Albert Blog

Last week was one to remember for German fans and hopefully something that will be repeated again :) Here it's why:

• Thursday, May 23: Wolfsburg won the UEFA Women's Champions League beating Lyon 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Muller (yes, again it's another Muller). It was the 7^th Champions League win by a German team in 12 seasons (Frankfurt 3, Potsdam 2, Duisburg 1, Wolfsburg 1) since it started.
• Saturday, May 25: The first all German Champions League final took place in London. Bayern won 2-1 against Dortmund and returned the cup in Germany after 12 years. It was the 7^th cup for Germany (Bayern 5, Hamburg 1, Dortmund 1) in 15 finals contested by German teams. Bayern moved to 3rd place in the all time ranking after Real (9 cups) and Milan (7 cups).
• Sunday, May 26: Nico Rosberg won the Monaco Grand Prix in Formula 1 in a Mercedes-Benz car. It was the first win of the season for Rosberg and the first for Mercedes in Monaco since they returned to Formula 1 in 2010. Additionally Rosberg took Pole Position on Saturday, Vettel set the fastest lap of the race and Rosberg/Vettel completed the first 1-2 German podium since 2004 Japan Grand Prix (Michael and Ralf Schumacher).

 So congrats and long may it continue :)

Since last week the Worldwide media has been busy praising the Bayern team and the rise of the German football with Borussia Dortmund completing an all German Champions League Final. I believe even the most hardcore fans weren't expecting such a win against Barcelona, so the media is right to make such a "noise". However for the people that follow closely the Bundesliga and German football this has been coming for some time. Let me explain why:

1. For many years now, Bundesliga has been leading the standings for the average attendance. With about 45,000 spectators per match it has a huge lead over second place (Premier League) that has less than 35,000. This is a result of several factors that include big, modern stadiums, low ticket price, competitive games, etc.
2. For more than 20 years Bundesliga is leading the average goals per game statistics for the top 5 European Leagues (Bundesliga, Premier League, Primera Division, Seria A and Ligue 1). This is a clear indication that the league is playing attractive football.
3. Bundesliga is the only big league where all the clubs have solid financial foundations. DFB has very strict rules on the financial regulations and unlike other countries the 50+1 rule doesn't allow anyone to buy a club (50+1% of the club is owned by the fans).
4. All the work started by the DFB in early 2000 (the collapse of German football) is starting to pay back. Most of the clubs have excellent junior academies and every year more and more talents are making a mark.
5. In the last 10 years 5 different teams have won the Bundesliga (Bremen 04, Stuttgart 07, Wolfsburg 09, Dortmund 11, 12 and Bayern 05, 06, 08, 10, 13). In the same time in Premier League 4 teams (Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal) have won it (Chelsea and Manchester City after spending billions of dollars), in Primera Division only 3 teams (Valencia, Barcelona and Real Madrid) and in Seria A only 3 teams (Milan, Inter & Juventus). Only Ligue 1 has 5 different winners, but only after Lyon won 7 in a row. This is a clear indication that Bundesliga is the most competitive league, but most people failed to acknowledge that.

However aside from the fact that the World has started to praise the Bundesliga, the most significant factor of Bayern win (and Borussia's win as well) is the fact that a German team will win the Champions League. It's the first trophy for a German team (including clubs & National team) since Bayern win in 2001. The list of near misses is quite long and includes:

• National Team's lost final against Brasil in World Cup 2002.
• Bayer Leverkusen's lost final against Real Madrid in Champions League 2002.
• Borussia Dortmund's lost final against Feyenoord in Europa League 2002.
• National Team's lost semi-final against Italy in World Cup 2006.
• National Team's lost final against Spain in European Championship 2008.
• Werder Bremen's lost final against Shakhtar Donetsk in Europa League 2009.
• National Team's lost semi-final against Spain in World Cup 2010.
• Bayern Munich's lost final against Inter in Champions League 2010.
• National Team's lost semi-final against Italy in European Championship 2012.
• Bayern Munich's lost final against Chelsea in Champions League 2012.

Hopefully this Champions League win will be a big boost to the confidence of German clubs & players and many more will continue :)

As a "hardcode" fun of Nationalmannschaft this is the ideal topic to get started. Today Bayern beat Mainz 3-0 in the Bundesliga (nothing unusual), but once again I was impressed by Kroos. He has developed immensely and in my opinion is a must for the  Nationalmannschaft. Check out below the assist for the first goal. Pure class.

[youtube:8nYJpLDh9xk]

The problem right now, is that Kroos plays in a similar position to Ozil and has seen limited playing time as a number 10. However Low really has to find a way and start Kroos as number 10, not only because he has qualities that no other player has, but also because of the synergy he has with other Bayern players, especially Muller and Schweini. I see these options on how this can be done:

1. Leave out Ozil. This may sound too harsh, but it's a situation similar to 1972 when Netzer and Overath were fighting for the same place and Schon opted for the later. It was painful for Netzer but the team is more important and Schon was proved right by winning both the European and World Championships.
2. Play no real striker. Klose is at the end of his great career and Gomez doesn't fit with the system. Schweini probably along Khedira play as double-six and the offensive players are Reus, Kroos, Ozil and Muller. They can interchange with each other and be very difficult for the opponents to mark.
3. Play the 3-4-3 system. Again double-six will be played by Schweini and Khedira while the attacking trio will include Rues, Kroos and Ozil (Muller will play in the flank).

It's a difficult situation for Low, but it's his job to find the best possible solution :)