DFB-Pokal 2014/15

VivaStPauli wrote:What I think changed, though, since last season, is what happens when you screw up and actually lose the ball.

Last season, when Bayern lost the ball, I felt like the players just stood their, scratched their arses, and thought to themselves something along the lines of "but papa Pep said this could never happen!" and kind of switched off.

Now, when they screw up (which admittedly happens very rarely) they immediately start pressing again, trying to make up for their mistake, which you saw working really well especially with Bernat and Müller, who recovered insanely quick from their few mistakes, never conceding a proper counter, at least not when it was their fault.

On your CBs, Boateng + Bernatia is awesome, and either Alaba or Lahm with them in a back 3 is nice, though I could also see Badstubar or Martinez joining them.

I still think it sucked you lost Kroos, but Xabi is immense. I would love to see Xabi together with Schweinsteiger, but I doubt Pep would play them both at the same time. But they would so rule the world.

I still feel that if you're talking about 'last season' you always refer to things we did when we were shit in March/April.
Don't you remember how we played before? We won every game, had record few conceded goals precisely because the players executed the relentless and mercyless pressing.

The game at Hertha I saw in the stadium was the perfect example. First half we went at them like crazy, almost all players in their final third, immediate pressing, 2:0 up, league won.

Then the players stopped at halftime and never recovered fr the remainder of the season lol.

Don't really get how can't acknowledge that this super-immediate pressing and rewinning the ball is Pep par excellence.
If the players don't do it it's not because, but in spite of what he wants, it is because they get lazy/saturated.

About Schweini and Alonso together, let's wait and see.
As for Kroos, you know how much I hated losing him, but now it seems to me that he was indeed a huge element of anything 'horizontal' in our play
It's funny because when we bought Alonso Pep explicitly said that he wants him as he can also provide "quality passing vertically", I felt like it almost was a dig at Kroos, though it wasn't.

I have to tip my hat to Xabi in that regard, the immediacy with which he passes the ball vertically right after receiving it is awe-inspiring, maybe Real forced him to do too much defensive work the last few seasons, but even though I knew he was great, he turned out so bloody awesome, makes me almost forget Schweinsteiger is injured atm, who does much of the same stuff, albeit a bit differently.

a retard signing, though

Yeah I'm happy about him too, obviously. Most of all I'm interested to see what will happen not that Ribery is back.
Götze was really good so far, can't see him going to the bench.

Still feel like Bernat is something of a placeholder, but he is a placeholder who performs probably some interesting tactical functions.
He makes it possible for Alaba to switch between defense and midfield, sometimes even left attacking midfield, because he does the same albeit in a role more restrained to the touchline, and they interchange.

All in all I think our set up is completely changed from last season, which is really intriguing although a bit confusing.

Last season felt a bit like a Pep-enhanced/bent version of the Jupp setup, with higher line, smaller space, more possession, more crowded, shorter passes.

Now I feel we're something different which I've not really seen before (not that that means much )

I still maintain that the Xabi-Kroos swap is retarded, in a purely sporting way, especially because of the age difference, but there were probably important off-the-pitch reasons for Kroos leaving, Bayern really aren't the type to just sell a player like Kroos.

Especially after that season.

Xabi himself works out perfectly as a short-term solution for the Schweinsteiger injury though, I admit that.

Yep. There's the money, where I think our board made mistakes by not signaling early and clearly they value him as much as new pets Götze and Thiago, but I have the feeling there are team chemistry reasons for Kroos leaving as well. And I don't mean the manager, I mean relations between him and the other players.

I have done my share of crying over Kroos, I'll from now on only spin it in the most positive terms for us.
From now on I'll strictly maintain he was too often a passenger when the going gets tough, he was slowing us down, and he was too arrogant for his own sake

The draw for the next round is starting soon!

Xabi has been a truly great signing as much as it pains to say it. He's just ace.

Oh and Bayer xD, Magdeburg deserve some applause for that performance

DFB-Pokal Last 16 - 3./4.March 2015

Bayer Leverkusen - 1. FC Kaiserslautern
Kickers Offenbach - Borussia M'gladbach
Bayern München - Eintracht Braunschweig
VfR Aalen - 1899 Hoffenheim
RB Leipzig - VfL Wolfsburg
Arminia Bielefeld - Werder Bremen
SC Freiburg - 1.FC Köln
Dynamo Dresden - Borussia Dortmund

Jesus, now Yann Sommer is in the GL banner

RWO you're taking it too far .

Hey, he was in the banner ever since it was uploaded here. He was in the last banner, too, although then still in the Basel kit

And don't complain - we have the top 2 Bundesliga goalies in the banner with Manu Neuer and Yann Sommer ^^
(Proof: http://www.goallegacy.net/t36200p360-the-bundesliga-thread#1320571 )

probably just never noticed or encounteres him before then.

Yeah, there are quite a lot of players in the rotation in the first place (and no, I never counted them XD)

yeah , i noticed YS on the banner the very first day i signed up here

it didn't take too long for me to realize who's behind it

Bayer Leverkusen - 1. FC Kaiserslautern

Chances of Dresden causing an upset?

chances sure, but not very good ones imo.

Of course, what can't be underestimated is the profound loss of identity BVB players must feel when playing Dynamo away - they might be tempted to pass to the opponent

Reus injured...

the guy practically gets injured every time he's fouled

well, let's see what Kampl can do

Calhanoglu with another free kick goal

Hakan Calhanoglu's FKs are amazing.

And Dresden's players are thugs

0:1 Immobile.. Dresden's defender with a quality assist.

And Hummels tries to do the same for a Dresden attacker

Ciao Borussia.

Well, good for Mitch Langerak that he managed to save this!