Is the Bundesliga now the strongest league?

[ruud]

With an all German CL final looming, what do people think?

I think it has definitely surpassed the Italian league and possibly the EPL.

The best thing about it is that the German clubs are financially healthy, they are doing it the right way - unlike the Spanish teams that are millions in debt and the English clubs that rely on foreign investment.

[Bomber]

Having the strongest teams doesnt make the league the strongest. Top 5 in Bundesliga are very good, after that, not so sure.
LaLiga I never thought to be the best - when Barca and Real consistently flog their opposition it doesnt give the league itself a good look.
To me EPL, Serie A still have the tougher week in, week out games.

[bapa]

Having the strongest teams doesnt make the league the strongest. Top 5 in Bundesliga are very good, after that, not so sure.
LaLiga I never thought to be the best - when Barca and Real consistently flog their opposition it doesnt give the league itself a good look.
To me EPL, Serie A still have the tougher week in, week out games.

This

[Le King]

its just bayern munich
gotze has left dortmund, and you think lewandowski will leave too
so just leaves munich on its own

[BTAC]

It's definitely been going from strength to strength in recent years. Goetze to Bayern is telling though.

[PASC]

It's definitely been going from strength to strength in recent years. Goetze to Bayern is telling though.

hot of the press is that Lewandowski also gone to Bayern, apparently done deal...
now that and Guardiola will make Bayern unstoppable

[The Kop]

It's definitely been going from strength to strength in recent years. Goetze to Bayern is telling though.

hot of the press is that Lewandowski also gone to Bayern, apparently done deal...
now that and Guardiola will make Bayern unstoppable

Don't think that's a given, Guardiola will make them play short slower passing game as opposed to their extremely effective direct quick attacks now.
I don;t think he'll do as well as the press and all suggest.

[El Capitano]

Pep just inherits teams...

I think the kop is jumping the gun. What makes you think he will play the same system? Horses for courses.

[The Kop]

Pep just inherits teams...

I think the kop is jumping the gun. What makes you think he will play the same system? Horses for courses.

Maybe.
He's got a book out recently, haven't read it, but someone I know has and it's all philosophical about passing game and having the ball stops the other team from scoring blah blah. Majority of the ball didn't do Barca any good against Bayern.

[MegaBonus]

Bayern didn't chase Pep in the hope of him instilling a philosophy that he doesn't believe in...

[The Kop]

Bayern didn't chase Pep in the hope of him instilling a philosophy that he doesn't believe in...

My point was more of what if Pep's style doesn't suit Bayern and the Bundesliga.

[PASC]

Bayern didn't chase Pep in the hope of him instilling a philosophy that he doesn't believe in...

My point was more of what if Pep's style doesn't suit Bayern and the Bundesliga.

lets hope he is a peogressive coach, im sure he has been watching and can see that barcas style doesnt cut it anymore... and hey, they can always sack him lol

[MegaBonus]

don't kid yourself.....Bayern have modelled themselves on Barca....(with a few variations incorporating German robustness)

[The Kop]

don't kid yourself.....Bayern have modelled themselves on Barca....(with a few variations incorporating German robustness)

You rkn?
Tactically I'd say they're very different. Not to mention most the pace of the game is more like Premier League than La Liga in Germany.

Bayern seemed pretty happy to give up most of the ball, defend in zones from the front and hit Barca on the counter-attack after 1-0. Where as Barca would normally starve the opposition of possession to defend a lead and press like crazy to win it back.

[DOC]

bayern, if anything, copied dortmund, quick passing, quick attacks, same shape and style, they just have more cash so can buy the bigger stars

gotze leaving is a weird one as dortmund are still one of the best teams around and very young, cant see him starting every week at bayern

reus grosskruetz and kuba behind lewandowski is still a great front 4

can see lewandowski staying, beefed up contract with the gotza money

had a feeling like dortmund had planned on gotze going, new contract last year with a fair get out clause, bringing in reus, another young playmaker, they are prob just pissed its bayern

[El Pibe D'Oro]

It's definitely been going from strength to strength in recent years. Goetze to Bayern is telling though.

hot of the press is that Lewandowski also gone to Bayern, apparently done deal...
now that and Guardiola will make Bayern unstoppable

Don't think that's a given, Guardiola will make them play short slower passing game as opposed to their extremely effective direct quick attacks now.
I don;t think he'll do as well as the press and all suggest.

Agree here.

Bayern are far from tiki-taka although the addition of Goetze will make them more fluid than they perhaps already are.

Remember, Javi Martinez is no Xavi and Sssshweini is no Iniesta.

All in all, they will dominate Die Bundesliga in every facet and blow everyone out the water for the foreseeable future. Interesting tactic they have of destabilizing their direct opponents whilst strengthening their own stocks. Sort of what Milan did in the 90's.

[Ga Pala]

Goetze prob brought in to enable pep to play a more fluent passing game. If Bayern do win the champions league , after tearing up league why would they let go of their current coach heynkes ?

[PASC]

Goetze prob brought in to enable pep to play a more fluent passing game. If Bayern do win the champions league , after tearing up league why would they let go of their current coach heynkes ?

i think he is retiring....been around for a while...

[Blue Mastiff]

Yes, these are two excellent teams who invested wisely in stars and play some fantastic football. They have also dominated the Bundesliga to an embarrassing degree. Bayern Munich were already crowned champions of Germany in-between Champions League quarter-final ties with Juventus in April. They are currently 20 points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund with a goal difference of +75.

Many sides are runaway winners in their domestic tournaments, but the problem with Germany is when you look beyond the top two. Not only are Bayern 20 points clear of Borussia, they are also 28 points in front of third-placed Bayer Leverkusen and have almost double the tally of Schalke in fourth. It’s a two-team League, so no wonder Bayern and Borussia are so fresh reaching the semi-finals, as they can comfortably field a bunch of kids and still thrash the opposition.

[PASC]

Yes, these are two excellent teams who invested wisely in stars and play some fantastic football. They have also dominated the Bundesliga to an embarrassing degree. Bayern Munich were already crowned champions of Germany in-between Champions League quarter-final ties with Juventus in April. They are currently 20 points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund with a goal difference of +75.

Many sides are runaway winners in their domestic tournaments, but the problem with Germany is when you look beyond the top two. Not only are Bayern 20 points clear of Borussia, they are also 28 points in front of third-placed Bayer Leverkusen and have almost double the tally of Schalke in fourth. It’s a two-team League, so no wonder Bayern and Borussia are so fresh reaching the semi-finals, as they can comfortably field a bunch of kids and still thrash the opposition.

i doubt they are playing kids, eg ... lewandowski has scored in the last 12 bundesliga games....

[DOC]

they are playing kids/young players, smelzer, hummels, bender, gundogan, grosskreutz, lietner, reus, kuba, gotze, lewandowski and kagawa when he was there are all considered young players/kids

[PASC]

they are playing kids/young players, smelzer, hummels, bender, gundogan, grosskreutz, lietner, reus, kuba, gotze, lewandowski and kagawa when he was there are all considered young players/kids

please tell me their ages and how many games these guys have played....

[DOC]

would say the majority are under 23, many broke through to the first team 2-3 years ago

[MegaBonus]

FYI - regarding similarities between Bayern and Barca....thus the reason why Pep has been appointed....


Jonathon Wilson

Almost more than trophies – although there were plenty of them under Guardiola – what defined the years of Barcelona's dominance was their style. Others may not have been able to ape tiki-taka precisely, but there are very few top sides now who don't look to dominate possession and press the opponent high up the pitch.

To suggest, as some have done, that Bayern's victory somehow ends tiki-taka is ludicrous. Their style is itself based on similar principles, on control of possession and winning the ball back high up the pitch – themselves core tenets of Total Football, which has underpinned Barcelona's football since Rinus Michels moved there from Ajax in 1971.

The German variant of the philosophy, which eschewed pressing, underpinned the successes of Bayern and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the seventies. The two came together as Jupp Heynckes, who played for Gladbach, succeeded Louis van Gaal, who had taken his modernised version of Total Football from Ajax to Barcelona in 1997, at Bayern two years ago.

Only Barcelona have higher possession stats and have completed a higher percentage of passes than Bayern in Europe's top five leagues this season. That Bayern last night achieved only 37% possession is because they modified – or were forced to modify – their approach against the only side better than them at holding the ball in Europe. The core philosophy of both is the same.

Bayern are perhaps a little more physical and a little more direct than Barça but there is a reason they have appointed Guardiola as their manager next season. The era of the New Total Football continues, it's just that its centre has moved from Barcelona to Munich.

[Nice One Cyril]

FYI - regarding similarities between Bayern and Barca....thus the reason why Pep has been appointed....


Jonathon Wilson

Almost more than trophies – although there were plenty of them under Guardiola – what defined the years of Barcelona's dominance was their style. Others may not have been able to ape tiki-taka precisely, but there are very few top sides now who don't look to dominate possession and press the opponent high up the pitch.

To suggest, as some have done, that Bayern's victory somehow ends tiki-taka is ludicrous. Their style is itself based on similar principles, on control of possession and winning the ball back high up the pitch – themselves core tenets of Total Football, which has underpinned Barcelona's football since Rinus Michels moved there from Ajax in 1971.

The German variant of the philosophy, which eschewed pressing, underpinned the successes of Bayern and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the seventies. The two came together as Jupp Heynckes, who played for Gladbach, succeeded Louis van Gaal, who had taken his modernised version of Total Football from Ajax to Barcelona in 1997, at Bayern two years ago.

Only Barcelona have higher possession stats and have completed a higher percentage of passes than Bayern in Europe's top five leagues this season. That Bayern last night achieved only 37% possession is because they modified – or were forced to modify – their approach against the only side better than them at holding the ball in Europe. The core philosophy of both is the same.

Bayern are perhaps a little more physical and a little more direct than Barça but there is a reason they have appointed Guardiola as their manager next season. The era of the New Total Football continues, it's just that its centre has moved from Barcelona to Munich.

True, but Bayern transition far better than Barca. The 'keep the ball at all costs' mentality seems to stop teams taking risks.

[redsfan]

Yes, these are two excellent teams who invested wisely in stars and play some fantastic football. They have also dominated the Bundesliga to an embarrassing degree. Bayern Munich were already crowned champions of Germany in-between Champions League quarter-final ties with Juventus in April. They are currently 20 points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund with a goal difference of +75.

Many sides are runaway winners in their domestic tournaments, but the problem with Germany is when you look beyond the top two. Not only are Bayern 20 points clear of Borussia, they are also 28 points in front of third-placed Bayer Leverkusen and have almost double the tally of Schalke in fourth. It’s a two-team League, so no wonder Bayern and Borussia are so fresh reaching the semi-finals, as they can comfortably field a bunch of kids and still thrash the opposition.

in the last 10 years 5 different clubs have won the league, hardly a 2 team league.

[PASC]

would say the majority are under 23, many broke through to the first team 2-3 years ago

the two u mentioned that i know best for obvious reasons are kuba and lewy, both have played over 50 times for Poland... kuba is 27 and lewy 24... hardly kids...

[DOC]

would say the majority are under 23, many broke through to the first team 2-3 years ago

the two u mentioned that i know best for obvious reasons are kuba and lewy, both have played over 50 times for Poland... kuba is 27 and lewy 24... hardly kids...

Lewandowski has 50 caps so clearly broke through young, wee what I'm getting at?

[ozzie owl]

I love the German financial model and how the focus on developing young local talent is a key focus of the league.

[ruud]

I love the German financial model and how the focus on developing young local talent is a key focus of the league.