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judithsupportsteamchampery · 6 years ago

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Why you’ve made my winter!

- by Judith Dombrowski

My personal Team Champéry season review

This is dedicated to figure skater Deniss Vasiljevs, coach and figure skater Stéphane Lambiel and their manager Christopher Trevisan!

My very special thanks to my mother Beate. Without you nothing of this would have been possible. I can say with my whole heart that you are the best mother I ever could have imagined.

Also special thanks to:

Anastasia, Charlie, Estephanía, Jelena, Laia, Maria R., Maria T., Marina, P., Susanne, Szilvia

You all have become amazing and true friends. I love you with my whole heart!

And to everyone else whom I met because of Team Champéry this winter, either personally or via the internet. We are the best fan community I can imagine.

On March 2nd 2019, after I had been able to take THAT picture, that picture thousands of skating fans dream of, that picture I would never ever had imagined to happen, I turned around and thanked both of you: “Thank you so much for everything!“, I said. Then I looked at you, Deniss, and said: “You’ve really made my winter! Thanks!“ You looked flattered and surprised but didn’t respond anything. But you, Stéph, said something like: “Wow, you are really so positive!“ It was the second time you said that that afternoon and I do understand why you said it in this situation: For the two of you it definitely hadn’t been the winter you’ve dreamed of. It must have been a hard winter full of worries, concerns and disappointments. It seemed to surprise you, Stéph, why you’ve made somebody’s winter even though so much seemed to have gone wrong for you.

So I am writing this blog post / article / review to explain to the two of you and to everyone interested, why this sentence was incredibly true. Why I actually couldn’t have thanked you in a more accurate way. Beware, this might gonna be long. I usually fail saying things short and there has been really a lot going on this winter relating to the two of you. I will also miss out some moments because it has just been too much.

When to start? Should it be the moment when we decided to go to Grenoble? The moment I started to be your fan, Deniss? Should I go back to Worlds 2005 when I had my first big crush on that handsome Swiss figure skater? This would turn into a novel so lets start right at the beginning… of… this winter:

October

“Hey, I just wanted to tell you that I am free earlier than expected today. So if you’d like we can meet earlier?“

“I am sorry I fear I won’t be able to come over before 18.30? Hope that’s still alright?“, I replied to a good friend of mine on WhatsApp.

“Haha, yea, sure, thought you have holidays…“

“Well, yea“, … she was a really good friend so I could be honest, “but my Mom doesn’t. She’s only free from 3pm and we’ll have to watch a movie together this afternoon. This is like the only possibility before next weekend. Will explain you later!“

“Okayyyy…!“

It was a Wednesday afternoon in early October during my autumn holidays and I spent the week in South Germany with my mother and tried to meet up with as many old friends as possible. It was also the week before Japan Open, the first time you, Deniss, were supposed to skate your new free program. And it finally had leaked that you would be skating to the soundtrack of the movie “Last Samurai“. So to totally understand the program my mother and I watched the movie together, listened to the music very precisely, discussed about the plot, read and learned about the history of the samurai on Wikipedia.

We liked and appreciated the theme and that music choice right away. As we did with the whole program when it had finally been uploaded. Despite technical difficulties we saw the efforts and the great thoughts behind the choreography of this program right away and were really looking forward to see this program grow and bloom over the season.

It was different with the Short Program. When “Papa was a rolling stone“ was posted first, I listened to the song in the car and it left me quite puzzled… How was that supposed to be the song of a skating program? And those lyrics? Well… I liked the beat and the rhythm of the song from the beginning and I put all my trust in your good taste and I wasn’t going to be disappointed.

The figure skating season was speeding up: The first Grand Prix was coming along together with a small competition called “Minsk Ice Star“ - the warm up contest for you, Deniss. I spent that weekend in the Netherlands where a friend celebrated her birthday. The moment I remember best of these days is myself walking up and down at the beach streaming the free program in bad quality on my phone screaming and jumping up and down at every landed jump. This weekend brought the first fully rotated and landed Quad in competition for you, Deniss, and the first gold medal of the season. For me this weekend made me like and appreciate the short program and I “met“ my “soulmate“ because of this competition:

Until then I hadn’t been too active about figure skating on social media, because most of my followers on Instagram were my real life friends who didn’t care about this sport at all. There was no official livestream of Minsk Ice Star. But I found some Russian girls via Instagram who were in the arena and were so kind to stream the practices and the competition. That’s how I met my today very very good and close friend Maria. We started texting since then, we went through this winter together, kept each other updated all the time and finally went to Innsbruck together. But that happened many moments and stories later.

November

NHK Trophy was after all the only competition this entire season I didn’t manage to follow live. Despite all efforts I didn’t make it home from work in time for the SP, and I also missed the LP the next day because of my tennis practice. I did come home when Shoma Uno was about to start his Free Skate performance but of course he skated deep in the second group. I clicked on “pause“ and scrolled back to start watching the competition from the beginning. There had been a number though in the left upper corner of my screen I couldn’t have avoided seeing: The leading skater at the moment Shoma started to skate had the technical score of 70 points. 70 Points! DAMN! That was…. low. Very low for that moment in the competition. And 70… that was a number you, Deniss, were likely to score. My heart started racing. Could it be possible? If you were the leader at that moment you were… about to win a medal.

“It was hard to see how excited you still were!“, my Mom told me on the phone an hour later when I was full of disappointment. She had been able to watch everything live and knew that it unfortunately hadn’t been you, Deniss, who had scored those 70 points, it had been Matteo Rizzo. I felt really sorry for you, missing that opportunity. “Keep your head up, keep your heart strong…“, I kept listening on repeat during that weekend and I wished you could also hear that motivating song by Ben Howard. The next competition was going to be better. I was sure! And the next competition was: IdF in Grenoble. THE competition. Our competition. Where my mother and I would go to see and support you live. The weekend I had been waiting for since the end of June when the assignments came out. And now it was not even two weeks away…The Sunday after NHK I spent in the kitchen baking my gifts for the two of you: The lion and the ladybug as German gingerbread. I am not the most artistically talented person, and I didn’t honestly expect this project to be successful, especially drawing a lion with chocolate and sugar icing on a piece of cookie seemed like a far too motivated project for me. But I did it, every millimeter drawn with concentration and passion. And succeeded: I had baked a lion and a ladybug gingerbread. The presents were ready, the flags had arrived and got inked, all tickets were printed, we were ready to go.

You probably all remember a weekend or an event you once desperately had been waiting for. And then the moment when it is really happening. So you can probably imagine how I felt: I see myself as if it was yesterday walking from the parking lot in Mainz to the station where I had to take the train to Frankfurt airport, feeling like I was flying: It was real, yes, it was. I was on my way to Grenoble, I had everything prepared, I had gotten the extra day off at school, I had the gifts and the banners in my bag, I had your program music in my ears, I was so so ready for it!

I had high expectations for this weekend just as you probably had as well, Deniss. Unfortunately yours weren’t totally fulfilled again especially in the long program. Mine instead were outreached by far:

That moment, when I saw the two of you live right ahead of me in practice. The moment you really nailed your SP, how I was screaming and celebrating of relief. The moment I was able to give you the gifts after the second practice. The moment when you walked around proudly showing my baked lion to other fans. All those moments of wonderful and magical performances by your fellow skaters, all those people I had been admiring in front of the TV screen for years: Evgenia Medvedeva, Rika Kihira, Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, Nathan Chen, Jason Brown and Dimitri Aliev just to name a few…

And that moment, Saturday 24th of November, 6 pm during the Ice Dance medal ceremony when I checked on my emails and my heart skipped for sure more than one beat: Email by Christopher Trevisan: “Sorry for the short notice, if you are still interested you can have a fan meeting with Deniss tomorrow morning either at 10 or 11 o’clock. Let me know if you are still interested.“ If I was interested? Hell, YES. But: Our bus to the airport was booked tomorrow at 10 o’clock from the main station in Grenoble. Our flight home was leaving Lyon at 2 pm. I was in shock, excited and concerned at the same time. It was hard to think straight.

I will never forget the night from November 24th to November 25th in my entire life. So many insecurities: When exactly? Where? Who will come? How will we get home? Take the train instead of flying? Take a taxi to the airport? Skip the whole fan meeting myself?

Charlie, my mother and I were sitting together until far after midnight without having any solutions. The three of us mainly discussed the question: Where? There was no nice café that had opened Sunday morning just around the corner…

We noticed that the only space we had available on this short notice were our own hotel rooms. Probably our entire hotel woke up by us laughing loudly about the joke: “Imagine, when I come home, I will be able to say: There was Stéphane Lambiel… in my hotel room!“ We weren’t sure back then if you’d accompany Deniss, Stéph.

Sometime during the night after sleeping for a few hours I was able to calm down and think more straight again. I checked the Lufthansa App and found out that it was actually possible to change our booking to a flight that flew to Frankfurt four hours later than our original one. I got the idea to ask in our hotel if there was a possibility to hold the meeting in a free conference room or another silent place. It was all coming together. We got a space in our hotel, we had people who messaged they would come to the meeting, we had the time to sit down and think about some questions that I wanted to ask you, Deniss. You came, you had quite some time, you were incredibly nice and the two of us got more and more relaxed while the interview / meeting went on and I had the feeling that I could continue talking with you forever. You are such an interesting, intelligent, nice, humble and funny person. Before Grenoble I had liked you mostly because of your beautiful and amazing skating, after Grenoble I knew where this was coming from. Before Grenoble I had been amazed by you, after Grenoble I was totally enchanted.

December

I was on endorphins for the next weeks straight. That weekend had been far better and beyond all my expectations.

But at the same time I was afraid: Was it ever going to be that perfect again? Should I maybe keep this one perfect weekend as one magic memory and not let it get destroyed maybe by disappointments coming in the near future? Would I maybe expect too much from future events? I told around: “That weekend was perfect. I will not go again this season. Next season again!“

What a luck I hadn’t been able to resist. Because my heart, longing to see the two of you again, won over my anxious head.

Christmas time came, I followed the Grand Prix Final together with my Mom, we got up in the middle of the night to cheer for Koshiro, we were worried when you, Deniss, withdrew from a competition in Zagreb, were relieved when it was announced that it wasn’t an injury. And we decided that it was finally about time to see you skate live as well, Stéph! So we ordered our tickets for Art on Ice in Davos in February. And with booking those tickets my plan not to go anymore this season had already faded away. I spent hours on the internet searching for possibilities to make it to Minsk for the European Championships. Meanwhile I knew many fans via social media and almost all of them were about to be in Minsk to support you, Deniss. I wanted to be part of it really badly. As a teacher though it is hard to get days off apart from the public holidays. Flights for the weekend only costed a fortune. It seemed impossible. My frustration grew. I am a person who fights really hard if she really wants something and usually tries everything to make it happen.

January

New years eve came along, together with a very nice and enthusiastic video of the two of you: “We hope to see you in Bellinzona for Music on Ice!“, you said, Stéph. And after countless times watching this lovely video and a sleepless and crazy night from the 1st to the 2nd of January my decision was made: Instead of the impossible mission going to Minsk, I would to go to Music on Ice in Bellinzona. I was going to take a train from my hometown Osnabrück in the Northwest of Germany on Friday afternoon to Stuttgart in the South of Germany. The next morning I was going to take the earliest train to continue traveling all the way to Switzerland where I would arrive in Bellinzona on January 12th at 11 am. I would go to the show on Saturday night and early Sunday morning I was going to take the train back, 10 hours all the way up to Osnabrück where I would arrive at 6 pm, ready to go back to school on Monday morning. But going to the show wasn’t the only plan I had. With help of the amazing Jelena from Daugavpils who runs the official Fan Club on Facebook we activated fans from all over the world to send me pictures with good luck wishes for you for Europeans. I was overwhelmed by the positive responses on the project. I received exactly 50 pictures, most of them amazingly creative.

When I entered the train on Friday afternoon, January 11th 2019, I felt the company of all those 50 people. I was nervous because I hadn’t heard of Chris yet, whom I had messaged with the idea of the project and had asked for an opportunity to give you the album personally.

But the sun was shining, I had motivating music in my ears, the train was riding further and further South and I felt the support of all of my friends and of my mom, who unfortunately couldn’t accompany me this weekend, so the nervousness turned into major excitement.

In Bellinzona I also wasn’t alone at all: I teamed up with two friends that I had both met in Grenoble. After our arrival we checked out the ice rink and sat down on a bench nearby the arena. The girls went through your album, Deniss, when suddenly my phone vibrated and I saw the message: Christopher Trevisan had written: “Hey Judith, can you be at the rink at 15.00?”

Have you ever been waiting for a message to come in for five consecutive days? Do you know that feeling that whenever you get a message you have that slight hope inside you that it could be the one you are waiting for and you get disappointed over and over again? And then the releasing moment comes? And you know my temper, right? Then you can maybe imagine how I screamed and jumped up and down when seeing that message. Did you maybe even hear that scream from somewhere far away that afternoon? Quite possible since Bellinzona isn’t that big and my joy was… LOUD! My two friends shared my joy and enthusiasm but not as loud. We had an “appointment”! I messaged all of my good friends right away: “Appointment at 3 pm!” I was so happy and excited. I carried the hopes and wishes of 50 people in my bag and now I knew I wouldn’t disappoint them.

That moment on the bench had only been the beginning of a day that again turned out so much better than all my expectations:

Hearing you say: “So nice to see you again!”, and being really thankful for the book. Being able to watch all three hours of show rehearsal, including the two of you practicing throw jumps. Recording an successfully landed throw jump for all my friends and many other fans. Seeing you, Stéph, skate live for the first time in my life. You, that man that had carried me through my teenage years with all your wonderful programs. Finally seeing you perform in person was magical. Seeing that wonderful and touching duet of the two of you. I had tears of joy in my eyes. And that moment after the show when you, Deniss, were walking beneath us and you turned around and came back thanking me for the album: “Thanks for the book. It’s fantastic!” These six words meant so much to me and to all those who had participated. My heart was full of joy and my body full of dancing endorphins again. It didn’t matter at all that the train ride the next day didn’t last ten but twelve hours. I was the happiest and luckiest girl on the planet.

Thanks to my amazing two girls who were my company during these crazy 21 hours I have spent in Bellinzona. Wouldn’t have been the same without those two and we do have an appointment at our “Appointment Bench” next year.

Still… after the Bellinzona - Fun it was getting serious! Europeans were on their way and it felt like the most important competition for you this season, Deniss. The season hadn’t gone as planed yet for sure… plus: Skating really well there would give you the chance to medal. Even though I had been in Bellinzona it was really hard for me to follow the action in Minsk from home. But that week showed me what great friends I had got to know because of you, Deniss. Those girls, who kept me updated the entire week, and never forgot about me were my personal heros. Some special mentions: Jelena, who waved at me through the TV stream during the Ladies Short program. That was so hilarious and made my day. Szilvia, whom I would have loved to share that horrible hostel with. Maybe with the two of us that place would have been less spooky? And thanks to her for sending birthday wishes to my mom during the live stream of your fan meeting, Stéph. Marina, for telling me the “they-only-want-me”- story right after it had happened and for asking Brian Joubert about his inspiration for the tiger jacket. And my amazing girl Maria. Thanks for just everything. I felt with her and like her at every moment during the entire week. I shared her excitement, her fears, worries, tears and joy. And I am proud and thankful to all of the girls who organized both fan meetings and streamed it for us at home. You’ve got the most amazing fans, I really hope you know that both.

Deniss? We all know you gave your best! You wanted it so much and we know you actually are able to do everything you had planed. That makes the outcome of this competition so sad. Thanks for keeping your smile for us fans, thanks for still performing amazingly. Thanks for that intense gala-program. “Iron“ is now one of my personal top 5 programs of all times.

And Stéph? Your week must have been nerve-wracking and cruel. Thanks for being there for your students, giving them strength and confidence. Thanks for trying everything you could to support Deniss and Emmi and still staying that nice and friendly to us fans. The pressure must have been immense. Maria summed it up so perfectly as an Instagram caption, so I will quote her here: “Thanks for being in the world!”

February

During Euros you were so nice to confirm that Team Champéry would keep its tradition and would come to the Cup of Tyrol in Innsbruck, Stéph. The planing for us attending and supporting you at that event started the moment Europeans were over. That Sunday still after watching the Gala my mother and I booked the last available cheap apartment in the city centre of Innsbruck. All February long we were busy planing that trip but hadn’t there been another appointment in February? My second 10 hour long train ride was scheduled from February 15th to February 17th. Osnabrück - Davos and back. Art on Ice was about to happen. I imagined that trip to maybe be a little less exciting. I expected to watch the show, see you perform two wonderful programs and was also looking forward to see James Blunt live again after more than 10 years. Back in 2006 James Blunts concert had been the first concert I had ever visited, so it was going to be a bit nostalgic… But… probably no surprise anymore: Also this trip turned out to be so much better than expected.

The afternoon in Davos was beautiful already, the sun was shining brightly and we had an amazing walk through the snowy landscape. We managed to sneak in to watch the practice again and: I got the opportunity to talk to you, Stéph. It was short and since totally unexpected I also didn’t really know what to say but it was extremely special for me. And I could take a selfie with you. A picture I had wanted to have ever since my teenage years. I am not the type of person who collects pictures with celebrities. I think asking for a picture is such an unreal and awkward situation. But I really longed for that picture with you, Stéph. With the guy I used to tell all of my friends about, who all didn’t know you, because figure skating is not too popular in Germany. With the guy I had admired ever since my teenage years. With the guy that is in my opinion the most passionate and elegant skater ever. With the guy that touched me to tears and overwhelmed my emotions when skating to the song Goodbye my Lover some hours later. With the guy who gave his second last performance at Art on Ice ever that night.

I read your post about quitting Art on Ice when my train had almost reached Osnabrück again. I felt incredibly sad and incredibly blessed at the same time: I had still been able to see your magic. Art on Ice will miss you incredibly, Stéph. But you surely made the right decision for yourself and we as fans will support you and keep loving you no matter what projects will come for you in the future.

I had two more weeks until the crazy road trip to Innsbruck was about to happen but well… there was one weekend in between. And I found the perfect place to go for that weekend: Barcelona, Spain.

You have already heard some names of great people I got to know because of you two, but I haven’t told you about Laia yet what is a shame because, Deniss, you would certainly like Laia as much as I like her: She’s an artist, she draws amazingly. She’s a baker and an excellent cook. She’s a bit of a philosopher. She is a big Star Wars fan. She’s incredibly funny and sarcastic but at the same time a bit shy and introverted. And she is a big fan of the two of you. Even though you know the story how Laia and I met already, Deniss, I think it’s worth telling it here again: Laia was also at the Grand Prix in Grenoble. I didn’t know her back then. And we also didn’t meet at the event itself. But she was the girl who took the picture of you holding my baked gingerbread lion. I discovered that picture on Instagram some weeks later. We started to chat, and we chatted even more. I talked with her for hours because, Deniss, in many ways she seems like a female version of you.

So at that last weekend in February I took a plane to Barcelona to finally meet her in person. She showed me some skating tricks on the ice and I showed her that the mediterranean sea is not too cold to swim in in February. She introduced me to traditional Catalan food and I brought her some Swiss Chocolate I had bought in Davos.

And she gave me the most precious gift I ever received from anyone: An amazing drawing of you, Deniss, skating to “Iron“. You have seen it in Innsbruck yourself and I am quite sure you will remember it.

So that weekend was another amazing experience thanks to the two of you.

March

“Good morning everyone”, I told my Instagram followers totally excited at the morning of February 28th, “my last big journey of the figure skating season is about to start. I will drive to work first and then I will drive from my school via Frankfurt airport and Munich airport all the way to Innsbruck. It will be a really long journey but I will pick up some amazing girls on the way. And I actually can’t wait to see Deniss and Stéph tomorrow.”

The Cup of Tyrol in Innsbruck was the smallest event I visited this season but it highlighted up everything that had happened before. At the beginning of the season my mom and I had been alone. The trip to Innsbruck ended with seven good friends from five different countries sitting together in a small apartment, laughing and celebrating you, ourselves and life.

Marina had flown to Frankfurt from Kyiv and Szilvia from Budapest. Maria had come from Chelyabinsk, Russia, to Munich. I met both, Marina and Maria for the first time in real life and that alone was really special. Suddenly sitting with those three girls together in my small car, singing along to Britney Spears songs was unreal and amazing enough. But of course we were here to support you, Deniss.

All three of you, Chris included, seemed quite surprised to see us around. Cup of Tyrol was such a small competition. Why should anyone go there? Well, we were and we weren’t the only ones, even though probably the loudest ones. Here are again some very special moments picked from many special moments:

Imitating your car karaoke to Britney’s Toxic on our way to Innsbruck with Marina and Szilvia.

Stepping out of our apartment early Friday morning in Innsbruck and seeing this city in all of its beauty: The river, the colorful houses and the mountains in the beautiful morning sun.

Watching you skate a nice and clean short program after some struggles during practice.

Chris laughing loudly about our designed shirt for you, Deniss: “I am not coaching Stéph!” Do you wear it from time to time? If you don’t I am sure Chris would…

Giving you my self knitted hat in Latvia colors.

Showing you Laias drawing and you complimenting her amazing “shade work”.

You, Stéph, telling us that we were just about to hang up our “Team Champéry banner” mirror converted. Oh dear…

Suffering with every quad attempt. Cheering for every jump that seemed “okay” somehow- especially for underrotated quads…sorry Stéph, but that’s what fans are there for.

Crying with Matilda after her Free Program. It was hard to see this but those moments belong to the sport just as tears of joy at another time. Please, Stéph, tell Matilda, that she is a very beautiful skater. She is very graceful and a joy to watch on the ice and we all hope to see her shining on the ice sometime again.

Calling ourselves to be the “Crazy Rabbit Crew” after constantly eating carrots and joking about what to throw on the ice. Carrots, maybe?

Watching your little extra show on the ice after you won the title, Deniss.

Joking with you, Stéph about our petition to bring Britney Spears to Art on Ice.

And for me, personally, receiving the compliment from you, Stéph, of being such a positive person. I am aware that you, the first time you said it, thought that my positivity was even a bit too much when we discussed the success of your Quad attempts, Deniss, but when we all said goodbye I had the honest feeling that you liked me, Stéph. And that means more than a lot to me!

And of course THAT picture. Yes, again a celebrity picture. But what a special one. Standing in the middle of both of you. In the middle of the two people who made my winter. You didn’t understand it back then, right?

I am sure you understand it now!

Of course Innsbruck hadn’t been the end of the season yet: Worlds were yet to come. Far away in Japan. The competition where you wanted to show everyone what you actually could do. In the country that you love so much and where your season had started. The country on which history your free program was built. The Last Samurai. The last dance of the season. It was a hard week for us as fans because it was obviously a hard week for your whole team. I watched the Short Program locked into the music room of my school during our break. Afterwards I had to teach a Music lesson, singing cheerful and happy songs with eight year olds. It was tough. But I can hardly imagine how tough it was for you.

The free program was a huge fight. After everything you had gone through that week, it was even an incredible fight. The score still wasn’t probably what you had dreamed of neither the placement in the end.

But you can be incredibly proud of that fight, Deniss. This whole season was surely a hard learning process. It was a season without a single competition you were completely happy with. After all the hard work you put in every single day it must be horribly frustrating. I got to know you though as a person who is thinking thoroughly about everything. And I got to know you as a person who is able to see this season as a learning process for the future. You never stopped performing no matter what happened to the jumps. All three programs this year were incredibly well choreographed and performed even better. And during that hard and rocky road you made so many people incredibly happy.

Stéph, this winter was surely also a hard one for you. One of the reasons why I like you that much is that you, just as I do myself, put your whole heart and passion into everything you do. I could feel your pain when things didn’t turn out as you wanted them to go for your skaters. It must be so hard to just watch and not being able to actually do something in those moments. I do imagine those intense emotions you had during your last Art on Ice shows. Thanks so much for sharing some of these moments with us.

And equally I want to thank you, Chris: Thank you so much for being there for the whole team whenever you are needed. Thanks for staying calm, positive and objective throughout the season. Thanks for sometimes probably being the connection between the two artists. I am sure it hasn’t always been easy. Thanks for the great cooperation with us fans. You are doing an amazing job in every way.

You as a team managed to go through this season together and I hope with my whole heart that it brought you even closer together. Success, failure, joy and sorrow are so close together in this sport. The future seasons will bring all of that again. And I am looking forward to laugh, cry and celebrate with you again next winter and hopefully many more winters. Until then I will spend time with some of the amazing people I met on the road. Next weekend Szilvia and I will visit Marina in Kyiv. It will be another amazing trip. You are about to make my spring, too!

#teamchampery #denissvasiljevs #Stephane Lambiel #figure skating #fanreview #teamchampéry #stéphane lambiel #figureskater #figureskatingfan

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worldcupofhotness · 7 years ago

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Meet the Team: JAPAN!

Now that squads have been announced, we can look more closely into the hotness of the individual teams. I mean, that’s what we’re here for, right? For each team, I’ll talk a bit about the squad, then highlight ten hotties.

Today: JAPAN!

We’ve made it through all 32 teams now, and are ending on a hot note: the Blue Samurai of Japan. Blessed with a mixture of youth and experience, and a new coach that has helped restore team unity, Japan look pretty good this year. How far can go; for how long can they please our eyes?

Team Nickname: Blue Samurai Fan chant: Vamos Nippon!

Goalkeepers:

Eiji Kawashima, #1 (home club: Metz)

Masaaki Higashiguchi, #12 (home club: Gamba Osaka)

Kosuke Nakamura, #23 (home club: Kashiwa Reysol)

Defenders:

Naomichi Ueda, #2 (home club: Kashima Antlers)

Gen Shoji, #3 (home club: Kashima Antlers)

Yuto Nagatomo, #5 (home club: Galatasaray)

Hiroki Sakai, #19 (home club: Marseille)

Wataru Endo, #6 (home club: Urawa Reds)

Tomoaki Makino, #20 (home club: Urawa Reds)

Gotoku Sakai, #21 (home club: Hamburg)

Maya Yoshida, #22 (home club: Southampton)

Midfielders:

Gaku Shibasaki, #7 (home club: Getafe)

Genki Haraguchi, #8 (home club: Fortuna Dusseldorf)

Takashi Usami, #11 (home club: Fortuna Dusseldorf)

Takashi Inui, #14 (home club: Eibar)

Hotaru Yamaguchi, #16 (home club: Cerezo Osaka)

Keisuke Honda, #4 (home club: Pachuca)

Shinji Kagawa, #10 (home club: Borussia Dortmund)

Makoto Hasebe, #17 (home club: Eintracht Frankfurt)

Ryota Oshima, #18 (home club: Kawasaki Frontale)

Forwards

Shinji Okazaki, #9 (home club: Leicester)

Yuya Osako, #15 (home club: Werder Bremen)

Yoshinori Muto, #13 (home club: Mainz)

#World Cup 2018 #world cup of hotness #group h #japan #kosuke nakamura #wataru endo #tomoaki makino #gotoku sakai #maya yoshida #shinji kagawa #makoto hasebe #ryota oshima #yoshinori muto #keisuke honda

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apricotstone47 · 7 years ago

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Wontorra Interview with Erik Durm complete

W: Welcome to the Unitymedia digitaltalk. Today with BVB-star Erik Durm. We are very happy that he is here with us today, [turns to Erik] because you were inured for a long time and you had your comeback to the squad this weekend. First question: How are you feeling and what was it like to be back in the squad ?

E:I'm feeling fine and of course I was very happy to be back in the squad. Sadly this was my third long-term injury ,so its even nicer to be finally back again. This counts for me but as well for my family and friends they are all happy that I'm back again. (unimportant stuff) W: As I said, 140 days are a very long time. How did you deal with that, not able to do anything. How did you tackle this challenge and how did you distract yourself or maybe even work off ? E: Well it is more work off than distract myself. But as I said this was my third time and I wanted to be out of Dortmund, so I went to Munich for my reha and that was really good for me. Both physically and mentally. My family and friends often visited me and I was in regular exchange with our other injured players. It was helpful for everyone of us to share their “Misery” with the others. So it was good. W: Now that you are back: What are your personal targets for 2018 ? E: I think I’m saying this ,every year but I want to stay healthy and without any injuries... with everything else I will see what comes. And it would be of course cool if we would reach the Euroleague final. But, and that is something I’ve learned in the past three years: the health is the most important thing. W: Sunday Dortmund played 0-0 against Wolfsburg. It was your first game on the bench. How would you evaluate this match ? E: Yeah... both teams had their problem entering the match. But nethertheless we played forward and we had two to three very good chances. We can live with that point, especially because the other teams played a little bit for us as well. Now it is our turn to beat Berlin on friday and take the three points hime, and then we are good in the table.

W: During your injurytime a lot of things have changed here in Dortmund. Peter Stöger, thats how the new coach is called. Now that you have trained under him and collected first impressions... what is your feeling about him ? E: He is a very pleasant, good coach. He have a lot of fun in the training right now, and I think that is good for all of us. But I want to say that Peter Bosz was also a very nice guy and a very good coach. But sadly it didn’t worked out very well at the end, for whatever reason. - Therefore we are happy that we have Peter Stöger now. By now I can’t tell much about him, for obvious reasons, but I know that it makes a lot of fun to train on the pitch with him. W: The next tasks for the team are Berlin away and then Freiburg at home. What are the targets the team set themselves for this matches ? E: Of course we want to win both of the games to get 6 points, so we can take back the second position behind Bayern again. Thats our big goal and I believe that we have the squad to make this. Especially because more and more injured players are coming back. I’m positiv that we can make this. W: Dortmund’s new player, Manuel Akanji, what is he like ? Did you meet yet ? E: He is a very calm guy, like everybody from Switzerland I think. He is nice, a good boy and the two trainings we had together, he trained well. He seems to be down to earth. That is all I can tell by now. W: During our talks the first questions arrived from the fans. Lets talk a bit about you. What do you like to do here in Dortmund ? E: Oh.. privat... ehm... the obvious stuff... doing much with friends, like playing a small billiard-tournament, I like to stay at home, to relax and to watch a bit netflix. Nothing spectacular. W: Its a big discussion topic, that former football players had a bit more freedom. Because todays players are under more pressure, people expect more from them, in sport way. What are you thinking of this ? E: I believe so. Football got even more professional in recent years, and I am saying this with the hope that i wont hurt anybody. [Nobby Dickel enters the conversation and says to Erik: “ Well now i listen very carefully Erik”] - Yes Nobby, well I think we today are a bit more professional than you back then. [Nobby: I dont believe so] And thats why I think, an I#m speaking for me and my team, we don't really need this going out and drinking and partying. [Nobby: But It ca help sometimes ? To get your head free or to calm down when you are a bit angry?] Yes maybe but for me.... I have to be honest I dont like it.. and I am happy about this. [Nobby: Maybe we two should go out some day ?] W: So if you cant tell us something about the clubs and pubs here in Dortmund, because your are not familiar with then, you can tell us something about the atmosphere in this stadium. We all now, the atmosphere here is unique. The fans want to know how you experience this on the pitch. E:Of course we can hear the fans when we are playing. I mean you are sometimes in like a tunnel, when you have the ball on your foot or when you into the game but i hear them when I run to the side line for a throw in. Or I hear them when the match is paused for a bit. I still get goosebumps, especially when I look at the Südtribüne. It was also a good feeling being back on the bench, and experience this again. - I think for a football player there is nothing more beautiful then coming in our stadium, going onto this pitch. And of course it is even more beautiful if you are able to play for this team. And get the support. W: What were your three Top-Moments here in the Signal Iduna Park ? E: (thinks for a longtime) For me, of course the match were I scored my first Bundesliga goal against Hertha BSC Berlin. To be honest i was a bit shocked that I’ve scored that goal, I wasn't prepared for this and strangely enough I ran away from the Süd.. I ran towards Schmelle because I didn't know where to go and what to do..... And the other two ....Derby wins.Because of the atmosphere....Any my first championsleague home match against Marseille. W: This are really special moment. Now we have the first fan question. Who is your [football] idol ? [laughs] And there is Nobby Dickel waving. But you can be honest Erik. E: After Nobby... my first idol was Luis Figo when I was a little boy... W: [interrupts] Excuse me but I have to tell a personal story here. I met him once in a holiday. He was in the same hotel and I was so excited that i went to him like a groupie and asked for a picture with him.He is really such a big player.... E: I would have done it like this too..... I think. But like I said as a kid i idolized him because he was so good at Real Madrid and I think that was my first jersey wich my dad has bought me. A Real Madrid Figo jersey. Furthermore I was a big FC Kaiserslautern fan back then and of course Miro Klose was a hero for me.. that why it was so special for me to play the world cup with him. Those two..... and Nobby... those three are my big idols W: You brought up the World Cup, maybe you could look back and tell us how you experienced this summer ? E: I still didn't processed all the experiences I`ve made, there was no time for this. It was such an extreme year. I was retrained from striker to right back and right wing, had my first championsleague game, like I told earlier, a year later I was able to go to Brazil and we won there and became World Champions. For me, my family and for my friends it was something like the highlight of a carrier. Many things changed after that. I was world cup winner and everybody knew it, so they measured me on this. It wasn’t easy for me. Also because this year Dortmund didn't play well. I think we were on place 18 back then... again an extreme. It wasn't easy to deal with this positiv and negativ extremes. W: Now in 2018 we have a World cup again. What do you think ? How possible is it for the german national team to become world champion again ?

E: I think we are one of the top-favorites. We have really good players and I believe it will become hard for Löw to pick the right players for Russia. Germany is a tournament team and thats why I think that we are top favorites alongside France and Spain. W: What would be your dream final ?

E: Difficult.... Germany against France with a happy end for us.

W: Who is the best player you’ve ever played with ?

E: First of all I play with so many really really good players together. Though I have to say that Ousmane Dembélé was really special with his technique, speed and his understanding of the game. So I think he is the best Player I’ve ever played with. He made things in training, where I felt.. yeah.. a bit stupid to be honest when I was his opponent. Because he is so good... W: A really nice story. Why BVB and not FSV ?

E: I assume with FSV they mean Mainz. Mainz was my youth club. I was in the A-youth.. and the Coach and the Vice Coach from Wolfsburg, which we played on the weekend, were my first coaches in Mainz. Mainz wanted to keep me back then, but they had a few problems with the headquarters and we couldn't reach the same level, and then Dortmund contacted me. As Kloppo went trough the door, shook my hand and told me that there is also a chance for me playing Bundesliga in Dortmund, I knew that I wanted to play for Dortmund. W: You said you shot your first Bundesliga goal agains Berlin. Maybe you can score your next goal against Hertha next weekend ? Would be a good time. E: Yes the time would be good, but first I have to get in the squad. This is the most important thing for me. The coach has good options and we have a lot of fit players. I will be happy If I’m in the squad and its important for us to take the three points back home. W:And to stay healthy. Thank you very much Erik for this open talk

#Borussia Dortmund #erik durm

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profjoelblog · 4 years ago

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‘I thought Tuchel had lost his marbles’ – Methods of 'special' new Chelsea boss saluted by Mainz coach Svensson

‘I thought Tuchel had lost his marbles’ – Methods of ‘special’ new Chelsea boss saluted by Mainz coach Svensson

The current boss of the German’s old club has previously played under a highly-rated coach and considers him to have qualities that few others possess Thomas Tuchel is a “special coach”, says Bo Svensson, although the Mainz manager concedes that he thought the new Chelsea boss had once “lost his marbles” during a memorable meeting with Bayern Munich. The highly-rated German has just opened up a…

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thisdaynews · 4 years ago

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BREAKING:Chelsea Announce Thomas Tuchel As New Manager.

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/breakingchelsea-announce-thomas-tuchel-as-new-manager/

BREAKING:Chelsea Announce Thomas Tuchel As New Manager.

Thomas Tuchel has been appointed as the new Chelsea Head Coach. He moves to Stamford Bridge following a two-and-a-half year spell at French champions Paris Saint-Germain, which came to an end last month. He will be the first German to manage Chelsea and arrives having guided PSG to four major honours and the Champions League final during his time in the French capital.

Prior to that, he spent seven seasons coaching in the Bundesliga, first with Mainz, where he led them into the Europa League, and then a successful period with Borussia Dortmund where he won the German Cup.

At Chelsea, he will be reunited with Christian Pulisic and Thiago Silva who he coached during his spells in Dortmund and Paris respectively.

Tuchel, who has signed an 18-month contract with the possibility of an extension, said: ‘I would like to thank Chelsea FC for their confidence in me and my staff.

‘We all have the greatest respect for Frank Lampard’s work and the legacy he created at Chelsea. At the same time, I cannot wait to meet my new team and compete in the most exciting league in football. I am grateful to now be part of the Chelsea family – it feels amazing!’

Director Marina Granovskaia added: ‘It is never easy to change Head Coach in the middle of the season but we are very happy to secure one of Europe’s best coaches in Thomas Tuchel. There is still much to play for and much to achieve, this season and beyond. We welcome Thomas to the Club.’

Tuchel will take his first training session this evening and will be in the dugout for tomorrow’s Premier League game against Wolves.

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bigyack-com · 5 years ago

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Dortmund legend remembers Klopp and the importance of being earnest - football

Midnight, somewhere in Asia. Roman Weidenfeller and his Borussia Dortmund teammates have got off a long flight and into their hotel when coach Juergen Klopp says, “we will go for a run now.”“We thought he was joking, but run we did,” says Weidenfeller, who played 349 games for Borussia Dortmund in a 16-season career, half of which --- 2008-15 --- overlapped with Klopp as coach.“We would also go for runs at 6:30am; train three times a day,” Weidenfeller, a club ambassador, tells journalists at a city hotel abutting the Salt Lake stadium.“The first time he put us through such a schedule, we were, f****d. Then we understood. Soon, with the results coming in, we were inspired to do more,” says Weidenfeller, a 2014 World Cup winning squad member.Football for Klopp means being aggressive in front and at the back, says Weidenfeller. “With the biggest teams, he would pull them to our level,” says Weidenfeller, lifting his arms above the conference room table and bringing them down.“And then we fight, and then we win. Of course, Barcelona is better than Borussia Dortmund but Klopp will say, no, no…bring Barcelona to our level and then we will play.”Under Klopp, Dortmund were Bundesliga champions in 2010-11 and 2011-12, won the DFB Pokal (2011-12), the DFB Super Cup (2013) and were runners-up in the 2012-13 Champions League. “The second time we won Bundesliga, we were 10 points behind Bayern at the winter break and everybody said, ‘this year we don’t have a chance.’ He said, ‘take it easy’. ‘We have done our job, we have our tactics and if we can play strong, we have a chance,” says Weidenfeller, 39. Crucial to that campaign was an 86th minute penalty saved by Weidenfeller, off Bayern’s Arjen Robben. “I caught it directly. I was not a penalty killer and remember my father saying, ‘hey can you keep out one high-level penalty.’ And I did.” Weidenfeller played 32 of the 34 Bundesliga games in 2011-12 and was captain of the team the previous season when Sebastian Kehl was injured. “He (Klopp) is like a machine on the pitch and in the dressing room. He is a very strong (tough) coach but is also very human. Everytime you talk to him, he meets you with open ears. With him, it was like a family,” says Weidenfeller.Suresh Letchmanan, in Dortmund’s delegation here to explore chances of holding a legends’ game this year, says: “He remembers the smallest guy at the club.” Weidenfeller adds: “You can fight (argue) with him on the pitch. Next day you talk to him and he doesn’t bring up what happened the day earlier.”Klopp joined Liverpool in 2015 and Weidenfeller says the move happened at the right time. “He builds things stone by stone (brick by brick) and makes a big club.“When he came to us from Mainz, he was not that experienced. He learnt in Dortmund and is learning more at Liverpool. Now he is better at technique and tactics and prefers to keep the ball like (Pep) Guardiola.”Borussia Dortmund haven’t scaled the heights Klopp took them to but the trend of recruiting and then polishing young players continues. “We have some experience there and that is an area we are interested in working in India,” says Letchmanan.Erling Braut Haland is the latest in a list that has Lars Ricken, Mario Goetze, Marcel Schmelzer, Jadon Sancho, Christian Pulisic, Ilkay Guendogan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele.Weidenfeller says Dembele’s move to Barcelona wasn’t well-timed. “Sometimes it gets complicated with managers (agents) who smell money…smell a situation where they can put a player from great club to world class club. Dembele hasn’t used his chance at Barcelona. Sometimes, it is better to stay two more years at Dortmund or a smaller club and then go to a bigger club.”Having spent most of his international career as understudy to Jens Lehmann and Manuel Neuer, Weidenfeller knows what it is to be Marc Andre ter-Stegen. “Now, Neuer is the best but ter-Stegen is the future.”Germany coach Joachim Loew telling Weidenfeller he deserved to play more helped him deal with getting five international caps. None of them came at the 2014 World Cup but the goalkeeper says winning it was the best moment of his career.“Germany have always had good keepers. But I played for a big club and I hope, I did good,” he says. Read the full article

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bundeslihaha · 7 years ago

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Chapter 11: Under the Spotlight

The Media Days have started! Join the Bundesliga boys and girls as they prepare for the part of the season they wished they could skip!

Whoever’s documenting us, SV Darmstadt 98 thought as she reread the address on her phone, must be lazy as fuck…

Somehow, she wasn’t surprised at her vocabulary – hanging out (well, arguing) with Karlsruhe, Kaiserslautern and Braunschweig would do that to anyone…

Hmm, speaking of those three, it was unfortunate for such big clubs with rich history to not get promoted, wasn’t it? But naaaah, Darmstadt grinned mischievously. She was definitely looking forward to filling the next page of her football fairytale!

FC Ingolstadt 04 looked up at his coach slowly. “Papa?” he called, tugging the sleeve of Ralph Hasenhüttl’s shirt.

“Yes, Ingolstadt?” Papa asked. His face looked sooo bored, but Ingolstadt knew anyone would be, like really! It seemed like they’d been on this train for years! “Papa, are we there yet?” he whined, secretly hoping that asking would make the trip faster.

“Not yet, Ingolstadt,” Papa replied, messing his hair. “No, Papa, don’t do that!” he protested, swatting his large hand off his head, “I’m not a kid anymore!” He was already eleven years old, okay? He didn’t need a Papa. He wanted to live alone like RB Leipzig, to do whatever and whenever he wanted! Why did the bosses still force him to live with a “father figure”? He’s a personification, not a normal kid! Why should he go to a boring school? Why should he be watched while eating? Everyone knew he hated vegetables! Why?!

“Ingolstadt,” Papa said, touching his cheek instead, “I’m sorry, okay? You know I like your hair when it’s neatly trimmed like this.” He chuckled a little. Ingolstadt pouted. “Of course you like it, Papa, you trimmed it yourself!” the boy playfully punched his caretaker, “Why can’t I have long hair like Bochum?”

“Bochum?” Papa asked, raising an eyebrow, “His hair is awful. Especially with that hairclip.”

The little Bavarian groaned. “But- but I want my hair to touch my shoulders! It’s so cool, Papa!” He patted Papa’s shoulder for good measure, but all he got was an unconvinced glare. “Fine,” he grumbled, “at least I can grow bangs? Like Karlsruhe?”

Papa’s eyes were unfocused. Maybe he was picturing his (old, haha!) bully, with his shaggy brown hair.

“He looks like he doesn’t have a comb,” Papa finally said. Ingolstadt decided to change tactics. In a second, he was staring at his coach with dark eyes as big as saucers, causing Hasenhüttl to wince and changed the topic himself. “Anyway, are you excited for the Media Days?”

Ingolstadt’s face brightened that instant. “Of course, Papa! I can’t wait to meet the others!” He was jumping on his seat now, earning him annoyed looks from other passengers. “Especially Bayern. She’s so… so badass!”

When Ingolstadt realized what he’d just said, his hands comically flew to cover his mouth. “Sorry, Papa,” he squeaked.

Now, Ralph Hasenhüttl couldn’t bring himself to be harsh to the spoiled, irritating boy that was the physical embodiment of FC Ingolstadt, but he couldn’t the child grow up with no manners, either.

“Ingolstadt,” Hasenhüttl said, a patronizing hand on the 11-year-old’s shoulder, “what did I tell you about bad words?”

The personification sighed, head hung in shame. “I must not say them, Papa,”

“Good,” the manager nodded. Let’s all pray the first division clubs wouldn’t undo everything he’d taught his ‘son’…

Elsewhere…

As usual, Europe-bound clubs gather on a corner of whatever meeting place they were in (in this case, studio), FC Augsburg looking out of place.

The UEL club was sandwiched between 25-time-German champions, FC Bayern München, and her chaser, VfL Wolfsburg, his lean body a stark contrast from the fanservice muscles of the two. It didn’t trouble Augsburg much, though. What troubled him was how… casually the six other clubs spoke of trebles, Spanish giants and the like, and though he was an expert at poker faces, intimidation froze him in place.

“Earth to Augsburg,” Bayern called with a hard pat on his back, “you still there?”

He blinked before meeting her gaze. “Yeah.”

“Don’t be so shy, mate,” Gladbach added, flashing the ginger a toothy grin. “It’s my first time in Champions League, too. Ish."

“But you’ve been in Europa,” Augsburg said matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, but you’ll make it!” Dortmund cheered from opposite his seat, a fist punching the air. “Sure, I’ll be your rival later on, but I’m rooting for you! You’re too good to go down…” He trailed off. Must be remembering Freiburg, Augsburg mused, feeling a pang of sympathy for the relegated club and the friend she’d left behind. Would he have to sacrifice Europe for domestic survival, like she had?

“Tch. No one’s ‘too good’ to go down,” Gladbach spat as if forcing everyone to recall his recent brushes with relegation.

“But I think you’ll do well, FCA,” Schalke piped up, a grudging note in his deep voice. “You’re more consistent than Lüdenscheid over here,” he poked his fellow Ruhr club right on his ‘BVB 09, Echte Liebe’ tattoo.

“Oh, shut up, Scheiße,” Dortmund snapped, “just because you consistently suck, doesn’t mean you can bully those who don’t.” A sneer twisted Die Schwarzgelben’s handsome face, practically begging the Royal Blues to punch it. And so, Schalke did.

“Ouch,” Gladbach snickered. That was one hell of a punch. Leverkusen hid his snicker behind his hands.

“You…” Dortmund growled, rubbing his aching nose.

With Schalke sneering back, they left the group for a more physical Revierderby.

A chuckle escaped Bayern at her enemies’ antics. “Oi, Augsburg!” she called again. The ginger beside her responded with a ‘hmm’. “How does it feel to watch the two up close?”

Wolfsburg and the Rhine boys stared hard at the younger Bavarian, trying to coax an answer out of the stoic man.

“Funny?” Augsburg answered, with a tone that made it sound like a question. Wolfsburg laughed. “You don’t sound like you mean it!”

The Fuggerstädter shrugged. “I guess I’m used to it.” He really was used to seeing clubs fight. Nürnberg and Fürth's drunken Oktoberfest brawls weren't much different from the Ruhr Valley rivals', really. He hoped he could be used to being in the company of these giants, too…

There were confident people, and then there was Hamburger SV.

Six-time German champion, playoff specialist (Fürth and Karlsruhe could stay in 2. Bundesliga forever, he didn’t care) and especially beater of “oh-so-great” Gladbach, Augsburg and Bayern was entering the studio with a swagger unseen in him before.

Unfortunately, his swag didn't impressed anyone, except if you count Hannover’s friendly ‘hi’ as an expression of awe. Even worse, Mainz and Frankfurt didn’t even try to hide their laughter (or in the case of Hoffenheim, his derisive remarks). Ugh. He should find Werder lest he died of boredom here. He opened his mouth to ask his boyfriend where the shit is, but when he saw Hertha’s suspicious glances, an imaginary light bulb appeared over his head.

“Yo, Karlsruhe’s whore!”

At her death glare, he couldn’t help but think: This photoshoot won’t be so boring after all.

“Welcome to the Bundesliga!” Eintracht Frankfurt exclaimed, snaking a hand around Darmstadt's shoulders with a less-than-friendly laugh. At the physical contact, she tensed, but took it in stride a moment later. “Thank you, Frankfurt. How are you?”

“Great,” the Eagles replied. “And you, Darmstadt?”

She looked up at him with a beam. “Never better!”

“How can you not?” Frankfurt’s hearty laugh rang in the hallway, “really, I can congratulate you all day.” There was a strangely comfortable silence as they walked inside the studio. “Anyway,” the taller man continued, “Ready for the derby?” Challenge sparkled in his red eyes, dangerous yet inviting.

“Of course,” Darmstadt accepted, her blue eyes echoing his. “And I’m gonna win them all!”

If there was one thing every club preferred their archenemy over, that thing would be a makeover.

Bayern was insisting “Hertha’s kind of makeup” didn’t suit her, demanding the poor makeup artist to 'fix her up' the way she did the male personifications.

Stuttgart had had his dark brown dye forcefully removed, leaving his hair very, very blond. “It will bring out your eyes,” the makeup artist had said, his green eyes glinting with evil.

Even Hertha almost cried when they said she had to take off her bow (a parting gift from her lover years ago) despite accepting her new, layered hairstyle.

So when 1. FC Köln came in to a horde of dissatisfied clubs, he feared for himself as he took his seat on the torture chair.

“Hi, Köln,” his makeup artist, a young woman whose build reminded him of Nuernberg. “Don’t be afraid, ‘kay?”

“Uh…” Köln said, “do I have to take this off?” He indicated at the thin hair tie holding his ponytail.

“Of course,” she smirked.

And then, the torture began.

“Afternoon, everyone!”

Seventeen Bundesliga clubs gathered in the middle of the spacious studio, prepped and pumped for the so-called ‘BL Media Days’. Or for it to be over, but that didn’t really matter. A DFL official welcomed them in their headquarters. The greetings/bullshit was followed by Darmstadt’s introduction, and of course: “But most importantly, have fun!”

The first photoshoot was standard – they’d be photographed head to waist with hands on their hips, a plain white wall their background.

To make things simpler, the officials would call the impatient personifications in alphabetical order, because of which, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg decided to treat themselves (and the others, on the officials’ insistence) lunch.

“FC Augsburg!” came the first call, and true to his no-nonsense personality, it only took him a minute or two, even with the touch-ups.

“Bayer 04 Leverkusen!”

The Retortenclub rolled his eyes. “Later, okay” he told Bayern, who gave him a thumb up in reply. As a true PR man, Leverkusen stepped up to the stage with confidence, a charming smile set to melt fangirls and fanboys’ hearts on his face.

“Hello, cutie,” the makeup artist teased, applying a dash of bronzer on Leverkusen’s cheek. He responded accordingly – with a wink and “Hello to you too!”

Then crash! The door to the studio slammed open, causing almost everyone to jump in surprise, and came in Ralph Hasenhüttl, red-faced and panting as he helped his charge up from his face-down fall. “We… apologize for our lateness,” the coach said. Beside him, FC Ingolstadt 04 stood with a broken nose and tearful eyes. A laugh could be heard from his fellow Aufsteiger, but she disguised it as a cough before Hasenhüttl could do anything.

“No problem, Sir!” one of the officials said amicably. After a grateful nod from the manager (and a three-minute chiding to Germany’s youngest club), he left. “Use Darmstadt’s phone to call me when I’m done, okay?”

Darmstadt’s fists clenched - she couldn’t make a bad impression in front of the Bundesligists, but everyone was laughing at her! Not to mention Inge’s annoying ‘okay, Papa! See you later!’

Like she hadn’t had enough of that squirt in the second division…

Desperate to stop the laughter directed at him, the club nicknamed Die Schanzer turned to face his new ‘friends’. “Hi, guys!” he shouted, waving his hands in the air. “I’m FC Ingolstadt! And you?” He jumped to a bench where two clubs, one in green and the other blue, sat. “What’s your name?”

The guy in green stood up, and damn he was huge! Ingolstadt had to stand on his toes just to see his beard! Fortunately, he could see his arms, his legs, and woah he had so much hair… how cool! I wish I had a body like that, the little boy thought, hand almost touching his muscular calf… almost… almost…

“Wolfsburg,” the huge man answered, snatching Ingolstadt’s hand to shake it. “And this is Hoffenheim,” he gestured to the man in blue, who was black-haired, blue-eyed and sulking.

(The introductions, unnecessary as they were, continued, much to the officials’ annoyance – to make it worse, everyone was either too amused or too mesmerized by the pint-sized Bavarian’s “cuteness” to stop him.

Seven minutes and thirty-one seconds later – “THANK GOD!” one of the officials whooped – Ingolstadt had made himself known to every club but Die Werkself, who had just finished posing for the cameras.)

When Leverkusen stepped off the stage with another stranger’s (well, at least she wasn’t a Scheißbock fan) phone number, a red-haired boy – promoted Ingolstadt, Leverkusen read his club crest – approached him, confusion narrowing his dark eyes.

“What’s wrong, Ingolstadt?” he asked, letting his persona do the job.

“I’m confused, Sir,” the boy replied, scratching his head with a pudgy finger. “This thing is for… personifications only, right?”

He’s more stupid than I thought, Leverkusen made a mental groan, but outwardly, he kneeled to the Audi-backed club’s eye level, his hands on his small shoulders. “Yes, it is,” he said, his voice as soft as the gaze he sent the Bavarian, “you may be young, Ingolstadt dear… but you are one of us.”

To Leverkusen’s surprise, Ingolstadt didn’t jump up and down with renewed self-esteem, but gave him a blank stare instead. “’Us’? Who are you?!” the boy shrieked, as if Leverkusen was some kind of intruder. He resisted the urge to kick the newbie in the groin by offering him a hand to shake. “Bayer Leverkusen,” he introduced himself, grinning eye-to-eye, “nice to meet you!”

“You’re Bayer Leverkusen?!” the boy echoed, dumbstruck as he squinted at the cross and lions on his chest. “I thought… I thought you were a player!”

He could hear Gladbach and Köln’s too-loud whispers of ‘The guy looks like Kießling and he doesn't even admit it'.

"Fuck you," Leverkusen muttered, turning on his heel to leave the baby boy. He'd give those two assholes a lesson... but first, he needed a plastic surgery.

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torentialtribute · 5 years ago

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Bundesliga weekend preview: Bayern Munich search for a first win at Schalke

The Bundesliga season has started well and truly after an entertaining first round of competitions last weekend, with Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig among the big winners.

The Black and Yellows want to follow their flogging of Augsburg with a new promoted Cologne, while Bayern Munich are still hunting for a first win of the season when they visit Schalke.

Here, Sportsmail advises every game on match day two while the Bundesliga comes alive.

Bayern Munich did not defeat Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga curtain-raiser

They have lent Philippe Coutinho and Brazilian insists on a first performance

v driving day

FC Keulen against Borussia Dortmund – 7.30 p.m., BT Sport 1

There were opposing fortunes on the opening day for two teams expecting to fight against the other side of the table this season

Borussia Dortmund, after beating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Supercup, Augsberg beat 5-1 with Paco Alcacer netting twice and Jadon Sancho who led the show.

Newly promoted Cologne, however, were disappointing in a 2-1 defeat in Wolfsburg, making the new coach Achim Beierlorzer still looking for a win in the first division.

The hosts have a high-quality rear guard, but Germany's international left back Jonas Hector will have to cut off his work against Sancho, while goalkeeper Timo Horn and mid-back Jorge Mere must be at the top of their game.

In the front, Anthony Modeste and Simon Terodde have fired Cologne for promotion and the latter has already opened its league against Wolfsburg.

For a fully fit Dortmund this is an excellent opportunity to continue Bayern Munich drops the points first and Julian Brandt insists on a first start after a goalscameo from the bank last week.

Borussia Dortmund missed two points last season and is in good shape "class =" blkBorder img-share "/>

Borussia Dortmund has the title last season with two points missed in excellent form

Saturday

Mainz v Borussia Monchengladbach – 2:30 pm ]

The meeting between Mainz and Mönchengladbach shows the fingerprints of Jurgen Klopp.

Both managers played in Mainz & # 39; s promotion-winning campaign in 2004 and even after Liverpool boss knew Sandro Schwarz (Mainz) and Marco Rose (Mönchengladbach) would be qualified in the dugout.

Mainz was heavily defeated in Freiburg in week one, while Monchengladbach had to settle for a point at home for Schalke, but expects to see a hint of Klopp & # 39; s style in both teams in a fascinating tactical duel.

Marco Rose (L) of Monchengladbach and Mainz & Sandz Schwarz are the protections of Jurgen Klopp

Augsburg v Union Berlin – 2:30 p.m.

Both Augsburg and Union Berlin are a difficult start to their season last week, with 5-1 for Borussia Dortmund and 4-0 respectively or RB Leipzig. every week, and hosting newly promoted Union Berlin can offer an almost ideal opportunity to bounce back immediately.

Also Union Berlin, during their first season ever in the top flight, faced a daunting challenge on the opening day, but they showed enough in attack last season to suggest that they could transfer that form to the top flight.

They will also be supported by a large 2500 traveling contingent before the game, with coach Urs Fischer admitting that it is good for all of us that the first game is over & # 39 ;.

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Union Berlin fans pay tribute to their Bundlesiga debut and will travel in numbers to Augsburg

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Dusseldorf v Bayer Leverkusen – 2:30 p.m.

A new star is already emerging for Dusseldorf in Düsseldorf in young American keeper Zack Steffen, who impressed to help his side with Werder Bremen.

Th at the back is vital against Rhineland-neighbors Bayer Leverkusen, who compete to be the best of the rest behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Their offensive brilliance was evident with the much sought-after starlet Kai Havertz on goal along with Leon Bailey and Kevin Volland, but Paderborn benefited from a weak backline with two first half goals.

Düsseldorf will also be encouraged by new contracts for first-team stars Andre Hoffmann and Matthias Zimmerman, while Chelsea loan midfielder Lewis Baker insists on a start.

Bayer Leverkusen will hope to hold starlet Kai Havertz

Paderborn v Freiburg – 2.30 p.m.

Two teams likely to fight at the wrong end of the table hope that Freiburg can build the flattering 13th place of last season.

A 3-0 demolition of Mainz was a promising start that they can confidently build on against the newboys.

The unlikely promotion of Paderborn has brought them as many favorite people for an immediate return.

A 3-2 loss at Bayer Leverkusen is probably not a fair measure of what the rest of the season has in store and coach Steffen Baumgart wants to get points on the board as quickly as possible.

Freiburg opened their Bundesliga season with a 3-0 defeat of Mainz

Hoffenheim v Werder Bremen – 2.30 pm

A defeat at home in Düsseldorf was an unwelcome start for Werder Bremen because they wanted to improve the eighth place of last season.

Bad news is that Milot Raschica and Ludwig Augustinsson are injured, but Omer Toprak and Niklas Fullkrug are in line to return.

Hoffenheim also suffered a loss in Frankfurt and in addition to Bremen, also missed out on European football last season after ninth place.

They hope that the post-Julian Nagelsmann did not cause too many difficulties, but with many team changes to contend with, new boss Alfred Schreuder knows that defeating Werder would be a long way to calm all nerves .

Hoffenheim still adapts to life after his influential boss Julian Nagelsmann left [194590013]

Schalke v Bayern Munich – 5.30 pm, BT Sport 3

Bayern Munich gets a second chance at a good start when they travel to Gelsenkirchen on Saturday afternoon after a 2-2 draw from Hertha Berlin in the curtain raiser.

Ivan Perisic available, possibly from the start, but Philippe Coutinho is still building his condition after being loaned from Barcelona. The team is also without Jerome Boateng, Fiete Arp and Leon Goretzka due to injuries and illness.

David Wagner is still looking for a first league win as a Schalke boss after drawing with Borussia Monchengladbach and will hope to take advantage of the exhausted Bayern side to cause another shock.

Bayern Munich could be his debut hand over a new loan for the trip to Schalke

Sunday

RB Leipzig v Eintracht Frankfurt – 2.30 pm, BT Sport 1

RB Leipzig sounds an ominous warning to the Bundesliga frontrunners with an informal dismantling of Union Berlin, and thanks to some smart recruiting and new boss Julian Nagelsmann, they will be sure that they will charge a title.

Young British stars Ademola Lookman and Ethan Ampadu both hope for their first appearances of the season

Frankfurt enters a Europa League qualifying match against Strasbourg, but wants to build on the momentum that has been built up in recent years.

They defeated Hoffenheim & # 39; s first time-out and are doing so well without last season's star performers Luka Jovic and Sebastian Haller – while �� 10.8 million summer hit Martin Hinterreger in the first minute Hoffenheim.

RB Leipzig focuses on a title in this season the Bundesliga title after a nice victory on the opening day

Hertha Berlin v Wolfsburg – 17:00, BT Sport 1

A fight in Bayern Munich last week, when it was expected that they would turn into a processional victory for the reigning champion, Hertha will fill Berlin with great confidence for Wolfsburg's visit.

More relevant, a debut target for £ 18 million signing of Dodi Lukebakio was an encouraging sign and they need the winger to keep hitting the net to make upward progress this season.

Wolfsburg was one of the seven teams that claimed maximum points in their first game, thanks to Max Arnold and Wout Weghorst at home in Cologne.

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chestnutpost · 6 years ago

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Tuchel's moment of truth as PSG manager

4:14 PM ET

Sometimes Thomas Tuchel concentrates so hard that he can’t see a person standing a yard beside him. He must feel like that this week.

On Tuesday, the giant, obsessive manager sends his weakened, Neymar-less Paris Saint-Germain side out against a resurgent Manchester United. If PSG wins, the club remains on track for its last remaining obsession and, frankly, almost the sole point of its existence these days: its first-ever Champions League trophy. (So dominant is Paris at home that nobody is excited about its impending sixth French league title in seven seasons.)

Off the field, Tuchel has another objective: getting his nemesis, Antero Henrique, replaced as PSG’s sporting director by his soulmate, Arsene Wenger. This is the German’s chance to establish himself as the long-term guide of a giant club rather than just the latest of PSG’s seemingly temporary coaches.

Like Wenger, Tuchel reached the top solely on drive and brainpower. He, too, was a modestly talented defender whose true passion was coaching. After injury ended his playing career at third-division Ulm, aged just 24, he coached youth teams at Stuttgart, Augsburg and Mainz, graduating from a coaching course with sky-high grades. After Mainz suddenly offered him a job coaching the first team — the first time he had ever coached adults at any level — he went on to win more points than all but four other Bundesliga teams in five seasons. He then quit, saying he couldn’t take the club any further. In his next job, at Dortmund, he had the unenviable responsibility of replacing Jurgen Klopp but arguably went on to be better; his points-per-game average (2.09) was the best of any coach in the club’s history. Yet Tuchel quit in 2017 after clashing with team executives and, after a sabbatical, he joined Paris.

And so, an awkward character had taken on an awkward club. If PSG’s stars had been the kind of people who wanted to push themselves to the maximum every week, they wouldn’t be playing in the tinpot French league. And nobody can tell Neymar, Dani Alves or Kylian Mbappe what to do. Tuchel understands that the coach isn’t the most important man in any club: he describes soccer as a “players’ game.” But how does one manage this squad?

Thomas Tuchel is an obsessive manager who tries to leave nothing to chance. PSG will need every bit of his focus in the weeks ahead. Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Tuchel arrived having taught himself very decent French (better than some players who have been at PSG for years). That helped him woo PSG fans: “Too-shell,” as the French mangle his name, is more popular than his predecessors. However, language is also essential to his work. Tuchel believes in deep communication that’s different for every player. He obsesses about what makes each man tick.

At Mainz, writes German author Christoph Biermann in his book “Matchplan,” Tuchel discovered that one of his players was motivated by money: namely win bonuses and the dream of a lucrative transfer. That was fine by Tuchel: understanding this made the art of man-management easier. At PSG, he decided that what the squad’s many Brazilians most wanted from a coach was love. Tuchel says he hugs Neymar and that when the player isn’t around, “I write him texts to tell him I still believe in him and that I’m sad he isn’t here.” This was not the approach taken by his predecessor Unai Emery.

Yet Tuchel also subjects PSG’s players to his fanaticism. Rail-thin at 45 years old, he boasts of having once spent four weeks in Italy without touching either pasta or pizza. The first time his PSG side took the bus to an away game, the playmaker Marco Verratti requested a Coca-Cola. Horror of horrors, he discovered that Tuchel had banned all soft drinks and sandwiches. Verratti quickly got the message.

Discipline has long been an issue at PSG. Players kept forgetting bits of kit in the changing rooms during training, and going back to fetch them. Showing up late for meetings was epidemic. Eventually, Tuchel punished Mbappe and Adrien Rabiot by benching them for the grudge game against Marseille last fall (of course PSG won anyway). He has also reportedly gone around his players’ favorite restaurants and nightclubs to have a word with staff.

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Fear, paranoia, difficult behaviour and constant battling with club officials and players led to the inevitable, writes Rob Dawson.

When Boca Juniors and River Plate were set to meet in Argentina’s most important match, Buenos Aires lost its mind, writes Wright Thompson.

Tuchel’s pushed his team in a tactical sense as well. For years, PSG had only one gear: an attacking, possession-based 4-3-3. But Tuchel is a believer in constantly changing formation and in attacking through the center of the field rather than the flanks. PSG can now play in a 3-4-3 and even run on the counterattack.

Their start to the season was excellent: PSG reeled off 14 straight league wins, a French record, and a slightly lucky qualification for the Champions League knockout stages after a crucial 3-2 home win against Liverpool. But things unraveled this winter.

In December, Henrique kicked Rabiot out of the squad because the midfielder refused to sign a new contract. Then, on Jan. 23, Neymar broke his metartarsal bone again. He will miss the United games. So, almost certainly, will Edinson Cavani, after he limped off during Saturday’s 1-0 home win against Bordeaux. With Verratti only just back from injury, Tuchel is struggling to field a midfield against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s suddenly invincible side.

PSG’s run of injuries is terrifically unlucky, but also reveals a flaw in the club’s recruitment strategy: after it paid a combined transfer fee of €400 million for Neymar and Mbappe, the two most expensive players in soccer history, there wasn’t enough left to build a deep squad.

Cavani’s injury at the weekend, which puts him on the sidelines along with Neymar, could be a problem vs. Man United. Yet another issue for Tuchel to address. Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Since the New Year, Tuchel’s previously unbeatable team has crumbled. It lost at home to village team Guingamp, away to Lyon and on Feb. 6, PSG needed extra time to beat third-division Villefranche in the French Cup.

Meanwhile, Henrique has been flailing off the field. Last summer, he failed to sign the defensive midfielder that was Tuchel’s priority. Days before the January transfer window closed, with Tuchel asking for two new midfielders, the Portuguese still hadn’t even managed to sign one. The young Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes was expected to join from Zenit St. Petersburg but in late January, Tuchel half-joked “I’ve looked for him in the showers, in the changing room, with the janitor, the physios… but he’s not there!” Paredes eventually arrived before the deadline, but he alone may not be enough.

Henrique’s longer-term project of signing midfielder Frenkie de Jong from Ajax failed too, despite long hours of negotiations in Amsterdam’s Amstel Hotel. Perhaps predictably, the player chose Barcelona.

Tuchel is cautious when responding to questions about Henrique — “I have my views, he has his” — but the two plainly aren’t best friends. Tuchel’s exit from Dortmund after his clashes with directors there suggests one possible ending in Paris, but there’s also a more hopeful scenario for him: that Wenger replaces Henrique as sporting director. Nine months after leaving Arsenal, the Alsatian, 69 years old but still looking more like 40, is bored and keen to return to daily soccer.

Wenger has advised the club’s Qatari owners from the start. In 2011 he told them it was a “no-brainer” to buy the club. He has long been a well-paid pundit on the Qataris’ French TV channel, BeIN Sports. In recent months he has received many offers from clubs and federations but the job he appears keenest on is Henrique’s.

Tuchel is a coach in Wenger’s own image: a cerebral, multilingual workaholic obsessed with diet, match stats and beautiful football, and so far anyway, not a serial winner of trophies. In fact, Tuchel hasn’t yet won a single title. But Wenger doesn’t want to join PSG only to spend his days fighting: he wants long-term control. That would mean Henrique leaving.

A Tuchel-Wenger duo able to unleash Neymar and Mbappe would be something to behold. But first, an under-strength PSG team must somehow find its way past United.

The post Tuchel's moment of truth as PSG manager appeared first on The Chestnut Post.

from The Chestnut Post https://www.thechestnutpost.com/news/tuchel039s-moment-of-truth-as-psg-manager/

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freebetalerts-blog · 6 years ago

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Bundesliga Betting: Eagles to clip the wings of an old friend

(New post on FreeBetAlerts.com) - https://freebetalerts.com/2018/12/21/bundesliga-betting-eagles-to-clip-the-wings-of-an-old-friend/ #Football, #Freebets, #Tips

Bundesliga Betting: Eagles to clip the wings of an old friend Please share.

After picking up six winners from his last nine Bundesliga picks, .’s back with his final column before the winter break.

Kovac won’t enjoy Eagles reunionEintracht Frankfurt v Bayern MunichSaturday 22 December, 17:30Live on BT Sport 2 and Betfair Live VideoThings can change quickly in football, and in the gap between Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayern Munich’s first two meetings of this campaign, the fortunes of both clubs have fluctuated. In August, Bayern dismantled Eintracht 5-0 at the Commerzbank Arena to win the Supercup. It was a disastrous debut for Eagles coach Adi Hutter, as his new players seemed totally bemused by the pressing system he wanted to implement. That win for Niko Kovac against his former club sparked a great start to the Croatian’s tenure as Bayern boss. The Bavarian giants won all of their first seven competitive games in all competitions, and it seemed that even though Kovac was by no means Bayern’s first-choice, this was an appointment that had worked well.Fast forward a few months, and the picture is totally different. Eintracht have developed into one of the most exciting attacking sides in Europe, scoring goals at will but retaining some of the defensive grit that Kovac had implemented during his spell in charge. Strikers Luka Jovic, Sebastien Haller and Ante Rebic have all excelled, and previously inconsistent performers like Filip Kostic have been made into reliable stalwarts.Frankfurt are not only succeeding in the Bundesliga (they are fifth heading into this weekend), but they have also won all six of their Europa League matches. Hutter deserves enormous praise for what he has achieved.Bayern have headed in the opposite direction. Although they ground out a 1-0 win over RB Leipzig in midweek, they are still six points behind the leaders Borussia Dortmund, and not quite firing on all cylinders. A recent change in formation has given them more solidity, and there seems to be a stronger unity of purpose, but there is still plenty of work to do.Bayern are trading at [1.55] to win here, and that seems too short. Frankfurt have won four of their last five home games in the league, rattling in 17 goals in the process. They are playing with much more structure and confidence than they did in the Supercup, and I think the atmosphere at the Commerzbank Arena for the final home game of 2018 will be electric. I’m also not convinced that Bayern’s defence can cope with the Frankfurt attack – after all, they were pulled from pillar to post recently in a 3-3 draw at Ajax.I’ll lay the visitors here.Wolves to finish the year on a highAugsburg v WolfsburgSunday December 23, 14:30Live on BT Sport 2 and Betfair Live VideoThese are heady days for Wolfsburg. The club that successfully contested the relegation playoff in each of the last two seasons is now pushing for European qualification. Coach Bruno Labbadia has given his players a solid tactical framework to operate in, and the club’s long-standing injury crisis has eased. Strikers Wout Weghorst and Daniel Ginczek are in dangerous form, and a solid back four is performing stoutly.Wolfsburg have taken 13 points from their last five games, while Augsburg have collected just two points in that timeframe. The Swabians have had a few injury problems of their own, and they haven’t won a game in the Bundesliga since late October. At their WWK Arena, Augsburg have won just once in the league this season.On current form, Wolfsburg are streets ahead of Augsburg, and I can see them picking up another win here. It could be a tight affair though, so I’ll use the Draw No Bet market.Hoffenheim to move off the drawing boardHoffenheim v MainzSunday December 23, 17:00Live on BT Sport 2 and Betfair Live VideoIt’s been a strange few weeks for Hoffenheim. They are unbeaten in nine Bundesliga matches, but have drawn the last five, a run of results that has seen them lose momentum in the push for another Champions League qualification. They were a little fortunate to escape defeat at Werder Bremen on Wednesday, as the hosts squandered some great chances to win it late on.Mainz twice surrendered the lead in midweek in what was still a creditable 2-2 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, but it is their away form which remains a big concern. Die Nullfunfer have lost four of their last six away games in the league, and were blown away 4-1 at Leipzig last weekend.Despite their run of draws, Hoffenheim are still a real threat in attack (20 goals in their last nine league games), and I think they’ll overwhelm Mainz here.

2018-19 Bundesliga P/L Points Staked: 50Points Returned: 55.75P/L: +5.75 points

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mayramoss-blog1 · 6 years ago

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Schalke reduced to 'spoiler' in Revierderby as Dortmund eye first Bundesliga title since 2012

Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 are separated by 19 points in the table but on Saturday, the two clubs will be uncomfortably close once more, forced to tussle with each other in the bear-pit of the Veltins-Arena. Proximity breeds contempt and it's felt most keenly in the "Revier", the post-industrialist heartland of German football, where neighbourly animosity verges on the pathological.

Those in charge on either side of the Yellow-Blue tribal divide have been at pains to stress that relations at board level are "as good as they've been for an eternity," as BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has put it. That won't do much to tone down the mutual ill-feeling ahead of the 153rd meeting of the Bundesliga's fiercest rivalry, however. Like an indestructible virus, it lives and thrives independently of the two clubs' respective fortunes and of the heat-level generated in the build-up. The aim is not so much to win the encounter but to inflict the maximum amount of pain on the other side.

Predictably, Dortmund's Swiss coach Lucien Favre sees things much more rationally. Before important matches, the club puts sporting director Michael Zorc up alongside him on the press podium, out of courtesy to the press: Favre is far too rational and reserved to say anything that might make for a juicy headline. On Thursday, the 61-year-old spoke about the game with the slightly bemused manner of an documentary narrator noting the highly territorial aggression of a particularly unusual animal species.

"Everyone's telling me it's an important game," he said. "Derbies are special. The two cities are only 20 minutes by bus apart. The rivalry is part of that, I know that."

Zorc, a derby veteran who has faced Schalke every year since 1978 as either a youth player, senior pro and club official, was also not in the mood to add fuel to the fire. Dortmund are seven points clear at the top of the table, still unbeaten and right now much the better team; they have little to gain by bringing emotions into the equation. "At the baker's, at the petrol station... people talk to you about it all the time because they care so much," he offered, matter-of-factly.

The 56-year-old agreed that his team were expected to make amends for last season's poor results -- they only drew 4-4 at home having led by four goals at the break and lost 2-0 in Gelsenkirchen -- but Zorc is much too focused on the present, and Dortmund's huge opportunity to win their first championship since 2012, to lose sleep over the past.

"We have to concentrate on playing good football at , ensure that we are equal to this difficult task and keep our unbeaten run going."

Schalke's season has been one of disappointment as Domenico Tedesco's side are mired in 12th place. Yet they can halt rivals' Dortmund in their quest to win another Bundesliga title.

Right now, the 2017-18 season seems a very long time ago. The Royal Blues, rejuvenated under new coach Domenico Tedesco, didn't just get the better of their arch enemies in two derbies then but also finished ahead of them in the table for only the second time this decade. S04's local dominance has proved short-lived, however. While over at Signal Iduna Park, Favre has worked wonders with a hugely talented side that was fortified by the arrival of midfield enforcers Axel Witsel and Thomas Delaney, Tedesco has been unable to maintain last year's progress. In fact, Schalke have gone backwards again. A side low on creative verve and cutting edge quality, they're struggling to create chances and are languishing in 12th place, 10 points adrift of the Champions League spots.

In pure footballing terms, there should not be much of a contest right now. The best that Schalke can do is to disrupt Dortmund's attacking game with a "blood, sweat and tears" approach, and do it with the help of the crowd. "We have to fight for our lives for 90 minutes," Brazilian centre-back Naldo told Bild, "and at the end of the game we should be nearly dead of exhaustion."

A win might unnerve Dortmund but it would not change Schalke's basic task: if they are to go ahead, they need to emulate their rivals, especially when it comes to their dealings in the transfer market.

"In Bruun Larsen, Sancho and Pulisic, Dortmund have signed very young, foreign top talents who have evolved into top Bundesliga players," S04 sporting director Christian Heidel admitted. "They have the economic means to invest in such young players even if there's a financial risk. They've done really well there and doing just that has to be aim for Schalke 04 in the future, aside from our own youth development." Heidel, who masterminded Mainz 05's ascent to the Bundesliga alongside Jurgen Klopp, will be under pressure to show that he can unearth affordable players good enough to establish Schalke in the top four once more.

Right now, no member of the Royal Blues squad would be anywhere near Dortmund's starting XI. Unless Heidel manages to bridge that massive gulf in quality, Schalke are destined to remain one of Germany's sleeping giants, only equal to their Revierderby rivals in terms of the passion and hate that their meetings generate.

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ultrasfcb-blog · 7 years ago

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Austria 2-1 Germany

Alessandro Schopf’s goal gave Austria a first win over Germany in 10 meetings

Germany captain Manuel Neuer’s comeback ended in defeat by Austria in a friendly delayed by 105 minutes because of heavy rain in Klagenfurt.

Goalkeeper Neuer, out since September with a broken foot, returned just 15 days before his country’s World Cup defence begins against Mexico.

Mesut Ozil pounced on a goalkeeping error to give Germany the lead.

But Martin Hinteregger equalised with a superb angled volley before Alessandro Schopf steered in the winner.

It ensured Austria their first win over Germany in 32 years and maintained Franco Foda’s 100% record since becoming their coach last November.

Below-par Germany suffer a washout

Mesut Ozil’s goal was his 23rd for his country

Germany head coach Joachim Low rested Bayern Munich pair Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels, along with Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, in order to give them time to recover at the end of a demanding club season.

It looked for a while as if the rest of Low’s squad would be given the night off too as a downpour put the game in doubt.

Czech referee Pavel Kralovec carried out a number of pitch inspections – with the kick-off put back three times – before finally deciding that play could start.

Low took the chance to check on the depth of his squad, with Freiburg striker Nils Petersen making his international debut at the age of 29, but doing little to strengthen his claims to displace Timo Werner from the starting line-up in Russia.

Germany rather lost their way after a strong start, with Bayern full-back Joshua Kimmich looking very uncertain as he played several loose passes out of defence.

Ozil showed his capacity to amaze and frustrate – his well-taken early goal was steered in after he was presented with the ball by goalkeeper Jorg Siebenhandl’s awful clearance.

But the Arsenal forward’s influence faded after the opening 20 minutes, with one weak second-half free-kick, straight into the Austria wall, a particularly sloppy contribution, and he was taken off in the closing stages.

Austria – who failed to qualify for the World Cup after finishing behind Serbia, the Republic of Ireland and Wales in their group – recovered well from a sluggish start, and were rewarded for taking the game to their opponents.

Bayern Munich’s David Alaba, playing in a left-sided attacking role, was instrumental in their comeback, playing incisive passes and taking the corner from which Hinteregger somehow volleyed past Neuer from the tightest of angles.

Germany coach Low said: “I am not upset about the loss, not upset about losing the game, I am upset about the way we lost it.

“It was our own fault, because after taking the lead we controlled the game, but right before the break and the first 15 to 20 minutes after the break we weren’t in the game at all. We lost the ball unbelievably often, there were so many turnovers.

“We are not used to that from our team. We let the Austrians get back in the game.”

Neuer gets back in the groove

Manuel Neuer was playing for the first time since appearing for Bayern Munich against Mainz on 16 September

Neuer was arguably the player of the tournament at the last World Cup, even though he lost out to Argentina playmaker Lionel Messi in the official vote, and his return from injury has come at a good time for Germany.

He looked a little rusty at first, with one scuffed clearance presenting Schopf with a chance that the goalkeeper recovered to gather.

As the game went on, Neuer rediscovered his rhythm, re-adjusting his feet well to save Florian Grillitsch’s shot towards the near post in the first half, and diving bravely to block Marko Arnautovic after Alaba’s sublime pass had played the West Ham forward clear.

Neuer could not be blamed for either Austria goal – Hinteregger’s volley was brilliantly taken, while Schopf’s winner was steered coolly into the corner of the net after Stefan Lainer cushioned Julian Baumgartlinger’s far-post cross into the midfielder’s path.

The goalkeeper will have one more chance to get some pre-World Cup minutes under his belt when Germany face Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Leverkusen on Friday when Low will want a much better performance from his side.

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365footballorg-blog · 7 years ago

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Real Madrid v Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp prepares for Champions League final

Champions League final: Real Madrid v Liverpool Watch a special Radio Five Live programme at 19:00 BST on Wednesday, 23 May featuring Guillem Balague’s interview with Jurgen Klopp Live text coverage on the BBC website & Radio 5 live commentary of the Champions League final on Saturday, 26 May

On Saturday night in Kiev, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will have his second tilt at winning a Champions League final.

As his side face Real Madrid, arguably the biggest club in the world, Klopp will go through a maelstrom of emotions on the touchline, an animated figure who has taken Liverpool to the brink of a high not reached since that famous night in Istanbul 13 years ago.

But when I caught up with him last week at Liverpool’s training camp in Marbella, he was relaxed and insightful as he discussed the people who have shaped him and his career – as well as Saturday night’s intriguing final.

Sergio Ramos – the Real Madrid man who can hurt Liverpool

The highs and lows of this season’s competition

Quiz: Test your knowledge of this season’s competition

Recharging the batteries

The previous occasion I was supposed to meet with Klopp was at Melwood, Liverpool’s training complex.

That got cancelled because he had to go to hospital, for something subsequently described to me as a ‘precautionary measure’.

There do not seem to be any issues as we sit by the pool, with Klopp cutting a calm and relaxed figure in the Spanish sun. But last week’s trip was about much more than topping up the tan.

“It isn’t about bonding, because we are already bonded as a team,” Klopp told me.

“It isn’t even about the weather because we have that in England at the moment. But we need a moment together to concentrate our minds and our forces.”

Five years ago at Wembley against Bayern Munich, his Dortmund side fell just short of the finishing line as a late Arjen Robben goal won the Champions League for their arch rivals. Many felt an exhausting season and an exceedingly demanding coach had finally taken its toll.

“Back home when we have the day free we dedicate them to doing all sorts of things and I just wanted us to have a few days together doing the absolute minimum.

“To recharge our batteries, do things well in training, have tactical meetings and all that sort of stuff. We need to go into the final with refreshed legs and minds.”

Klopp is preparing for the biggest match in domestic football as a man at the top of his sphere. But it has been a long journey for the 50-year-old.

My dad? It was like living with a coach

To understand Klopp it helps to know where he is from and how he was raised.

He was born in the sleepy, natural beauty of Glatten – a small town in the Black Forest, in the region of Swabia.

According to Klopp it is “a great place to grow up, but a bit boring for a young adolescent”.

Klopp threw himself – or perhaps more correctly, was hurled – into the world of sport, by his ever demanding and sports-mad father, Norbert.

A non-stop regime of exercise, drills and sport were put in place by Jurgen’s father, who was desperate to see his son achieve the targets that circumstances and fate had prevented himself from reaching.

The most relieved members of the Klopp family were Jurgen’s two sisters, who had been the sporting focus of Norbert’s attention prior to Jurgen’s arrival. Pressure on the girls stopped immediately and they were able to devote time to their own hobbies like ballet and music.

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“It was most difficult for my sisters because they weren’t particularly interested in sport,” added Klopp.

“I had a good relationship with him – it was like having a trainer with you all the time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“But it was not that difficult. He never punished me or anything like that. I have always said that all those things my father wanted me to do, I loved doing. That was my good fortune. Football of course, but I also enjoyed tennis, I never argued with him about that.”

Yet his dad hardly ever said “well done”.

He preferred focusing on the chances he missed instead of the goals scored, or the brilliance of one of his team-mates. Pushing his son was Norbert’s way of being affectionate.

Klopp in his own words I’m a totally normal guy, I came from the Black Forest. I’m the Normal One. With all these pictures on Twitter, it always looks like I am in restaurants and bars! I am not that type of guy. Whose idea was this to have two games in the semi-final?! Strange! The best word I can say to describe it [beating Manchester City] is: Boom! When I left school, the head said, ‘I hope you can do something in football because, if not, I have not the best feeling for your future’. You’ll never find me three days after a win, drunk in a hedge and still celebrating. People should not make me out to be like Jesus; I don’t walk on water Yes, it’s true. I underwent a hair transplant. I think the results are really cool, don’t you?

There is a Swabian proverb that says “to say nothing is praise enough”. But if that worked for Norbert, it has not been adopted by Jurgen.

“Treating them differently was easy because common sense is a big strength of mine,” added Klopp. “I can explain problems to myself and come to a solution. That’s how life is, you learn from your own mistakes or from the mistakes that other people are making, so that’s what I did.

“Sometimes with my sons I had a reaction similar to my father and I thought ‘whoah’. I realised it and stopped it immediately.”

Klopp’s father died in 2000 after a two-year battle with cancer and shortly before his death pushed himself to the limit to play in one final tennis match with his club. He never lived to enjoy his son’s managerial success.

My future? I never doubted it

Klopp never regarded himself as anything other than an enthusiastic but mediocre footballer, playing for little money at the fairly modest environs of second division side Mainz, with whom he spent a decade between 1990 and 2001.

He had to supplement his semi-professional wages by working in a bar and also in a warehouse that distributed new films to cinemas.

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“It was clear from the start I was not going to have a great career,” he admits.

“And I was playing in the second division and in those days not only did you not make much money but it was also so intense that it took up so much of your time that it kept you away from better-paid jobs.”

“But I never doubted my future. That is very important. When they cut your Visa card in half because you do not have sufficient funds, it is not pleasant. But there is always a solution.”

His intense upbringing had taught him about his limitations – but also his strengths.

“There’s nothing in life I’ve been better prepared for than coaching. I have more capabilities as a manager that I had as a player.

“I started to coach when I was 20 with the under-10s and under-11s at Frankfurt and I loved the experience.”

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So the joint realities that a distinctly ordinary playing career was drawing to a close, a family to feed and the passion for teaching and coaching all nudged Klopp towards management.

In 2001, at the age of 33, he was given the chance to manage Mainz.

And he had one very strong trump card in his favour. At Mainz he played under Wolfgang Frank, the coach who proved to be his inspiration.

My football style? The fist that opens

Frank was at the helm of 16 different clubs and led Rot-Weiss Essen to the 1994 German FA Cup final (the DFB-Pokal), only to lose 3-1 to SV Werder Bremen at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

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He died aged 62 in 2013 but despite having very little success in terms of trophies or titles, Frank is credited with inspiring a renaissance in the Bundesliga that has inspired a new generation of managers including Germany coach Joachim Low as well as Klopp.

“When I started I wasn’t learning anything about football that I like. It was all about ‘how can we get the points?'” says Klopp.

“Wolfgang Frank inspired me not with his ideas of passionate football, but much more with his organisation. How to set up a team so you don’t lose, because when I first became a manager we lost a lot of games.

“It wasn’t about entertaining or a case of ‘let’s play football we can fall in love with’ but about organisation, which is always the base from where you get the freedom to be brave.”

Frank sowed the seeds for the style of play known as ‘gegenpressing’ which, in its simplest form, effectively decrees that you have to win the ball back as quickly as possible once you have lost it.

He played a back four without a sweeper – extremely unusual in Germany – and deliberately defended narrowly in certain areas of the pitch.

Frank worked on the idea that your opponent was at his most vulnerable when he has just won the ball and was looking to do something positive with it. His teams would leave one or two players unmarked, encouraging the person in possession to pass to them. It was a trap waiting to be sprung.

His tactics were an “epiphany” for Klopp, who was impressed by how “everybody had to go where the ball was. The aim was to create numerical superiority to win the ball, then sprawl out, like a fist that opens”. Sound familiar?

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I asked Klopp if it is effectively organised chaos. He laughed, but his answer is serious.

“Organised chaos sounds good always assuming the organised bit is coming from our team and the chaos from the opposition,” he said.

“You can only do these sort of things when you have good enough players. The best coaches in the world do the things the players have given them the opportunity to do.”

Armed with Frank’s tactics and a passion and commitment that has won the unswerving love of players, directors and supporters wherever he has coached, Klopp took Mainz to the German top flight for the first time in their history in 2004.

He was at the club seven years, the same amount of time he spent at his next club Borussia Dortmund, where he won five trophies including two Bundesliga titles.

It is the same period that, if everything goes well, he says privately he plans to be in Liverpool.

My wife said ‘Liverpool is for you’

Liverpool, who appointed Klopp in October 2015, were drawn against his former employers Dortmund in the quarter finals of the 2016 Europa League.

A 1-1 first-leg draw was a precursor to what many still feel is the greatest game ever played in the competition as Liverpool fought back from 3-1 down at Anfield in the second leg to win 4-3.

Matched only in drama by what happened in Istanbul, Klopp started half-time by showing the players some videos of what had gone wrong in their first-half performance, and then he gave a rousing speech that referenced Liverpool’s dramatic turnaround against AC Milan in Turkey.

Klopp managerial stats Club Years managed Wins Draws Losses Mainz 05 2001-2008 109 78 83 Borussia Dortmund 2008-2012 179 69 70 Liverpool 2015-present 81 44 29

Klopp told the players to “create something that we could tell our grandchildren one day,” and according to Liverpool striker Divock Origi, the manager’s aggression from the touchline in the second half made a huge difference.

Mats Hummels later admitted Dortmund “started bricking ourselves” at the site of Klopp creating a positive atmosphere in the ground.

Liverpool were beaten by Sevilla in the final but by then the marriage between Klopp and the Anfield club’s fans was clear.

Klopp is an unashamed lover of what is described in Germany as the ‘English’ game.

Physical and uncompromising, ‘heavy metal’ football is also described using the German word “geil” by Klopp in Raphael Honigstein’s biography of his compatriot.

It comes with the suggestion that “self-sacrificing toil could be a sensual, arousing experience”. The Kop has totally bought into this concept.

Phil Thompson, who spent 13 years at Anfield, recently interviewed Klopp for Liverpool TV.

Klopp told him that it was wife who said to him: “Jurgen, if Liverpool FC come for you, that is for you.” It explains, too, why he turned down Manchester United.

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Thompson added: “He comes in, he understands the people, the people understand him, they see his passion and I think that is a very, very important part of what it is to be part of this club.”

There is an English core to Klopp’s squad with Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Nathaniel Clyne, Dominic Solanke and Danny Ings joined by other bright young talents such as Scotland’s Andrew Robertson and Wales’ Ben Woodburn.

Surprisingly – albeit partly because of injuries – there are only two Liverpool players in Gareth Southgate’s squad.

They have thunderous weapons in attack and Klopp added composure in defence following the signature of Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk in January, a signing that helped the side finish fourth in the Premier League and reach the Champions League final.

The final? It will be a huge struggle

Klopp will now try to do with Liverpool what he came so close to achieving with former club Dortmund.

Victory against Madrid would be the culmination of the meeting he had in the law offices of his new employers on 1 October 2015 when he told them Liverpool should, and could, be a regular force in Europe.

He added that his aim was not just to get them back to that elite level but to transform them into the kind of team no-one wanted to face.

Job done, or at least part of it.

“The fans have been waiting so long for this and there is talk of nothing else in Liverpool,” Klopp told me.

“We have had so many brilliant moments together this season and enjoyed every second of the Champions League so we can now get together to finish things off in a brilliant way.

“We will do the very best we can. We are in a good place at the moment and everyone knows how much I appreciate the efforts our fans are about to make to be a part of this party.”

As our chat comes to an end, I ask him how he can prepare to face an unpredictable team like Real Madrid, who offered up more than a dozen good chances against Bayern Munich in their semi-final tie yet still went through.

“It’s a game of football,” he replied.

“Sure we have the chance to win. We are going to have to work hard for it because it is the final of the Champions League.

“But if anyone thinks it will be easy for either of the two sides then they are mistaken. It’s going to be a huge struggle for both teams. Brilliant! Bring it on!”

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Real Madrid v Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp prepares for Champions League final was originally published on 365 Football

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torentialtribute · 5 years ago

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Can Marco Rose and Sandro Schwarz follow in the footsteps of Jurgen Klopp in the Bundesliga?

Jurgen Klopp emerged as a good judge of character. So it should come as no surprise that a prediction he made about two of his players 15 years ago came true.

After promotion for the Bundesliga with Mainz in 2004, a performance Klopp is still considered one of his best as a manager, it is claimed that there were two of his team that stood out as future coaches: Marco Rose and Sandro Schwarz.

Now, in just the second week of the new Bundesliga season, the pair will be reunited on the Rhine as managers in opposition to dugouts with everything that Klopp predicted would become reality.

Sandro Schwarz and Mainz take a family face this weekend "class =" blkBorder img-share "/>

Sandro Schwarz (L) and Marco Rose (R) were tipped to become a manager by Jurgen Klopp

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couple played under Liverpool manager Klopp and won promotion to the Bundesliga in 2004

It is too early in the season for the game to have real meaning, but a meeting of two spirits is strongly influenced by the Liverpool manager must ensure a fascinating match.

The trio first crossed in 2002 when Klopp signed Rose from Hanover in his attempt to put together a team that could reach the top flight. Like Schwarz, Klopp had spent years with Mainz, but became the club manager in 2001 after he retired as a player.

Together, the trio suffered the heartache of missing out on promotion in the 93rd minute of the last game of the 2002/03 Season. They could not be denied 12 months later, although the Klopp led Mainz to third place and secured their very first promotion to the Bundesliga.

Working under Klopp clearly had a long-lasting effect on Rose. "I spent many years under Kloppo and it was a great time," said the 42-year-old. "He has shaped us all. We picked up a few things in the field of football, but it was mainly the way he was with people. & # 39;

Schwarz was the first of the trio to leave Mainz when he left after that promotion-winning season for Rot-Weiss Essen. Klopp then left for Borussia Dortmund in 2008, while Rose remained seated for two years until he decided to retire in 2010.

Schwarz lies desperately on the ground after Mainz hardly missed the promotion in 2003

There was no denial of them a year la to celebrate the Rose (L) and Schwarz (C) wild

It took only two years for Rose to find his feet in coaching and he went fast I am not in his stride. He took charge of Lokomotive Leipzig for only 30 games before landing a job for the team under 16 in Red Bull Salzburg.

After two years, he was promoted to under 19 again and won the UEFA Youth League in 2016/17, a success that made him the prominent candidate at the club for the first team job in June 2017.

Under his leadership, Salzburg built up a domestic dominance that was related to Juventus and Bayern Munich while leading them to the Austrian Bundesliga title in his debut campaign before following that with a competition and double cup in 2018/19.

An impressive run to the Europa League semi-final also helped to raise his profile across the continent and elite clubs began to notice this. When Manchester United fired Jose Mourinho, Rose was connected to the post. There were more obvious candidates for the position in Zinedine Zidane and Mauricio Pochettino, but Rose & # 39; s achievements in Austria became aware that they deserved it.

It always seemed a step back to his native country Germany was the next step and there was a huge interest in this summer of people like Schalke, Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg.

Klopp grabs Schwarz on trademark after a match against Karlsruher SC in March 2004

Klopp comforts Rose after being sent away in a Bundesliga match against Bayer Leverkusen

With options to overcome egen and to make a decision about his next position, Rose ab was to hire a former friend to give him another boost. During a performance at Sky Sports Austria in March, Rose played a video message that a filmed Klopp had filmed for his friend.

I trust Marco in everything, & he said. "Marco can have any job and any job, he is currently the most hyped (coach) of them all."

While a job within the extended Red Bull family in Leipzig was an option, they moved to Julian Nagelsmann while Hoffenheim retained Alfred Schreuder as his replacement. Not qualifying for the Champions League cost Dieter Hecking his job at Borussia Mönchengladbach and it is there that Rose & # 39; s next chance was found.

In just his second week as a manager in Germany, he returns to Mainz to return to Mainz his former colleague. Like Rose, Schwarz also started his coaching career in the depths of German football.

The 40-year-old was initially assistant manager at Wehen Wiesbaden before landing the head coach job at FC Eschborn in 2011. Among the trio, Schwarz has arguably the strongest bond with Mainz and he was returned to the club as a youth coach in 2013.

Schwarz returned to Mainz as a youth coach, but got the head coach position in 2017

After the d Rose is now at Borussia Monchengladbach

Two years after Schwarz reigned as manager, Mainz separated the roads with Martin Sch midt and the club continued their tradition of promotion from within . He followed in the footsteps of Klopp and Thomas Tuchel as the club's leader and has gradually monitored the improvement in his two full seasons in charge.

Mainz & # 39; s 12th position last installment was their highest place since the sixth place in the 2015 -16 season. It was an encouraging campaign and now a top-half finish is in sight.

Klopp & # 39; s support for the couple as managers is not the only thing that connects their coaching career. Tactically their sides share many of the same principles with Rose and often explain how & # 39; emotionality, hunger and being active & # 39; be the basis of his style.

Schwarz also keeps a close eye on the matches of Liverpool and after their semi-final of the Champions League of Roma in 2018 and demanded that his video analyst put together a montage of their performances to show his own players .

Preparing for the Liverpool match with Arsenal on Saturday night, Klopp will most likely deny the chance to see Rose and Schwarz in the fight, but you can bet he will be comforted in seeing his prediction finally come true .

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#Can Marco Rose and Sandro Schwarz follow in the footsteps of Jurgen Klopp in the Bundesliga?"

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