The Bundesliga Show Episode 46 - Bundesliga Show & Blitz Superpod

Its the last pod of the year and it is a huge one to finish off 2011...The Bundesliga Show and Bundesliga Blitz podcasts collide in London.

Terry Duffelen and Jon Hartley from the Bundesliga Show are joined by Matt Hermann and Mark Hallam from the Bundesliga Blitz, and if that wasn't enough European football Journalist Andy Brassell is also joins the pod.

Included in this bumper pod, a review of matchday 17 and a look back at a fantastic first half of the season in the Bundesliga.

The Bundesliga Show Episode 46 - Bundesliga Show & Blitz Superpod by soundoffootball

Alternatively you can download the podcast directly from here.

Game On! Bayern 0 – 1 Dortmund

A tactical overview by Kyle Barber.

Last season, this fixture produced one of the most memorable matches of the year. Dortmund looked rampant as they continued their romp towards the title; while the 3-1 reverse served to underline Bayern’s deficiencies and listlessness that typified a stuttering campaign.

Cast forward some 22 games, and one could be forgiven for assuming that the inevitable status quo was well on the way to being restored. As matchday 13 dawned, Bayern sat five points clear of last year’s Champions in second spot. And despite a return of 13 points from the past five games, BVB’s apparent travails in balancing duel domestic and continental commitments has left most observers unable to see beyond a point at best from their journey to the Bavarian heartland. Indeed, ahead of the game, Hans-Joachim Watzke – the Dortmund General Manager – had sounded a note of caution, counselling how daunting a trip to the Allianz Arena would be.

Full Backs

Dortmund, however, began the match seemingly intent on belying that air of prudence, as they flew at their hosts in the opening five minutes. Shorn of the presence of Bastian Schweinsteiger – yet bolstered by the returning Arjen Robben – Jupp Heynckes opted to retain the 4-2-3-1 formation that had served him so well thus far; bringing Luiz Gustavo in to sit alongside Toni Kroos. His opposite number, Jürgen Klopp, matched this set-up, employing Shinji Kagawa in a similar vein to that occupied by Thomas Müller, pressing high up onto the centre backs. With both central midfield pairings also pushing on, that congested area was largely bypassed by both sides. Bayern in particular, used their wide assets with great regularity, focusing on their fullbacks to start much of their attacking flow. The passing stats from the game bear that approach out, with Philipp Lahm and Rafinha having at least 20 touches more than anyone else, as well as completing twice as many passes as any Dortmund player as the hosts dominated possession (60.6% to 39.4%), and completed 476 passes to 200.

What Bayern used the ball to do, Dortmund countered with a more physical approach, concentrating on chasing down their opponents, and limiting time on the ball (committing twice the number of fouls in the process): by the time the half-time whistle blew, BVB had covered some six kilometres more than the home side, and five Dortmund players (Bender, Großkreutz, Kagawa, Götze, and Piszczek) ran further than the furthest-covering Bayern player (Gustavo). That figure would extend to more than 10.5km for the full 90 minutes, as youthful exuberance came to the fore. That tactic certainly had the effect of frustrating Bayern and, as the half wore on, they were more frequently drawn into adopting a long ball approach. However, a combination of tight marking on the ineffectual Mario Gomez, and a high starting position from Roman Weidenfeller meant that the sole Munich frontman often appeared isolated and outnumbered; more usually being beaten to the first header, and unable to offer much in the way of knock-downs to the midfield. The dual threat of Robben and Ribéry was unequivocally met with close marking and a succession of niggling challenges and fouls from Lukasz Piszczek and Marcel Schmelzer, as Klopp employed a direct man-for-man methodology.

As Dortmund began to feel more comfortable in handling the home side, so their quintessential counter-attacking philosophy began to show. Though often more protracted and slower than is usually witnessed, the wide options of Großkreutz and Götze offered an equal attacking intent as those of Ribéry and Robben, and Lewandowski ploughed a dogmatic furrow as the target man to occupy the central defence.

In the air

A similar profile characterised the opening stages of the second 45, as the away team showed relatively little forward endeavour, seemingly content to limit themselves to an early flurry, before settling back. The half-time whistle certainly came at an apropos time for Borussia, as they were noticeably dropping ever-deeper (though that was accentuated by Bayern’s reversion to the long ball). The most surprising feature of the opening exchanges of the second half was the apparent lack of invention from Bayern. Indeed, even their previous ideas to exploit the wide areas was eschewed, as the ball spent far more time in the air, through long diagonals from both full-backs. Of almost equal surprise was Heynckes seeming reticence in taking advantage of the extra man at his disposal in defence, with both Lahm and Rafinha rarely choosing to overlap their wingers.

By the time Heynckes did decide to twist, his team were a goal down. In the 65th minute, a long ball was allowed to bounce by the Bayern rearguard, and a smart one-two between Kagawa and Götze – followed by a mistimed attempted clearance – allowed the latter to poke beyond Manuel Neuer. Heynckes brought on David Alaba and Ivica Olic for Robben and Müller, but to little avail, as Dortmund withdrew to a more formulaic 4-4-2. Ten of Bayern’s fifteen shots came in the last twenty minutes of the match, but were limited to long-range efforts, as Dortmund closed ranks. The legs of Moritz Leitner replaced the indefatigable Sebastian Kehl, as Klopp battened down the hatches. The late introduction of Nils Petersen was too late on to have an effect, and left Heynckes with more questions than answers over what Plan B may look like: “When you play against Borussia Dortmund you've got to put them under more pressure than we did today. We didn't capitalise on raising the tempo in order to create goal scoring opportunities”.

Double fist pump

While this victory lacked the verve and swagger that accompanied Dortmund’s 3-1 triumph of last season, it may well have given Jürgen Klopp more satisfaction. The early stages of this campaign have seen a number of accusations of an inability to cope with expectation levelled at his young side, and this win offered a sturdier facet to their make-up. That should help to foster a strong second half to the League season, especially if they do manage to secure European competition past the Winterpause. For Klopp, the double fist-pump returned, and the enthusiasm which greeted the win belied how much of a watershed the game was: “We gave away surprisingly little and worked fantastically well without the ball. Out of the few good moments we had, we managed to convert once. We were patient and disciplined and are not undeserving winners”.

It also marked three straights wins against Bayern, and a return of six goals to two over that period, as Watzke quickly changed tack to proclaim “we weren’t looking above us [before the game], and the same applies now. Four weeks ago, we were supposedly in a state of crisis!”

Follow Kyle Barber on Twitter

The Bundesliga Show Episode 42 - A mixed weekend of sadness and joy in the Bundesliga

This week on The Bundesliga Show, Terry Duffelen and Jon Hartley, talk about the big issues of Matchday 13 in the Bundesliga. It was a mixed weekend of emotions in the Bundesliga...sadness at the news of Referee Babak Rafati tried to take his own life before Cologne's game with Hannover.

Also in the show, author and journalist Uli Hesse talks about the big match of the week between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

The Bundesliga Show Episode 42 - A mixed weekend of sadness and joy in the Bundesliga by soundoffootball

Lounge Acts Postview: Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund

In what was billed as the match of the round, the supposed epic tussle between current Bundesliga champions Borrusia Dortmund and current league leaders Bayern Munich turned into a farce with both sides ending the match with fewer men than they began and Jürgen Klopp likely awaiting a heavy fine after his antics in a scoreless draw. On a night when Klopp lost his cool under the dual pressures of managing his young squad both in Germany and in Champions League competition, it was in fact Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer who will be stealing the headlines after his unsporting behavior following his save of a Lucas Barrios penalty in the 65th minute earned him the early gate. The shared points, coupled with Werder Bremen's 2-1 success at Borrusia Park saw BvB drop to third in the table, while the Bavarians' lead at the top shrunk to three points.

With Bastian Schweinsteiger and Anatoliy Tymoschuck both out for Bayern, Jupp Heynckes drafted in Luiz Gustavo alongside Toni Kroos in the center of his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. Danijel Pranjic was given a rare start on the right wing with dynamo Thomas Müller pulled inside to support top scorer Mario Gomez, and French James Bond villain Franck Ribery manning the left. The level of comfort and communication among this set of players was lacking from the off, as what appeared to be a promising offensive movement in the 18th minute, begun on the break by a deep-lying Gustavo, ended in tragi-comedy as an outlet pass made by Müller out wide just rolled out of bounds with a non-reactive Pranjic watching it go out. Pranjic then shrugged his shoulders, motioning to young Thomas as if asking, "Wait, you meant to pass it to me? What team am I on again?" This came on the heels of an incident in the 13th minute, where it Ribery could be seen attempting to sneak up on BvB's Sven Bender from behind and to give the young midfielder a "wet willy."

The Wet Willy & Shinji's Socks Formation

Dortmund were just as impressive in their end, however, and refused to come second in had quickly become a comedy of errors at the Allianz. Shinji Kagawa, eager to regain the form that brought him such accolades last campaign prior to a metatarsal injury suffered in January's Asian Cup shelved him for a spell, ran his socks off. Quite literally it could be said, as when made a cutting run across the face of Manuel Neuer's goal area in the 32nd minute, he was unable to slow his momentum and ran off the field of play, into a bank of cameramen pitch-side. Subsequently extricating himself from one cameraman's equipment Kagawa ripped his right sock, revealing a shin guard covered in images of Shinji's supposedly favorite Dragonball Z characters. Exacerbated that this occurred with the ball still in play and Dortmund down a man, Klopp accidentally performed a reverse double-fist pump on the opposite side of the pitch which connected with the 4th official, causing a ten minute delay in play while the head referee checked on his colleague. Dortmund's staff quickly re-socked Kagawa, who continued for the rest of the match in what he later described as "Super Saiyan" mode.

The first half ended with neither side truly showing his quality, as the stoppage of play for the 4th official, coupled with the Ribery's insistence on not passing to Gomez until the German international called for the ball by flapping his arms like a chicken made the opening 45 minutes a clunky affair. It was not until the 2nd half when the action became truly interesting, if not alarming. With BvB having gained a foothold in the match once Klopp brought on young Moritz Leitner in place of Sebastian Kehl around the hour mark, Neuer began being called into real action for the first times of the evening. As that trademark pressure around the opposition's final third started wearing down a rather exhausted Bayern back line, Neuer was forced into making two fine saves--one on a cheeky backheel from forward Lucas Barrios and the second from a dangerous free kick from Mats Hummels.

A penalty call for a hand ball in the box by Gustavo in the 65th minute was turned down by referee Wolfgang Stark, and at this point is where Klopp lost his composure. Play was once again halted as the young trainer stormed the pitch to confront Stark, causing copious amounts of spittle to fly from his mouth onto Stark's slightly aghast face. As the referee sought assistance in removing Klopp from the field as well as the park, Klopp dropped to his knees and began pulling up handfuls of the turf and shoving the blades of grass into his mouth in an apparent attempt to stem the amount of saliva still dribbling. Once order was restored and Klopp was no longer about, real calamity struck for Dortmund when they were reduced to ten men following a questionable red card handed to Sven Bender just a short time later.

"Coq au Vin Gomes, Coq au Vin."

In the 68th minute, Bayern's Müller slipped on the now-bald patch of dirt created by Klopp's performance as he was advancing the ball up the park. Bender, who had been marking Müller tighter in this 2nd half, had been defending Müller at the time and supposedly said, "What you fell over for Mule?" while the Bayern player was on the ground. Stark, who was near enough to hear Bender's words, immediately blew his whistle and reached for a red card to tumultuous applause from the dumbstruck Allianz Arena. While Stark has yet to speak officially on his decision, reports suggest he thought Bender had used racist language when addressing Müller, and the red card was given for grossly unsporting conduct. And while he was no longer a party to the proceedings by this point, it has been further reported Klopp ruptured a blood vessel in his temple upon hearing of Bender's dismissal, and there is now a doubt as to his health over managing the squad in their upcoming Champions League match against Arsenal.

Now down a man, Dortmund lost the initiative, and the match favored Bayern going forward. Ribery delivered a well-placed cross into the box for Gomez but the striker's headed shot went well wide of Roman Weidenfeller's goal in the 74th minute. Having the bulk of possession playing with the man advantage, Bayern Munich were able to pin BvB into their end for the remainder, until a swift counter attack turned the match completely upside down. His first touch having let him down, Toni Kroos gifted the ball to Hummels around the 77th minute. Hummels then swiftly hoofed the ball to a streaking Kagawa, finding the speedy player on a dead run just over the midfield stripe. As Bayern's defenders were too far up the pitch in search of that winning goal, Kagawa looked to have had a free run on Neuer, but Germany's captain Philipp Lahm recovered to shield his keeper but in the process had a deserved penalty called on him.

With Bayern now also reduced to ten men, it was Barrios who was called upon to attempt and snatch a winner from Fortress Allianz if he could but sneak one past the mighty Neuer. Amazingly, Barrios scuffed his shot, sending it over the crossbar and into the dark of that cold, Bavarian night. Even more amazingly, Neuer then produced a replica Borussia Dortmund shirt from behind his goal, waving it in front of a crestfallen Barrios before proceeding to wipe his bottom on the BvB crest of the jersey. Match officials tell us Neuer was yelling something like, "There's your Arsemund Lucy!"

At this point, Stark had lost complete control of the match, and with members of both clubs on the field attempting to keep both sets of players from engaging in an all-out fight--well, except for Gomez, who was still to be found up far up the pitch running his fingers through his hair--the full time whistle was blown after only 82 minutes of play. Pranjic could be seen reaching into Stark's pockets for cards and confusingly, looks to have given himself a yellow card.

There is no word on whether the caution Pranjic awarded himself will be counted as an official card by league officials. Further, there is no word on whether Schalke 04 have plans to send a congratulatory card to Neuer for his part in the match.

The Bundesliga Show Episode 41 - More crisis in Cologne & the battle of the top four

This week Jon Hartley & Terry Duffelen record The Bundesliga Show from the banks of the River Thames in London and discuss the latest problems at FC Cologne after the resignation of President Wolfgang Overath.

They also preview the big matchday 13 battles between the top four - Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

The Bundesliga Show Episode 41 - More crisis in Cologne & the battle of the top four by soundoffootball

Preview: Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund

The Earth shakes, the mind aches. From time to time there are results that make the ground tremble, metaphorically of course (football matches causing earthquakes would be hideous). Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 victory at Bayern Munich, last season, was such a result. It was a match that shook the foundations of the Bundesliga... for a while at least.

The truth is that the Bundesliga is a beast, well settled in its patch and that patch is very much the property of FC Bayern. In recent seasons the Munich club have stopped to check that they’ve stepped in something, got distracted and allowed someone else to steal a march on them. Stuttgart in 2007, Wolfsburg in 2009 and BVB in 2011, all odd numbered years. The pattern is clear: after a major international tournament, Bayern are sluggish. Apart from that, they rule.

So with the hand of history on their shoulders, the current champions, Borussia Dortmund travel to Bayern to face the Bundesliga leaders who will not necessarily be looking to avenge the defeat at the Allianz, last season but to simply take care of business. This is what Bayern do when they are at their best. That is why they are loved, hated and above all respected.

Flowery rhetoric aside, this match has come at the perfect time in the season for the neutral. About a month ago, Dortmund were still recovering from a tricky start to the campaign while Bayern were in full flow. BVB have since got better while Bayern have the defeat at Hannover and the less than convincing win at home to bottom club Augsburg to consider.

Of course, the Dortmund club will play a high intensity passing game while Bayern have proved vulnerable to teams are who willing of playing without the ball (in Augsburg’s case because they had no choice). BVB have stacks of pace but will be less likely to come bursting out of defence, hoping to catch Bayern’s defenders on the hop. This tactic will be more comfortable for Bayern, albeit hardly playing into their coach, Jupp Heynkes', hands.

Both coaches have selection headaches. Will Jurgen Klopp play his regular front man, Lucas Barrios who should be ready and able after lengthy injury problems or will he stick with Robert Lewandowski, the Polish striker who has deputised for the Paraguayan international brilliantly? Centre back Nevan Subotic has been the proverbial rock against a hard place but got his face rearranged by Sotirios Kyrgiakos in the last Bundesliga match against Wolfsburg. He faces a long absence.

Heynkes is missing Bastian Schweinsteiger! Consequently there is a big hole in the Bayern midfield waiting to be populated by scurrying Dortmund attackers like the lethal Mario Gotze and the rapidly returning to form Shinji  Kagawa. Options include playing Toni Kroos in the screening midfielder’s role or moving one of his defenders forward. Neither choice seems palatable and this would be a good time for Heynkes to include Luiz Gustavo in his strategy. The Brazilian has been more of a utility player since joining Bayern but did his best work in the middle of the park for his old club, Hoffenheim.

Plenty to ponder then and even more to look forward to but with the majority of the season still ahead of us this does not have the same sense of climax as the corresponding fixture, last season. Neither team will win the title as a result of this game but of the two we may well be seeing the Bundesliga winners come May 2012.

And So It Begins

Charging forward like a locomotive fueled by ambition and belching steam from all the euros that clubs burned to reach this much celebrated stage, the Champions League begins this week. At least, it feels a bit like group play of the 2011/12 competition has rushed upon us after having seemed so far away previously, still stuck at the station, waiting for more passengers prior to departure. This season's Bundesliga participants might not be entirely ready for this oncoming freight train either, but the time has passed for flagging down the conductor and asking him to slow down. The whistle is about to blow for things to start--they will just have to hope they weren't left looking for postcards in the station's gift shop before getting on board.

Of course, Bayern Munich have ridden these rails so often, the Bavarians were already enjoying cocktails in the dining cart before anyone else in their group took a seat. Jupp Heynckes already had to tell Mario Gomez to stop giggling when Philipp Lahm was asked to show proof of age in order to buy a pint. Twice.

No, Bundesliga's other two participants, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, might be the ones looking a bit out of sorts before this Champions League play starts. Both sides have had their share of glory and--yes, in the case of Leverkusen--almost glory in this competition, but for both it has been a few years since either have returned to the grandest European contest; this lack of inexperience will likely show at some point during group play one would imagine. The same could be said for the trainers of both clubs, although Dortmund's rather animated coach Jürgen Klopp has managed Europa League ties, with Mainz 05 (in ye olde UEFA Cup days) and with the Borussians last season. Werkself's trainer Robin Dutt was just plucked out of the Black Forest not too long ago, though, so he might find the glare of the Champions League spotlight rather bright at Stamford Bridge.

Then again, both BvB and Bayer 04 finished above Bayern in last season's Bundesliga, so obviously there is top quality in both squads--why should either be given short shrift just because they lack a certain experience? After all, Tottenham Hotspur and Harry Redknapp showed for a time in this competition last season that sometimes all you need to do is run about and things might go your way. A key problem with this rationale, however, is that neither Dortmund nor Leverkusen are the same sides that finished first and second respectively to qualify. Both lost arguably their best players in the close season, with Nuri Sahin becoming the latest Bundesliga acquisition of Real Madrid while Arturo Vidal headed south to join the Old Lady. In fact, Vidal's so good, they even built a new home stadium just for him at Juventus.

Also, don't look up that fact for accuracy.

In short, both these sides lost the midfield engines that brought them such great success last season and thus far have been hard-pressed to replace the attributes they exhibited on the pitch. For BvB, Sahin was a perfect link between defence and attack, sparking offensive movements of his own deep in his own half at times and pulling off passes only he could see finding the proper target. As for Vidal, he developed into one of the best tacklers in the German top flight last season, and his confident control on the ball allowed his teammates to re-position themselves appropriately to pose either a scoring threat or be better placed to effectively defend. These types of skills will likely be sorely missed when going up against some of Europe's better squads, and Bundesliga observers must hope neither side will have their shorts pulled down about their ankles as Werder Bremen did last season.

Still, both could be set to ride this Champions League train for a while given the groups in which they have been placed. With Woolwichmund approaching (because it seems labeling the Arsenal v BvB encounters "Arsemund" is something rather disgusting) and the Gunners not in the greatest of shapes entering group play, Klopp and Dortmund might have the early upper hand at the Westfalenstadion. Really, in Group F the other three sides are all out of sorts thus far, with Arsenal having recently been humbled by an 8-2 drubbing from Manchester United in the Premiership, Olympique Marseille having yet to record a win in Ligue Un, and Olympiakos...uh...for playing in the Greek league?

This is a Bundesliga site, not a Hellenic one--please be gentle. What this could mean, though, is Group F looks set to be evenly matched at the outset, and Borussia Dortmund could find themselves blitzing through as group winners should Klopp employ the frenetic, lung-bursting attacking style his squads seemed built to do.

As for Bayer Leverkusen, the Werkself might have less of a chance with Chelsea and Valencia expected to top Group E. The Michael Ballack farewell tour appears to have the makings of a mucky midfield scrap, and  if AVB employs the proper tactics befitting his reputation, Dutt might ask to borrow his chalk board. Bayer 04 might have thought they received a reprieve when midfielder Juan Mata was allowed to leave Valencia, but he'll be opposing them at Stamford Bridge for the Blues instead. Rene Adler will likely be out until at least October, and while Bernd Leno has performed well in goal for Leverkusen in Bundesliga, he will be manning the net against extremely seasoned Champions League campaigners without an equally experienced centre back pairing in front of him to act as a security blanket.

The hope for Bayer, perhaps, lies in the Torres factor. Having recently had his comments regarding his Chelsea teammates come under club scrutiny, along with his rather poor rate of return following January's sensational transfer from Liverpool, Fernando Torres has yet to discover how to win friends and influence his neighbours in London. He came on as a substitute in Chelsea's most recent Premiership match, perhaps with an eye to saving him for this Champions League encounter with Leverkusen. With the club investigating his disparaging remarks about the squad and with Didier Drogba unavailable, might AVB opt for a forward partnership that includes young Daniel Sturridge instead of Torres, or does he start Torres and hope everyone plays nice?

Mario Gomez is still giggling in the dining cart, by the way.

As for Bayern Munich, what could be said as they prepare for Wednesday's trip to El Madrigal? Considering the Red Shorts just completed putting seven past SC Freiburg and Villarreal began their La Liga campaign by shipping five to Barcelona, this might be the least intriguing Champions League match involving a Bundesliga side. Expect much to be made of their tussle with Manchester City in a few weeks instead, when Germany's No. 1 squares off against England's No. 1 at the Allianz Arena. This week, however, one might imagine the Bavarians should sink the Yellow Submarine and announce to the other clubs they will be fighting for the second spot in Group A.

So, the train has left the station. How far will Bundesliga's representatives be riding it? For those of us following the fates of these clubs, here's hoping none of their campaigns become derailed too soon, particularly when the final destination stops in Munich.

A 2011/12 Bundesliga Preview: What Happens to Idle Hands & An Adled Brain

In truth, there are many websites and blogs about that would present a more thorough and likely informative preview of the league, delving specifically into each club's strengths and weaknesses. My guess is by the time this is posted, Jon & Terry will have done that very thing in a podcast format, so I'm at a distinct disadvantage. The other excellent contributors to this site would also be much more qualified to present an overall primer for the upcoming 2011/12 Bundesliga season. So why have I done so instead, risking general scorn and derision with something that is certain to be far off the mark?

Well, the computers were down at my office, and I was bored. So, let's begin with last season's top clubs and proceed forward.

Borussia Dortmund
The electrifying display by BvB last season led to a league title for Jürgen Klopp's lads that no one saw coming. With Nuri Sahin guiding the attack from the midfield, Shinji Kagawa and Mario Götze flashing across the goal, Großkreutz, Lewandowski, or Kuba bombing down the flanks, along with exemplary defensive work by central defenders Subotic & Hummels, Dortmund withstood a slight sag in their final form to take the Hubcap for the first time since 2002.

One of the keys to that campaign--along with breathtaking offensive play & solid defensive work--was home form. Westfalenstadion was treated as a virtual fortress by BvB, with only 1 loss at home all campaign--the opening fixture to Bayer Leverkusen.

Might they have the chance to repeat? The Special One swooped for Sahin but Klopp reloaded with former 1.FC Nürnberg midfielder Silky Ilkay Gündogan taking Sahin's spot alongside solid defensive midfielder Sven Bender. Silky's a promising young player and should fit in nicely with the squad built by Klopp--which remained mostly intact--but he is not as similar player as Sahin when it comes to playmaking.

Gündogan can, at times, get bogged down in a midfield that Sahin would glide through more easily because his vision is considerably developed for a player his age. Further, Silky's not as proficient at dropping back to help out a fullback or CB in distress, as Nuri demonstrated with aplomb last season. Finally, Sahin's passing skills are remarkable--again, that vision thing--and anyone who would have been brought in to replace him would simply not be able to provide the same level of quality to Dortmund's dazzling 2010/11 form.

Also, BvB now must contend with Champions League competition as well. Last season, Klopp's charges bowed out of Europa League and the DFB Pokal Cup play quite early and were able to concentrate just on their league play. So, while BvB will likely not be repeating as Bundesliga champions--after all, this is Bundesliga, champions and managers change by the minute--the side should still be battling near the top of the division rather than mid-table or below. Potentially the 2011/12 Bundesliga champion will be...

Bayer Leverkusen
Kidding. Supremely kidding. Die Werkself have a good bit of work to do if they wish to stay in the upper tier of the top flight. Jupp Heynckes has gone back to manage Bayern Munich, Sami Hyypiä retired, Arturo Vidal's gone south to Juventus, and Stefan Kießling is still, well, Stefan Kießling. Think of him as Peter Crouch sans Robot Dance and with slightly better accuracy with his noggin.

And while the club did attempt to replace the fabulous Finn with talented young defender Ömer Toprak from SC Freiburg, nothing has been done to shore up the fullback positions, notably at RB. Bayer 04 has already been knocked out of the German Cup in the first round by newly promoted 2.Bundesliga club Dynamo Dresden by a score of 4-3. In case you hadn't heard, Leverkusen lost that affair despite Dresden spotting them a 3 goal lead. The comeback came about largely because of mistakes made from RB Hanno Balitsch along with GK David Yelldell.

That's right, David Yelldell has been deputized as Bayer's No. 1 in Rene Adler's absence, and he had a rather difficult time between the sticks in Leverkusen's first competitive match of the season. So, at the beginning of this campaign Werkself have two glaring weaknesses that most of Bundesliga and whomever they face in the Champions League group stage will tear apart should continued defensive issues not be addressed prior to the end of the close season or if Adler's recovery time is more extensive that initially believed.

It won't matter how many goals offensively-gifted newcomer Andre Schürrle or that little sparkplug, Sidney Sam, can score from the flanks if Leverkusen's fullbacks consistently find themselves pinched in and leave Toprak, Stefan Reinartz, or Manuel Friedrich at the mercy of Bundesliga's top wing players with less than reliable hands behind them.

As for new manager Robin Dutt, well, we'll see. He performed minor miracles over the years for a small SC Freiburg side that had spent most of its history in the 2nd division rather than in the top flight as it does today. And, given time, Dutt should be able to impress at Leverkusen, but likely not this year. This is truly his first "big" job managing in German football, so being slightly unproven at a top club with the additional headaches of Champions League group play ahead, there are enough doubts about Dutt to suggest there will probably be a slight downward adjustment to Bayer Leverkusen's aspirations this campaign. Qualifying for a Europa League spot would be a successful season, methinks.

Wait, a manager taking the reins of his first big-time football club, a slightly dodgy US keeper who's replaced a very good keeper that sometimes makes brilliant saves yet makes a hash of easy ones, problems at RB, likely finishing between 5th & 7th, and a lanky centre forward with slight accuracy problems? Bloody hell--I support the Tottenham Hotspur of Germany.

Bayern Munich
Here are your favorites to reclaim the Hubcap this season. The Bavarian braintrust was slightly perturbed at Louis van Gaal's handling last season, so they brought back a trusted old hand in Jupp to be a bit of a caretaker for a club that's brimming with enough quality to truly dominate the league and make a deep run in the Champions League. If you recall, this year's CL Final takes place at Bayern's stadium, and die Roten want to be at the Allianz as participants rather than simply hosts. It has already been a decade since FC Hollywood last won that jug-eared cup, and Nerlinger, Hoeneß, and Rummenigge want it back, regardless of cost.

Which of course, brings us to Bayern's biggest transfer activities of the summer. While they were unable to get their hands on Vidal--Rudi Völler flat out refused to sell the Chilean to Bayern regardless of price--the Bavarians splashed out over €19 million to bring in Germany's No.1 GK Manuel Neuer, and shelled out nearly €12 million to return Jerome Boateng to the land of his birth after his ill-fated Manchester excursion. Along with other transfers, including an intriguing ones that brought former Gamba Osaka MF Takashi Usami in for less than €300 thousand, Bayern Munich have already spent 1/3 of the total transfer purchases debited to Bundesliga clubs this summer.

The cash is flashing, and it's not yet done, as there are rumors about regarding a possible move for Chelsea's defender Alex.

Does money buy you a title? Not necessarily, but when you're Bayern Munich, it probably does. The club still has a depth of talent littered about the midfield along with solidly reliable wee captain Lahm, so for them, they probably could score enough goals to win after forking over a lot of euros to Schalke 04 for the best keeper in the league to stop all he sees. Some things never change, though, as Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry have already picked up early injuries from action in pre-season friendlies, so the winged duo might be slowed at the start of the season.

Honestly, it should be down in the standard manager's manual to bubble-wrap those two and not unwrap them only when league play starts.

Those Being Notables
One of the biggest reasons for believing Bayern Munich will likely finish as league champions this season, though, is because the other pretenders to the throne seem to have been weakened by the summer transfer season. Dortmund and Leverkusen have already been mentioned, and other potential upper tier clubs like Hamburg and Schalke 04 have not appeared to have strengthened enough to truly challenge just yet. Until Wolfsburg sort out Diego and Felix Magath finds a way to re-educate young Simon Kjaer on how to play defense, die Wölfe are likely too far out. Bruno Labbadia will likely reach his expiration date with VfB Stuttgart, derailing that club's chances at the top, and Hannover 96 will remain quietly just hanging around, much as they did last year.

As for Mainz 05, in addition to losing Schürrle and Lewis Holtby in the off season, they will be competing in Europa League after last year's fantastic campaign. Much like BvB last year, Thomas Tuchel had nothing but the league to focus on, so it would be difficult to imagine the Carnival Club being back amongst the leaders this season while trying to balance a smallish squad with the rigors of an additional cup competition. Any finish somewhere mid-table in front of the supporters at their spanking new Colface Arena should be considered a success.

Outside of 1.FC Köln--which might surprise under new manager Ståle Solbakken--my pick for a club poised to make a run this season is 1899 Hoffenheim. Long-serving FC St. Pauli manager Holger Stanislawski was named the new boss at the Sinsheim club prior to the end of last season, and for some reason I think his arrival might finally kick 1899 out of its mid-level funk and seriously push further up the table this campaign. For some unknown reason, something tells me Stanis will find a way to get the best out of Icelandic heartthrob Gylfi Sigurðsson and sort out Ryan Babel to become a somewhat reliable scorer. Look for Germany's richest village club to be more dynamic this campaign and be nearer the European spots near season's end than perhaps you might imagine.

Just try to ignore the fact they still have Edson Braafheid in the squad.

Those Needing Potent Potables
As for the rest? If SC Freiburg lose Papiss Demba Cissé by the end of the month--and considering they already signed Garra Dembele earlier anticipating his departure, it's expected to happen--the Breisgau-Brasilianers are possibly headed for a return to 2.Bundesliga. Remember, no Robin Dutt anymore. Newly promoted club FC Augsburg will likely be joining them, as the step up to the top flight will be too much for a club that has spent most of its history hovering about the third division. 1.FC Nürnberg might find themselves in the 16th position as they did a couple seasons ago, but most probably would win a relegation playoff--again, as it did a couple seasons ago. The other clubs finish somewhere in between, but accurately predicting where is like getting me to appreciate Mario Gomez.

It's just not going to happen.

There you have it--a far too long preview for the 2011/12 Bundesliga season that had virtually no worth. If you read down this far, congrats. You either actually care about German football, don't mind being slightly insulted, or your computer systems were down at work like mine.

The Bundesliga Show 27 - First Round Cup Folly, the big Bundesliga kick-off and Jim Proudfoot

The Bundesliga is almost back, but before the big kick-off there was the return of the DFB Pokal to wet our appetite's - Jon Hartley and Terry Duffelen round up the results from the German Cup 1st Round.

The show also welcomes its first special guest of the new season, commentator Jim Proudfoot, who looks ahead to the season opener between Dortmund and HSV and also gives his thoughts on the up coming campaign. 

The Bundesliga Show 27 - First Round Cup Folly, the big Bundesliga kick-off and Jim Proudfoot by soundoffootball

LIGAtotal! Round Up

The LIGAtotal! Cup this year provided a brief two day window to analyse four teams that, on the basis of the performances witnessed, should be looking to compete with one another for the top places in the forthcoming Bundesliga season.

The accolade for the ‘Most Memorable Performance’ goes to Manuel Neuer for his two displays of nervousness that made him look like the devil spawn of Thomas Kraft and Hans-Jorg Butt. Poor Manuel, who has also somehow found himself on a slightly distasteful (read: asinine) campaign by a set of Bayern ultras who inhabit the Südtribüne of the Allianz Arena, who last week supplied the German #1 with a five-piece protocol that he must obey if his stay is to be comfortable. His performances did nothing to breed confidence in the Bayern faithful, after being partly culpable for the majority of the goals conceded within the tournament. He looked uncharacteristically flustered; this would usually be understandable given he had Holger Badstuber playing ahead of him, but for someone who had to put up with the inept defending of Christoph Metzelder for a couple of seasons, he should be used to lackadaisical - bordering on the slapstick - defending witnessed in his back four.

Heung Min Son of HSV, however, did genuinely impress however, even if Neuer did offer him a helping hand in his goals. His perfectly timed darting runs behind the opposition’s defence offered something that Hamburg missed last season. Further, the lad has a haircut moulded from his Mother’s mixing bowl – so for us, he’s an inevitable favourite. Dortmund new boy Ivan Perišić - who scored regularly whilst at Club Brugge - produced performances that should excite BVB fans. His aerial ability and goal scoring ability should hopefully improve BVB in front of goal, as they were often profligate in front of goal last year and the Perišić should be seen as seen as a solution to their (relative) goal scoring problems.

As a brief aside; the 30-minute per half format was intriguing to see in practice. Generally, the game seemed quicker in pace and more direct. Players rushed to get the play started again and genuinely seemed concerned with the time. Pre-season friendlies are usually typified by a lack of speed or pace to the game, with teams content to keep possession between the centre-halves – this was not the case here. With teams playing two matches in two consecutive days, it was not only a healthy proposal but one that lent itself to supporters who like to consume the happenings of their team over the whole year with a thoroughly watchable spectacle.