Category: Columnist
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The burden of pre-season tours and international “competitions”
Totalling 13 hours and over 4,200 miles, Borussia Dortmund’s journey to Chicago to face Manchester City in the International Champions Cup raises questions as to why domestic sides take on such a mission as part of their pre-season schedule. Yes, it as an opportunity to promote the German game in areas of the world where…
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Is the Leipzig Managerial Model Right for Other German Clubs?
When is a manager not a manager? Or, more accurately, how many managers does it take to manage RB Leipzig? The jokes almost write themselves for the Red Bull-infused club when they announced their new plan to replacing the departing Ralf Hasenhuttl with essentially three different men. However, in this era of managers disposed of…
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Andriy Yarmolenko: A hole that needs filling or a flood that’s been leaked?
Those that saw West Ham’s latest video of Andriy Yarmolenko’s so-called ‘best moments’ in his debut match against Wycombe Wanderers would have been left wondering if any of his ‘best moments’ had been shown at all. They would have been left wondering this as the video was nothing more than a montage of the Ukrainian…
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Classy Kimmich developing into a massive star of German football
Two Bundesliga representatives were named in the Squad of the Season for players who had featured in the Champions League. While Bayern Munich were knocked out by the eventual champions in the semi-finals, both Joshua Kimmich and James Rodriguez have been recognised for their efforts. Appearing in the UEFA squad of the season alongside the…
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Mario Gotze and the Helter Skelter journey out of the World Cup squad
“Here’s Gotze. It’s Mario Gotze, it’s Super Mario, he may have just won the World Cup for Germany.” Everyone remembers where they were when they heard those famous lines and watched Gotze, majestically control Andre Schurrle’s cross on his chest, before guiding an unstoppable volley past Sergio Romero. It won Germany the World Cup and…
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The Enthusiast end of season special: The up’s and the down’s
It’s fair to say that most of us will be glad to see the back of 2017/18. A season that began with so much positivity and optimism ended with us just about making the Champions League and a final game that summed up our season. There have been managerial changes, squad upheavals and a seismic…
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Early summer transfer spending shows how proactive the Bundesliga is
Early summer transfer spending shows how proactive the Bundesliga is With the Bundesliga season only finishing just over a week ago, there have already been some notable transfer dealings at the start of the summer break. While Bayern Munich have strengthened their already formidable squad with the shrewd capture of Leon Goretzka from Schalke, other…
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Should One Match Decide A Manager’s Fate?
Across the pond from Germany, Manchester United and Chelsea prepare for the Consolation Cup, i.e., the FA Cup Final this weekend. Both clubs are looking for a positive way to end what for both was a moderately disappointing season. However, an additional subplot is the fate of manager Antonio Conte, whose time at Chelsea seems…
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3 Players Dortmund need to sign to challenge for the Bundesliga in 2018/2019
What started out as a season filled with hope and optimism of finally being able to challenge for Bayern’s Bundesliga throne ended in a 3rd place finish with a familiar stroyline. Bayern had better players, more money, more resources etc. However the 2019/19 season truly presents an opportunity to reclaim their place at the top…
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Time To Prove Dortmund Is Still On The Cutting Edge of European Football
Finally! It’s that time of year once again! The transfer window is now open for English teams with the rest of Europe’s big leagues not far behind on June 1, and Dortmund have some serious work to do. Last season, the free-trading ways of Michael Zorc and Hans-Joachim Watzke finally caught up to the club,…