Dortmund lost to 10 men I think. I said that Ade should move overseas and the dickhead turned down a million a month in Qatar to choose West Ham which he didn't get. I need about a month to understand that.
"I often think it would be nice if more appreciation was shown for his efforts for our club. It was his opportunity to have a chance to show he could manage a big club. In my view, he can look back on his time with us as a good spell in his managerial career. Some of the comments on here since he left, have been cheap and disrespectful, but the reality remains that we are nowhere near now where we were when Harry was in charge." The football from 2009 to 2012 in the main was great. And taking Spurs upwards from where BMJ got us. But I will never forgive the man for the disgusting collapse in the final third of the PL. And for that IMHO he reaped what he sowed.
Dortmund's situation is incredible. The team they have is full of star studded talent and are finding it hard to buy a win. From Champions League Final to possible German Championship. They SHOULD pull through and find form, but if they don't there's going to be a **** load of players whom are going to be of the attention of clubs in the summer, imagine the likes of Reus, Hummels, Gundogan, Kagawa, Aubamayeng, Subotic, Schmelzer, Bender all being in a list of relegated players? Crazy.
The situation with Dortmund is very peculiar, but there's been some different theories on why they are doing so badly. Some journalists have suggested that the high line & heavy pressing tactics are starting to wear on the players making them more fatigued in the latter stages of games. Others have said that teams in the Bundesliga have started to sit back against them and soak up the pressure, then hit them on the counter. So it could possibly be down to their predictable, one-dimensional style of play. Additionally, others have also said that the players are disheartened with the fact that Bayern keep taking all the best talent away from everyone and forming a monopoly in the Bundesliga. It must be disheartening seeing players poached from your rivals year after year, ensuring the gulf in quality between Bayern and the rest expands. So the players have lost motivation in the Bundesliga. This could actually hold some weight, considering how well they've done in the Champions League so far despite being bottom of the league. Personally, I think it's a combination of all these factors. The players are clearly underperforming because they have some outstanding players in their side. Regardless of the reasons, they are in deep trouble and they need to sort it out soon otherwise their prized assets will be taken away from them and they will have to completely rebuild their team from scratch.
And whilst Klopp clearly hasn't been able to motivate his players this season, the job he has done overall at Dortmund has been phenomenal. Correct me if I'm wrong, but they were 13th in the Bundesliga the season before he took over. In his first season, they finished 6th & won the DFB Pokal. During his time there, he has helped to identify, develop and purchase some excellent players (some sold for a large profit later on) whilst making Dortmund competitive on all fronts on a wage bill that was half of QPR's last time I had a look. He won back to back league titles, accumulating a record number of points in one of the title winning seasons and got them to a Champions League final. This one terrible season shouldn't deviate from the fact that he has done a remarkable job overall in the time he has been there.
I think this is spot on. I've always said that aside from Leverkusen too few German sides set up to actually stop the opposition but that's been less the case this season. The we attack, you attack style has been put aside by most teams in the big games. It's less attractive but more effective and the sit back and counter always worked well for Leverkusen and occassionally Hoffenheim too. This has caused a loss of confidence and a lack of ideas too. The worse it's got the more futile they've become, it's like they're waiting for a galvinising win to undo all of their problems and I'm not sure one exists. I think they'll lose a lot of players in the summer regardless of how they do between now and the end of the season, they won't be in the CL and the players have already been very patient. I said last summer that I felt it would be best if Klopp took over from Low with the national side, both have struggled this season and I think their sides are desperate for something new.
As with Martinez, it goes to show how fine the margins are in top-flight competitive football, how big an effect group psychology, tactics, luck and momentum can have, and how powerless even the best managers can be at preventing things going pear-shaped.
Don't see much of the German League,but I jump at the chance to watch Real Madrid.Such great football.Don't get the same feeling if I watch Atletico or Barcelona.
Barca could be boring at times but they're a joy to watch at others, they're just all such incredible footballers. Madrid are always entertaining but more in a way that they're either excellent or just batshit crazy, they can be totally undisciplined and I've seen them throw away 3-0 leads as quickly as they earned the lead in the first place.
Benteke? I think he's a very good striker, but he's playing in a fairly average team with an overly negative manager.
Steven Gerrard says Liverpool need to offer new deals to Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson. This is the same Steven Gerrard who let his contract at Liverpool run out so he can line his pockets for a couple of seasons in MLS.
