Sonntag, 30. Mai 2021

Better season forecast ever - Werkself (unfortunately) correctly assessed

At the end of a more than comical season, it's time to recap the never-master 2020/21 season forecast from 14.9.2020.

http://neverchampions.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-never-champions-season-forecast.html

Somehow my season prediction seems to show consistency in that I correctly predicted three out of four Champions League participants (Bayern, Dortmund, Leipzig), just like last year. My relegation predictions were not particularly good either: I had seen Mainz and Bielefeld in 17th and 18th place. But in fact it was Bremen and Schalke who were relegated. I had seen Stuttgart in the relegation, the place where Cologne were saved after all.

Specifically, I had assumed that Bayern would once again be the measure of all things in the league, even if many - like me - didn't like it. I thought Dortmund would be close, even if it wasn't that close at the end, and I also thought the Dosen would finish top under Nagelsmann.  I didn't expect Wolfsburg to be in the top 4 under any circumstances, especially since they didn't make it past the Europa League qualifiers. But the Wolves showed consistency over the whole season.

Positive was the development of Frankfurt, who finished in 5th place (my tip: 8). However, after the announcement of the change of coach, the eagle was plucked several times.

Our team reached the Europa League as I expected (6th place, my tip: 5). However, if you look at the course of the season, there was clearly more in it after the first half of the season. 

One of the top surprises for me was Union's 7th place and qualification for the new European competition. I had expected the second year to be more difficult for the team from Köpenick and had expected 15th place.

While Union surprised positively, Borussia M'Gladbach did the exact opposite. My prediction of 3rd place was missed with 8th place. Here it first became apparent that the announcement of a change of coach is rather harmful.

In my prediction, the disappointments of the season will certainly come in the relegation zone. Werder was actually already saved in March and only picked up one point from the last nine games (against Werkself). And nothing really needs to be said about Schalke. I don't see either team getting back up quickly; the structural deficits in both clubs are too great, coupled with considerable financial difficulties. And Cologne, who are just about to stay in the top flight, will also have to make considerable changes in order to achieve a better ranking next year.

All in all, my predictions have been better than for the past season. I'll do my best to do better next year.

 Stay healthy, everyone.

Samstag, 22. Mai 2021

Actual game secondary

After the Werkself had already cemented sixth place in the previous week and thus qualification for the Europa League, yesterday's match in Dortmund was of no significance.

Paulinho celebrated his comeback on the pitch after rupturing his cruciate ligament and being out for a total of 336 days. Julian Baumgartlinger took a seat on the bench after cruciate ligament surgery and was thus part of the line-up for the first time since the end of January. And then there were the two main protagonists of the day from the black-red perspective: Lars and Sven Bender. While Sven, like Gray and Paulinho, was in the starting line-up and captained the Werkself on his last professional outing, his twin brother Lars surprisingly made his comeback to the matchday squad.

And part of the successful afternoon was that Julian and Lars were substituted shortly before the end and Lars was able to convert the penalty kick, even if it was only the goal for the final score of 1:3. But the result was secondary.

I think we are all happy that this strange season has now come to an end.

And as always: the review and classification of the season forecast made at the beginning of the season will follow after the relegation has been completed.

Mittwoch, 19. Mai 2021

New broom

Bayer today announced the signing of Gerardo Seoane as its new head coach. This confirms rumours that were already heard around the BayArena the day before.

The appointment is widely welcomed in the social media, even if it is always pointed out that the Swiss and German leagues are of different calibres. However, the offensive approach to the game is praised uniformly. That is what we want to see. Good luck Gerardo.

Sonntag, 16. Mai 2021

That's enough - but somehow not enough

That's enough, yes, the Werkself secured sixth place in the league after the 1:1 at home against Union Berlin and will play in the Europa League next season. But it's not enough, because the game was anything but the spirited football that the Werkself offered at the beginning of the season.

I have never longed for the end of a season as much as I do now. A crazy season with all its ups and downs without spectators. Next week in Dortmund, nothing is at stake for us and probably nothing for the hosts either. The best conditions to see a good game at the end of the season. And next year everything will be different - hopefully in a positive sense.

Samstag, 8. Mai 2021

Hopefully that will be enough

The Werkself took a point from Bremen with a 0-0 draw, but a win would of course have been much more helpful in the fight for European places. The good thing about today's game was that Bayer once again didn't concede a goal and the defence stood firm for most of the 90 minutes. Of course, that's no use if you don't score in front, even though there were only a few good chances.

So next week Bayer will have to go one better at home against Union, and one point might be enough to secure 6th place and at least a place in the Europa League. 

Many people describe the Europa League as not particularly exciting and a second-class competition. Hopefully, when spectators are allowed again in autumn, I will certainly watch one or two away games, even if it's not to Madrid or London. It still hurts not to have been in Prague and Bern this year. But as always: hope dies last.

Big points before the international break

In a great soccer match, Bayer once again showed SC Freiburg how it's done! With a sweat-inducing 3:2 victory, the Werkself roared throu...