracht Schur
Heinen
|______|
SCHALKE
Schalke is sitting on a powder keg. After years of mediocrity the team
wanted to attack last season, investing well over DM 40 million (which
is a lot by Bundesliga standards) to get back into the Top Six. But
inconsistent play combined with injury woes saw them slip to 13th in
the table, even behind arch rival Dortmund which had everything but
a good season itself.
So what does the management do ? They sell inspirational playmaker
Marc Wilmots to Bordeaux to piss of his buddy and Schalke's greatest
jewel Emile Mpenza and sign "crybaby" Möller from Dortmund (!) as his
replacement to piss off the fans. Long-time captain Olaf Thon is not
content with the signing of Möller either which could mean the bench
for him.
Coach Huub Stevens who took the team to the sensational UEFA Cup
triumph in 1997 but has done little ever since is the bookies
favourite for first coach to get the sack for the 2nd consecutive
season. First team regulars Nemec and Reck are in the twilight of
their career at 34 and 35 respectively.
Pole Tomasz Hajto is a proven yellow card magnet and own goal scorer.
You see that there are many little things which could add up in the
end. Things better go as expected for Schalke, otherwise this club
could develop a downward spiral which will take them to the 2. Liga
together with their new DM 350 million SchalkeArena which opens next
season...
Tactics : 3-5-2, Waldoch replaces Thon at the heart of a flat three
man defense, the wingers have a lot of defensive duties as well,
Nemec continues to be the "vacuum cleaner" in midfield and Möller
is the "new man in the hole" behind the forwards Mpenza and Sand.
Key Players : Waldoch, Möller, Mpenza
Projected Target : International Competition
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Mpenza Sand
Möller
Böhme Nemec Thon Latal
Van Kerckhoven Waldoch Hajto
Reck
|____|
ROSTOCK
I will tell it like it is : Either Hansa gets their pathetic road
form which has taken them to unspeakable 21 points over the past
two seasons straight or they are going to eventually lose the
"life-long" battle against relegation they have fought ever
since 1995 (with a few exceptions).
What to expect from this Hansa ? With Jakobsson and Rydlewicz
only two new signings are likely to make the 1st team at first.
Jakobsson is a defender (the fourth Swede on the team) who joined
from Helsingborg and is compared to Patrick Andersson in his home
country.
Rydlewicz is a lightning quick journeyman winger (he already played
for 1860 München, Leverkusen and Bielefeld before arriving in Rostock)
who can actually cross the ball as well and who is likely to force
long-time captain Timo Lange out of the lineup.
Additionally further improvements can be expected from highly talented
defender Kai Oswald (I expect him to make the "A2" national team within
the year), Marcus Lantz (will get better as he gets to know the other
players better) and tree-long Nigerian striker Victor Agali who should
break the double-digit scoring barrier for the first time this season.
The decisive factor whether or not Hansa can compete for a single-digit
spot in the table will be the form of talented yet highly inconsistent
playmakers Christian Brand and Matthias Breitkreutz. If they finally
manage to play well for some months and not only weeks in a row Hansa
can look forward to finish around 9-12, otherwise it will be a grueling
relegation battle until the very end yet again.
Tactics : See Schalke, only different players in the same places.
Key Players : Jakobsson, Wibrån, Agali
Projected Target : To be among the Top 15
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Arvidsson Agali
Brand
Lantz Yasser Wibrån Rydlewicz
Oswald Jakobsson Benken
Pieckenhagen
|____________|
KÖLN
The "Eff Zeh" steamrolled the opposition in the 2. Liga last year
and assured promotion 4 rounds before the end of the season. Even
though coach Ewald Lienen had DM 10 million to spend, his team
might face a rocky season.
The problems start in defense : Dirk Lottner, the central piece of
the three man defense is a player like Lazio's Sinisa Mihajlovic :
A cannon of a foot (he scored a team record 14 (!) goals from
midfield last season), deadly on set pieces and even though he
plays in defense he is basically the teams' playmaker but on the
other hand he could become a liability as he was shielded by
Pascal Ojigwe, the outstanding player of the 2. Liga last season
who is now at Leverkusen though.
Still midfield looks to be Köln's strongest point with Czech
international record signing Miroslav Baranek, (former) German
U-21 internationals Voigt, Kreuz and Timm as well as talented
Croat Vukomanovic who has come to the Domstadt on loan from
Girondins de Bordeaux.
The attack could be another achilles' heel : With Bulgarian Georgi
Donkov the team only has one player who has already proven to be
able to score goals in the Bundesliga on a semi-constant basis.
Still D*nk*v as he is called by the FC faithful has the reputation
of missing too many easy chances.
Georgian Archil Arveladze, the twin brother of Ajax' Shota Arveladze
may have scored highly in the Dutch Eredivisie last season but then
there are only 5-6 teams which would qualify as above average in the
Bundesliga. Finally Yugoslav Darko Pivaljevic has been bought from
Antwerp for DM 3 million but somehow he has written inconsistency
all over him as well.
Tactics : Captain Dirk Lottner will interpret the role of the Libero
very offensively, being more of a 'playmaker in the teams' own half'.
Hard-working midfielder Alex Voigt will have to cover up for him
along with Vukomanovic. Coach Lienen hopes that Baranek will be the
'engine' in midfield with talented playmaker Kreuz perhaps turning
provider for the three forwards Arveladze, Pivaljevic and Timm.
Key Players : Lottner, Baranek, Arveladze
Projected Target : Avoiding Relegation
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Pivaljevic
Arveladze Timm
Kreuz
Voigt Baranek Vukomanovic
Keller Lottner Sichone
Pröll
|_____|
BOCHUM
Bochum, one of the two "elevator teams" from the Ruhrpott (the VfL went
down and back up 3 times within the last 7 seasons) resembles a lot of
Freiburg this season. Lots of young players who want to use the VfL as
a starting point for greater challenges combined with a few "old guys"
thrown in for good measure.
The defense is led by a pair of Croatian internationals Milinovic and
Mamic, the latter has even won a Bronze Medal in the Checker Shirt in
France (was only a reserve though) and played in the Champions League
with Bayer Leverkusen. The sidelines are in the hands of German talents
Bemben and Meichelbeck.
The midfield lines itself up around German-Turk Yildiray Bastürk who
is seen as the 2nd coming of former hero Dariusz Wosz by the VfL fans.
With Reis and Schindzielorz he has two strong bodyguards, especially
Schindzielorz, a German U-21 international, being a tireless worker
which earned him the nickname "Sewing Machine" (because of his high
workrate).
Up front Bochum relies on 31-year-old journeyman striker Achim Weber
who has never played in the Bundesliga before but had quite a formidable
year in the 2. Liga last season scoring 19 goals in 31 matches. He is
supported by 'VfL icon' Peter Peschel (with the club since 1988) who
was on the brink of making the national team two years ago and nippy
South African Delron Buckley who can be best described as "Baby Zé
Roberto" on the wings.
Tactics : Coach Ralf Zumdick wants to flexible with his lineup and
orientate it on the opposing eleven. Therefore, depending whether
Bochum is playing at home in the Ruhrstadion or away as well as
against which opponent, we might see a flat back four, a three
man defense, 3, 4 or 5 players in midfield and 1, 2 or 3 strikers
up front.
Key Players : Mamic, Schindzielorz, Buckley
Projected Target : Avoiding Relegation
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Weber
Buckley Peschel
Bastürk
Reis Schindzielorz
Meichelbeck Milinovic Mamic Bemben
Van Duijnhoven
|______________|
COTTBUS
Cottbus basically represents everything that is currently going wrong
in German football. You have got plenty of mediocre foreigners who are
playing in place of the young Germans. But who can blame a club which
has a season budget for the *whole* team which is as high as an above
average player costs these days : DM 31 million...
Energie simply does not have the money to buy and pay the more
expensive German players. Thus they are basically 'forced' to field
a multicultural bunch of players coming from 13 different countries
(Albania, Benin, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Germany,
Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Sweden).
The 'stars' of the team are Rumanian playmaker Vasile Miriuta who was
also badly wanted by Eintracht Frankfurt but who could be convinced
to stay -- he is really the focal point in Energie's midfield.
On the left lane they've got 22-year-old Benin winger Moussa Latoundji
who joined from Metz in 1998 and who is a very dangerous goalscorer and
finally there is Brazilian forward Franklin, formerly of Fluminense,
who is a huge fan favourite in Cottbus and who already had a year of
Bundesliga experience with Leipzig.
Tactics : Coach Eduard "Ede" Geyer who will compete with 60's Werner
Lorant and Eintracht's Felix Magath for the title of toughest and
most entertaining coach of the league will try to copy the success
of Unterhaching i.e. focussing on a solid defense. It seems that he
doesn't have the players to do so though so we might even see some
of the entertaining football Miriuta, Latoundji & Co. are capable
of playing.
Key Players : Mátyus, Miriuta, Franklin
Projected Target : A single-digit place in the table
Projected Ideal Lineup :
Horváth Franklin
Latoundji Miriuta Micevski Reghecampf
Akrapovic
Mátyus Sebõk Beeck
Piplica
|_______|
tim@milanmania.com
http://milanmania.com
http://soccer-europe.com
|
