German football season 2023/24

[cgf]

Man, if Baku played with this kind of energy & focus every game he could be a real stud. Already picked up a goal and now just outmuscled Netz after a tough race to the ball that created another opportunity for FC VW.

 

[cgf]

More like if Spurs won the league this year.

It's got elements of Tottenham, Arsenal & Liverpool.

Arsenal hasn't won the league in living memory :-P Though both have remained top 4 teams in most years since their peak in the 2000s, they haven't been a title contender again until very recently...which is one of the main differences, Arsenal coming off a great season vs Bayer a crap one, and Arsenal not depending on anyone the way they rely on Flo.

LFC has the recent title & contender status that separate it from these other teams, but like Leverkusen, Liverpool is coming off a big down year due to injuries, which is why they are the two favorites to win the EL. And like Leverkusen, Liverpool has that unreal superstar up front (Wirtz / Sarah) that they rely on heavily.

Plus, hasn't LFC won a ton of points late this season, just like Bayer?

Tottenham have never won, like the pill pushers, but they've been a top 4 caliber team for a long time that might not have the finances to go toe to toe with the very top teams...but they can still outspend everyone but those top 2-3. Like Arsenal they don't have a Wirtz that everything revolves around and they are not in as strong of a position financially.


Teams like Villa just haven't had as much success as Leverkusen in recent years. They're coming off a down year because of Flo's injury, but Leverkusen have played in the CL more seasons than not over whatever time frame you pick this century.

 

[Jack Straw]

It's got elements of Tottenham, Arsenal & Liverpool. Arsenal haven't won in living memory and though they've remained a top 4 team most years since their peak in the early 2000s, they haven't been a title contender until very recently.

LFC has the recent title & contender status, but like Leverkusen, Liverpool is coming off a big down year due to injuries. And like Leverkusen, Liverpool has that unreal superstar up front (Wirtz / Sarah).

Tottenham have never won, like the pill pushers, but they've been a top 4 caliber team for a long time that might not have the finances to go toe to toe with the very top teams...but they can still outspend everyone but those top 2-3.

Teams like Villa just haven't had as much success as Leverkusen in recent years. They're coming off a down year because of Flo's injury, but Leverkusen have played in the CL more seasons than not over whatever time frame you pick this century.

Being a fan of both Spurs and the Werkself the similarities are all too clear to me.

 

[cgf]

Being a fan of both Spurs and the Werkself the similarities are all too clear to me.

Yeah, it is a very strong fit...Arsenal has that historic success that Leverkusen doesn't, while LFC has that recent title.

The main differences I see are how Wirtz-dependent the Leverkusener are, and that they are still the third richest team in Germany behind only Bayern & BVB, with Leipzig the only major threat financially.

Whereas Tottenham are outmuscled by City, ManU, Chelsea, and I assume both Arsenal & Liverpool?

 

[cgf]

Video - 76bd478c

Video was uploaded to Streamin.me on Apr 07, 2024.

streamin.me

If not for a late own-goal from Seguin, this would've won Schalke a very important 3 pts...they are just 2pts ahead of the relegation-playoff spot, and only 3pts ahead of the final auto-relegation spot...against the 5th placed Hannoveraner. Ouedraogo really just threw Arrey-Mbi (who's having a strong season) aside.

Crazy that Hertha got back to just 8pts back of the promotion playoff spot...and only 3pts behind Hannover...after starting the season as badly as Schalke did. Hope they can get back to the BuLi soon. It's weird being the city's only representative.

 

[cgf]

Gotta hurt to give up a goal like that. Itakura with the equalizer after a deflection of his long-range shot.

Honorat does a nice job setting Ngoumou up for the 2-1. Gladbach have been a lot of fun attacking Baku & Maehle on that side since Honorat & Ngoumou switched sides at halftime.

 

[cgf]

Rocco Reitz nets his 6th of the season to seal the win for BMG. It's really cool seeing him finally putting it all together for BMG after what a let down Rhein has been at the senior level...at least so far, he's a year younger than Reitz and Reitz looked like a disappointment 12 months ago too, so who knows if Rhein can take a similar step next season.

 

[S E P H]

Who could have predicted that? It kind of feels like when Leicester City won the Premier League out of nowhere.

I admit, I don't think I would have ever seen Bayer out of all clubs win BuLi, but they ain't winning it...Bayern is losing it. That's what you get for hiring Tuchel though. Everyone saw this coming, especially EPL fans.

 

[luiginb]

I admit, I don't think I would have ever seen Bayer out of all clubs win BuLi, but they ain't winning it...Bayern is losing it. That's what you get for hiring Tuchel though. Everyone saw this coming, especially EPL fans.

Nah dude, they have a million points. Bayern has got a similar amount of points as last year when they won it. Alonso and whoever is in charge of their transfers are miracle workers.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

I admit, I don't think I would have ever seen Bayer out of all clubs win BuLi, but they ain't winning it...Bayern is losing it. That's what you get for hiring Tuchel though. Everyone saw this coming, especially EPL fans.

At the rate they'll likely finish there are only 2‐3 Bayern teams during the 11-year stretch that would have topped them. It should be closer, but huge disservice to say they didn't "win" it.

 

[cgf]

I admit, I don't think I would have ever seen Bayer out of all clubs win BuLi, but they ain't winning it...Bayern is losing it. That's what you get for hiring Tuchel though. Everyone saw this coming, especially EPL fans.

Leverkusen is on pace for 92pts. The current record for points in a Bundesliga season is 91...

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

I admit, I don't think I would have ever seen Bayer out of all clubs win BuLi, but they ain't winning it...Bayern is losing it. That's what you get for hiring Tuchel though. Everyone saw this coming, especially EPL fans.

when they announced Tuchel was gone at end of season, Bayern were still on pace for one of the highest point totals in BuLi history. They were on pace for a point total higher than Nagelsmann’s last year.

Bayern have serious problems in the upper exec offices and also dressing room disasters (which led Bayern to replace Nagelsmann in the first place). It’s not a happy place.

I know it’s fun and trendy to shit on Tuchel, but let’s stick to facts.

EPL fans should know that Tuchel led a Chelsea team everyone assumed would get thrashed in the R16 against Atletico to a UCL win where they hit 3xG in almost every game and dominated the whole way through.

the rest of the season for Bayern is a write off - he’s a lame duck, anyone who tries to make inferences about Bayern from this point is a f***ing fool.

Bayer are on the cusp of potentially an all-time impressive Euro season. No team has ever done all comps undefeated. Show a shred of respect instead of trying to make this about Tuchel.

Just for this, I hope Bayern thrash Arsenal!

 

[cgf]

FWIW Bayern fired Kahn & Brazzo, and have brought in the best sporting director in Germany to rebuild from the ashes of what they did. So the vibes & decision making seem to be a lot better.

...though there is a lot of tension in that locker-room; maybe even more than last year, when some of the oldies threw a hissyfit about Nagelsmann trying to move on to the new generation.

 

[Albatros]

Bayer are on the cusp of potentially an all-time impressive Euro season. No team has ever done all comps undefeated.

Going undefeated in 12 more matches is a rather big if. They'll be better off focusing on winning the ones that still matter.

 

[JoVel]

If Dortmund won the Bundesliga last year you could say Bayern lost it more than Dortmund won, and you'd probably be correct. But definitely not this season. Leverkusen could go undefeated, saying it's Bayern who lost is pretty discrediting to what an insane season they're having.

 

[cgf]

Going undefeated in 12 more matches is a rather big if. They'll be better off focusing on winning the ones that still matter.

So their remaining schedule is:

H - West Ham (UEFA EL)
H - Werder
A - West Ham (UEFA EL)
A - Dortmund
H - Stuttgart
A - Frankfurt
A - Bochum
H - Augsburg
F - Lautern (DFP Pokal)

+ if the stay undefeated:
H - Milan/Roma
A - Milan/Roma
F - Liverpool/Atalanta/Benfica/Marseille

Certainly still plenty of opportunities for them to pick up a loss...if they win the league next weekend, that trip to Dortmund after the 2nd leg with West Ham, seems like a very likely spot for them to pick up their first defeat, and if they get past West Ham unscathed, that trip to Frankfurt between the EL Semifinal matches could be another.

...but, barring injuries just destroying their lineup, they should be favorites in every match left on that schedule outside of a potential EL Final meeting with Liverpool.

 

[cgf]

Curiously, this season the Bundesliga has seen the fewest U21 players & U21 minutes out of the top 5 leagues.

Ligue 1: 165 kids, 85447 U21 minutes
EPL: 165 kids, 69815 U21 minutes
La Liga: 111 kids, 63706 U21 minutes
Serie A: 106 kids, 60767 U21 minutes
BuLi: 91 kids, 53297 U21 minutes

...even prorated to 20 clubs the BuLi would be at just 101 kids & 59219 U21 minutes.

 

[S E P H]

At the rate they'll likely finish there are only 2‐3 Bayern teams during the 11-year stretch that would have topped them. It should be closer, but huge disservice to say they didn't "win" it.

Leverkusen is on pace for 92pts. The current record for points in a Bundesliga season is 91...

My post wasn't to discredit Alonso winning it with Bayer, it is that Bayern should be winning it every year and hey, even in a fluke year that needs to break records to win it, is a year that Bayern should be doing it. A non-Bayern team doing it, showcases how much of a poor season Bayern is having; as Kane keeps breaking BuLi records himself.

 

[luiginb]

Kane has been far from Bayern's problem btw, without him I'm not sure they even make top 4.

 

[cgf]

My post wasn't to discredit Alonso winning it with Bayer, it is that Bayern should be winning it every year and hey, even in a fluke year that needs to break records to win it, is a year that Bayern should be doing it. A non-Bayern team doing it, showcases how much of a poor season Bayern is having; as Kane keeps breaking BuLi records himself.

Bayern have never in their history posted more than 92pts...how can you say they should be beating that total even in a down year? This is one of the silliest things you have ever posted S E P H and that's a high bar.

 

[S E P H]

Bayern have never in their history posted more than 92pts...how can you say they should be beating that total even in a down year? This is one of the silliest things you have ever posted S E P H and that's a high bar.

Because it is based on the laws of probability. Bayern is the wealthiest German club which means they:

- Should buy the best players (domestic & non-domestic) constantly (due to the ability to give higher wages)
- Should have the best managers (due to higher wages)
- Should have the smartest front office personnel (due to higher wages)
- Should have the highest ratio of trophies specifically in BuLi (which they do at 32)
- Should have the greatest success compared to the other german clubs

Based on those factors, they should be the team that has the greatest probability and possibility to break most of the BuLi records, including points in a single season. That is why I do not consider it silly my brethren.

 

[cgf]

Because it is based on the laws of probability. Bayern is the wealthiest German club which means they:

- Should buy the best players (domestic & non-domestic) constantly (due to the ability to give higher wages)
- Should have the best managers (due to higher wages)
- Should have the smartest front office personnel (due to higher wages)
- Should have the highest ratio of trophies specifically in BuLi (which they do at 32)
- Should have the greatest success compared to the other german clubs

Based on those factors, they should be the team that has the greatest probability and possibility to break most of the BuLi records, including points in a single season. That is why I do not consider it silly my brethren.

So because of Bayern's history you expect them to have more success in a down year than they've ever had in their history? This is some les habs level mental gymnastics

Bayern is currently the only club to break 90pts in 34 games (12-13 & 13-14), they hold the record for earliest point in the season to clinch the title (13-14), and they are the only club to have come close to 90pts.

...and still they've never had a 92pt season. This isn't Kloppo snagging a title with 75 and 81pts because Bayern was weak. The pill pushers are playing so well that even Pep & Jupp's treble winning Bayern would've fallen short of the pace this Leverkusen team is on.

 

[Jack Straw]

Guys, just remember; if any of Man City, Arsenal, or Liverpool win the EPL this year it's not because they won it, it's because Manchester United (the richest team and therefore the team that according to the "rules of probability" should win every single year)... lost it.

I for one am glad that we finally learned how this all works.

 

[cgf]

Guys, just remember; if any of Man City, Arsenal, or Liverpool win the EPL this year it's not because they won it, it's because Manchester United (the richest team and therefore the team that according to the "rules of probability" should win every single year)... lost it.

I for one am glad that we finally learned how this all works.

Is United still the richest? I assume they have the highest revenues, but doesn't city have the most financial might in England right now? Highest wages, biggest transfer outlays, etc.

 

[Jack Straw]

Is United still the richest? I assume they have the highest revenues, but doesn't city have the most financial might in England right now? Highest wages, biggest transfer outlays, etc.

According to Forbes I believe United are still the most valuable. I suppose "richest" could be defined in different ways, like operating income or something.

https://www.forbes.com/lists/soccer-valuations/?sh=1ab59228198b

(from May of last year)