Bundesliga Recap #1614
Union Berlin has lost their Sizzle
Union Berlin was an incredibly beautiful story that we’ve seen at the top of the Bundesliga. No one expected them to go on and do what they did and what they vow to continue to do. They lost their two best players in a span of 10 months. While they made some interesting additions in the summer, it wasn’t going to be the same without them. That’s what the perception was. They ended up making the right type of acquisitions that have put them at the forefront of the Bundesliga pile. They’ve had an incredibly productive season and have caught us all by surprise. They have been leading the Bundesliga table for over a month. They certainly have shown their qualities and are having arguably their greatest season in club history. From their attack to their midfield to their defense, they’ve been elite all over the shop despite not having the brilliant individuals of their predecessors. The question was how long could they keep this up? Could they really hold on to this throughout the second half of the season. They were on a very impressive unbeaten streak that was ended by Bochum a few weeks ago. It was either going to be the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning. They had a chance to build on that battle through that adversity and pushed forward. While they still could have a tremendously successful campaign and finishing the Champions League. The sizzle has simmered. Following a dramatic late win at home against Gladbach Union Berlin. Begin to trickle down. Ripped apart by Leverkusen then drop points against Augsburg. Three of their last four games have been disappointing results and it’s beginning to show. I always thought they would meet adversity and fail to power through it. The true Challenger to Bayern Munich to me has always been Freiburg. No one talks about them. No one discusses them but they’ve been having as good of a season. If not better then Union Berlin. They are the team that has the experience as the quality and has the manager to take them forward. Beating Bayern Munich is going to be a humongous challenge, but Freiburg is the one that can do it as much as the neutrals have been very excited with the aspect of what Union Berlin doing what they have. The true battlers are Freiburg. They will play next weekend and Union Berlin have an opportunity to make a point but very well could add more to the fire with Leipzig beating Freiburg this They will be on a mission themselves. If Union Berlin can hold on and still qualify for the Champions League, it would be a tremendous story in itself. However, they have seemed to lost their sizzle. The only guarantees in the Champions League picture are Bayern Munich and Freiburg. Leipzig are hovering Frankfurt are rolling at the moment and Dortmund have the talent to do it while lack the consistency. As much as I don’t want to say it, as much as I don’t want it to be true, Union Berlin will likely fall out of the Champions League picture eventually. If they manage to finish in the top four or even in the top six It would be still a tremendous season. Maybe not necessarily historic but tremendous. A champions league spot isn’t off the table, but it’s going to be more difficult than ever before.
Marco Rose’s Leipzig
Marco Rose last year was harshly dismissed by Dortmund. In my opinion. I defended and pushed back against their decision to sack him at the end of the season. They may have faltered in Europe but in the league, they pushed Bayern Munich at different points of the season. It was only Dortmund’s lack of winning mentality that got in the way of them potentially closing the gap between the two teams and pushing them until the end. Not to mention he was dealing with injuries to his star man which could have largely impacted their failure in the Champions League and the league. They still ended up in second despite all the different problems at the club had at different points of the season. It was only going to be a matter of time before. Marco Rose would be given an opportunity to make a name for himself again and show Dortmund that they made a mistake. Dortmund has been an inconsistent mess since the very start of the season. They haven’t had very many truly great performances and it shows. Yes, they have individual brilliance but there’s no consistency whatsoever. Meanwhile, RB Leipzig crashed to start the season starting so poorly after wanting and having the ambitions to be in a title race for the ages. RB Leipzig is more than good enough to challenge Bayern Munich for the title. However, their slow start derailed that claim this season. However, they still can make the champions league which will only allow Marco Rose to build even more so with this project. He was Salzburg manager prior to as he knows the algorithm of Red Bull Leipzig. He did well at Gladbach and I thought he was harshly done by a Dortmund. When he took over the team they were in the gutter. They needed someone to galvanize them and get them back on track. That’s exactly what they have done. Even in poor performances, they’ve managed to grab points The comeback against Augsburg. For example, three goals in 18 minutes help them rescue a point in a game they probably should have lost. They beat Dortmund They have handled themselves extremely well since he’s been brought in. He can build something special, especially the way he has gotten through into Nkunku last year’s at Bundesliga player of the season That is on a tear this campaign and the quality of his performances have gone up substantially. They brought in Timo Werner He’s gotten back loving football again after the Chelsea experiment. Adding another element to their attack. He has scored in Champions of the games and has been fairly consistent in the league as well. He has recently got injured but still the overall adjustments he has made and the style of play has been conducive of results. They have had some poor performances at the office but collectively this is a different Leipzig. They beat Real Madrid and the Champions League. They have qualified for the round of 16 where they will play Manchester City. Everyone is somewhat saying it is a foregone conclusion but I would not close the door on Leipzig doing the impossible. He has got this team playing some of the best football of the season. When he took over, they weren’t even in the top 10. He’s got them on a brilliant run of form with all the parties involved. They are now a whisker from the top four. If he could take this team and drive them into the top two or three it would be a ridiculous season. Their team seeing the way they’re playing now. That really should have handled themselves better at the start of the season, but nonetheless they can still make something out of this. He’s always a manager that I have really had an admiration for in German football. I think the work he did at Gladbach was terrific and I think at Dortmund last season he showed the qualities. Getting another chance at the club like this an opportunity to build something special and it’s exactly what he’s doing. We aren’t talking about Leipzig enough. They took down Freiburg in midweek. Freiburg are probably the biggest threat to the throne that Bayern Munich sit on. They don’t have the star players necessarily, but they have a collective group that is incredibly tough to beat. Marco Rose’s Leipzig managed to handle them shows the impact that he is making in such a short time. Marco Rose is exactly what life is needed. Not only is he showing that he deserves respect, but he’s building this team to knock off the Giant. It is going to be hard to do as Bayern Munich still remain the best team in the world but something special is happening there in Leipzig and we’re not talking about it nearly enough. Marco, Rose and Leipzig are on a tear and They will continue to climb.
Wolfsburg’s Trending Upwards
Wolfsburg have gone through an awful lot of transition as of late. A few years back they made that Champions League quarter final against Real Madrid seeing Cristiano Ronaldo complete the comeback. A year later they were in the relegation playoff. They survived it maintaining their Bundesliga status. They have been a classic mid-table side over the recent years. Oliver Glasner arrived seeming to be the right man to take this team back to the top again. However difficult relationships with the Wolfsburg directors ultimately led to his demise. He finished sixth his first season and then qualified for the champions league in his final season. Getting forth in the league with the always dangerous Wout Weghorst handling the business for the Wolves under him. Glazner then went off to Frankfurt won the Europa League last season beating Rangers on penalties in the final. This season he brought in Kolo Mauni Mario Götze with other established parts. This Frankfurt side has been one of the most dangerous sides in the Bundesliga in a real Champions League chase are though to the Round of 16 as they will take on Napoli. Meanwhile, Wolfsburg had a relegation scare last season went through two different managers. Sold their best player and a managed to get things together in the end as they finished in the top 12. They then appointed Kovac from AS Monaco. He was previously the manager at Frankfurt winning the German Cup then was at Bayern Munich winning the league. The first portion of the season didn’t go well. It was a lack of rhythm within the team. They had struggle scoring goals and after the first couple of match days they were near the bottom of the table. The team looked like they were incapable of putting together performances and were asking the defense and the goalkeeper to do too much to frequently. However, things might be starting to turn around. After losing to Union Berlin a few weeks ago, they went on an incredible unbeaten run. Mid-week they picked up their fourth straight victory and all of a sudden are in the top eight in the Bundesliga. It seems for the first time in many years Wolfsburg have a plan in place and a project that is swaying in the right direction. They’re still plenty of due with things that need to change. This is still a long-term project, but they finally are starting to feel like a legitimate team that can build into something significant in the years to come. They’ve been unloading the clip in front of goal in the recent games and in midweek they took on Dortmund. Dortmund one of the most inconsistent teams in the league. They are hot and cold. However, they hadn’t been beaten by Wolfsburg in 5 years. Including six consecutive victories. Wolfsburg went for it from the opening kickoff they went for their throat. They were ruthlessly ambitious and had incredible contributions from the defensive setup. Saying that Wolfsburg ran circles around Dortmund would be an understatement. The incredible goalkeeping from Kobel made the game closer than it probably should have been. Their young center back. Mickey Van Der Ven gets at the back post minutes into the game and then they kill it off with Lucas Nmecha off the bench. This was one of their best performances of the season. Against a very quality opponent with so much quality throughout it. They dominated the midfield. Jude Bellingham was non-existent and their attack didn’t mutually nothing. The way the Wolfsburg defense played them was brilliant. They broke them down and deservingly so earned the points. Their first victory against Dortmund in many years. A terrific display from a Wolfsburg team that is riding high at the moment. They’re finally seeing the consistency from the squad and while they need some more acquisitions to truly make this team into something. They’ve taken all the steps in the right directions and taking down Dortmund at home. Putting them in the top 10 has them within five points of European football. If they can maintain this level of momentum and form this Wolfsburg team might have be something after all. Seems they have the right manager guiding them and it will only be a matter of time before the season we all expected them to be scraping just above the relegation zone. If they maintain this level of concentration on defense and progressing midfield and attack, this Wolfsburg team could have a bright future after all with a few more acquisitions, this team can position themselves to be European regulars give them time but things are heading in the right direction.
