Einmal Löwe, immer Löwe - a(nother) 1860 story

Dalbeider · September 27, 2022

Nov 1st 2023

TSV 1860 München vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach (DFB Pokal, 2nd round)

Happy birthday to me! Can I have a win against Gladbach as a present, please? No? Aw. We'll have to go and earn it the hard way, then, or at least try to. We might be leading the 2.Bundesliga, but they're sixth in the middle of a very close-fought battle for the European places in the Bundesliga. Or, in other words, they're pretty good. Yeah, we're toast under normal circumstances, so let's hope it's anything but a normal game.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Sven Müller (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Silvan Sidler (DL); Daniel Wein (DM), Tamar Svetlin (MCr), Dennis Dressel (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Mamadou Kaly Sene (ST)
GLADBACH (4-2-3-1): Vladan Kovacevic (GK); Nahuel Molina (DR), Nico Elvedi (DCr), Ozan Kabak (DCl), Júnior Firpo (DL); Cheick Doucouré (MCr), Christoph Kramer (MCl); Breel Embolo (AMR), Nedim Bajrami (AMC), Yeferson Soteldo (AML), Marcus Thuram (ST)

* * *

There's already been a couple of shocks in this round of the cup with Dortmund losing to Bochum at home, HSV defeating Augsburg and, above all, Würzburg defeating Freiburg on penalties. Wouldn't it be great to add another to the list? We refresh our starting eleven as much as we can, which means that key players like Lang and Steinhart have to take a seat today. Gladbach stick with their league eleven for the most part, though, which means we might actually have an edge in fitness today.

If our plan is to make sure the game goes long then Gladbach have other ideas, and only three minutes in Soteldo is already shooting very narrowly wide after trading passes with Thuram and outsmarting Iglesias. Our response? A long ball from Gechter over the defense and into Sene's run, gifting the striker a one-on-one with Kovacevic that the keeper solves with aplomb. Punch taken, punch returned. Too bad that the next punch is a straight to the nose: Soteldo breaks free on the left once again, enters the box, and delivers the ball towards Embolo for the easy tap-in at the far post: advantage Gladbach.

It gets worse: a bad backpass by Sene turns into a chance for a quick attack for Gladbach, and the ball eventually makes its way to Thuram near the edge of the box, where the forward connects a powerful effort that Müller can't even try to stop to make it 0-2. We get a bit of a break then, which allows Sene to try and seek redemption with a header in a corner kick, but once again he can't put it in and sends it over. Nothing beats the chance he gets on the 21st, though: Molina intercepts a pass inside the box and tries to pass it back to his keeper, without noticing that Sene was still lurking in the box. The striker gets to the ball first and shoots... into the post. Not Sene's best day, that's for sure.

We do enjoy some pretty good minutes around that time, although every time we miss a pass Gladbach know how to punish us, as Soteldo does when he steals it, plays the one-two with Thuram, and finishes straight into Müller's hands. The keeper needs to save again when Thuram dribbles his way past Gechter and into the box, thankfully going for power instead of precision with his finish. A blocked shot by Iyoha is our next chance, but by then the first half is already in its last ten minutes, and we don't get anywhere close to a chance until the 45th minute. It's a good one, though: cross from deep by Sidler and great jump by Tribuzzi to head the ball a few inches wide. Both teams end up the half tied at exactly 1.44 xG, but Gladbach still lead by two.

HALF TIME - 0-2

We start the second half pushing hard, earning a blocked shot by Sene in the first seconds and a decent finish by Tribuzzi from a narrow angle that Kovacevic saves well. Thuram answers for Gladbach in a set piece he heads over, just before Pereira and Tsarenko replace Iyoha and Svetlin for us. Our early push dies soon enough, though, and Steinhart comes in as our last substitution with half an hour left to play and still some hope in our hearts.

It takes ten more minutes for our next chance to arrive, a cross by Tribuzzi and another blocked shot, this one for Tsarenko. Ten more minutes and that's still our last chance, while Thuram sends an absolute sitter after a cross by Embolo into the root of the post. By now we're full in desperation mode, but we still manage to find Sene in the box with another cross by Tribuzzi. Sadly, the forward's aim is still as bad as it was in the first half, and he shoots wide. That's the end of our hope, and the game limps onwards from then until time runs out on us. A valiant effort, but still not good enough.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 0
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2 (Breel Embolo 12, Marcus Thuram 17)

- - -

According to those fine numbers the analysts in our staff cough up after every game, we should've scored 2.46 goals today. We got none. I'd blame Sene for the most egregious of misses, but really, it was just rotten luck. Our right wing produced a lot of danger, particularly Tribuzzi, but we just couldn't put it in no matter what we tried. Oh well, this does come to show that we'll need to improve a lot if we're to survive in the Bundesliga should we promote this season.

Dalbeider · September 28, 2022

Nov 6th 2023

TSV 1860 München (1st) vs. SV Werder Bremen (9th) (2.Bundesliga, 13/34)

Time to forget our cup woes with another interesting matchup in the league against Werder. Not quite to the heights expected by the bookies who called them the fifth best team in the division, but at least their season hasn't gone completely pear-shaped just yet, so hey, improvement? Regardless, we need a win to keep our place at the top and hopefully put some ground between us and the third and fourth places, so let's get cracking.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Silvan Sidler (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Tallig (MCr), Anton Tsarenko (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
WERDER (4-4-2): Rubén Blanco (GK); Johannes Dörfler (DR), Lukas Mai (DCr), Marc-Oliver Klempf (DCl), Niklas Beste (DL); Pawel Wszolek (MR), Niklas Schmidt (MCr), Oscar (MCl), Joshua Mees (ML); Luc Ihorst (STr), Niclas Füllkrug (STl)

* * *

Rotating back in the starting eleven from our win against Dresden almost in full, with only Sidler in for Iglesias. We start a bit asleep and Mees is kind enough to give us a wake-up call two minutes in, finishing a set piece unmarked inside the box and only missing on a goal because Kretzschmar's dive was just that good. A knock to Pereira and a narrowly wide free kick by Steinhart follow in quick succession, then a weak shot by Wszolek that Kretzschmar saves low and we're in for a very entertaining start of the game. A bit of a pause, and then we find Forson on the right wing of our attack so he can pass the ball into the center of the box the usual way and find Tsarenko running in to score the 1-0. That works, I guess.

Things slow down a bit after the goal, thankfully, and only blocked shots by Forson and Tsarenko give the fans something to be excited about. The next event isn't a positive one, though, as Pereira's knock gets worse and he has to be replaced by Sene. Werder take the chance to get close again, this time with a header by Mees that Kretzschmar catches almost effortlessly. Very little else after that, as though those fun first minutes had been a mirage. With the first half almost over and four deep into injury time, though, a ball stolen from Forson sets up a Werder counter, Füllkrug assists Ihorst and the striker dodges Kretzschmar's rush to draw the game at the bell.

HALF TIME - 1-1

The second half shows nothing of interest for the first ten minutes, and then it's a header by Iyoha into Blanco's hands and with little actual danger that breaks the deadlock. An attempt at a placed shot by Forson after a nice combination with Tallig meets the same fate, and we decide to try something new with Svetlin on the left side of our attack. The effect is the opposite of the desired one: no further chances until the 77th minute, and even that one, a shot by Svetlin himself, is ruled out for offside.

Werder haven't really done anything in attack either after half time, at least until Schmidt breaks in from the right and shoots into Kretzschmar's flipping save for a corner kick. In injury time Tsarenko enjoys a very good chance in a play quite similar to the one that meant our goal, only with Svetlin assisting and with the Ukrainian's finish finding someone's foot on its way to the net. We keep the siege going on until the end, with Svetlin and Tallig enjoying last-second chances that Blanco saves with quality goalkeeping, and in the end the draw remains. A disappointing result.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Anton Tsarenko 13)
SV Werder Bremen 1 (Luc Ihorst 45+4)

- - -

Bleh. Bad result and bad match, although once again we should've won this by the numbers. Our defensive line had a rare off-day today, looking frail all day long and conceding at the worst possible moment in the first half, while our midfield did well (Tallig once again creating lots of danger) and our forwards... well, they tried. Still leaders, tied on points with Heidenheim and with three points on Hannover and Regensburg.

Nothing serious for Pereira in the end, just a painful bruise on his ankle. He should be available for our next match against Schalke.

Dalbeider · September 29, 2022

Nov 11th 2023

FC Schalke 04 (6th) vs. TSV 1860 München (1st) (2.Bundesliga, 14/34)

If there's one thing you can say about Willy Sagnol's Schalke that you couldn't about Bruno Labbadia's squad from last season is that they're still very much in the promotion fight instead of trailing a bunch of points behind. They might be sixth right now, but they're actually only four points behind us, so a win here would bring them right into the thick of it. Our job is to prevent that.

* * *

SCHALKE (4-4-2 diamond narrow): Ralf Fährmann (GK); Robert Gumny (DR), Salif Sané (DCr), Márton Dárdai (DCl), Christopher Lenz (DL); Adrian Fein (DM), Jovan Nisic (MCr), Matheus Rossetto (MCl), Can Bozdogan (AMC); Nahuel Bustos (STr), Leonardo Campana (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Silvan Sidler (DL); Daniel Wein (DM), Tamar Svetlin (MCr), Dennis Dressel (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Yusuf Kabadayi (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)

* * *

We did meet back in the preseason, so we know their new formation already and we actually attacked it quite well back then. We once again rotate since it's only been five days since the Werder match and I want my team as fresh as possible. The big news is Kabadayi's first start in a long while, since Iyoha has had a couple of eh games lately. We start well, controlling possession and prodding their weak wings, but we can't really get anything substantial out of it. Meanwhile Schalke do find a chance through across from the right, but Campana's header is so horribly wide it almost doesn't count.

The match continues stuck in no man's land for a long while, so much so that absolutely nothing else happens on either box for the remainder of the first half. In the end that header by Campana turns out to be the most dangerous thing to happen in the whole forty-five minutes.

HALF TIME - 0-0

Not much changes after half time, although Bustos does have a decent chance with a shot from the edge of the box after a nod back by Dárdai which he sends into the stratosphere. We bring Forson in to look for some inspiration of any kind, and a few minutes later Dressel has to be replaced too after picking an injury. Tsarenko and Sene come in, Schalke only get a few long-range shots in with little to no danger, and we don't even manage that. And just like that, twenty-five minutes are gone in the second half.

That's the point when we actually create a good play down the center, because we like making things difficult for ourselves, and Svetlin actually can get a decent shot in at the end of it, even though it ends up flying over the bar. Pereira also tries luck from distance in two different occasions, but both times he only finds Fährmann's hands. Then, five minutes before the end, Iglesias sends a hopeful cross into the box that Iglesias can't reach, but neither does Sané, and there's Sene waiting to half-volley it in and score the 0-1, confirmed by VAR a few seconds later.

Forson then has the chance to seal the deal with a wide open finish after a cross by Sene, but he miskicks it and sends it straight to Fährmann. Meanwhile Schalke go route one and actually get a shot by Can that only misses the crossbar by a little bit. Then, in injury time, a gap appears in our defense for Boujellab to send a ball towards the rampaging Aydin, who completely misleads Kretzschmar and puts the ball into the net to draw the game in dramatic fashion. There was more action in the final ten minutes than in the whole rest of the game, but in the end it's still a draw.

* * *

FC Schalke 04 1 (Mehmet-Can Aydin 90+1)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Mamadou Kaly Sane 85)

- - -

Fair result, considering neither team deserved a win today. That was a horrid waste of a match except for the last ten minutes, and only just. A shame we gave up the win, but honestly, not a bad result all things considered.

Back strain for Dressel, who misses 3-4 weeks of training. But considering we now have a three-week international break, he should miss very few games. Lucky!

Dalbeider · October 1, 2022

Nov 21st 2023

It's been a quiet break so far, with only our few youth internationals bringing some interesting news. Well, semi-interesting: there are no debuts, and the only noteworthy performances are from Gechter and Hajdari, both defensively solid with Germany and Switzerland. Our only senior international, Svetlin, manages to grab his first senior goal with Slovenia in a 5-1 drubbing of San Marino.

Nov 27th 2023

Here I was minding my own business while waiting for things to restart when suddenly a journalist calls to ask me what I think about being linked with the Stuttgart job. I blink twice, think "huh, that's a big one" then give my perfunctory "not interested, I'm happy here" answer. Nice, though.

Dec 2nd 2023

TSV 1860 München (1st) vs. SC Paderborn 07 (9th) (2.Bundesliga, 15/34)

Finally, back to action. Paderborn have been doing quite a bit better than expected, holding to the middle of the pack instead of sinking into the bottom five, and their recent form is pretty decent, four games unbeaten and having beaten Darmstadt and Karlsruhe. We'll need to do better than against Werder and Schalke today.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Tamar Svetlin (MCr), Anton Tsarenko (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Erik Tallig (AMC), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
PADERBORN (4-1-4-1): Leopold Zingerle (GK); Bendegúz Bolla (DR), Ayumu Seko (DCr), Sven Sonnenberg (DCl), Thomas Isherwood (DL); Aleksandar Jukic (DM); Kai Pröger (MR), Meritan Shabani (MCr), Adam Gnezda Cerin (MCl), Florent Muslija (ML); Jessic Ngankam (ST)

* * *

Paderborn remain loyal to their usual 4-1-4-1, and that prompts us to bring back the 4-2-3-1, because otherwise we'll struggle to get through. Tallig gets to start in the hole, since he's been worrying about not having enough minutes lately. He's the one to get our first attack rolling, so it looks like a good decision already, even if Tsarenko ends up smashing his finish on a defender's back. Things do look good in the first minutes, our midfield advantage quite clear, although once again we lack penetration.

A good chance for Forson in the 26th minute after a cross by Iglesias ends up being blocked, too, and then Paderborn finally cross the midfield so Shabani can send a 25-yarder miles over the bar. Our first unblocked shot comes in the 32nd, a good pass from Pereira back for Iyoha who shoots narrowly wide. And then, against the flow of the game, an isolated corner kick for Paderborn is powerfully headed in by Ngankam and we're suddenly behind. It could've been worse, too, if Kretzschmar hadn't stretched his body to the limit to block a finish by Gnezda Cerin, who thought he'd already rounded the keeper after a great pass from Ngankam.

Tallig has our first answer, running into the box to catch a lob from Tsarenko only to send the shot into Zingerle's waiting hands. Same thing happens to Iyoha, once again free in the box following a nice ball by Forson. We're pouring forward with all we have, but that has its risks, and in the final minute of regulation Ngankam finds himself running alone against Kretzschmar completely unopposed, but his composure fails him and he ends up blasting the ball over the target, thankfully. With that, a painful first half ends.

HALF TIME - 0-1

Twenty-eight seconds is all we need to mount our first counter in the second half, obviously motivated after a pretty harsh team talk. Forson decides he's gonna imitate Ngankam and also scoops it over instead of at least testing the keeper. Shabani has Paderborn's response, finding a huge gap in our defense to shoot through, but sending the ball well wide. After a while without any more news in attack we decide to bring Sene and Tribuzzi in to replace our two wing players, both wasteful and not very creative today.

A direct free kick by Steinhart goes over the bar as our return to action on the 62nd minute, still not good enough. Two minutes later we do one better, with Tallig finding Tribuzzi so the winger can sneak past his marker and finish, forcing a difficult save from Zingerle. And after that, fifteen minutes of radio silence from both ends of the pitch, only broken on the 80th minute by Tallig, once again, setting up a great chance for Sene with a through ball, only for the forward to miss the target with a wide shot.

Kretzschmar gets some more work to do on another corner kick headed by Ngankam, although this time he's well positioned to catch the ball without further issue. And then, we finally find the way: play down the left side which ends in a cross towards the near post by Steinhart and Pereira, absolutely invisible the whole game until then, pops up to apply the finish and score the 1-1 with five minutes still remaining. The players smell blood, and right before injury time Svetlin finds Sene with a vertical pass and the forward hits it first time to score our second... Or so it looks like, but VAR calls in to warn the referee of Sene's offside position, and the goal is called off. That's our last gasp, and we have to make do with our third consecutive draw in the end.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Danilo Pereira 85)
SC Paderborn 04 1 (Jessic Ngankam 34)

- - -

Finishing, finishing, finishing. I don't know how many chances we've wasted in the last couple of months just due to bad finishing. I can understand Forson, he's not supposed to be a finisher, but Sene and Iyoha should be bagging those chances, or at least shooting on target. Sigh... An unlucky draw in the end, one more to add to the list. On the bright side, nine league games without losing. On the not-so-bright side, four games in all competitions without winning.

We'll be without Iglesias for our next match, as he gets his fifth yellow and will miss his second game of the season due to suspension. Heidenheim regain the top spot, one point ahead of us. There's seven points between the 1st and 10th positions right now. Things are tight this year in this league...

Dalbeider · October 4, 2022

Dec 3rd 2023

Another high-profile vacant job in the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg this time, another call from the press to ask me about it. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they called me about Leipzig or Leverkusen at this point, should their managers be sacked or leave. Bayern is probably still a big ask. Looking forward to getting to that point, though...

Dec 4th 2023

Been a while since our last serious injury, but now it strikes in one of our weakest positions, the full backs: Sidler will miss four weeks to two months with a back strain. It's not as bad as it sounds, though, because there's only two games left until the winter break, so he's likely to be back in full form by the time the league restarts in January. The problem is that Iglesias is suspended for our next match, so we'll have to improvise on the right back.

Dec 5th 2023

Among all this, finally some good news: Dressel signs a new contract until June 2026 with a small increase in wages (€10.25k per week) and a €2.5M release clause for clubs in higher divisions. Which, if all goes to plan, should be void and null come next season. He's also back in full training this week, and will most likely celebrate his new deal with a start on Sunday against Darmstadt.

Dec 9th 2023

Viktoria Köln sack Thomas Schneider as their manager. It only took them *sixteen straight defeats* to do so.

Dec 10th 2023

SV Darmstadt 98 (10th) vs. TSV 1860 München (2nd) (2.Bundesliga, 16/34)

Almost feels like a repeat of last week's fixture: similar teams of similar stature, similar aspirations, same main formation, and sitting right next to each other on the boring zone of the table. Although this season the "mid-table" is anything but boring, considering that Darmstadt are right now only six points behind us in second place. They just won their first match after three straight defeats. so they're gonna be another tough nut to crack.

* * *

DARMSTADT (4-1-4-1): Marcel Schuhen (GK); Matthias Bader (DR), Lasse Sobiech (DCr), Patric Pfeiffer (DCl), Fabian Holland (DL); Ulrich Taffertshofer (DM); Paul Nebel (MR), Torben Rhein (MCr), Marvin Mehlem (MCl), Álex Blanco (ML); Robert Glatzel (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Daniel Wein (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Tallig (MCr), Dennis Dressel (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Mamadou Kaly Sene (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)

* * *

The 4-2-3-1 didn't work last week, so we go back to the usual and hope for the best, with Wein starting at right back as our emergency option for the day. The early game lull lasts only five minutes this time, which is what Darmstadt need to run down the right and cross for a header by Álex Blanco, almost parallel to the goal line and thus easy for Kretzschmar to catch. Seconds later we answer in similar fashion, with Tallig crossing and Sene heading into Schuhen's hands. Since the right obviously isn't working, let's try the left: throw in towards Sene who goes to the byline and crosses low into the small box towards Pereira, who profits from the defense's passivity to score an easy 0-1.

The lull returns after the goal, and you won't hear me complain, at least not yet. We take our time and mull our options, and on the 18th we get really close once again when a blocked finish by Wouters falls to Pereira, who tries to shoot in a rush and ends up sending it inches wide. Ten minutes later we try again, this time through a goal kick towards Tribuzzi who brings it down, runs the right wing, then crosses low so Pereira can do his thing once again, much to Schuhen's desperation: 0-2 and looking good.

Darmstadt try to get back into the game with another long goal kick, this one all the way over the defense and into Blanco's run, although he's unable to get past a very well positioned Kretzschmar. The left winger's third try of the evening also ends up saved by our keeper, who's having a good match so far. Meanwhile we try our luck with a set piece, almost a short corner, that ends in a blocked shot by Gechter, a rare sight in an of itself. The first half ends soon after, and we're looking comfortable for once.

HALF TIME - 0-2

Darmstadt switch to a 3-2-2-1-2 after half time, which gives us some pause until we notice how exploitable the channels on their sides are now, and soon Dressel is running into the left gap after a pass from Steinhart, although he ends up shooting wide. The formation change doesn't seem to do much for Darmstadt attacking-wise, and we enjoy some calm minutes until another pass into the left flank finds Sene and the forward passes back to Dressel, who finds the target this time but also finds Schuhen in place to catch the ball. Steinhart then sends his daily free kick slightly over the bar, and things seem headed towards a happy end for us.

We take the chance to give Kabadayi some more minutes on the right, and also to test Gechter as an anchor in front of the defense, a position he could become very good at with some training and practice. It doesn't seem to break anything, at least, and the game continues pleasantly calm until in the 78th a corner kick into the far post allows Sobiech to head in the 1-2, absolutely out of nowhere and in Darmstadt's first real approach of the half. Here we go again.

We keep doing our thing and try to get a third to scare away the ghosts of another last minute draw, and Sene gets close with a finish from a tight angle that Schuhen covers well. Another shot from the edge of the box by Gechter is deflected to a corner kick, we hold the ball well in the final minutes, Darmstadt never get another chance, and the win is finally ours.

* * *

SV Darmstadt 98 1 (Lasse Sobiech 78)
TSV 1860 München 2 (Danilo Pereira 7 28)

- - -

Much, much better, mostly because this time we did put our early chances in and didn't let the draw fester until it was too late. Pereira is back to his clinical self from a while ago, and should be earning his former team a nice bonus after he grabs his tenth goal of the season soon enough. That said, the second half was a bit of a letdown, and allowing Darmstadt a way in was a mistake that could've costed us. It didn't, so all is good, but we do need to work better at closing games. Heidenheim lose to Werder and give us back the top spot, which is a nice bonus.

Another two-week break now before the last game of the year. The schedule in this league is quite relaxed when there are no winter World Cups messing things up, isn't it.

Dalbeider · October 5, 2022

Dec 12th 2023

Pereira is our only man in the Team of the Week.

Dec 16th 2023

Finally, some movement regarding transfers. Both Danicic and Neudecker have received offers, worth €46k and €87k respectively. The offer for Danicic is much smaller than his transfer value, but he'll be entering the last six months of his contract in just two weeks, so it was our last chance to get anything out of him. Meanwhile, we keep scouting around looking for a replacement we can sign in January.

Dec 18th 2023

Neudecker agrees a move to Aue worth €87k. It's an appropriate team for his level, currently 3rd in the 3.Liga and aiming for promotion, so I'm sure he'll do well there.

Dec 20th 2023

Training injury for Müller, who'll miss the final game of the year against Karlsruhe with a pulled calf muscle. He'll be back by the time the winter break ends, though.

Dec 22nd 2023

TSV 1860 München (1st) vs. Karlsruher SC (16th) (2.Bundesliga, 17/34)

Yes, sixteenth. Karlsruhe have gone all the way from the Bundesliga to having to worry about relegation to the 3.Liga in the space of six months, and they aren't looking likely to get any better any time soon. They've just hired former Ingolstadt man Dieter Hecking as their manager, though, so that might be the first step to stop their free fall. Hopefully starting in 2024, not today.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Tallig (MCr), Anton Tsarenko (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
KARLSRUHE (4-3-3): Marius Gersbeck (GK); Marco Thiede (DR), Felix Irorere (DCr), Daniel O'Shaughnessy (DCl), Philip Heise (DL); Jérôme Gondorf (DM), Marvin Wanitzek (MCr), Samson Tijani (MCl); Choi Kyoung-Rok (AMR), Robin Hack (AML), Tician Tushi (ST)

* * *

With Anheier on the bench as our reserve keeper today we face a 4-3-3 mirror game against a team that should be much better than its position seems to indicate. We start looking good, allowing ourselves the time to move the ball around for a few minutes before Iyoha looks for Forson with a cross that the winger bicycle kicks with a powerful but centered shot that Gersbeck blocks, then catches. Forson seems motivated today, chasing loose balls and producing most of our early danger, although he's not involved when Iyoha sends a very good-looking shot into the post.

Karlsruhe soon recover from those early blows, though, and start controlling possession by risking losing it as little as possible. Meanwhile we try to go on the break as soon as we get it back, and although it doesn't always work, when it does it leads to clear danger, like a run through the center by Tallig that doesn't become the 1-0 just because the ball ends on his right foot rather than on his left. Gersbeck catches a header by Iyoha without much trouble next, then Wouters sends a long shot wide on the 32nd minute. The opener seems to be getting closer.

Pereira tries his first shot two minutes later, wide from the edge of the box, and in the final minutes of the first half Gersbeck has to fly to block a curler by Forson that was aimed straight at the top right corner. Karlsruhe end the first half with zero shots for our ten, yet the result still remains unchanged.

HALF TIME - 0-0

The general feeling is that we need just one little extra push to break through, and six minutes into the second half we finally find it: Tsarenko sees Steinhart with lots of space on the left and gives him the ball so the left back can cross into the wide open box, and there's Pereira to control, face Gersbeck, and score the 1-0 with his usual coolness. The two almost repeat the same play four minutes later, but this time Pereira has to rush his finish a bit more and the ball ends up bouncing off the base of the post, our second of the day.

Svetlin and Tribuzzi enter the game a bit later, and in the 62nd the right winger catches a clearance after a corner kick and assists Hajdari, who shoots with power but aiming at the clouds. The game slows down then, even after Sene brings some extra fresh legs to our attack, and in the final ten minutes Karlsruhe switch to a 4-4-2, looking for more (or rather, any) goalscoring options. It doesn't seem to do them any good, though, and after a blocked shot by Lang in a set piece Svetlin and Sene enjoy another good double chance, but the midfielder's shock is stopped by a defender and Gresbeck deflects Sene's header on the follow-up.

With Karlsruhe in full gung-ho mode, a nod into space by Svetlin finds Tribuzzi unmarked and the winger doesn't waste the chance, beating Gersbeck with a powerful finish to seal the deal two minutes before full time. Injury time comes and goes without any further chances, Kretzschmar enjoys a clean sheet with literally zero effort, and we end the year on a high.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Danilo Pereira 51, Alessio Tribuzzi 88)
Karlsruher SC 0

- - -

Feels weird to think that this same team defeated us in Grünwalder Strasse a little over a year ago in the DFB Pokal. Today we completely ran them over, not allowing a single shot on target, and scored a richly deserved win. We end the year on an eleven-game unbeaten run in the league and looking good, and we face two more home matches when we return back in January. Should be a great chance to start clarifying things in the league a bit.

* * *

| Pos  | Team            | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | GD    | Pts   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st  | 1860 München    | 17    | 10    | 5     | 2     | 28    | 13    | 15    | 35    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd  | Hamburg         | 17    | 10    | 3     | 4     | 29    | 19    | 10    | 33    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd  | Jahn Regensburg | 17    | 9     | 5     | 3     | 28    | 20    | 8     | 32    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th  | Heidenheim      | 17    | 9     | 3     | 5     | 26    | 20    | 6     | 30    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th  | Greuther Fürth  | 17    | 8     | 5     | 4     | 32    | 19    | 13    | 29    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th  | Hannover 96     | 17    | 9     | 2     | 6     | 29    | 17    | 12    | 29    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th  | Schalke 04      | 17    | 8     | 4     | 5     | 22    | 18    | 4     | 28    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th  | SC Paderborn    | 17    | 7     | 5     | 5     | 21    | 18    | 3     | 26    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th  | Nürnberg        | 17    | 7     | 4     | 6     | 26    | 26    | 0     | 25    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th | Werder Bremen   | 17    | 7     | 3     | 7     | 23    | 20    | 3     | 24    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th | Darmstadt       | 17    | 7     | 3     | 7     | 21    | 25    | -4    | 24    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th | St. Pauli       | 17    | 7     | 3     | 7     | 16    | 22    | -6    | 24    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th | Saarbrücken     | 17    | 7     | 1     | 9     | 21    | 25    | -4    | 22    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th | Dynamo Dresden  | 17    | 6     | 3     | 8     | 19    | 21    | -2    | 21    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th | Holstein Kiel   | 17    | 6     | 3     | 8     | 19    | 26    | -7    | 21    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th | Ingolstadt      | 17    | 4     | 2     | 11    | 13    | 26    | -13   | 14    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th | Karlsruhe       | 17    | 3     | 4     | 10    | 20    | 27    | -7    | 13    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th | Viktoria Köln   | 17    | 0     | 0     | 17    | 11    | 42    | -31   | 0     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Because really, this table needs clarifying and soon. Even after our recent good results we're still barely a handful of points away from losing even the promotion playoff, and the amount of teams who could jump into the direct promotion places with just a couple of wins in a row is way too big for comfort. Hamburg have been on a good run lately, too, as have Regensburg, while Heidenheim, Fürth, and Schalke seem to be dropping off a bit, but that could change in the blink of an eye. If any team can string together four or five wins in a row they'll have a great chance of escaping from the pack, and we're halfway there already.

We've talked about Karlsruhe, now finally in the direct drop zone after their defeat against us, but look at poor Viktoria Köln. That must be some kind of record, zero points at the halfway point of the season and forty-two goals conceded in only seventeen fixtures, fifteen more than the second worst defense. If that's not a guaranteed relegation I don't know what it is. Funny thing is, as tight as the top half is, the relegation places look almost decided right now, with Ingolstadt and Karlsruhe only having to decide among themselves who drops and who goes through the playoff. Holstein, Dynamo and Saarbrücken aren't too far away, but they all seem to have much better momentum than either of the two.

PLAYER STATS
============

Average rating (min. 6 games played):

Danilo Pereira             7.26 (11(3) apps)
Niklas Lang                7.24 (16(1) apps)
Albian Hajdari             7.24 (10(3) apps)
Dries Wouters              7.18 (13 apps)
Phillipp Steinhart         7.17 (12(1) apps)

Goals:

Danilo Pereira             9 goals
Amankwah Forson            6
Anton Tsarenko             4
Mamadou Kaly Sene          4
Emmanuel Iyoha             2
Alessio Tribuzzi           2

Assists: 

Phillipp Steinhart         5 assists
Amankwah Forson            3
Emmanuel Iyoha             3
Tamar Svetlin              3
7 players                  2

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Bundesliga: no surprises at the top once again, with Bayern enjoying a comfortable seven-point lead over second-placed Leverkusen and nine over Dortmund at third. The surprises begin in the fourth place, currently occupied by Mainz ahead of Augsburg and Hoffenheim. RB Leipzig are having a terrible year for their recent standards, eighth one point behind the Europa League places and very, very far away from the Champions League. The bottom half is extremely tight, though, with only seven points separating the tenth and the eighteenth and last place. Currently Hertha and Bochum would relegate and Union Berlin would repeat in the playoffs, but everything can and will change on a weekly basis. For what it's worth, Lohkemper has played in a grand total of four games with Fortuna so far, three off the bench, and hasn't scored for them yet. His wages doubled, though, so hey, fair play.
Premier League: oh hey, Nottingham Forest are back in the Premier League. And dead last. Oh well, only four points away from salvation and Sheffield United, Burnley, and Brentford haven't been much better than them, so there's still hope. Looking upwards we come across Arsenal much earlier than you'd expect, fourteenth and only five points away from a quick trip to the Championship. After a couple of good years Manchester United and Aston Villa are out of Europe right now, and the top seven are quite tight for once, with Manchester City only one point clear of Spurs at the top, then Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leicester, and relative surprise West Ham within five points. Gonna be a fun season in England.
LaLiga: looks like Barça are back for good, and they claim the top spot on LaLiga once again. Their lead over surprise second Villarreal is minimal, though, and both of them keep the Madrid duo of Atlético and Real at bay and a healthy distance behind. The Basque duo of Athletic and Real Sociedad take the Europa League places, while Sevilla are surprisingly low at eleventh and Elche are having their best season of all time with a comfortable eighth place. The bottom is once again very tight, and there's only two points between the fourteenth (Levante) and nineteenth (Cádiz) places. Tenerife are the only one trailing behind, but even they have a fair chance at survival.
Serie A: absolute chaos in Serie A, with the top seven teams within four points and Lazio only retaining the top spot they conquered last season by one point over Juve. The resurrected Napoli and the ever surprising Sassuolo are currently in the Champions League, but Fiore, Milan, and Roma are literally on their heels and the whole top half could end up on its head in one week with the right results. Inter and Atalanta are surprisingly absent from this battle royale, currently mired in mid-table but still within reasonable distance. Meanwhile, at the bottom, six teams within three points just to keep things interesting at all levels. Somewhat worrying that all six have scored ten or less points in fourteen fixtures, though.
Ligue 1: shock and horror, PSG are second! One point behind leaders Monaco, but still. Dare we dream? Did Messi's retirement really break the Qatari camel's back? We'll see in a few months, I guess, although their new crown jewel Joao Félix (€123M from Atlético) seems to be doing fine so far. Marseille complete the Champions League places, OL, Lens, and Nice are currently in Europe but Lille and Metz are close, and Rennes and Troyes look in deep trouble while Saint-Étienne are flirting with disaster in sixteenth place. Might actually be an interesting season in France.

Dalbeider · October 6, 2022

Dec 23rd 2023

Well, here's our Christmas present, two days early: 22yo Ivorian right back Armel Zohouri will join 1860 on the first of January from Lausanne, following a €60k transfer with no other fees attached, and on a ridiculously low €875 per week wage until 2026. Zohouri comes as a straight replacement for Danicic as our young, up-and-coming full back, although on the opposite side of the pitch, which will move Sidler full time to the left. He's physically resilient and quick, has a good head on his shoulders and a great work ethic, enjoys a surprising amount of flair for a defender, and has a pretty decent technical level both in defense and in attack, with still lots of time to improve. An absolute bargain, and one I couldn't let pass.

Dec 25th 2023

Not everything goes right in the holiday season, though. We make a first approach to try and extend Kretzschmar's contract, since even though he still has eighteen months remaining his wages have become a bit obsolete for who's basically the star player in our squad. We have no problem offering the wages he demands, and even most of his clauses are quite reasonable, but there's a problem: he wants a minimum release clause for clubs in higher divisions of €1.6M. That's only marginally above his value, and would most certainly bring a lot of attention in the upcoming transfer window. As mentioned, we're not in a hurry, so we'll try to renegotiate once we're more certain on whether we're gonna promote or not. Once we do that, that clause will stop worrying me.

Dec 26th 2023

Steinhart and Tribuzzi make the last Team of the Week of 2023.

Dec 30th 2023

It's that time of the year again! Contracts enter their last six months and teams are now free to negotiate with players with expiring deals, so we have to start looking at extensions. In the first team there's only three players who need a decision made, and they are Steinhart, Wein, and Kabadiyi. For the full back it's obvious, he's playing at a fantastic level this year and I'd love to have him around for a bit longer, even if he's already 31 and most likely not very well suited to the Bundesliga should be promote. He happily accepts an extension until 2026 with the same wages and a reduction in status to squad player, and we're done.

Wein, on the other hand, is having his worst year so far, mostly thanks to injuries and the fact that Wouters is just that good in his best position. He's already accepted a reduction in his expected playing time, and while he's still more than good enough at this level, I have my doubts about his performances should we promote. There's also no interest on him from other teams, so I think we can afford to wait.

Then there's Kabadayi. After his first year he seemed to have something special, but other than in the first round of the cup against a very weak team, he's been mostly useless when he's played for us this season, so much so that I'd consider loaning him out for the reminder of the season and getting another winger in his place. He's still young, though, but his lack of development since his arrival worries me. We'll wait a bit, although in the end we'll probably offer him a new deal, if only in the off-chance that we can profit from him in any way.

Besides these three, most of our loaned out players also are on expiring contracts. In most cases we'll take a wait-and-see approach for now, but there's a few exceptions to be made for our most potentially good youngsters, namely Wicht, Morgalla, and Sapmaz. The latter is not on loan right now, but will most likely get one as soon as he signs his new contract. Morgalla's demands are a bit high for a 19yo still far from first-team level, but we grant his wishes in the hopes that he'll develop well and get there in a couple of years. There's also a couple that will be almost certainly released con June, namely Gresler, who's shown absolutely no progress in two years and a half with us and is looking poor in his latest loan, and Harper, whose performances both in training and on the pitch while on loan have been so disappointing that our staff have degraded their estimation for his maximum theoretical level, and he's no longer as interesting a prospect.

Jan 1st 2024

Happy new year!

Transfer window opens, Neudecker leaves, Werner and Zohouri join, and Danicic apparently rejected the previous offer he'd received and is still around, huh. Regardless, we don't really plan on any big moves this window. It'll depend on whether we receive any loan offers for Kabadayi, because if he does leave we'll need to replace him, probably with a free transfer or a loan of our own. Of course there's always the possibility of another Lohkemper catching us by surprise and forcing us into a scramble for a first-team player, but hey, that's life. Lang is the starter who seems to attract more suitors, and also the one I'd be the least willing to sell, so this will be an interesting struggle.

Jan 4th 2024

Pfff, and here I was worried a big team would come after Lang, and all we get is Karlsruhe offering a measly €650k plus 30% of future profits. He's worth three times that at the very minimum, guys.

Jan 11th 2024

As expected, Can Sapmaz signs his new contract then immediately moves on loan to Unterhaching, from the 3.Liga, where he's expected to be a regular starter. Playing time at a 3.Liga level should do wonders for him.

Jan 14th 2024

TSV 1860 München vs. Club Brugge KV (Friendly)

Our winter friendly brings Belgian team Club Brugge to Munich this time, an interesting challenge considering they're currently leading the Jupiler Pro League and have won three of the last four editions. Well, it takes us two minutes and nine seconds to bring them down to their knees thanks to Forson's through ball towards Tsarenko's run and chip over the keeper. There are good chances for more goals on both ends of the pitch afterwards, but it takes until the second half for Sene to score again, and then it happens to be offside so it doesn't count. On the 59th, however, a cross by Sidler evades Haahr's head and Dressel says thank you and scores the 2-0 from point-blank. Then new guy Zohouri tries a shot from the edge of the box, the keeper lets it run, and Sene grabs the rebound and pushes it over the line for the third. A very good performance overall.

TSV 1860 München 3 (Anton Tsarenko 3, Dennis Dressel 59, Mamadou Kaly Sene 77)
Club Brugge KV 0

Jan 16th 2024

Forson pulls a hamstring in training, which will make him unavailable for 8 days to 2 weeks, and probably take him out of our two first 2.Bundesliga fixtures of the year.

Jan 20th 2024

Add Eintracht to the list of Bundesliga teams reportedly interested in me. Creeping up...

Lex announces his retirement at the end of the season. Probably a good idea, considering he's 34 already and he isn't exactly lighting up the 3.Liga with Halle, and I imagine he wouldn't be willing to drop any further down the pyramid to remain relevant. He was really good for us in our promotion campaign in the 3.Liga, but after that he dropped off rapidly and never quite got going afterwards. Wish him the best.

Jan 21st 2024

We welcome a new loan signing today, as Kabadayi will be signing a new deal and then leaving on loan himself, as agreed during the negotiation. His replacement will be Benfica's 19yo Belgian winger Diego Moreira, who joins us until the end of the season on a pretty cheap €3k per week deal, his whole wage at his club. He brings something different to the table, in that his favorite position is on the left of the attack, but as a traditional left-footed winger. This makes him a great option to widen up the pitch and attack defenses that like plugging the center, like all those 3-5-2 variants around. He can also play on the right as an inverted winger if needed, and other than his good pace and dribbling he also brings a fair amount of flair to the table, although he's not a finisher by any means. He'll be a very useful option to have, and will enjoy many minutes with us. Also, the press like to call him the new Thorgan Hazard, for all that's worth...

Jan 22nd 2024

TSV 1860 München (1st) vs. Holstein Kiel (15th) (2.Bundesliga, 18/34)

Looping around to the beginning of the season, Kiel come to Munich in a dangerous position, but actually with a decent lead on Ingolstadt in sixteenth. That's roughly what was expected of them this season, though, so it should come as no surprise. We're heavy favorites, and we should add another win to the pile and keep our streak going for a bit longer.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Armel Zohouri (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Silvan Sidler (DL); Daniel Wein (DM), Tamar Svetlin (MCr), Dennis Dressel (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Mamadou Kaly Sene (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
KIEL (4-4-2): Ioannis Gelios (GK); Eduardo Fereira (DR), Florian Ballas (DCr), Stefan Thesker (DCl), Felix Könighaus (DL); Brandon Borrello (MR), Patrick Erras (MCr), Steven Skrzybski (MCl), Florian Pick (ML); Joel Pohjanpalo (STr), Holmbert Fridjónsson (STl)

* * *

Holstein played a 4-3-3 the last time we played them at their stadium, but today it seems they want to roll the dice and go 4-4-2 instead. We're without Forson, and we go with a mix of starters and backups to keep a competitive team fresh for our match against Nürnberg in only four days. Zohouri debuts, and Moreira will have minutes off the bench.

The visitors seem to have trouble playing against our high pressing, and after gifting the ball to us three minutes in we set up an attack that ends in a cross by Zohouri and a dangerous finish by Dressel, eventually deflected wide by a defender. We look good in possession at first, but soon Kiel start holding the ball and doing not very much with it, just letting time pass while denying us the chance to attack. An injury to Pohjanpalo fifteen minutes in doesn't do their attacking options any favors, but ours also remain frozen for a long while.

It takes us until the 33rd to return to Gelios' box, and it takes a long passing play ending in an incursion from the left, with Sene passing to Pereira, then to Tribuzzi, who finally decides to shoot. Gelios' parries it, but the Italian is first to the rebound and puts it into the net on his second try. A high ball from distance by Pereira is the only other thing to happen in what remains of the first half.

HALF TIME - 1-0

The second half starts with a bang: Sene intercepts a throw in and heads the ball towards Dressel, who in turn nods it to Pereira. The striker just turns around and curls it from the edge of the box into the back of the net, unreachable for Gelios, and scores the 2-0 with a delightful strike. His tenth, and a bit of extra cash going Sporting Braga's way as soon as the banks open tomorrow. Moreira gets his debut shortly afterwards, and for a while things return to the dull, slow pace of the game until now.

Things pick back up on the 67th when Tribuzzi cuts towards the midfield and sees Tsarenko running into space, nothing new here, and sends a pass ahead of him so the midfielder can place a perfect finish right next to the post to make it three. That's enough to kill the game for good, and Holstein manage a single shot at goal, off-target, in the whole match while we score three more easy points for our collection.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 3 (Alessio Tribuzzi 33, Danilo Pereira 50, Anton Tsarenko 67)
Holstein Kiel 0

- - -

The kind of game that could've got extremely complicated if we hadn't scored relatively early, really. Holstein came to park the bus but saw their plan thwarted in the first half, and after that they really didn't know what to do, so it was all downhill for us. Solid win, nice show by Tribuzzi and good debut by Zohouri. Moreira will have more chances to shine.

Dalbeider · October 7, 2022

Jan 23rd 2024

Pereira, once again, in the Team of the Weak.

Jan 25th 2024

Huh, Salger retires at the end of the season, too. He still had one year left in his deal, but like Lex, he wasn't getting any younger nor any better, and he was even struggling to get any playing time while on loan in Braunschweig, so it makes sense for him to call it a day. Never a sure starter for us, he was a solid rotation option in defense in the 3.Liga and even did a decent job last year in the 2.Bundesliga. Good job, and good luck in future endeavors.

Kabadayi signs his new 2-year contract and then moves on loan to Hankofen. Would've preferred a 3.Liga team but eh, that'll do. Let's hope to see some development from him with more playing time.

Jan 26th 2024

Ah yes, here we go. Wolfsburg come with a €950k offer for Lang, clearly insufficient and of course rejected, and now the player wants to talk to me about wanting to leave to a bigger club. Thankfully, there is one easy way to convince him to stay: I promise him we'll promote to the Bundesliga this season. That's some extra pressure, but I think we're in the right path to achieving that anyway. Let's hope we don't stray.

* * *

TSV 1860 München (1st) vs. 1.FC Nürnberg (7th) (2.Bundesliga, 19/34)

Time to put our promotion aims to the test, then. Nürnberg aren't exactly in a scintillating form recently, but they're still part of the chasing pack and a couple of wins could bring them closer to the top. We suffered a lot in our visit to them, even though we stole a win somehow, so I expect a very difficult match once again today.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Tallig (MCr), Anton Tsarenko (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Diego Moreira (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
NÜRNBERG (4-2-3-1): Carl Klaus (GK); Sei Muroya (DR), Alex Pascanu (DCr), Moritz Heyer (DCl), Jannes Horn (DL); Tom Krauss (MCr), Atakan Karazor (MCl); Leon Dajaku (AMR), Fredrik Jensen (AMC), Mustapha Bundu (AML); Dennis Srbeny (ST)

* * *

First start for Moreira on the left, and we rotate most of the rest of the squad to keep everyone fresh and in top shape today. No major changes for Nürnberg since our last meeting, but there's one clear difference from the very first minute: we're the ones attacking today. Tribuzzi has our first after a great cross by Steinhart, deflected wide by Klaus, but that's a good sign of our intentions today. Nürnberg won't just stand there and take it, though, and Srbeny has a quick answer for them with a shot that Kretzschmar dives low to save. Moreira is the next one to try luck, in his case with a valiant effort from far away that goes wide, but not as wide as you'd expect.

Punches come and go in both directions during the first twenty minutes, but after a while the game settles down with possession split almost equally between both teams and neither managing to get through. Our attack returns to action in the last ten minutes of the half, though, with Moreira sending dangerous crosses towards Tribuzzi and Pereira and giving Klaus some work to do. That's all, though, and other than the fifth yellow card of the season for Lang, the first half doesn't bring any more newsworthy events.

HALF TIME - 0-0

In the second half we try a small experiment making Tallig and Tsarenko trade sides without changing their roles, just to try and get our playmaker more involved in play. A header by Moreira to a cross by Tsarenko is our first approach, very easy for the keeper, but our tweak doesn't seem to have much of an effect, and soon Svetlin and Iyoha come into the game, moving Moreira to the right as an inverted winger. That does seem to work, and soon Svetlin is shooting from the edge of the box, the ball hitting Karazor and deflecting, by some miracle, straight to Klaus' hands.

Sene is our third and last substitution, since Moreira is looking exhausted out there, but then Nürnberg get a corner out of nowhere and Horn heads it in at the near post while the whole defense watches. We keep attacking and getting into good positions, but somehow there's always a defender there in the right instant to block our shots or just plain make life difficult for our forwards. And when there isn't it's our own lack of accuracy that does the job, like a high ball by Svetlin in the 86th minute. Our best chance comes deep into injury time, though, a cross from the left by Svetlin that Pereira half-volleys from close, but Klaus manages to deflect wide with fantastic reflexes. Then the game ends, and we have no reason to be happy today.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 0
1.FC Nürnberg 1 (Jannes Horn 66)

- - -

Karma. We stole a game from them, then they steal a game from us. All's fair, I guess. We were much better today and had chances to get a clear win, but alas. Solid debut by Moreira, even though he lacked effectiveness in the final third. Bad news: Lang is now suspended for our next match. Worse news: said match is away to second-place HSV. Yikes.

Dalbeider · October 8, 2022

Jan 27th 2024

Finally, Danicic agrees a move. I was expecting a free transfer come June by this point, but Sparta Rotterdam apparently have an urgent need for a left back so they splashed €135k and a 20% of future profits on an expiring contract. I mean, I'm not one to complain. Good return for the investment of zero we made on him, I'd say, even though I'd have loved to keep him for longer than this. His loss, I guess.

Jan 31st 2024

Transfer deadline day! We'll participate in the buildup just in case someone comes in sweeping for one of our players, but otherwise I'd expect no movement.

First business of the day is actually surprisingly good for us? Gresler gets an offer for Werder worth €34k upfront, €5k for each of his first ten league appearances for them, and €25k more once he reaches ten games. Which is fantastic considering he's on an expiring contract, too! We were planning on releasing him anyway so hey, free money. Karlsruhe and Paderborn soon join in with more normal free transfer offers, so it'll depend on him whether we get any money out of him or not.

Meanwhile, Wolfsburg and Augsburg return for Lang, but their offers get auto-refused. Lang is staying no matter what unless they trigger his release clause.

Another unexpected piece of good business: Christian Stockinger, a 17yo center-back from our U19s who wasn't particularly highly rated by our staff, has been poached on a free transfer by Regensburg. Best part? We get a guaranteed €350k compensation, plus €11.5k per each of his first 40 (!) appearances for them, €115k if he ever makes an international appearance for Germany (unlikely!) and a 15% of future profits. Absolutely chuffed, since the most likely scenario was a free transfer sometime in the future, maybe even this summer if he failed to secure a professional contract.

Aw, Gresler goes to Dynamo Dresden in the end, on a free transfer come July. There goes our free money, sob. He looked like a pretty decent prospect two years ago, and even got some playing time with the first team, but in the end he never developed beyond that, so it's time for him to try his luck elsewhere.

Tolaj's loan deal took a while, but in the end he'll be joining Aue, who'll pay 20% of his wages and give him some much needed playing time in the 3.Liga. We'll see how it goes.

Zimmermann will be leaving on a free to Paderborn come the end of the season. We tried offering a new deal and he seemed to be happy with it, but in the end Paderborn's offer was just better, particularly when it comes to promising him a bit of first team play time. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

And that's it for this year's transfer window. No more noise around any of our first team players, which is a very welcome change from the usual. Now to focus on winning this league.

Feb 3rd 2024

Hamburger SV (2nd) vs. TSV 1860 München (1st) (2.Bundesliga, 20/34)

And the first step towards that goal goes through Hamburg. Unbeaten in six matches, they're one of the most in-form teams in the league right now and if you combine that with their inherent quality we're looking into a nightmare of a match, even more coming from our first defeat in a long while. Still, this is a potential title decider and we have to show up if we want to keep our promotion chances intact.

* * *

HSV (4-4-2): Daniel Heuer Fernandes (GK); Jan Gyamerah (DR), Jamie Lawrence (DCr), Sebastian Schonlau (DCl), David Kinsombi (DL); Shurandy Sambo (MR), Ron Schallenberg (MCr), Ludovit Reis (MCl), Aaron Opoku (ML); Kevin Schade (STr), Steffen Tigges (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Tamar Svetlin (MCr), Anton Tsarenko (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)

* * *

No more time for rotations, and we put our theoretical best eleven in play today against one of our strongest foes in the quest for promotion. HSV start attacking, as the home team is wont to do, beginning with a cross by Schade towards Reis that the midfielder heads straight to Kretzschmar. On the eighth minute Reis gets another chance, this one after a good pass from the right by Gyamerah, and this time he shoots low past Kretzschmar's attempt at a save and scores a very quick 1-0. Not the start we had in mind, certainly.

Our reaction is swift, though: play down the right flank which ends in a cross by Forson towards the far post and Iyoha, who had lost possession in the play that ended in Reis' goal, redeems himself with a perfect header to draw the game just five minutes later. HSV go right back at it with a high header by Tigges, and then Tsarenko answers on the other end with a narrowly wide 20-yarder. It's a fun match, befitting of its importance, but I'm not at all impressed by our defensive concentration when Tigges breaks into the box from the right and passes it low so Schade, unmarked, simply pushes it past the line to put HSV back ahead on the 22nd minute.

There's no instant response this time, and HSV do well to keep our push for the draw at bay in the following minutes. Our best chance is a direct free kick by Steinhart near the end of the first half that Fernandes barely slaps away from the top corner, but HSV look like the better team on the pitch at most times, and end the half deservedly ahead.

HALF TIME - 2-1

Sidler soon replaces a very poor Iglesias, and Dressel does the same with Tsarenko. It doesn't matter: set piece on the right side of HSV's attack, Schonlau nods it into the heart of the box, and Sambo heads it in for the 3-1 only eight minutes after the restart. Sene comes in for Iyoha as our last-ditch attempt, but all we get in the following minutes is a high ball by Gechter from the edge of the box. Kretzschmar even has to stop a one-on-one with Kinsombi to prevent the result from getting any worse for us.

The final minutes don't bring any last-second miracles, and if anything it's Schallenberg go gets the closest to a goal with a powerful effort Kretzschmar tips over. And then, out of nowhere, Sene receives from Dressel inside the box and assists Pereira for an easy tap in to score the 3-2 in the 90th minute, and suddenly we're back into the game. The striker soon has another chance to score, but this time a defender nicks the ball off him just as he was getting ready to finish, and our hopes of a comeback vanish as quickly as they appeared. Deserved defeat.

* * *

Hamburger SV 3 (Ludovit Reis 8, Kevin Schade 22, Shurandy Sambo 53)
TSV 1860 München 2 (Emmanuel Iyoha 13, Danilo Pereira 90)

- - -

The best team won, plain and simple. In fact we probably shouldn't have been this close to getting something out of this game considering how it went. No complaints whatsoever, other than the fact that we underperformed so hard. Or maybe this is our real level? We'll see, sooner or later. HSV take the top spot from us and now the fourth place is only one point behind us, but we still have four points on the fifth, so we're not in a horrible position or anything. We just need to start winning again, and soon.

Dalbeider · October 9, 2022

Feb 10th 2024

TSV 1860 München (2nd) vs. 1.FC Heidenheim 1846 (4th) (2.Bundesliga, 21/34)

And this month doesn't get any easier from here on. Heidenheim are on the rise now after snapping out of a losing streak three matches ago, and considering how "well" we've played lately, we're gonna be up against it unless we snap out of it and start playing like we know. We can't afford to drop any more points at home against direct rivals.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Silvan Sidler (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Daniel Wein (DM), Erik Tallig (MCr), Dennis Dressel (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Mamadou Kaly Sene (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
HEIDENHEIM (4-2-3-1): Kevin Müller (GK); Kevin Sessa (DR), Patrick Mainka (DCr), Christopher Schindler (DCl), Tobias Mohr (DL); Alexander Mühling (MCr), Dzenis Burnic (MCl); Robert Leipertz (AMR), Marco Stiepermann (AMC), Tim Kleindienst (AML); Kevin Behrens (ST)

* * *

That said, Heidenheim did lose one of their best players, left winger Osame Sahraoui, on the last day of the winter transfer window and couldn't really replace him with anyone of equal value, so that might be a point in our favor. We're without Wouters, suspended, and without Moreira, sent home with a cold a couple of days ago, while Forson had a minor injury during the week and is short on fitness for a full game today.

We start the game with Steinhart looking for the top corner of the goal from a direct free kick and finding Müller's hands instead. It's a rare shot in a very midfield-heavy start of the game, though, and it takes until the 13th minute for Kleindienst to head a cross from the right over Kretzschmar's goal and bring some goalscoring action to the table. His second one comes nine minutes later, again after a cross from the right by Stiepermann, but this time Kleindienst strikes true and scores the 0-1 with a powerful header. Immediately afterwards Kretzschmar delivers a pass towards Gechter but it never gets there: Behrens intercepts, faces the keeper unopposed, and scores the 0-2. Looking good.

It's all us from then on, although our chances never quite reach the point of worrying Müller. The best ones are two headers by Sene after crosses by Sidler that the keeper catches with little issue. On the other goal Kleindienst gives us more headaches in a corner kick with his aerial ability, although this time he heads it over the bar. The first half ends shortly after, and we have a lot of work to do if we're to fix this somehow.

HALF TIME - 0-2

After ten minutes with no action on either goal we decide to pull the trigger and bring reinforcements in: Tsarenko and Forson come into the game, and our attack soon starts looking a bit more fluid and dangerous. Meanwhile Kretzschmar has to save a header by Behrens to keep Heidenheim within a reasonable distance, but he can't do anything when a cross from the right (again) breaks our offside line in half and Kleindienst has all the time in the world to decide where to place his finish to score the 0-3.

The rest of the match is almost not worth describing. Tallig has a decent chance in a counterattack but he shoots way too early and way too wide, Stiepermann heads over the bar a chance to make it four for Heidenheim, this time after a cross from the left for a change, and that's about it. The fans go home with grim faces, and we have a lot to think about now.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 0
1.FC Heidenheim 1846 3 (Tim Kleindienst 22 65, Kevin Behrens 23)

- - -

We have no right to be thinking about promotion right now. That's the long and short of it, really. I have no idea what's going on, but we've suddenly forgotten how to play this game called football, particularly in defense. I don't remember the last time we conceded three goals in two consecutive games, it might not have ever happened for all I know. We need to stop this slide, and now. Down to fourth.

Dalbeider · October 10, 2022

Feb 13th 2024

To add one more small problem to our ever growing pile, Sapmaz's loan in Unterhaching has ended as of today. The reason? Simple: he was supposed to be a regular starter but, after over a month there, he had yet to make his first appearance. And their manager had the gall to tell me I had unrealistic expectations and that he was playing "enough". Hah. I'd rather have him here training with our coaches than wasting his time there.

Feb 15th 2024

Ah yes, just what we needed: injuries: Pereira bruises his knee, nothing serious but just enough to make him a very serious doubt for tomorrow's match against Ingolstadt. Then there's Lang... He hadn't had any serious injuries in over a year, but now he's gonna be out for around a month with a twisted ankle. Not exactly ideal.

Feb 16th 2024

FC Ingolstadt 04 (16th) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (2.Bundesliga, 22/34)

Well, if there's a match in which we have a good chance of snapping out of our current blues, it'll have to be this one. Ingolstadt are still the third worst team in the league, and they just lost to the second worst (Karlsruhe) putting themselves in the dangerous perspective of losing their place in the relegation playoffs if their form doesn't improve. I trust my boys to win this.

* * *

INGOLSTADT (4-4-2): Fabijan Buntic (GK); Deian Sorescu (DR), Visar Musliu (DCr), Korbinian Burger (DCl), Tim Handwerker (DL); Bryan Henning (MR), Merlin Röhl (MCr), Max Christiansen (MCl), Filip Bilbija (ML); Dennis Eckert (STr), Valmir Sulejmani (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Silvan Sidler (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillip Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Mamadou Kaly Sene (ST)

* * *

Pereira could make it in the end, although in the bench for now. We make a tactical tweak, switching our playmaker and attacking midfielder roles to better balance our defensive effort on the left side, which has been sorely lacking lately. And somehow, we start on fire: long passing play from kick off until ninety seconds later, when Wouters sends a ball through the center of the defense so Iyoha can gather it and blast it past Buntic to score a very early 0-1.

Another chance falls to the inside forward soon after, this time assisted by Steinhart, but this time he has to finish with his left foot and it's an easy parry for the keeper. Ingolstadt show up in our box a bit later with a cross from the left and a difficult and wide volley by Eckert. Another header, this time by Bilbija, clips the top of the crossbar before going over, a clear sign that we should start focusing a bit more. We do the exact opposite: Hajdari misses an easy header and allows Sulejmani to run alone into the box, although thankfully Kretzschmar manages to deflect his shot wide.

We finally wake up then, and a steal by Svetlin allows Tsarenko the chance to run into the box and shoot, although it's not one of his usual belters and instead a meek finish that Buntic has no problem pushing over. A wide shot from distance by Svetlin follows, and then Buntic dives to catch another low try by Tsarenko. We seem to be turning the tide, but then Sorescu breaks through the right in a somewhat dubious position and crosses for Bilbija's header into the back of the net. Game tied. And seven minutes later our defense does it again: long goal kick towards Eckert, no one challenges him for it and everyone instead run around like headless chickens, and the striker takes the gift and scores the 2-1. And then the first half ends, and my throat starts hurting shortly afterwards.

HALF TIME - 2-1

Well, okay, not so much. We've been quite unlucky thus far, and that's what I tell the players, trying to keep their morale high after such a one-two punch. And then the first thing they do is leave Eckert unmarked so he can shoot over the bar in the very first minute of the second half. Sigh. Two minutes later Tsarenko finds Iyoha inside the box, but once again he's forced to shoot with his left and hits the wrong side of the net. The two trade roles a bit later, and this time it's Buntic's save that prevents Tsarenko's goal. Iyoha gets another following a cross by Steinhart, but his luck seems to have run out with his goal and his finish strikes the outside of the post and goes wide. Almost there but not quite.

Two more headers by Iyoha into Buntic's hands don't get us any closer to the draw, but in the 68th we finally find a way: Tsarenko receives from Tribuzzi and passes back towards Svetlin, who doesn't think twice and unleashes a missile from 25 yards away that flies into the back of the net to become the 2-2. A draw is not enough, though, and just three minutes later Iyoha runs down the left flank then sends a subtle pass into the box so substitute Pereira can gather it and place it past Buntic and inside the goal. Comeback completed.

And it could've gone all up in flames just one minute later, but thankfully Sulejmani sends an unmarked header into the post instead of into the net, and our lack of defensive effort isn't punished for now. In attack we keep doing well, at least, and Tribuzzi has a chance to seal the deal on the 77th but Buntic blocks his finish. A second one falls to the winger a while later after trading passes with Tsarenko, but once again Buntic is a wall and the ball bounces off his hands. Finally, in injury time and with Ingolstadt in kill or be killed mode, Iyoha runs at the defense until a gap opens to send the ball towards Pereira, and the striker grabs his second to round up a very needed victory. Pereira himself even has the time to profit from a bad tackle by the defense to steal the ball inside Ingolstadt's box and make it a hattrick off the bench, just to rub it in.

* * *

FC Ingolstadt 04 2 (Filip Bilbija 34, Dennis Eckert 41)
TSV 1860 München 5 (Emmanuel Iyoha 2, Tamar Svetlin 68, Danilo Pereira 71 90+2 90+5)

- - -

I was actually scared there for a moment, but cool heads prevailed for once and the players got the result they deserved in the end. Our defense is looking frail as a kitten lately, but at least our attack worked wonders today, particularly Iyoha and Pereira. The striker is already on 14 goals and steadily creeping closer to Lohkemper's numbers from last season. Back to the third place thanks to Heidenheim's draw with Nürnberg.

Dalbeider · October 11, 2022

Feb 18th 2024

Schalke try again to get me to attend an interview with them after firing Sagnol a while ago. As much as I'd enjoy banging my head against a wall over and over again like they've been doing for the past few years, I think I'll pass.

Feb 21st 2024

Been a while since we last showed up in the Team of the Week, but this time counts as four: Steinhart, Iyoha, Tsarenko, and Pereira all feature in it.

Feb 22nd 2024

Iglesias picks up a thigh strain in training, which will make him miss 4-6 weeks in a key part of the season. Zohouri will get more minutes now, I imagine.

Feb 24th 2024

Our first signing for the upcoming season is a goalkeeper, believe it or not: 20yo Argentinian Valentino Quintero will join us on a free after a trial during which our coaches saw some very good things in him. Already one time U21 international for his nation and having also played in U23 tournaments, he was released by Rosario Central after only nine appearances in their first team in which he was actually quite good. A very promising keeper all in all, great reflexes and aerial ability but needs to work hard on his rushes and command of area. Might actually strip Müller of the cup keeper role come next year. He joins on a two-year deal with minimal wages, so yet another no-risk bet for the future.

Feb 26th 2024

TSV 1860 München (3rd) vs. Hannover 96 (6th) (2.Bundesliga, 23/34)

This nightmare of a month continues with Hannover's visit to Grünwalder Stadion, and despite their sketchy form as of late they're sure to put us under heavy pressure. We've played them before and we know how hard it is to beat them, but we can't afford to let any more points fly away from our stadium. This has to be a win to keep us in the race.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Armel Zohouri (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillip Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Erik Tallig (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Diego Moreira (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
HANNOVER (3-2-2-2-1): Ron-Robert Zieler (GK); Adama Diallo (DCr), Amos Pieper (DC), Kasim Adams (DCl); Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel (WBR), Andreas Poulsen (WBL); Johannes Geis (MCr), Dominik Kohr (MCl); Caden Clark (AMCr), Lucas Hufnagel (AMCl); Franck Evina (ST)

* * *

Ah yes, my old friend 3-2-2-2-1. Last time we faced Hannover with this tactic they destroyed us, but now we have Moreira to attack their flank, so we should be better in theory. We get started the now almost traditional way: direct free kick by Steinhart, over the bar this time. It's a very slow start of the game otherwise, with only a weak header by Clark bringing some interest into the game beyond the battle for possesion. Nothing else of relevance happens until the 44th minute, and we're being generous here with Hufnagel's wide shot by calling it relevant. In short, a complete waste of forty-five minutes.

HALF TIME - 0-0

There's a bit more action early in the second half, but of the wrong kind: long kick upwards, Hufnagel gathers a header by the defense and assists Clark on the run, and the attacking midfielder scores the 0-1 in the first real chance of the game. Not good. Not much later Tsarenko has our first chance after a great long ball from Steinhart, but Zieler stops his finish, and that's the difference between both teams right now.

A blocked point-blank finish by Pereira follows, and it looks like we're starting to get the better of Hannover's defense. It's a mirage, though, and soon they start plugging the holes and denying any further chances. Instead it's Kretzschmar who has to stop a half-volley by Evina, and now it's only ten minutes until full time. Another free kick by Steinhart goes over the bar, and suddenly the game is over. Yet another failure against direct promotion rivals.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 0
Hannover 96 1 (Caden Clark 49)

- - -

Yep, the classic game against this formation, really. Moreira didn't make any difference, in fact he started well but disappeared as the game went on. A goalless draw would've been the fairest result, but of course our defense had to give up another key goal, because that's what we do as of late apparently. Down to fourth once again, and we've just given Hannover a way into the promotion battle.

Seriously considering the "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" approach to tactic building, and trying a 3-5-2 variant of my own to match any we come across. At the very least we'd be on level footing then. Only problem is that our wing players wouldn't have as much of a presence then, but it's not like we're gonna be using it all the time anyway, and the only pure wingers we have currently in the squad are Tribuzzi and loanee Moreira, so... Might as well. We'll start working on it in training, maybe that'll distract us from our current run.

Dalbeider · October 12, 2022

Mar 1st 2024

SSV Jahn Regensburg (2nd) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (2.Bundesliga, 24/34)

We're out of February at last, but still not completely out of the hellish part of the fixture list just yet. Regensburg have been there or thereabouts as the surprise package of the season almost from the beginning, and right now they look like a much safer bet for promotion than us. They already stole a 0-0 draw from our stadium back when we were actually playing well, so I'm afraid of what'll happen today. Let's hope we get a reaction from the players already.

* * *

REGENSBURG (4-4-2): Marco Hiller (GK); Benedikt Saller (DR), Tim Rieder (DCr), Steve Breitkreuz (DCl), Andrija Raznatovic (DL); Martin Popovic (MR), Max Besuschkow (MCr), Majeed Ashimeru (MCl), Billy Arce (ML); Johannes Wurtz (STr), Sven Michel (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Armel Zohouri (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Silvan Sidler (DL); Daniel Wein (DM), Dennis Dressel (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)

* * *

Ah yes, Hiller, current 2.Bundesliga leader in clean sheets while Kretzschmar eats goals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I know it's just their current form, but still, it stings. Nice to see Arce again, too. We rotate a bit due to the closeness of our previous fixture, and somewhat surprisingly we start looking quite well, with Forson assisting Pereira for an early dangerous shot that Hiller has to work hard to keep from entering his net. A cushioned header by Arce is Regensburg answer, an easy catch for Kretzschmar, but his second chance is much better, following a cross by Saller that finds our whole defense out of position and allows Arce an easy finish for the 1-0.

Five minutes later they do it again: Saller breaks through the right just like before, passes back towards the center, and Michel just taps it in to score the 2-0. Something's broken in our tactics and I have no idea what it is anymore. Iyoha tries to bring us back into the game with a good run just a couple of minutes later, but he blasts his finish a few hundred miles above the target and we're back to square one. A second chance falls to him after a tackle on Pereira, but this time it's Hiller who prevents the goal with a good dive.

A knock on Zohouri's knee gives us something else to worry about, although he seems able to at least finish the first half. Meanwhile Saller continues his storming game with a shot into Kretzschmar's hands, once again finding a huge channel to run through between Sidler and Gechter. Another save by the keeper to Wurtz's header comes next, then Arce collects on the edge of the box from Besuschkow and curls a perfect little shot into the inside of the post and in to make it 3-0 just before half time. Pain.

HALF TIME - 3-0

Steinhart replaces Zohouri at half time, both because of his injury and because Arce has literally torched him. He's not the only underperforming player today, though, as Sidler and Svetlin have both been terrible, too, although they do improve a bit in the second half. The game itself isn't too interesting, though, at least until the 65th when another well-known face, Keanu Staude, shows up from the bench on the right wing to steal the ball from Steinhart and deliver a dangerous cross towards Wurtz's header, thankfully saved by Kretzschmar. The winger then shoots wide in another good run down the right, and their fourth looks much closer than our first.

Surprisingly, the completely unexpected happens: set piece cleared towards the right, Sene collects and crosses, and Forson dives feet-first to reach the ball and push it over the line for the 3-1. Suddenly, a glimmer of hope. But don't worry, there's our defense to erase any doubt and allow Besuschkow to walk as he pleases around the box, then cross towards Michel for another easy tap-in from one meter away while everyone in a 1860 shirt just watches. We still have our chances, like a high ball from Sene in the 82nd minute and a header by Iyoha into the post two minutes later, but the match is absolutely finished by now. Another defeat, hopefully the last one.

* * *

SSV Jahn Regensburg 4 (Billy Arce 7 45, Sven Michel 15 75)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Amankwah Forson 71)

- - -

I think we've conceded more in the last five or six fixtures than in the rest of the season combined. That should tell you how absolutely disastrous our defense has been as of late. They're constantly out of position and never quite reaching the interceptions they're supposed to be making. I'll need to think about this very carefully, because right now it's bleeding us out.

Oh well, best thing we can say about this nightmare run is that we're not completely dead yet, and that the most difficult fixtures of the season are all out of the way now. It's only up from here, and I hope it'll be just enough to get us where we want to be in the end. Down to fifth, but the direct promotion places are only five points away.

Nothing for Zohouri in the end, thankfully. Last thing we need is more injuries to our full backs.

Dalbeider · October 13, 2022

Mar 5th 2024

Wow, Bayern aren't pulling any punches in the DFB Pokal this season. Six goals they put past Stuttgart in the quarterfinals to book their place in the semifinals, where they'll face against either Leverkusen, current champions Hertha, or the surprising Union Berlin.

Mar 10th 2024

TSV 1860 München (5th) vs. FC Viktoria Köln (18th) (2.Bundesliga, 25/34)

No excuses today. We can't be the first team in the whole league to lose points to Viktoria. Because yes, they're still winless and pointless, and with a goal difference of -44. Anything other than a clear win today would be absolutely unforgivable.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Silvan Sidler (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Mamadou Kaly Sene (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
VIKTORIA KÖLN (4-2-3-1): Nils Körber (GK); Jeremias Lorch (DR), Aleksei Carnier (DCr), Christoph Greger (DCl), James Lawrence (DL); Patrick Sontheimer (MCr), Luka Tankulic (MCl); Benjamin Hemcke (AMR), Ömer Beyaz (AMC), Maurice Litka (AML); Abdoul Karim Camara (ST)

* * *

We can't afford any relaxation today, so we start with the best we have available, and just two minutes in we're already ahead: long pass from Steinhart to Forson, who delivers a simple pass to Tsarenko so the midfielder can score with surprising ease. Wish it was always this easy... Steinhart almost doubles our lead six minutes later with his trademark free kick, this time bouncing off the crossbar and over. He's getting closer! The goal's frame has more work to do a bit later, when a great assist by Tsarenko allows Pereira to shoot from close, but once again the ball ends up hitting the post instead of the net.

Körber finally manages a save to another close-range finish by Pereira, our domination only intensifying as time goes by. On the 28th Steinhart finds Sene on the left with lots of space ahead, and the inside forward uses every inch of it before passing towards the far post so Forson can go for the tap-in and score the 2-0. And then, surprise: Viktoria know how to attack, too. Tankulic finds Camara with a nifty little touch and the striker finishes in style with a chip over Kretzschmar to make it a one-goal game once again.

Of course their downfall isn't their attack, they've actually scored a good number of goals, but their awful defense, and Sene profits from that provoking a penalty on the 36th minute, transformed into the 3-1 by Pereira. Tsarenko could've made it four before the end of the half, but Körber managed to save this one and turn it around the post, then Forson wastes our last of the half with a rugby transformation. In the end, 3-1 at the break.

HALF TIME - 3-1

Steinhart starts the half by hitting the crossbar again from a free kick, then Körber saves another finish by Pereira as we keep pushing for a fourth. With the game basically sealed we give some minutes to Zohouri and Moreira, and also award a debut to one of our best youngsters, attacking midfielder Helmut Franzke. The game obviously slows down as we prioritize control over attack and Viktoria simply can't turn the tide.

Franzke almost scores a debut assist when he sends a great through ball towards Moreira, but the winger can't finish it and Körber saves with ease. Forson also goes close with a placed shot from afar, but it ends up going wide by the smallest of margins. Then Camara has a chance to give us some trouble on the counter, but thankfully his finish is centered and easy for Kretzschmar. To prevent further scares Forson decides it's time to unleash his true power, bending a wonderful banana shot from 25 yards away to score the 4-1, also awarding Franzke the debut assist he's been deserving. Other than another easy save for Kretzschmar after a shot by Lovren the rest of the game is tranquil and uneventful, just like we like it. Easy win, as expected.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 4 (Anton Tsarenko 2, Amankwah Forson 28 82, Danilo Pereira 37p)
FC Viktoria Köln 1 (Aboul Karim Camara 33)

- - -

More games like this one, please. Although if I'm allowed to grumble after a 4-1 win, we can't even keep a clean sheet against the last-placed team in the league, hmpf. Curmudgeonisms aside, great performance by Forson, one goal away from a round ten now, and nice debut by Franzke, who did more in 30 minutes than Svetlin in 60. New record for youngest player to debut with die Löwen, by the way, at 17 days an 163 days. Up one place to fourth thanks to Nürnberg's draw with Regensburg, with the playoff place three points away and the direct promotion places at four.

Edited October 13, 2022 by Dalbeider

Dalbeider · October 14, 2022

Mar 12th 2024

Forson, of course, makes the Team of the Week.

Mar 13th 2024

Lang returns from his injury, and immediately catches a cold and is sent home for 3-4 days. This kid can't catch a break, can he. Or rather, he keeps catching too many of them...

Mar 15th 2024

More serious is Svetlin's injury, which will keep him out of contention for 4-5 weeks. More minutes for Tallig and Dressel in the coming matches, then.

Mar 18th 2024

1.FC Saarbrücken (15th) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (2.Bundesliga, 26/34)

We go from the condemned team in the league to one that's doing its best to become one: five games without a win and a loss against Karlsruhe last week that puts them almost within striking distance of the relegation zone. Another great chance to score some easy-ish points and start climbing further up the table.

* * *

SAARBRÜCKEN (4-4-2): Daniel Batz (GK); Lukas Boeder (DR), Bjarne Thoelke (DCr), Erhan Masovic (DCl), Aleksandar Ignjovski (DL); Robin Scheu (MR), Luca Kerber (MCr), Julian Günther-Schmidt (MCl), Luis Coordes (ML); Adriano Grimaldi (STr), Sebastian Jacob (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Silvan Sidler (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Erik Tallig (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)

* * *

Tallig starts in Svetlin's place while Lang returns to the lineup after his injury, probably not for the whole match if we can afford a substitution for him though. Saarbrücken have changed from a 4-1-4-1 to a 4-4-2 in the interim, which might be good for us but also dangerous given our recent defensive performances... We start well once again, testing Batz from distance through Pereira with a shot that the keeper needs two attempts to smother. There's little action in the early game, though, with only an easy save for Kretzschmar to stop a header by Grimaldi.

We start dominating and attacking better around the fifteen minute mark, although all our arrivals into the box end up being blocked by a defender before Tsarenko or Pereira can shoot properly. Forson finally has a proper chance after catching a lob pass from Tallig, but he finishes with his right foot and it's an easy catch for Batz. Then Saarbrücken mount their first attack in a while, send a cross into the box from the left, Kretzschmar fails to get to it in time, and Grimaldi heads in the 1-0 unopposed. Wonderful.

After the goal we spend a long while banging our heads against the wall they build in front of Batz with little to show for it, and in the 35th minute Grimaldi strikes again, this time with a flat, powerful 20-yard that Kretzschmar can't stop from becoming the 2-0. We're on red alert now, and Tsarenko could've clawed one back immediately but he ends up smashing his finish on Batz's body. In the 44th Tsarenko has another chance, though, following a great pass from the left side of the box by Pereira, and this time there's no one and nothing in the way and the 2-1 becomes a reality. A wide shot by Steinhart marks the end of the first half. We're behind, but we have hopes of a comeback now.

HALF TIME - 2-1

We start the second half on the attack, as we should, with Tallig taking our first shot with wide, high, and probably also off-target in some other dimension shot from the edge. Eight minutes into the half Forson runs on the right, passes it back to Sidler, and the full back sends the ball ahead towards Tsarenko so the midfielder can blast it in and draw the game for us. We bring Sene in to give us the last push we need to complete the whole comeback, and he starts his match with a wide shot from the edge of the box. His second attempt is better, but Batz manages to block it and the defense then clear the ball away. We're getting close...

Third time's not the charm for Sene, as his volley after a lob from Steinhart is also deflected wide by a very concentrated Batz. Tired of missing goals, the inside forward decides it's time to become a provider, sending a perfect cross towards Forson for another volley finish and yet another block by the keeper, but this time Forson himself can grab the rebound and put it into the net before Batz can stand back up. 2-3 get!

And only one minute later a long ball by Steinhart finds Tsarenko on the run, the midfielder faces against Batz, and Ignjovski trips him from behind for a clear penalty. Tsarenko takes it himself to try and complete a hattrick, but he smashes it against the post. Thankfully we don't get to regret that, as Saarbrücken fail to threaten us even once in the remaining time and we easily take our lead until the end.

* * *

1.FC Saarbrücken 2 (Adriano Grimaldi 21 35)
TSV 1860 München 3 (Anton Tsarenko 44 53, Amankwah Forson 78)

- - -

Absolutely deserved win, although once again our defensive weakness made us work harder than we should to get it. Tsarenko and Forson are both in great goalscoring form lately, and basically carrying us in these last two games. Pereira didn't score, but he created so many chances with his passing that it's almost like he did.

***

| Pos  | Inf   | Team            | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | GD    | Pts   |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st  |       | Hamburg         | 26    | 16    | 5     | 5     | 49    | 30    | 19    | 53    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd  |       | Heidenheim      | 26    | 14    | 6     | 6     | 50    | 32    | 18    | 48    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd  |       | 1860 München    | 26    | 14    | 5     | 7     | 46    | 30    | 16    | 47    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th  |       | Jahn Regensburg | 26    | 13    | 8     | 5     | 42    | 26    | 16    | 47    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th  |       | Nürnberg        | 26    | 13    | 7     | 6     | 45    | 35    | 10    | 46    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th  |       | Hannover 96     | 26    | 13    | 4     | 9     | 41    | 32    | 9     | 43    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th  |       | Werder Bremen   | 26    | 12    | 6     | 8     | 33    | 24    | 9     | 42    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th  |       | SC Paderborn    | 26    | 10    | 8     | 8     | 33    | 29    | 4     | 38    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th  |       | Schalke 04      | 26    | 10    | 8     | 8     | 29    | 27    | 2     | 38    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th |       | Darmstadt       | 26    | 10    | 7     | 9     | 37    | 39    | -2    | 37    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th |       | St. Pauli       | 26    | 10    | 7     | 9     | 28    | 33    | -5    | 37    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th |       | Greuther Fürth  | 26    | 9     | 9     | 8     | 39    | 30    | 9     | 36    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th |       | Dynamo Dresden  | 26    | 9     | 7     | 10    | 31    | 32    | -1    | 34    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th |       | Holstein Kiel   | 26    | 8     | 5     | 13    | 31    | 41    | -10   | 29    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th |       | Saarbrücken     | 26    | 8     | 4     | 14    | 26    | 37    | -11   | 28    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th |       | Karlsruhe       | 26    | 6     | 7     | 13    | 32    | 39    | -7    | 25    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th |       | Ingolstadt      | 26    | 5     | 5     | 16    | 22    | 49    | -27   | 20    |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | R     | Viktoria Köln   | 26    | 0     | 0     | 26    | 20    | 69    | -49   | 0     |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

We're alive. That's the best we can say about this winter season, really. Losing against every single one of the promotion candidates we faced was rough, but in the end we're still in the midst of things and now that we've got that part of the schedule out of the way we can start regaining the lost ground. We're third after our last win, and that's a lot better than you could expect after five defeats in nine games, really.

I did say that as soon as one of the teams at the top got a good run of wins they'd escape from the pack, didn't I? Yeah, I just was expecting it to be us and not HSV, but hey, vindicated in some way. But yeah, HSV are looking very much like the top favorites for promotion and for the league title right now, while the rest of the fight is still wide open. Four teams in two points and Hannover and Werder (another team in a great form right now) not too far behind, that's gonna be a massacre and we're gonna be right in the middle of it. At the bottom Viktoria Köln just confirmed their relegation with eight games to go after their twenty-sixth defeat, Ingolstadt aren't looking very good, and Karlsruhe seem to be on the rise and about to bring trouble to Saarbrücken and/or Kiel.

PLAYER STATS
============

Average rating (min. 9 games played):

Danilo Pereira              7.38 (19(4) apps)
Niklas Lang                 7.23 (20(1) apps)
Albian Hajdari              7.18 (17(3) apps)
Dries Wouters               7.18 (19 apps)
Amankwah Forson             7.15 (17(5) apps)

Goals:

Danilo Pereira              15 goals
Amankwah Forson             10
Anton Tsarenko               8
Emmanuel Iyoha               4
Mamadou Kaly Sene            4

Assists:

Amankwah Forson              5
Emmanuel Iyoha               5
Mamadou Kaly Sene            5
Phillip Steinhart            5
4 players                    3

* * *

A quick look at the remaining fixtures for the top seven teams:

HSV: Viktorka Köln (H), Saarbrücken (A), Greuther Fürth (H), St. Pauli (A), Dynamo Dresden (H), Werder Bremen (A), Schalke 04 (H), Paderborn (A)
Heidenheim: Regensburg (H), Viktorka Köln (A), Saarbrücken (H), Greuther Fürth (A), St. Pauli (H), Dynamo Dresden (A), Werder Bremen (H), Schalke 04 (A)
1860: Greuther Fürth (H), St. Pauli (A), Dynamo Dresden (H), Werder Bremen (A), Schalke 04 (H), Paderborn (A), Darmstadt (H), Karlsruhe (A)
Regensburg: Heidenheim (A), Ingolstadt (H), Hannover (A), Holstein Kiel (A), Viktorka Köln (H), Saarbrücken (A), Greuther Fürth (H), St. Pauli (A)
Nürnberg: Saarbrücken (H), Greuther Fürth (A), St. Pauli (H), Dynamo Dresden (A), Werder Bremen (H), Schalke 04 (A), Paderborn (H), Darmstadt (A)
Hannover: Ingolstadt (A), Holstein Kiel (A), Regensburg (H), Viktorka Köln (A), Saarbrücken (H), Greuther Fürth (A), St. Pauli (H), Dynamo Dresden (A)
Werder Bremen: Paderborn (A), Darmstadt (H), Karlsruhe (A), 1860 (H), Nürnberg (A), Hamburg (H), Heidenheim (A), Ingolstadt (H)

So, lots of overlap and very few direct meetings left. Werder have the hardest final stretch by far, facing against us, Nürnberg, Hamburg, and Heidenheim in quick succession, while Regensburg also have a couple difficult matches against Heidenheim and Hannover. The rest are roughly the same, with most of us having to go through Schalke and Fürth as potentially scary fixtures against teams lower on the table than they should be. If things go as they should, HSV should have an easy time holding to the top position, and Heidenheim and us should battle it for the second place with Regensburg and Nürnberg on the outside looking in, but things never go as they should in these situations. It'll be a fun race, that's for sure.

Dalbeider · October 15, 2022

Mar 19th 2024

Tsarenko earns a place in the Team of the Week.

Mar 20th 2024

Time for international callups once again. The usual gang all make their national teams, with one important change: Tsarenko gets his first callup for the senior Ukraine squad, a major achievement for the still 19 years old midfielder.

Mar 22nd 2024

TSV 1860 München (3rd) vs. SpVgg Greuther Fürth (12th) (2.Bundesliga, 27/34)

Well, looks like it's not a good year for the just-relegated teams in the 2.Bundesliga. We all know about Karlsruhe's struggles, but Fürth's also having an interesting season, in the Chinese curse meaning of the word. They changed managers with the team in 5th place when Stefan Leitl moved up to Stuttgart, former Schalke boss Bruno Labbadia took over and well, here we are. We should win this game, but it's still one of the most difficult fixtures we have left other than the Werder one, so we should be careful.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Armel Zohouri (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Silvan Sidler (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Dennis Dressel (MCr), Anton Tsarenko (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Mamadou Kaly Sene (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
FÜRTH (4-3-3): Jannik Huth (GK); Raphael Framberger (DR), Ranko Veselinovic (DCr), Bruno Rodrigues (DCl), Jamilu Collins (DL); Sebastian Griesback (DM), Niclas Stierlin (MCr), Tobias Raschl (MCl); Sebastian Stolze (AMR), Diogo Pinto (AML), Havard Nielsen (ST)

* * *

Iglesias returns to the bench today, and we rotate half the squad due to tired legs from our recent match against Saarbrücken. It's a quite even start to the game, although the first chance falls to us with a header by Sene that Huth grabs without much trouble. The game soon slows down, though, as neither attack seems to be able to break down the opposing defense. After half an hour nothing has basically happened in the game other than a few fouls and a yellow card for Wein.

With Fürth apparently happy to defend we try to switch gears into a more attacking mentality, and Tribuzzi finally has a decent shot at scoring but ends up blasting the ball over the target. Much closer is Sene's header on the 44th minute which smashes against the crossbar in what becomes the best and last chance of the first half.

HALF TIME - 0-0

The plan is to keep going as we were, and three minutes in a cross by Sidler seems to validate that plan when Pereira heads it very narrowly wide. Iyoha and Forson soon enter the game to give us better options on the wings, while Collins and Nielsen give us two consecutive scares after a set piece, both well stopped by Kretzschmar. On the 63rd Forson falls inside the box to an apparent trip by Bruno Rodrigues, but the referee just waves play on. That's why we have VAR nowadays, though, and after a quick call and a check on the video the ref awards the penalty. Pereira shoots with power from the spot to score the 1-0.

Fürth now need to come out of their cave, and they do so quickly with a very narrowly wide shot from distance by Seufert. We switch to a more controlling style to try and make time pass quicker, and still get a half-decent goalscoring opportunity through another cross by Sidler, this one headed over by Pereira. For once our tactical switch works as intended, and time flies with Fürth not looking able to create anything while Forson misses a one-on-one against Huth on the 89th minute which should've been the 2-0. The keeper then stops another great play between Iyoha and Pereira to end inside the net, and a great assist by Forson is volleyed into the post by Iyoha two minutes into injury time. We've wasted so many chances to seal this game, but thankfully we don't have to regret it in the end and the 1-0 holds until the final whistle. One small step.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Danilo Pereira 64p)
SpVgg Greuther Fürth 0

- - -

I'll take 1-0 penalty wins, thank you very much. We should've scored at least a couple more today, but it was just one of those days when nothing goes in, so the chance to score from the spot was more than welcome. The first direct duel between promotion candidates ends in a draw between Heidenheim and Regensburg, which helps us regain the second place for the time being. Everyone else win their games, as expected

It all came at a cost, though: Zohouri will miss 2-3 weeks with a damaged foot sustained in the final minutes of the match. Good thing Iglesias is already back in training, and that we have an international break to recover both Zohouri and Svetlin.

Dalbeider · October 17, 2022

Mar 23rd 2024

Here's this year's youth intake, and we have at least one very good playing coming through: 15yo Polish right winger Milosz Smolinski is very highly rated by our staff after a few training sessions, and could be the real thing in a few years. His only problem is that he plays in a position in which we already have a couple of highly rated youngsters, so he'll have competition coming up. Goalkeeper Samuel Urwantschy, left midfielder Harald Schwabl, (another!) right winger Manfred Hartmann and defensive midfielder Patrick Djé Bi also look more than fine. A very good intake, all things considered.

Mar 28th 2024

Tsarenko plays the whole game in his debut with Ukraine, helping with an assist in their 3-0 victory over Japan.

Mar 31st 2024

Just three days after his senior international debut, Tsarenko makes the NXGN 2024 list of the best 50 wonderkids in football, on the 33rd position. Pretty nice. I'm 99% sure it's impossible to keep him any longer than this season, but I'm just happy we got the chance to enjoy him. And hey, if Dinamo still want to loan him to us next season I'm all for it!

Apr 1st 2024

Three months until the end of the season and we're somehow still in the black. The transfer fees we've received plus a very contained expense in wages have made this possible, also helped by the 25% increase in gate revenue after the stadium expansion. We should be hitting red in one month, but whatever prize money we get at the end will erase all that debt in one blow. Let's not think about Bundesliga money just yet...

Apr 7th 2024

FC St. Pauli (11th) vs. TSV 1860 München (2nd) (2.Bundesliga, 28/34)

St. Pauli seem to have forgotten their struggles from last season, when they had to play and win the relegation playoff to survive, and have earned themselves a comfy place in midtable with nothing to play for already. They're on a five match unbeaten run, but four of those games ended in draws, so it's not as impressive as it sounds. We should have enough to beat them, but it'll certainly be difficult.

* * *

ST. PAULI (4-4-2): Dennis Smarsch (GK); Luca Zander (DR), Jeffrey Gouweleeuw (DCr), Jakob Medic (DCl), Leart Paqarada (DL); Kingsley Schindler (MR), Mads Bidstrup (MCr), Christopher Buchtmann (MCl), Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (ML); Lee Dong-Jun (STr), Hugo Novoa (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillip Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Erik Tallig (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)

* * *

Funnily enough, St. Pauli are in the exact same position they were when we last met them. We bring our theoretical best eleven out once again, minus Svetlin who's still out injured, and we go out to do our best. St. Pauli get the first attempt at goal in a corner kick headed over by Kyereh, and a second with another header by the winger that Kretzschmar saves confidently. We struggle a bit to keep the ball, and our attack is basically nonexistent for the first twenty minutes.

We improve gradually although with little success in creating danger, while St. Pauli seem to only like sending crosses from the right towards Kyereh, so far with poor results. Much more dangerous is the one time Kyereh is allowed to be the one crossing instead, setting up Dong-Jun for a dangerous finish that Kretzschmar blocks with a great show of reflexes. We make some tweaks to our pressing attitude trying to regain control of the ball in the final fifteen minutes, and after a while we finally find a way through with Forson and Pereira trading passes so the striker can run into the box and test Smarsch for the first time, well answered by the keeper. That's all we can get, though, and the first half ends without goals.

HALF TIME - 0-0

We look sharper after the break, stealing the ball in midfield more often and having some chances to run on the counter, although we don't quite get to finish them. Moreira and Dressel enter the game after a while, and when Tsarenko starts showing signs of exhaustion Tribuzzi replaces him, too, but the game still shows no signs of danger on either goal. A shot by Dressel after running the whole length of the field on the break that Smarsch saves without issue is the most thrilling thing to happen in over forty minutes of play.

On the 86th Forson gathers a clearance after a corner kick and decides to try luck from afar himself, bending a nice-looking shot that misses the target by inches. And that's about it; the game ends shortly after with neither team being able to grab a single goal, and we lose two points in our race for promotion.

* * *

FC St. Pauli 0
TSV 1860 München 0

- - -

Very meh game overall. Nothing really worked when it came to creating danger today, and our few chances went to waste with bad finishing decisions. On the bright side, two consecutive clean sheets! But yeah, dropping points anywhere in the situation we're in is asking for trouble. Down to fourth, tied with Regensburg on points but one goal behind, one point behind Heidenheim, and one ahead Nürnberg.

Gechter earns himself a pay increase after playing on his 20th league match, the same day he picks up his fifth yellow of the season.

Dalbeider · October 18, 2022

Apr 13th 2024

Gresler is basically an ex-player of ours already, but it's never nice to know that one of your men has suffered from damaged cruciate ligaments, as it just happened to him in a match with Meppen. He'll be out of contention for 7-9 months. Thankfully he already has a transfer agreed to Dynamo Dresden, so his future is secured, but still, ow.

Apr 14th 2024

TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. SG Dynamo Dresden (13th) (2.Bundesliga, 29/34)

Dresden happen to be our next opposition, too. Just like St. Pauli and Fürth, not much left to play for them other than trying to improve their position and prize money, and maybe just getting enough points to mathematically secure salvation, just in case. Their form isn't exactly the best, so we'd be pretty confident in winning this if it weren't for one little thing: their formation.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (3-2-2-1-2): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Dries Wouters (DCr), Niklas Lang (DC), Albian Hajdari (DCl); Juan Iglesias (WBr), Phillipp Steinhart (WBl); Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Dennis Dressel (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMC); Danilo Pereira (STr), Mamadou Kaly Sene (STl)
DRESDEN (3-2-2-2-1): Lukas Schneller (GK); Sebastian Mai (DCr), Mattias Jakobsen (DC), Kevin Ehlers (DCl); Simon Asta (WBR), Kevin Paredes (WBL); Eniss Shabani (MCr), Yannick Stark (MCl); Patrick Weihrauch (AMCr), Julius Kade (AMCl); Christoph Daferner (ST)

* * *

So it's time to test our 3-5-2 variant and see if it actually works as a counter to Dresden's 3-2-2-2-1. Svetlin is back in the bench ready to play in the second half if required. The start is promising, with us holding the ball effectively and Pereira fabricating himself a chance with a great dribble into the box, although Schneller manages to stop his final shot. Another great save by the keeper prevents a goal from Tsarenko, who headed a perfect cross from the left by Dressel. Forson is next to try with a flat shot from 20 yards away that Schneller once again deflects over, then Hajdari heads narrowly high the corner kick that follows. No goals yet, but we're looking good for one already.

That's when our attack seems to vanish in mid-air, and we get no clear looks for a whole thirty minutes, while Dresden defend happily and even get one chance on a counter near the end of the half, finished by Kade into an easy save by Kretzschmar. We're gonna need more than this if we're to win this game.

HALF TIME - 0-0

Ten more minutes of nothing provoke our first substitutions, with Iyoha and Svetlin coming in. Things improve quickly, and Iglesias has a good chance with a shot from the edge of the box that Schneller tips wide. An attack to the center a while later allows Pereira to assist Iyoha, who runs into the box and shoots into yet another save by the keeper, who's looking unbeatable today. Dresden strike back through Asta assisting Daferner, who finishes weakly and allows Kretzschmar to look good with his dive.

It takes a bit longer, but eventually Pereira decides he's had enough, turns around Jakobsen to run inside the box and basically forces the center-back to bring him down. Clear as day penalty kick that VAR confirms and Pereira himself transforms into the 1-0. The 3-5-2 then shows his strengths when it comes to defending a lead, even when Dresden decide to switch slightly and copy our formation for the final minutes. The game ends with no more chances for either team, and we secure the points. Test successful.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Danilo Pereira 79p)
SG Dynamo Dresden 0

- - -

See my comments about our previous home match for my thoughts on penalty wins. In short: gimme five more, please. Today we also deserved the result and then some, as our new formation proved to be quite adept defensively but a bit toothless up front, as expected. Our squad isn't built around this formation, of course, so we had to improvise a bit in some positions, but for the most part it worked well. It costed us, though, as suspensions are due for both Steinhart and Wouters, his second in the latter's case.

The results help us along this week, too: Hannover and Regensburg face each other and draw, as do Heidenheim at home to Saarbrücken, surprisingly. With this we're second once again, eight points behind runaway leaders HSV who might be securing promotion in a couple of weeks at this rate. Heidenheim are now third one point behind us and tied with Nürnberg, with Regensburg one more point behind.

Dalbeider · October 19, 2022

Apr 20th 2024

Huge news: Viktoria Köln win their first game! Against Hannover, of all teams! A 3-1 home win so the already relegated club can score their first points of the season. About time.

Apr 21st 2024

SV Werder Bremen (7th) vs. TSV 1860 München (2nd) (2.Bundesliga, 30/34)

Entering the final stretch now, with the most difficult (on paper) fixture we have left to play. Werder have been somewhat shaky lately, losing a match at home to Darmstadt two weeks ago, and this has hurt their chances of joining the promotion race for good, even if they're not out of contention just yet. We can't afford to drop any points here, though, since both Regensburg and Heidenheim won yesterday, so we'll go all in.

* * *

WERDER (4-4-2): Rubén Blanco (GK); Johannes Dörfler (DR), Lukas Mai (DCr), Marc-Oliver Klempf (DCl), Oscar (DL); Pawel Wszolek (MR), Jean-Manuel Mbom (MCr), Eric Smith (MCl), Leonardo Bittencourt (ML); Marvin Ducksch (STr), Luc Ihorst (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Silvan Sidler (DL); Daniel Wein (DM), Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)

***

Back to our usual formation, since Steinhart's suspension automatically discards the 3-5-2 due to our lack of natural left wing backs otherwise. Wein and Sidler take the place of the two suspended players and Svetlin returns to the starting lineup. We start quite well, putting Werder's defense under some early pressure that they respond to admirably, blocking all of our attempts until Forson finally can get to Blanco with a weak header, easy for the keeper. Forson is looking very active, and one of his crosses is hit first-time by Iyoha on the 18th minute for a very dangerous chance, well deflected wide by Blanco.

We keep the pressure up, and Tsarenko gets even closer four minutes later with a cushioned header over Blanco that bounces on top of the crossbar before going over. After a brief pause Svetlin finds the Ukrainian on the run past the defense, and he does well to sidestep the keeper, but his finish ends up missing the post by an inch or two at most. And then, after working hard to get a goal and failing to do so for forty minutes, Werder find it on their very first approach: long ball for Ihorst, the striker nods it to his companion, and Ducksch shows our whole forward line how it's done by placing his finish past Kretzschmar and scoring the 1-0. The first half ends with a wide header by Smith on a corner kick and yet another blocked shot by Tsarenko. Somehow, we're behind.

HALF TIME - 1-0

Kretzschmar starts the first half catching a header by Mai in a corner kick, and then Wein misses the target with a slightly wide direct free kick. Lang then commits a defensive crime letting a ball pass him over and into Ihorst's path, although thankfully the striker tries a lob and sends it way higher than required. He's soon replaced as a punishment, and Gechter and Sene come into the game to try and get us back in track. And the latter almost does so immediately, receiving a great ball from Svetlin inside the box but seeing his shot get tipped wide by Blanco.

Time passes, though, and the goal doesn't come despite our best efforts and thanks to our worst accuracy. The few times we manage to break through and create danger, there's always a defender there for a last-second tackle or block. Then, on the last minute of injury time, Sidler jumps to win a contested ball in the midfield and nods it towards Sene, who doesn't think twice and curls one from distance into the back of the net to pull a last-minute miracle. A minor one, since it's only worth one point, but still.

* * *

SG Werder Bremen 1 (Marvin Ducksch 40)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Mamadou Kaly Sene 90+3)

- - -

Unfair, unfair, unfair. We can repeat it as many times as we want, but the fact is that we wasted two more points through terrible finishing today. We had nineteen shots and only five went on target, although to be fair most of those misses were actually blocks by the defense, who wouldn't let us be all day long. Sene's goal gives us one point at least, which doesn't keep us in the promotion zone but at least leaves us tied with Regensburg in third place, although still behind on goal difference. Heidenheim retake the second, and Hamburg now have a nine-point lead at the top with twelve points left to play.

A quick look at the bottom of the table and wow, things are heating up. Ingolstadt with 26 points on 17th, then Karlsruhe with 27, Holstein with 29, and Saarbrücken also with 29. In the end the relegation battle will go to the wire, too.

Dalbeider · October 20, 2022

Apr 24th 2024

Both DFB Pokal semifinals had to go into extra time, which is quite a thing considering how one-sided they looked on paper. Bayern beat Hertha 2-1 with Ilic grabbing the decider five minutes into extra time, and Union Berlin shocked Leverkusen by the same result, with Rick scoring the winner two minutes past the 120th. Wouldn't want to be a Leverkusen fan today...

Apr 26th 2024

Another loaned-out player who'll be leaving on a free this summer, Phil Zimmermann, suffers a serious injury, a broken leg in this case. Like Gresler, the center-back has already a move to Paderborn arranged, so it's not bad, and he'll be fine before he leaves anyway.

Hamburg secure promotion with their win over Dresden, and could even win the title this same week if results go their way. One place and one consolation prize left to fight for.

Apr 29th 2024

TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. FC Schalke 04 (10th) (2.Bundesliga, 31/34)

Never thought I'd call ourselves favorites in a game against Schalke, but here we are... Their season has been a disaster, plain and simple, and sacking Sagnol was as much of a solution as sacking Labbadia was last season, or even less. And we need the points while they don't really care much about what they do from now on, so yeah. Let's win this and keep the push alive.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Erik Tallig (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Diego Moreira (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
SCHALKE 04 (4-3-2-1): Ralf Fährmann (GK); Lukas Klünter (DR), Frederik Jäkel (DCr), Márton Dárdai (DCl), Christopher Lenz (DL); Matheus Rosetto (MCr), Adrian Fein (MC), Can Bozdogan (MCl); Fabian Reese (AMCr), Jens Odgaard (AMCl); Nahuel Bustos (ST)

* * *

Everyone else involved in the race won this week, so we can't afford any slip-ups today. Been a while since we faced a 4-3-2-1, too, and since wings will be important here we start Moreira for the first time in a while. Lang is the protagonist of the early minutes, first blocking a dangerous finish by Odgaard with his back and then heading over a corner kick just one minute later. Another header by Tsarenko goes wide in our next approach, and Reese answers for Schalke with another header, this one clipping the outside of the post before going for a goal kick. Entertaining game so far.

There's a bit of a pause after those early chances, though, and most of the rest of the first half goes by without any dangerous approaches. There's one final chance in injury time, though, a cross by Moreira that Forson half-volleys for close, but is denied by Fährmann's perfectly timed dive to divert the ball into a corner kick. With that, the first half ends as it started.

HALF TIME - 0-0

We start the second half like we ended the first: with a cross from Moreira. This one doesn't look dangerous, though, and Fährmann should've caught it with both hands, but instead he tries to punch it away and it goes as far as Pereira, who just happens to be there ready to take the gift and score the 1-0. We'll give that assist to Moreira anyway, I guess... Gechter then has to perform a perfect block to prevent Reese from drawing the game immediately after, and we follow that up with another cross, this one by Iglesias, that Jäkel almost ends up putting in his own goal, but ends up sending it into the post so Dárdai can clear it. Nerves everywhere.

Tribuzzi comes in to widen up the field even further, and his first action is a great header after an equally great cross by Steinhart, barely tipped over the bar by Fährmann. That corner turns into another great chance, first with Gechter heading it into the crossbar, then with Fährmann diving across the goal mouth to block Moreira's finish on the rebound. Svetlin and Dressel enter the game to bring some oxigen to our overwhelmed midfield, and we slowly try to take the ball away from Schalke and let time do its job.

It works a treat, and for a long while Schalke don't get anywhere near Kretzschmar's goal, while we still threaten them from time to time with crosses and long shots. The best of those is another cross by Moreira, very active since the goal, that Tribuzzi heads into Fährmann's waiting arms. A counterattack in the 79th gives Dressel the chance to score, but his finish is uncharacteristically weak and the keeper has no trouble saving and holding the ball. One minute later another cross by Steinhart is headed by Tribuzzi into the crossbar, Fährmann fails to catch it, and Pereira once again just passing by gathers the loose ball and scores the 2-0. What remains after that is just easy and boring cleanup work. Great win, and on we go.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Danilo Pereira 48 80)
FC Schalke 04 0

- - -

Pereira is an absolute killer, isn't he. He did absolutely nothing today other than being in the right place at the right time twice, profiting from two mistakes by the keeper to gift us the three points in a nice wrapping. Steinhart had another fantastic game providing crosses and passes from the left, and Moreira did his job as a run-and-gun winger to perfection. Great job, and we remain fourth, still one goal behind Regensburg.

Dalbeider · October 21, 2022

Apr 30th 2024

Steinhart and Pereira make another appearance in the Team of the Week.

May 3rd 2024

Took them one week longer, but HSV are already 2.Bundesliga champions after beating Werder today. Also, second win for Viktoria Köln, away to Holstein Kiel to drag them into the relegation zone. Spicy.

May 4th 2024

Dresden do us a huge favor by stealing two points away from Heidenheim with a 1-1 draw. All the more reason to get a win tomorrow against Paderborn.

May 5th 2024

SC Paderborn 07 (9th) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (2.Bundesliga, 32/34)

Just ahead of Schalke on the table, Paderborn's season has been the complete opposite, though: expected bottom half, they've managed a comfortable mid-table position and could even steal a place from Werder with the right results if they really go for it. We hope they don't care much about that, though, because we do need the three points now more than ever.

* * *

PADERBORN (4-4-2): Leopold Zingerle (GK); Merveille Papela (DR), Ayumu Seko (DCr), Sven Sonnenberg (DCl), Ugur Deniz (DL); Joseph Ceesay (MR), Meritan Shabani (MCr), Aleksandar Jukic (MCl), Florent Muslija (ML); Jessic Ngankam (STl), Felix Platte (STr)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Silvan Sidler (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Dennis Dressel (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Mamadou Kaly Sene (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)

* * *

Few changes today, as we want to keep the core of the team as intact as possible. We enjoy a very good possession rate from the get go, while Paderborn seem happy to wait for their chance on the counter. Chances are few and hard to come by, though, and we spend the first twenty-five minutes moving the ball around looking for the rare gap in their defense to exploit. We find one in the 25th minute, and Tsarenko quickly sends a ball through so Sene can run into the box and calmly beat Zingerle to score what seems to be the 0-1. VAR makes it last longer than it should while it checks for offside, but in the end the goal is awarded and we get the lead we wanted.

Paderborn then start trying to get out of their half for the first time, first testing some long-range shots that never find the target, then with Ngankam finding Ceesay escaping Steinhart's attention and moving in to face Kretzschmar, who can't do anything to prevent the 1-1. Not much later, though, VAR has more work to do: Dressel is brought down inside the box when trying to head a free kick, and a penalty is awarded due to Jukic's push. Pereira once again takes the responsibility, and once again buries it from the spot to restore our lead with his 20th goal of the season.

Once again Paderborn push forward, but this time their first real approach ends in a blocked shot and a weak header by Platte, easy for Kretzschmar. We withstand their initial barrage then start restoring control, and Tsarenko even has a chance for a third following a good pass by Dressler, although this time Zingerle does well to save his shot. We keep things calm for the rest of the first half, and go to the dressing room deservedly ahead.

HALF TIME - 1-2

The players know they can't be happy with just this, and start the second half looking for more. Sene is the first to try, dribbling his way into the box from the left wing before trying to place a finish around Zingerle, who puts his hand out to deflect it wide, if only just. Things slow down afterwards, though, not a bad thing in and of itself since it means no chances for Paderborn either. Iyoha and Iglesias come into the game just as the home team try to get forward a bit more, prompting a high header by Ngankam on the 61st minute.

Both substitutes connect seven minutes later with a cross-and-header routine that ends in a difficult flipping save by Zingerle, and then Iyoha gets a very dangerous-looking play blocked by a last-second tackle by Deniz. Our last substitute, Tribuzzi, is the next to test the keeper with a powerful but not well placed finish which Zingerle saves with both hands. We seem to have things under control, but then a nod by Ceesay towards Platte inside the small box gives us the scare of our lives, which Kretzschmar thankfully solves with a great reflex save.

Pereira really should've sealed the deal in the 79th minute following a fantastic long pass by Iyoha, but for once the striker can't find the right way to end the play and sends the ball straight to Zingerle. No matter: he does it anyway two minutes later by intercepting a bad clearance by the defense and moving the ball towards Iyoha, who then assists Tribuzzi for an easy finish and the 1-3. A wide shot by Platte is all Paderborn can muster before, in injury time, Tribuzzi returns the favor with a perfect cross towards the center so Iyoha can tap in the 1-4. Done and dusted.

* * *

SC Paderborn 07 1 (Joseph Ceesay 29)
TSV 1860 München 4 (Mamadou Kaly Sene 25, Danilo Pereira 34p, Alessio Tribuzzi 81, Emmanuel Iyoha 90+1)

- - -

Now that's what I'm talking about. Not only we got a vital win, we also managed to add three goals to our goal difference, which could be key given how close things are on the table, particularly with Regensburg. Great performance overall, with particular note to Tribuzzi and Iyoha off the bench to kill the game for good. Great defensive show by Lang today, one of his best games in recent memory.

Today's results see outsiders like Hannover and Werder dropping out of the race completely, while Nürnberg still hold on. Regensburg's result against Saarbrücken tomorrow will be decisive.

In other good news, the young lions of the U19 squad finish second in their group of the league (behind Bayern, because of course), and qualify for the semifinals of the national U19 championship, which will see them playing against Dortmund's kids. HSV and Bayern will be in the other semifinal.

May 6th 2024

Well well well, Saarbrücken defeat Regensburg 2-1. So now the promotion situation is: 1860 München second with 61+23 points, Heidenheim third with 60+22, Nürnberg fourth with 60+17, and Regensburg fifth with 58+20. Having the best goal difference of the bunch gives us some extra confidence. Next week's fixtures, all played on Saturday, will be: 1860-Darmstadt, Heidenheim-Werder, Nürnberg-Paderborn, Regensburg-Fürth. Difficult matches for all, although we all play at home.

At the bottom of the table, Saarbrücken's win gives them a lift out of the red zone, and now hover two points over both Karlsruhe and Ingolstadt and three over Holstein. The latter would relegate today, while Ingolstadt would have to deal with the playoffs due to a (much) worse goal difference when compared with Karlsruhe.

Dalbeider · October 23, 2022

May 7th 2024

Lang, Iyoha, and Tribuzzi are awarded a place in the Team of the Week.

May 11th 2024

Aw, the kids lost to Dortmund 4-2 on aggregate. Still, a fantastic season for our U19s, and another sign of a bright future ahead for us.

* * *

TSV 1860 München (2nd) vs. SV Darmstadt 98 (7th) (2.Bundesliga, 33/34)

Almost there. Two games remaining, and if we win both we're in the Bundesliga, simple as that. We could of course go up today with a win and the right results, but I won't be holding my breath for so many favors. Let's focus on doing our job first, and Darmstadt are strong enough opposition and come in good form, so we'll have to be at our best once again.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)
DARMSTADT (4-1-4-1): Oliver Christensen (GK); Matthias Bader (DR), Lasse Sobiech (DCr), Patric Pfeiffer (DCl), Fabian Holland (DL); Ulrich Taffertshofer (DM); Paul Nebel (MR), Fabian Schnellhardt (MCr), Torben Rhein (MCl), Mathias Honsak (ML); Phillip Tietz (ST)

* * *

Tribuzzi gets a start today after some great performances off the bench, let's see if he can replicate it for the whole game. The game starts as expected considering Darmstadt's defensive outlook: lots of possession for us, but struggling to get through. Darmstadt actually get the first shot on target, although it's a very weak header by Tietz that never really threatens Kretzschmar.

Our first chance comes in the 23rd minute, but it's a great one: through ball from distance by Svetlin into Iyoha's run, and the inside forward sends half the stadium into very brief raptures as his finish hits the outside of the post and makes the side netting ripple. Darmstadt answer with another header by Tietz, once again easy for Kretzschmar, but then the game goes to sleep once again. Finally, on the 40th minute, a direct free kick by Steinhart is barely saved by Christensen with a great flight, but Lang is faster than anyone else to get to the loose ball and the young center-back scores his first senior goal for 1860 in the most important moment. Nothing else happens until half time, and we're absolutely fine with that.

HALF TIME - 1-0

The second half starts with a heart-stopping moment: Pfeiffer heads a free kick into the net, but Darmstadts celebrations are cut short by VAR, which points out his offside position. They are certainly trying to attack more now, though, although Iyoha and Pereira still create a good chance for us a bit later which Christensen stops well. We soon change our whole right wing, bringing Sidler and Forson into the game, and the latter almost makes it 2-0 after a great ball from Pereira, but he can't find a way past Christensen and the ball is deflected wide.

Moreira becomes our third and last substitution shortly afterwards, and time starts speeding up as we keep the ball away from Darmstadt's forwards. In the final ten minutes they switch to a 3-5-2 formation not unlike the one we've used only once so far, but we still hold them at bay without much trouble. There are no last-second surprises, and we secure the penultimate win in our quest for promotion.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Niklas Lang 40)
SV Darmstadt 98 0

- - -

Not the best game of our lives by any means, but it'll do. Lang's first goal ever came at a crucial moment, and although we had a few chances to grab a second we were always finding it hard against Darmstadt's defense, so I'm happy with the result.

Of all the promotion candidates the only one to drop points today is Nürnberg, with a 0-0 home draw against Paderborn. That means we could still finish as low as fifth, although that's unlikely since we have six more goals than Nürnberg right now. Heidenheim are still third one point behind, but now have only one goal less than us, just like Regensburg on fourth and three points behind. If we lose next week and they both win we'll be fourth and our dreams of promotion will be crushed. Let's try and not go that route, hm?

The relegation battle still remains undecided, too: Karlsruhe and Kiel drew their kill-or-be-killed match 2-2, while Ingolstadt also drew at home to Dresden and Saarbrücken lost to Viktoria Köln (9 points!). Any of these four could relegate in the final week, and any could end up in the playoff position, and although Kiel have the worst position to start with, they have the advantage of a direct duel at home in their final game.

Last week's relevant fixtures: Karlsruhe-1860, Schalke-Heidenheim, St. Pauli-Regensburg, Darmstadt-Nürnberg, Werder-Ingolstadt, Kiel-Saarbrücken. Drama guaranteed.

Dalbeider · October 24, 2022

May 14th 2024

Lang and Hajdari line up in the center of the Team of the Weak's defense.

May 15th 2024

Two pieces of good news today: first Svetlin and Tsarenko get senior callups with Slovenia and Ukraine, and second we confirm our first "signing" for the next season: Forson will be staying with us for another year! RB Salzburg accept a completely free loan, and we'll be enjoying the Ghanaian for a bit longer.

May 18th 2024

Karlsruher SC (15th) vs. TSV 1860 München (2nd) (2.Bundesliga, 34/34)

It is time. All the combinations and elucubrations are worthless when we just depend on ourselves: win today and promote to the Bundesliga. Simple, yet so daunting. Of course Karlsruhe need a win too to avoid relegation, which is a different kind of nightmare fixture than I was expecting at the start of the season, but still. Let's get this done.

* * *

KARLSRUHE (4-3-3): Marius Gersbeck (GK); Marco Thiede (DR), Robin Bormuth (DCr), Felix Irorere (DCl), Rémy Vita (DL); Tim Breithaupt (DM), Lukas Fröde (MCr), Leon Jensen (MCl); Dominik Kother (AMR), Robin Hack (AML), Philipp Hofmann (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Anton Tsarenko (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Mamadou Kaly Sene (AML), Danilo Pereira (ST)

* * *

Svetlin isn't at his best fitness-wise, but this being the (likely) last match of the season means we can just plow forward with him in the starting eleven, at least for now. It takes us exactly 27 seconds to get our first chance to score, which shows the players really are up for this: attack down the right flank, Tsarenko crosses towards the far post, and Sene somehow sends it wide with the whole goal wide open. A shame, but promising.

Karlsruhe won't take this lying down, though, and three minutes later Fröde sends wide a dangerous header in a set piece taken by Vita. We do dominate the early game possession-wise and eighteen minutes in Sene has another chance to score, this time with a header that Gersbeck manages to catch. One minute later Forson gathers the ball on the right, then spots Tsarenko running into a wide open channel and sends the ball ahead of him, as is customary in this time. The Ukrainian, in what's likely to be his last game for die Löwen, calmly puts it past Gersbeck to score the 0-1.

Results so far combined with their defeat would send Karlsruhe straight to the 3.Liga, so it's no wonder the immediately go forward to try and score the draw. Hack has a great chance following a nice assist by Hofmann, but Kretzschmar does well to cover all the gaps and blocks his finish. Fröde then heads the corner kick over, but we quickly restore control of the situation afterwards and start pushing them back once again. Iglesias soon delivers a good cross so Sene can head it narrowly wide, then plays a ball into space down the right flank so Forson can gather it and cross. It doesn't reach its destination, but Bormuth's interception goes awry and ends up sending the ball into Gersbeck's goal. 0-2 and looking good.

The second goal seems to deflate Karlstuhe even further, and on the 36th a great movement through the center leaves Forson alone inside the box. His finish is not quite perfect, though, and ends up beating the keeper but bouncing off the base of the post. We go full control after that, retaining possession and denying any chances against, except for that one time near the end of the half when Iglesias loses the ball in a dangerous position and allows Hack a chance to shoot, thankfully well stopped by an excellent Kretzschmar. The first half ends after that small scare, and our confidence is sky high.

HALF TIME - 0-2. Other results: Darmstadt 1-1 Nürnberg, Holstein Kiel 2-0 Saarbrücken, Schalke 0-1 Heidenheim, St. Pauli 0-0 Regensburg, Werder 0-3 Ingolstadt.

The second half starts with Wouters heading over a corner kick, a sign that we won't just sit back and wait for Karlsruhe to attack us. They do attack us, though, and we have to defend hard to prevent any early goals, including a fantastic last-ditch tackle by Steinhart to stop Kother from scoring on the 50th. Two minutes later we strike back, once again with Iglesias crossing and Sene heading it straight at Gersbeck. A direct free kick by Steinhart then goes so narrowly over it actually seems to skim the top of the crossbar on its way out.

Our defense keeps working hard, this time blocking two very dangerous finishes by Hack and Kother in the same play, then Kother tries again from distance and actually sees his shot licking the crossbar before going over. A bit too much pressure for my liking. We bring Tallig in to replace the exhausted Svetlin, while in Hamburg Regensburg are now losing and down one man, which is great news.

Things seem to calm down a bit then, and we even mount another attack through Tallig and Tsarenko, although Forson's finish is terribly high and Gersbeck doesn't need to worry at all. Iyoha joins the fray then, also in what's probably his last appearance for 1860, and he soon gets a decent chance to score with a blocked finish after a cross from the left, followed up by Pereira also getting his shot stopped by a defender's legs. Dressel is our last substitution, replacing Tsarenko as the midfielder receives a standing ovation from the travelling fans.

Time passes, and in the 76th minute Steinhart has to pull another miracle block to prevent Kother from beating Kretzschmar after a great run down the right. Karlsruhe are getting a bit desperate now, and they switch to a 4-4-2 for the final minutes in the hope of pulling a miracle. It doesn't help them much, and Iyoha even has the chance to finish the job after a great little touch from Dressel leaves him unmarked inside the box, but he shoots wide and the game still lives on. One minute later he gets a very similar chance, and this time he finish with a chip over Gersbeck that also ends up going wide by inches. Injury time comes and goes, the miracle the Karlsruhe faithful are dreaming of never comes, and TSV 1860 München becomes a Bundesliga team for the first time in twenty years!

* * *

Karlsruher SC 0
TSV 1860 München 2 (Anton Tsarenko 19, Robin Bormuth 32og)

- - -

| Pos  | Inf   | Team            | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | GD    | Pts   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st  | C     | Hamburg         | 34    | 23    | 5     | 6     | 68    | 35    | 33    | 74    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd  | P     | 1860 München    | 34    | 20    | 7     | 7     | 58    | 32    | 26    | 67    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd  | Pl    | Heidenheim      | 34    | 19    | 9     | 6     | 61    | 37    | 24    | 66    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th  |       | Nürnberg        | 34    | 17    | 11    | 6     | 60    | 43    | 17    | 62    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th  |       | Jahn Regensburg | 34    | 17    | 10    | 7     | 56    | 34    | 22    | 61    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th  |       | Hannover 96     | 34    | 17    | 5     | 12    | 52    | 41    | 11    | 56    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th  |       | Darmstadt       | 34    | 15    | 8     | 11    | 49    | 46    | 3     | 53    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th  |       | Werder Bremen   | 34    | 14    | 7     | 13    | 43    | 38    | 5     | 49    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th  |       | SC Paderborn    | 34    | 13    | 10    | 11    | 41    | 39    | 2     | 49    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th |       | St. Pauli       | 34    | 12    | 10    | 12    | 37    | 46    | -9    | 46    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th |       | Greuther Fürth  | 34    | 11    | 10    | 13    | 47    | 42    | 5     | 43    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th |       | Schalke 04      | 34    | 11    | 10    | 13    | 35    | 38    | -3    | 43    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th |       | Dynamo Dresden  | 34    | 10    | 10    | 14    | 38    | 43    | -5    | 40    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th |       | Ingolstadt      | 34    | 9     | 7     | 18    | 39    | 60    | -21   | 34    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th |       | Holstein Kiel   | 34    | 9     | 6     | 19    | 37    | 58    | -21   | 33    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th | Pl    | Saarbrücken     | 34    | 9     | 5     | 20    | 34    | 58    | -24   | 32    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th | R     | Karlsruhe       | 34    | 7     | 10    | 17    | 38    | 49    | -11   | 31    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th | R     | Viktoria Köln   | 34    | 3     | 0     | 31    | 29    | 83    | -54   | 9     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

I'll just let the league table speak for itself, because wow, there are no words. Great performance today to clinch promotion, with all that entails for the club as a whole. It's a huge day for the blue half of Munich today, and I can't wait for the celebrations. I'm sure there'll be lots of beer involved.

The promotion battle remained as it was in the end: both us and Heidenheim did our jobs and won our games, so Nürnberg and Regensburg never had a chance to catch up even if they hadn't failed to win their matches. Heidenheim will face last year's 2.Bundesliga champions Fortuna Düsseldorf in the promotion playoff. At the bottom, though, both Ingolstadt and Kiel popped off with dramatic wins in their final fixtures which saved them from relegation, sinking Karlsruhe into the 3.Liga just when they thought they'd finally reached the shore, and dragging Saarbrücken down into the playoffs. Worth mentioning that Saarbrücken were thirteenth at the turn of the year with a seven-point lead over the sixteenth-place, and only managed to win two games since. Now they'll have to face Halle with survival at stake.

END OF SEASON 2023/24 - PLAYER SUMMARY

GOALKEEPERS

Name               Apps    Conceded  Clean Sheets  PoM  Av.Rat.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Kretzschmar      33          31            13    1     7.01
Sven Müller           3           3             1    0     7.03

Good season overall for Kretzschmar, finishing second in clean sheets in the league only behind Hiller. This comes to prove that we really had two fantastic keepers in my first season here, a shame I had to pick one over the other. That said, Kretzschmar did have some problems in that part of the season when our defense suddenly stopped working. It was a short period, but suddenly it looked like he almost wasn't even there. Thankfully he picked himself up together with the rest of the defense, and everything ended up working out fine. Müller did his job as a cup keeper to perfection, and even got one (accidental) appearance in the league. That said, his position is not guaranteed now with the arrival of young Quintero, who will be hungering for minutes and might become our next cup keeper in his place. He still has one year left in his contract, so we might consider selling him for some small profit.

DEFENDERS

Name                 Apps     Goals    Assists    PoM    Y.C   R.C  Av.Rat.
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Niklas Lang         27(1)         1          0      2      6     0     7.28
Albian Hajdari      19(3)         0          0      1      5     0     7.21
Phillipp Steinhart  25(1)         0          5      1      5     0     7.15
Linus Gechter       21(2)         0          0      2      6     0     7.11
Juan Iglesias       20(2)         0          1      0      7     1     6.95
Silvan Sidler       17(7)         0          4      0      2     0     6.87
Armel Zohouri        4(5)         0          0      0      1     0     6.83

A very solid year for our defense as a whole, with the same caveat I mentioned when talking about Kretzschmar about that weird run of horrible defending at the start of the year. Lang in particular had a fantastic year only interrupted by his regularly scheduled month-long injury, and even grabbed himself a decisive goal against Darmstadt. Hajdari and Gechter both had remarkable seasons, too, and it's extra remarkable because the ages of our three center-backs during most of the season were 21, 20, and 19, yet they showed a fantastic level of maturity. I'd be happy to keep Hajdari for our Bundesliga re-debut, but even if he has to leave I'm sure Lang and Gechter will be a fantastic core to our defense for many years to come.

In the wings there's one obvious stand-out name in Herr Phillipp Steinhart, who should be considered a club legend by now. We started the season considering selling him, and ended it lauding him as one of our best assist providers and a rock in defense. He took the mantle of undisputed starter as soon as Danicic left and never gave us any reason to take it away from him since. He's about to turn 32 now, though, and it'd be expected to see him start dropping off soon, plus the Bundesliga might be just too much for him regardless of his age, but he's already earned himself a new 2-year contract and, unless a fantastic offer comes, he'll be with us next year. Not sure if as a starter or not, though.

The rest of our full backs had decent years, if nothing spectacular. Sidler was among the best assist providers, too, playing mostly on the right but occasionally on the left whenever Steinhart needed a rest, but he lost a bit in defensive solidity and just overall consistency, which reflects in his somewhat low rating. Iglesias had a pretty good debut campaign with us, although he wasn't too productive in the attacking end and his discipline needs some serious work. And Zohouri is our new short-term bet, and so far he's been doing pretty well as a backup player, although I have my doubts his performances will be good enough for the top tier. We might look into a loan or quick transfer for profit to make space for someone better.

MIDFIELDERS

Name                 Apps     Goals    Assists    PoM    Y.C   R.C  Av.Rat.
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Dries Wouters          25         1          1      2     10     0     7.20
Daniel Wein          8(4)         0          0      0      3     0     7.07
Anton Tsarenko      26(7)         9          4      1      4     0     7.06
Dennis Dressel      15(7)         1          3      0      2     0     6.90
Erik Tallig         14(5)         0          0      1      0     0     6.87
Tamar Svetlin       16(8)         2          3      0      1     0     6.84
Helmut Franzke       0(1)         0          1      0      0     0     7.40

Not a bad season for our midfielders either, with two clear stand-out names. Wouters was an absolute rock as our anchor, performing equally well as our third defender and as our third midfielder, depending on what the situation demanded of him. Ten yellow cards is a bit too much, but considering his role it's not too worrying. His first full season with us also meant that Wein saw his playing time greatly diminished, although the veteran midfielder did quite well with the minutes he had available to him. Injuries didn't help him either. His contract runs out in a bit over a month, and we'll have to make a decision on whether we want to keep him as a backup or let him go and find someone more suitable for the Bundesliga. Heart says the former, brain says the latter.

Then there's Tsarenko. His average rating looks good but not spectacular, but what that number doesn't tell you is his huge influence in the game whenever he played. His runs forward always created danger one way or another, either by dragging a full back out of position and allowing a wing player a free cross, or by finding space through which to assist a forward, or the most frequent case: so he could just blast it in and score. Nine goals is a fantastic return for a midfielder no matter how you slice it, and his four assists were icing on the cake. The worst part is that he won't be coming back next year, as Dinamo Kyiv want to give him a chance in the first team. We'll be keeping an eye on him for the future, though, he's only nineteen after all. If he keeps progressing he's gonna be a force to be reckoned with.

Tsarenko's appearance meant that Dressel saw his role diminished to that of a squad player, particularly in the final stretch of the season. He still contributed one goal and three assists, but his production overall suffered, and I think he'll have to get used to this kind of role from now on if he wants to stay with us, as I don't think he's anywhere good enough to be a regular starter in the Bundesliga. Same goes for Tallig, who had a decent but extremely unproductive year, no goals nor assists from him at all. Finally, the other young midfielder we brought in this year, Svetlin, had an irregular but promising debut season: much more productive than Tallig, but much more prone to just vanishing from games in which he didn't get involved early. If he can work on his consistency, he'll be fantastic for us. Young Franzke also got a debut appearance off the bench, in which he netted one assist and looked quite promising. He's likely to be loaned out next year, but we'll be looking into integrating him into the first team in a year or two.

ATTACKERS

Name                 Apps     Goals    Assists    PoM    Y.C   R.C  Av.Rat.
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Danilo Pereira      27(4)        20          1      5      0     0     7.30
Amankwah Forson     23(7)        10          6      3      1     0     7.07
Emmanuel Iyoha      19(8)         5          6      2      3     0     6.96
Mamadou Kaly Sene  16(14)         6          5      1      1     0     6.95
Alessio Tribuzzi    14(7)         4          4      0      1     0     6.91
Diego Moreira        3(4)         0          1      0      0     0     6.87

Pereira arrived with the tough job of replacing an absolute stud like Lohkemper, and by the gods that he did a good job at achieving just that. Twenty goals put him second in the 2.Bundesliga, and his involvement in building up attacking plays was even better than Lohkemper's at times, even if he didn't actually score more than a single assist in the end. Most importantly, he looked fantastic to the eye test, and even in the few games in which he took a step back and didn't show up often he was always there when a loose ball needed being pushed over the line. Great debut season for the Brazilian, and I'll be expecting more of the same in the Bundesliga.

The same could be said for Forson, who came on loan from RB Salzburg as a goal provider from the right and ended up doing that, plus also becoming our second most prolific goalscorer. He's not a finisher, and he showed many times with botched one-on-ones, but he had a few games where he just went off and everything he did turned into gold. His talent is unquestionable, and we'll have him back next season to see if his consistency improves a bit. His partner in crime on the right, Tribuzzi, had a rough start to the season due to injuries, but was quite productive when he played in a very Bär-like season, just what we expected from him. He's attracting some interest from back in Italy, though, so if offers come for him we might have a decision to make. There are great-looking young right wingers in the reserves waiting for minutes, after all...

On the left we had three very solid contributors for a change. Iyoha and Sene traded the starter role almost equally, with the latter playing also up front whenever Pereira needed a rest. Both combined for eleven goals and eleven assists, which is a pretty good contribution considering how Pereira was a goal magnet all season long. Iyoha most likely won't be renewing his loan, though, since we want to try and bring someone of a higher level to start for us in the Bundesliga. Sene will stay, of course, and he'll keep developing into a great forward for the future. Moreira came as a winter loan to give us a more traditional option on the wing, someone who could dribble and cross and keep the pitch wide to create spaces elsewhere. He did just that, providing one assist and looking dangerous when he played, although with his role being that specific he wasn't needed in most situations. He's a quality youngster, though, and although he most likely won't be returning next year, we'll be keeping an eye on him for the future.

Dalbeider · October 25, 2022

May 19th 2024

Right, okay, time to put down the gigantic beer pint and get down to business once again. For now, the board set our initial budgets for the Bundesliga at €205k per week for wages and just €1.16M for transfers. I hope that'll increase once the prize money gets figured in and the promotion officially happens, otherwise that might be enough to pay for our automatic wage increases but little else...

The promotion also means I fulfill two promises I made to Lang and Pereira, the latter one year in advance. Both are happy with that, and Lang is now perfectly content with staying with us for the foreseeable future.

Prize money get! €17.2M make their way into the club's accounts, putting us almost that same amount in the black. Not a bad place to be at all.

The players then go on holiday, a well deserved break for all of them. They'll be expected back on the 8th of July to start the preseason. Next season will be a toughie.

This is also highlighted by the new club vision proposed by the board as we, once again, completed the whole five-year plan laid out last season in just one season. For now they only expect us to fight bravely against relegation, which is all fair all things considered. Our club culture keeps evolving, too, and now possession and high-tempo football are preferred by the fan base, and they're also starting to get used to defensively solid football.

The board also announce their plans to build a new stadium! This was coming, I was sure of it: with the Bundesliga money coming in we can afford it, and it's obvious we can't keep expanding Grünwalder Stadion forever. This is just a draft for now, though, and the construction won't even be starting any time soon. Patience.

May 20th 2024

We get an expansion to our allowed staff members to go with our promotion. Now we're allowed to have four physios instead of only two, and our maximum number of scouts rises to six. We're also allowed to hire a loan manager now, which will be pretty useful considering the amount of players we loan out each year. We're not Chelsea yet, but getting there... We immediately put out recruitment ads to fill the new positions.

May 21st 2024

Gechter is selected in the last Team of the Week of the season, and hopefully our last in the 2.Bundesliga in a long, long time.

May 23rd 2024

One of the outstanding issues from the season just finished was Kretzschmar's contract, and we solve that by signing him to a new four-year deal, worth €15.5k per week, which makes him the best paid player in the squad. It also comes with a €1.9M relegation clause and a €3.9M release clause for teams in the Champions League, which isn't exactly ideal, but I'd hope teams that big won't be looking at him to fill their goal. Glaring in your general direction, Bayern...

May 25th 2024

On the topic of our dear neighbors, Bayern were the obvious favorites to the DFB Pokal title against Union Berlin in the final, and they lived to that with a 2-1 win. They had to come back from behind, though, and had to rely on Gabriel Jesus and Gnabry to fix things after Öztunali gave Union a surprising early lead.

May 27th 2024

Svetlin will have to cut his holidays short, as he has been called up by Slovenia to take part in the European Championship, which starts in a couple of weeks.

May 28th 2024

Halle end up defeating Saarbrücken 3-1 on aggregate in the playoffs, and both teams will swap places between the 2.Bundesliga and the 3.Liga. In the promotion playoff to the Bundesliga Fortuna held Heidenheim off 4-2 and will keep their place at the top.

With the season officially over now, the squad get €2.8M paid to them as a collective bonus.

May 29th 2024

Award time, and as mentioned in our squad review, Pereira finishes second in the Torjägerkanone award, only behind Kevin Schade's 23 goals in 27 appearances. Steinhart is also selected as the best left back of the season in the 2.Bundesliga and gets his rightful place in the Elf des Jahres.

May 31st 2024

Another of our standout loanees agrees to extend his stay for another year, and we'll enjoy Hajdari's presence in the Bundesliga, too. With him, Lang, and Gechter we should be set in that position for now.

* * *

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Bundesliga: no surprises once again, and Bayern lift their twelfth Bundesliga trophy in a row with an insane eighteen-point lead over Dortmund, and only losing three games in the whole season (two of them in the final five fixtures with the title already decided). Leverkusen and a resurrected RB Leipzig took the remaining Champions League places, followed by the surprising Mainz and Hoffenheim in the Europa League and Gladbach in the Conference. The relegation battle was tight until the end, with Bochum relegating thanks to a two-goal difference with playoff survivors Fortuna, and Arminia finishing last but only one point behind both while Freiburg and Eintracht finished in the safe zone two points over the drop. The cup, as we already know, went also to Bayern, who win their first domestic double in a while.
Premier League: Manchester City also got another consecutive Premier League title to add to their growing pile, although in their case the distance to the second, Chelsea, was a bit smaller at six points. Haaland scored 27 goals in the league alone, by the way. The *other* Manchester club and Liverpool filled the remaining Champions League slots, with Spurs and Newcastle trailing right behind and Leicester, once again, sneaking into the seventh place to go into the Conference League. There was no comeback for Forest in the end, and the former European Cup champions went straight back to the Championship after only one season, together with Sheffield United and Brentford, all three very far away from salvation points-wise. Liverpool got their first silverware in a while with a cup double, winning the FA Cup final against Chelsea 2-1 in extra time, with Luis Diaz scoring the decisive goal, and repeating the same result (also in extra time) in the League Cup, this time against Manchester Utd and with former City player Zinchenko grabbing the winner.
LaLiga: small surprise in Spain, since Real Madrid managed to come back from the fourth place they held in winter to winning the league by a three-point margin over Barcelona, with Villarreal finishing one point behind the Culés and Atlético sneaking their way into fourth place by goal difference over Athletic. Real Sociedad finished sixth led by the league's two top goalscorers, Oyarzábal and Isak, while Valencia got the Conference consolation prize. Zaragoza, Girona, and Tenerife relegated with Cádiz surviving by the skin of their teeth. Real also got to lift the Copa del Rey after two consecutive lost finals, taking revenge against Barça on penalties after a goalless draw.
Serie A: after all the madness in the half-season report, the Serie A had a surprisingly normal ending. Juventus lifted the trophy with a slim one-point lead over Napoli, who return to the Champions League after a couple of off-years. The Milano duo finished right behind them, followed closely by Roma, Lazio, and Udinese, probably the least expected face in that top seven. Sassuolo finished right behind and out of the European places, while the teams to suffer relegation were Verona, SPAL, and a pretty horrible Pisa side who only scored twelve points and one single win all season. And yes, Benevento survived once again. The Coppa Italia final was also decided on penalties, with Inter the winners over finalists Atalanta.
Ligue 1: in the end PSG were too strong to lose this league. Just with Joao Felix's goals and with Neymar and Donnarumma's performances they had enough to win comfortably, seven points ahead of Monaco and Nice. Marseille got the one Europa League spot awarded by league position, while fifth-placed Lyon qualified for the Conference League. Troyes and Nantes relegated, and Saint-Étienne ended up losing the playoff to Nimes and will drop to the Ligue 2 for the first time since the early 2000s. The Coupe de France had a surprising winner in 14th-placed Rennes after a 2-1 win against Nice in the final.
Champions League: you know those games where you don't know who to root for since you want them both to lose? Well, that was the Champions League final for me. Someone had to win, though, and it was Real Madrid who lifted the trophy and completed an impressive treble after defeating Bayern on penalties in a final held in Wembley. There was lots of drama to be had, though: the first ninety minutes ended 1-1, with goals scored by Yeremi Pino and Leroy Sané, and extra time brought one more goal for each team, first by Timo Werner for los Blancos and then Lewandowski pulled level in injury time. The penalties had to go to the sixth round with no misses, until Ilic got his attempt stopped by Courtois. Chelsea and Liverpool made it to the semis, the former suffering a humiliating 6-0 loss in the second leg at the Bernabéu.
Europa League: after a few close calls, Villarreal finally lifted an European trophy after winning the Europa League final 2-0 against Inter at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Pau Torres and an own goal by Brozovic gave the Yellow Submarine the title in a hard-fought, very even match. Shakhtar and Atalanta lost out in the semifinals, and the eventual champions had to resort to penalties to defeat the Ukrainians, actually.
Conference League: when I was looking at the Bundesliga table I wondered why Wolfsburg had managed qualification for the Europa League despite finishing tenth. Now I know: they won the Conference League in a final against Braga, two-nil with Lucas Alario scoring both goals in Ibrox. The Wolves had to deal with Sevilla in the semis, while Sporting Braga needed penalties to get rid of Dinamo Zagreb.

Dalbeider · October 26, 2022

Jun 6th 2024

Wouters also signs a new and improved (for him) contract: €13.5k per week until June 2027, with no release clauses, and with a squad player role, as there's a good chance we might sign a new starter for his position this off-season. Good deal I think, but the wage bill is starting to get a bit too big for my tastes, and we still haven't signed anyone...

Jun 9th 2024

It's tax time, and this year we have to pay €1.7M due to our €11.11M reported profits. Not nice, but nice. The yearly income from the club membership rises to €439k, and there was a marked improvement in all our different commercial ventures. Worth noting that our promotion has earned us four new sponsors, including a new general sponsorship worth €1.2M for one season, and a main kit sponsorship worth €9M for 6 years. Money!

Jun 15th 2024

Svetlin had a rough debut in the Euros, playing a pretty poor game on the right wing in a heavy 2-5 defeat to Serbia.

Jun 18th 2024

Pereira is selected as the signing of the season in the 2.Bundesliga, meaning we've got it right with our strikers two years in a row. Yay?

Jun 19th 2024

New season officially underway. The expectations for the league are, as mentioned, to just try our best to survive. In the DFB Pokal we'll have to do better, though, as this season we'll be expected to make the third round. We should also be getting easier draws on average as a Bundesliga team, though, so there's that.

Of course our promotion to the top level in the nation comes with some perks, namely that now we're allowed to scout the whole world! We also have more scouts now, so that'll be a nice way to use them starting now.

The new Bundesliga season's fixture list will see us debuting away to Köln, then hosting Hertha in our first home match. We'll end the season away to Augsburg, a pretty harsh final fixture considering their performance in recent seasons.

All the contract clauses are triggered, including a host of 35% promotion wage hikes. This leaves us with €172k committed weekly spending, meaning we still have a decent chunk left to use for new signings.

Svetlin does much better in his second match of the Euros, playing in midfield this time, although it's still a 0-2 defeat against Ireland which practically knocks Slovenia out of the tournament. They have one game left against Norway in their group.

Jun 22nd 2024

There's a bit over a week left until the transfer window reopens, so now it's a perfect time to do the thing where we look at what we have and what we need for the upcoming season. With a promotion in the way, this summer is sure to be interesting in many levels. First, our depth chart:

GK: Kretzschmar/Quintero/Müller?

DR: Iglesias/Zohouri/(Wein?)
DCx2: Lang/Gechter/Hajdari/Morgalla?/(Wouters)/(Wein?)
DL: Steinhart/???

DM: Wouters/Wein?/???
AP: Svetlin/Tallig/Franzke?/(Dressel)/(Wicht?)
CM: ???/Dressel/(Tallig)

AMR: Forson/Tribuzzi?/Sapmaz?/(Pereira)/(Svetlin)
AML: ???/Sene/Kabadayi?/(Pereira)/(Svetlin)
ST: Pereira/Sene/Knöferl?/???

Once again we're set for goal, even more now with Quintero's arrival. The young Argentinian will most likely step ahead of Müller, who might be sold this summer before his contract runs out at the end of the season. There's also Anheier in the reserves who could do a job as an emergency backup if needed, although he's still too young for regular first team football.

In defense once again our main gap to fill is on the left, either behind of (ideally) ahead of Steinhart. Our center-back position is fantastically covered for now, and on the right we might need to consider finding a new player if Zohouri doesn't pan out, in which case we might sell him this summer, too. Iglesias has been attracting some attention, though, so there might be some unwanted movement. Same goes for Gechter, who I'm thinking of offering a new contract soon.

The midfield will need a replacement for Tsarenko, since we can't just go back to using Dressel as our default starter there, and he has no backup anyway. We're fine for playmakers with Svetlin starting and Tallig rotating, but the most important decision to make in the coming days is whether we want to keep Wein or not. He's "only" thirty, and he played well (if not too often) last season, but I don't think he'll have the level to shine in the Bundesliga. Currently leaning towards releasing him, although it'll probably be a last-minute decision based on whether we can find a good replacement in the meantime. We also have to think about what to do with Wicht, who's in a contract year and is gonna need playing time for sure. His potential seems to be dropping lately, though, so if offers come for him we'll have to make a decision.

As for our forward line, we'll once again need to think about our left wing situation. Sene should be thought more as a rotation/backup up front for Pereira, even though he does a pretty good job there and might even be a starter, but we still need at least one dedicated player in that area, if only for depth purposes. We'll see how Kabadayi returns from loan, but signs weren't good last year and there's a good chance we'll have to sell him. Same goes for Knöferl, although he's done decently well on his loan this year. On the right if anything the problem is the opposite: I'd like to have Sapmaz in the senior squad, but with Forson and Tribuzzi there it's unlikely he'd be able to play enough to justify it. If Tribuzzi attracts any offers we might have to consider this.

Once the obvious gaps are filled I'd really like to see if I can improve in some positions to make our squad more Bundesliga-worthy. Right back is a good candidate position: Iglesias is alright, but nothing to write home about at this level. Our midfield in general might need some looking into, too.

Jun 24th 2024

Svetlin's third and last match in the Euros was another big defeat, this time 0-4 against Norway. He played in the right wing and was largely inconsequential.

Jun 26th 2024

The group stage of the European Championship ends with few surprises. The most notorious is Croatia failing to win a single point in a group shared with the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Albania, although to be fair this isn't the same Croatia from a few years back, Modric and Rakitic retiring did a number on their chances in big tournaments like this. There are some interesting matchups in the second round, including a Germany-Spain that's going to be a guaranteed managerial casualty for whoever loses.

Jun 28th 2024

We finally confirm a signing, which will become a reality in four days and comes from new Bundesliga colleagues Wolfsburg: 23yo attacking midfielder Felix Nmecha joins on a free transfer on €11k/w wages for the following three years. Nmecha is a very versatile player capable of playing anywhere in midfield and attacking midfield, be it center or either wing. He's mostly right-footed but has a reasonable skill with his left, and his main strengths are his pace, technique, and flair, with pretty good finishing and passing abilities too, although his crossing is subpar. While his favorite position is as a central attacking midfielder we're more likely to use him on the left, or even as Tsarenko's replacement in midfield. Good signing, should give us a quality boost and even has some potential for improvement. Wages do get ridiculous at this level, though...

Jun 30th 2024

Last chance for contract renewals. The big one is, of course, Wein's. We eventually cave in and offer him a 2-year deal as a squad player, thinking he might accept to lower his astronomical (€11.5k) wages, but as it turns out he asks for €15k a week instead. Bruh. No way we can pay that for a backup player, so he can go and see if someone else will pay him that much. Harper is also released after a pretty meh loan season and no signs of ever being a useful player, and also asking for wages we were not willing to offer to someone who'd never play in the first team and we'd only want to keep for selling later. Finally, there's Greilinger, probably the player with the most upside among the expiring contracts, but already 23 and showing no signs of ever reaching his ceiling. He also comes asking for over €7k a week, which is way too much for a bet that most likely won't pay off. Gone.

Dalbeider · October 27, 2022

Jul 1st 2024

Transfer window opens, a bunch of players leave, Quintero and Nmecha join, both to good fan reception.

The Euros reach the quarterfinals once again with few surprises. The tie of the round was Germany vs Spain and the Germans won that match 2-0 in a match they dominated. The biggest shock was Ireland defeating Belgium 1-0, while all the other favorites got through.

Jul 2nd 2024

Been a while since we had serious trouble, but now something is brewing. Danilo Pereira came asking for a new contract, which is a fair request considering he just had the season of his life, even though he's already earning €12.5k per week. But okay, let's see what he wants... Oh, he wants forty-four thousand a week? Yeah, nope, not only am I literally unable to offer such a wage due to board restrictions, I wouldn't even if I could, because I'm not crazy. Of course now he's unhappy and I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to leave, and even worse, some of the other players actually agree with him. Sigh, what's this feeling of deja vu...

Jul 7th 2024

Ireland continue impressing in the Euros, this time defeating the Netherlands 2-1 in extra time to advance to the semifinals, most likely their best performance in a major tournament of all time. They'll have it tough there, though, since they'll have to face against current champions Italy. England and Germany will play the other semifinal.

Jul 8th 2024

The players return from their holidays, and Knöferl immediately leaves on loan once again, this time to just-promoted 2.Bundesliga side Halle. A true test of skill for the forward, if he can do well in the 2.Bundesliga then he could be a part of the rotation in the Bundesliga for the next season. He did pretty decently with Wiesbaden last season in the 3.Liga, so the step up should feel natural to him and help with his development. I hope.

Jul 11th 2024

Today is the day of the Pereiras. First, the one who leaves: Danilo Pereira leaves for ES Tunis of all teams in exchange for €3.4M, of which a bit over €500k will have to be paid to Sporting Braga due to his sell-on clause and €1M will be added to the transfer budget. Not a sale I'm happy with, but his unhappiness with his contract basically forced my hand here. I'm sure this will go fantastically well with the squad... Time to look for a replacement, and one we can sign with our currently available resources.

The second Pereira is a new face: Matheus Pereira, 23yo Brazilian left back under contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach, joins on a season-long loan for which we'll pay his whole €7k weekly wages plus an extra €27k every month. A quality young attacking left back with lots of upside, he's quick, hard-working, a good defender and crosser of the ball, and has the stamina to run up and down the flank all game long, exactly what we want for that position. He'll at least rotate with Steinhart on that position, maybe even start ahead of him most of the time. If he performs, the loan deal comes with an optional €1.4M transfer fee, so when the next season comes we could make a bid to keep him. That's for the future, though.

Meanwhile, in the Euros, Ireland's dream run ended in the semis in a narrow 3-2 loss to Italy, who'll have the chance to win consecutive trophies. It was a fair result, with Ireland's and Liverpool's keeper Caoimhin Kelleher earning himself a player of the match award with a performance that kept the result close until the end. In the other semifinal England defeated hosts Germany on penalties after a 1-1 draw in which the Germans deserved better but showed terrible finishing.

Jul 13th 2024

Young Franzke joins Knöferl in Halle on loan for the season. This will be his first experience outside our youth setup, so it'll be interesting to see how well he adapts to the 2.Bundesliga while being only 17. He's supposed to be an important player for them, too, so he'll get to play lots. With some luck he'll return ready to take the step into the first team next season.

Jul 14th 2024

Italy win the Euros again, defeating England in Berlin's Olympiastadion 2-1. Italy got an early lead thanks to Insigne and Kean, then proceeded to defend it for the rest of the match like only the Italians know how. England absolutely dominated the match and had chances to turn it around and then some, but only Grealish managed to beat Donnarumma. An injury to Rashford six minutes before full time and without any substitutions available killed their chances in the end. Haaland was chosen as the best player of the tournament after scoring eight goals in four matches for Norway.

Jul 15th 2024

Training camp starts! We're going to the Austrian Tirol this time around, and will be playing a couple of friendlies while we're there.

Two more players leave before the camp starts, though. One's Morgalla, who returns to Türkgücü for another loan spell. He's still 19 so this is probably about the right level for him to be playing at right now. The other's a permanent transfer, since Neuchatel will be signing Lorent Tolaj for €110k upfront, €2.8k for each of his first ten league appearances, €14k when he scores 30 league goals, and a 20% of future profits. Tolaj was signed on a free as a fringe prospect who might bring us some profit, and that's exactly what this sale is. The fee is a bit cheap given his market value, but I'll take that and removing the €4.4k of his wages from our books. It was the right time to sell him, too, since waiting any longer would risk him leaving on a free next year.

Two other players will most likely not be around for most of the training camp, although for different reasons: both Gechter and Forson have been called up by their national U23 sides to take part in the Olympics football tournament.

Jul 16th 2024

Another legend joins our staff today: Kim Källström, former star in teams like OL and Rennes and 131 times capped for Sweden, joins 1860 as a scout.

Jul 18th 2024

Here comes our new defensive midfielder to take Wein's place in the squad, all the way from Gremio in Brazil: 24yo Victor Bobsin joins in exchange for €1M. While not as versatile as Wein, he still brings the whole package of what a defensive midfielder should have: good physique, intelligence on the field, and the ability to challenge opposing midfielders while also being able to create play from the back himself. Comes with very reasonable wages at €8.25k, a €3.5M release clause for clubs in continental competitions, and a €1.4M relegation release clause, all extremely fair. He'll rotate with Wouters as our most defensive midfielder and ideally become a profitable signing for us.

* * *

UFV Thalgau vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)

Our first friendly against local semi-pros Thalgau, just to get our engines revving up. It takes us a bit to get going, of course, but on the 18th Dressel opens the score with one of his trademark runs into the box assisted by Nmecha. Another of the new guys, Pereira, crosses towards Tribuzzi for the 2-0 just a bit later, and Sene grabs a third in the final minutes of the half in a set piece. The second unit full of youngsters and trialists comes in for the second half, and soon Kabadayi heads in a cross by Zohouri to make it 4-0. The youngster then assists Tallig for the fifth, then grabs his second with a shot from the edge of the box after a pass by Wicht. UFV get one back in a corner kick, but that's all they can manage. An easy run out to get things started.

UFV Thalgau 1 (Andreas Grabher 72)
TSV 1860 München 6 (Dennis Dressel 18, Alessio Tribuzzi 21, Mamadou Kaly Sene 40, Yusuf Kabadayi 59 66, Erik Tallig 61)

Jul 21st 2024

Great debut for Forson in the pre-Olympics friendlies, scoring the winning and only goal for Ghana against Iran. Gechter had it much rougher, being on he wrong side of a 3-0 drubbing by Argentina. He did as well as he could, though.

Jul 22nd 2024

FC Liefering vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)

A small step up in the opposition's level, this time facing Austrian second tier side Liefering. This time we need twenty-one minutes to open the score, but we do so in spectacular fashion with Svetlin's curling shot from 20 yards away. Sene scores the second in the final minutes of the first half, well assisted by Nmecha after a quick break through the center. In the second half Steinhart buries a direct free kick to make it 3-0, then we go on to enjoy a pretty uneventful rest of the match. Proceeding as expected.

FC Liefering 0
TSV 1860 München 3 (Tamar Svetlin 21, Mamadoy Kaly Sene 44, Phillipp Steinhart 57)

Jul 24th 2024

Two more youngsters leave on loan today. Center-back Sukhoruchenko goes back to Ukraine to join Alians, while right winger Can Sapmaz moves to Sandhausen in the 2.Liga as a squad player. I hope this move goes better for him than the last one did...

The same day the board call me to offer a new three-year contract worth €16k per week, which is really nice of them. The contract also includes a €35k bonus if we avoid relegation from the Bundesliga, which I'll be sure to put to good use once I get it. Also, it being a long-term contract means it's less likely I'll get sacked if I don't manage to avoid relegation, so hey, safety nets. Accepted, of course, and long may this story last.

One who stays, and one who finally leaves: Belkahia accepts an offer from Samsunspor in Turkey and will leave in exchange for €89k. Not an impressive fee, but he was on the last year of his contract so it was either this or a free transfer come June. A promising center-back who was outgrown by the club as we climbed the ladder, he never had a real chance to shine here. Hope it goes well for him in Turkey.

Jul 25th 2024

Gechter keeps finding it tough with the German U23s, and their debut in the Olympics ends in a disappointing 1-1 draw against the USA, with an even more disappointing performance by the center-back.

Another youngster leaving on loan, this time Carl Brünner moving to Regionalliga side Schalding. This being his first loan, a lower tier team fits him well. We'll see how he does, he was one of the best players for our U19s last season.

Jul 27th 2024

New midfielder get! Erik Majetschak, a 24yo German attacking midfielder playing for Porto, joins us permanently on a transfer worth €500k plus a 20% of future profits. A player I've been following for a while, we tried to sign him from Aue when we promoted to the 2.Bundesliga but he decided to go to Porto for the bigger paycheck. Big mistake, since he's made a single appearance for the first team since then and his development stalled somewhat. Still a quality player, though, he comes to play the same role Tsarenko played last season, and with some luck he'll make up for the lost time in Portugal and improve with us. He comes with a €3M release clause for clubs in European competitions and a €1.2M relegation release clause, good profits for us in either case.

* * *

BVV Barendrecht vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)

Third friendly, with the training camp already finished, brings us to face Barendrecth, an amateur team in the Netherlands. Majetschak arrives just in time to take part in it, and soon he gets to see Nmecha volleying in a great pass from deep by Svetlin. Sene then makes it 2-0 from inside the small box after a cross from Pereira, then Majetschak himself grabs a third after winning the ball from the defense and Nmecha scores the fourth and the fifth with two good headers, both assisted by Tribuzzi. 15yo Hartmann gets his first senior minutes in the second half together with the rest of the second unit while Kabadayi scores the sixth from the penalty spot after a clear grab on Wouters' shirt. We relax afterwards, taking it easy until the game ends.

BVV Barendrecht 0
TSV 1860 München 6 (Felix Nmecha 11 33 45, Mamadou Kaly Sene 24, Erik Majetschak 30, Yusuf Kabadayi 54p)

Jul 28th 2024

One of the upsides of being a Bundesliga team is that the likelihood of a difficult draw in the first round of the DFB Pokal is almost zero. This time we're given an away tie against semi-pro side Ammerthal, who we actually played in last year's preseason. Should be an easy win and a chance for some of the kids to impress.

Jul 29th 2024

Better vibes for Gechter and Germany U23 in their second match in the Olympics, winning 2-0 against Egypt with a solid defensive performance by the 20-year-old. Ghana also win their second game against Belgium, practically securing the top spot of their group in a decent show by Forson on the right wing.

Jul 31st 2024

RWD Molenbeek vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)

Sidestep into Belgium to pay a visit to Molenbeek in our fourth friendly of the summer. Sene gets to open the scoreboard this time, finishing a good cross by Nmecha, then returning the favor to the inside forward by heading a cross into the crossbar so Nmecha can score on the rebound. We have many chances for more, but the 0-2 stays until the end of the first half. In the second half Dressel finally scores the third, chipping it over the keeper after a nice touch from Kabadayi, but that's all we can do for today.

RWD Molenbeek 0
TSV 1860 München 3 (Mamadou Kaly Sene 19, Felix Nmecha 27, Dennis Dressel 59)

Dalbeider · October 28, 2022

Aug 1st 2024

Two more wins for Germany and Ghana in the Olympics. The former beat Japan 2-0 with a good show by Gechter, while Ghana once again did just enough to beat Jamaica 1-0, goal scored by Forson himself. Both nations progress to the quarterfinals, with Ghana facing Italy and Germany playing against France.

And well, it seemed like things were mostly settled in the contracts department, but Iglesias came up demanding a new one, his agent didn't accept a squad player role, and here we are once again with a transfer request in our hands. Thankfully we'll expect to be receiving a good amount of money from him so we can purchase a reliable replacement.

Aug 2nd 2024

While the Iglesias situation is solved, we add a new player to the squad in the shape of another loan: 21yo Dutch winger Shiloh 't Zand joins on a season-long loan from Feyenoord in exchange for his €3.2k wages and nothing else. A very good young player capable of playing on the left wing, behind the striker, or even in midfield, he offers great technique and first touch, good passing and crossing, and the ability to both create and finish goalscoring chances wherever he's playing. He'll mostly be a rotation option for Nmecha on the left, although he could play sometimes in midfield if we need him to. Feyenoord expect him to play deeper than our tactics allow, though, so that might be a problem. We'll see.

Aug 3rd 2024

TSV 1860 München vs. Sport-Club Freiburg (Friendly)

Time for the serious stuff, at least when it comes to friendlies. Freiburg are expected in the bottom half of the Bundesliga, so they'll be one of the teams we'll have to battle against to avoid relegation. We start really well, but after many missed chances it's Zuber who scores the first for Freiburg in their last approach, helped by Iglesias' passivity in defending him. The result holds until half time, and with the second unit coming in we stop being so dominant, so Rosenfelder scoring the 0-2 in a corner kick doesn't come as a surprise. Steinhart gets one back with one of his special direct free kicks, though, and reserve striker Kvistgaarden then draws the game with a placed finish after a good pass from Wicht. The striker then completes a great performance with a nod towards 't Zand, so the winger can score the 3-2 in injury time and serve justice. A shame, then, that Zhegrova draws the game again for Freiburg in the very next play. Still, a good performance, and good vibrations for when the real thing starts.

TSV 1860 München 3 (Phillipp Steinhart 67, Mathias Kvistgaarden 71, Shiloh 't Zand 90+2)
SC Freiburg 3 (Steven Zuber 24, Max Rosenfelder 61, Edon Zhegrova 90+3)

Aug 4th 2024

The quarterfinals were the end of the road for both Germany and Ghana U23, as both lost in their matches against France and Italy. Gechter and Forson had solid performances in the matches, and will be returning in time to play in our final friendly.

One more loan to add to the pile, this time for Danilo Pereira's replacement as our striker: Atlético de Madrid loan 23yo forward Sergio Camello to us until the end of the season. We'll pay 70% of his wages, which will set us back €10.75k per week, plus a small monthly fee on top, and we'll have a €1.3M clause should we want to make the deal permanent at any point of the loan. Camello is a small and nimble forward with great finishing, good technique, and more than enough vision and passing ability to play the false nine role to perfection. His only downside is his lack of aerial ability, but then again Pereira wasn't much better in that department and he did well enough last year. We'll be expecting goals from him, and he'll most likely rotate with Sene as our striker, with both competing and making each other better.

Aug 7th 2024

Well then. I was starting to worry about our funds running dry and not having enough to find an eventual replacement for Iglesias and pay for his wages afterwards, but then Hertha came to our help unwittingly: they just bought Julian Weigl from Benfica for €51M, of which a 2.5% come straight to us due to Weigl being a 1860 academy boy who actually played in the first team until 2015, leaving then for Dortmund and eventually Benfica. So, €1.26M find their way to our accounts and about half of that go straight into our transfer kitty, and now things don't look so dire anymore. Thanks, Hertha!

Just in case, though, I send a quick message to the board asking if maybe they could increase our wage budget a bit, pretty please? We're almost €20M in the black and we shouldn't have any problems surviving the year even with a higher expense in wages, so I think a 20k to 30k increase shouldn't be a problem in the short or long term. We'll see what they answer.

* * *

TSV 1860 München vs. Göztepe AS (Friendly)

Last friendly, with Turkish Superlig side Göztepe (8th last season) coming to test if we're ready for the upcoming season or not. We dominate the early game thoroughly, but our accuracy when it comes to finishing our chances is abysmal, only finding the target after our ninth attempt on goal. That attempt, though, is a header by Lang in a set piece that turns into the 1-0, so we'll call it good. Our second comes in injury time in a very uncharacteristic way, with a clearance by Ketzschmar finding it's way to Sene, who simply runs into the box and shoots to score. Gechter, Forson, and Camello get their first preseason minutes in the second half, in which we continue dominating and get a handful of chance to increase our lead further, even missing a penalty kick through Camello. A good result in the end, but could've been even better.

TSV 1860 München 2 (Niklas Lang 38, Mamadou Kaly Sene 45+1)
Göztepe AS 0

- - -

Thus ends the preseason, and I'm quite happy overall. Of course the friendlies against amateurs were mostly meaningless, but the performances against Göztepe and Freiburg give me hope that we'll be able to at least compete in the Bundesliga and not pull a Viktoria Köln. Worth mentioning that Sene scored in every match except one.

Aug 11th 2024

DJK Ammerthal vs. TSV 1860 München (DFB Pokal 1st round)

Time to get semi-serious with our first round match in the cup. Ammerthal should be easy prey, so we'll take the chance to give minutes to some fringe players and youngsters with projection, combined with a bunch of starters in need of fitness plus a few of our best players in the bench, just in case.

* * *

AMMERTHAL (4-2-3-1): Helal Hosseini (GK); Franz Müller-Wiesen (DR), Maximilian Kuchler (DCr), Franz Röder (DCl), Jochen Vogl (DL); Georgios Spanoudakis (MCr), Ivan Cabraja (MCl); Daniel Brändle (AMR), Nedim Okutan (AMC), Jochen Träger (AML); Fabian Schnabel (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Armel Zohouri (DR), Ian Fray (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Matheus Pereira (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Dennis Dressel (MCr), Nathan Wicht (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Yusuf Kabadayi (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)

* * *

With a combination of newbies, youngsters, and two players who've missed most of the preseason due to the Olympics, we go out trying to attack from the first minute. After a few tentative probes, a goal kick intercepted by Camello turns into a chance to score for Forson, who tries to beat Hosseini on the near post but finds the keeper reacts in time to close the gap and save. A blocked shot by Camello a couple of minutes later allows Dressel to shoot from near the penalty spot, but the keeper once again blocks the shot, then Hosseini does it again easily saving a direct free kick attempt by Kabadayi, well placed but lacking in power.

The assault continues unabated, and finally in the 25th minute a long pass into space by Kabadayi allows Forson to face the keeper one-on-one and score the 0-1. Two minutes later Kabadayi almost scores again after a nod by Dressel, but this time the keeper does his job to perfection and the ball goes wide for a corner kick. A high shot by Dressel comes next, just before Träger sends very wide Ammerthal's first approach of the game in a counterattack. A beautiful passing combination through the center two minutes before full time ends in another bad finish by Dressel, once again over the bar, in what becomes the last chance of the first half.

HALF TIME - 0-1

With such a short lead we can't afford any relaxation, and the players get right back to it with a long ball by Bobsin and a difficult finish by Forson, well blocked by Hosseini. A great first-touch pass by Pereira allows Kabadayi to enter the box unmarked, but once again the keeper prevents what should've been our second goal. Third time isn't the charm either, as Dressel once again fails to finish the job with a weak finish and Hosseini saves with ease. Finally, on the 60th minute, a run forward by Zohouri to which no one from Ammerthal responds allows the wing back to just send the ball through a huge gap in the defense so Kabadayi can collect it and score the 0-2.

By then we've made our substitutions, bringing Majetschak, 't Zand, and Wouters into the game. It doesn't take long for Wicht to get pushed inside the box by Brändle when trying to head in a set piece. Camello takes the kick and earns himself a debut goal from the spot. After that we finally relax a bit, taking the foot off the gas and not having any other clear chances until the 81st, when 't Zand assists Wicht inside the box and the midfielder sees his shot deflected wide by Hosseini. A high header by Kabadayi five minutes later and a shot into the crossbar by 't Zand in injury time seem to be our last chances, but in the very last second 't Zand himself buries a perfect direct free kick from the D to round up a very convincing victory.

* * *

DJK Ammerthal 0
TSV 1860 München 4 (Amankwah Forson 25, Yusuf Kabadayi 60, Sergio Camello 65p, Shiloh 't Zand 90+5)

- - -

Easy as expected. Good show by the newbies and the youngsters, Kabadayi in particular. He's most likely not ready for regular playing time in the Bundesliga just yet, but he certainly can do a number on teams of this level. I hope we find a good loan for him soon.

Dalbeider · October 29, 2022

Aug 17th 2024

Well well, we got an interesting draw in the DFB Pokal second round: away to Sandhausen. A just-promoted 2.Bundesliga team is among the best draws we could get at this point, and we'll be expecting a win to fulfill the board's expectations. Could've been much worse, too: there's a RB Leipzig-Leverkusen and a Wolfsburg-Hertha in this round...

- - -

1.FC Köln vs. TSV 1860 München (Bundesliga, 1/34)

Here we go! Twenty years in the making, our return to the Bundesliga is finally here. Now let's try to make it a day to remember and not one to forget. Köln aren't the most difficult starting game we could've got, but at least they're not expected dead last and an almost certainty for relegation like we are... Instead they're expected 12th and have a pretty decent chance of getting involved in the relegation fight if they're not careful. Let's see if we can get something from here.

* * *

KÖLN (4-2-3-1): Timo Horn (GK); Danny da Costa (DR), Stephan Ambrosius (DCr), Julian Chabot (DCl), Jonas Hector (DL); Dejan Ljubicic (MCr), Yannick Gerhardt (MCl); Pedrinho (AMR), Dominik Yankov (AMC), Jan Thielmann (AML); Janni Serra (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Juan Iglesias (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Matheus Pereira (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Mamadou Kaly Sene (ST)

* * *

Iglesias might be on the transfer list, but he's still our best right back and until he leaves he'll continue playing when we need him. It's a very even game in the first minutes, with shared possession and little danger until Majetschak receives a low pass from Pereira and tries a shot, well intercepted by Gerhardt before it reaches Horn. The keeper does have to tip over Sene's header in the following corner kick, though. A wide shot by Pedrinho is Köln's first approach, and it takes almost twenty minutes to arrive. Sign me up for that frequency until the end of the game.

Time passes with nothing but midfield play and a few long shots that Kretzschmar deals with easily, and it's not until the 34th minute that we return to action with a good first-touch pass by Iglesias that Forson wastes with a poor, weak finish that rolls straight into Horn's hands. We're looking good for keeping the result unchanged until half time, but then Hector bends a direct free kick around the fence and into Kretzschmar's goal and Köln are suddenly ahead. We'll need a comeback in the second half now.

HALF TIME - 1-0

The second half continues being not particularly attractive, so ten minutes in we bring in 't Zand and Tribuzzi to try and change things. They change alright, but not how we wanted: a long ball forward by Yankov towards Serra catches both Lang and Kretzschmar by surprise, with the striker jumping over the center-back and lobbing his header over the keeper to score the 2-0. Camello comes in as our last change, but once again it seems to have no effect in our play whatsoever.

Time passes quickly after the goal with Köln looking comfortable, but then in the 79th a corner kick taken by 't Zand is headed by Hajdari straight into the back of the net and we're back in the action. Köln don't flinch, though, and the only chance in the remaining time is a shot by Hector that Kretzschmar stops with a good save, already in injury time. A decent try, but not good enough.

* * *

1.FC Köln 2 (Jonas Hector 40, Janni Serra 60)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Albian Hajdari 79)

- - -

Close but no cigar. This game could easily have gone 0-0 since all the goals came from either set pieces or defensive mistakes, but Köln took their (few) chances and we were left trailing. Our wings were particularly useless today, except for 't Zand off the bench. We should probably get used to games like this one, though, it's most likely gonna be the rule rather than the exception this year.

Dalbeider · October 31, 2022

Aug 18th 2024

Season ticket sales announced, and we're up to 14,686 sold this season, up from last year's ceiling of 12,455. The expansion did its job, but we're already at our limit again. That new stadium can't come soon enough.

Aug 23rd 2024

Injury to Wouters one day before our home debut against Hertha. A pulled calf muscle which will keep him out of the pitch for around three weeks.

Aug 24th 2024

TSV 1860 München vs. Hertha BSC (Bundesliga, 2/34)

The fun starts for real today, with Hertha (predicted third) visiting us before we go play against Gladbach (seventh). We're gonna be severely outclassed here by a team that just spent more than fifty million euros in a single player (and we thank them for that), but we'll do our best to try and get something out of this fixture. Every point counts.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Armel Zohouri (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Dennis Dressel (MCr), Erik Tallig (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
HERTHA (4-2-3-1): Dominik Livakovic (GK); Fredrik Bjorkan (DR), Omar Alderete (DCr), Pascal Strujik (DCl), Rogério (DL); Lucas Tousart (MCr), Julian Weigl (MCl); Brais Méndez (AMR), Florian Neuhaus (AMC), Suat Serdar (AML), Benjamin Sesko (ST)

* * *

Lots of rotation today, trying to get a feel for the new guys. And the start doesn't look promising: we don't get a sniff of the ball before Sesko heads a corner kick into the crossbar and out. Méndez hits the woodwork a second time, this time clipping the outside of the post with a powerful shot from distance, while we do well to hold the ball a bit more and try to deal with them through possession. Doesn't work: on the eleventh minute Sesko sees Méndez's movement on the right and sends the ball ahead of him so the winger can beat Kretzschmar through his near post for an early lead.

Not much else happens in the following minutes, with possession split and neither team creating much other than crosses and long shots without danger. On the 25th another run by Méndez leaves Steinhart in the dust as the winger collects a long ball from Weigl, although thankfully he shoots wide this time. We at least manage to keep them at bay for most of the half, and only a nod by Serdar towards Sesko ending a good save by Kretzschmar threatens us before the break. On the other hand, we don't even get close to Livakovic's goal. Trailing and deservedly so at half time.

HALF TIME - 0-1

The game follows the same script after the break, with little action in our box and none in Hertha's. Replacing our absolutely inoperative wing players is once again our next step, while Sesko heads another corner kick narrowly over the bar to give us our first real scare of the half. We finally start doing some worthwhile things in attack then, although our two first dangerous-looking attacks end up going nowhere due to offides by Nmecha and Tribuzzi. On the other end of the pitch, Kretzschmar does well to tip over a dangerous finish by Serdar after a good headed pass by Sesko.

Majetschak comes in trying to give us better midfield play, which is being our downfall today. And somehow, a few minutes later, a cross from the right wing by Dressel finds its way to Tribuzzi in the near post, and the Italian hits it with all he has to score the 1-1 almost out of nowhere. Two minutes later Nmecha finds himself with all the left wing at his disposal and he uses it to run all the way into the box and shooting straight into the near post. The play continues into a great pass by Majetschak towards Tribuzzi, who finds his finish blocked by Livakovic. Suddenly we almost look like the better team.

Best of all, while our attacking flair doesn't go beyond those three chances, we do well to keep Hertha away from our goal in the following minutes, barring a weak header by Serdar that Kretzschmar saves without issue. Steinhart blocks a dangerous finish by Tousart after a fast counterattack with only two minutes on the clock, and that's the last chance of the game. Our first point in the Bundesliga is here!

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Alessio Tribuzzi 68)
Hertha BSC 1 (Brais Méndez 11)

- - -

Well, that was unexpected. An absolute steal of a game if we look at any stats, but I'll take the point, thank you very much. Majetschak's entrance changed us, and Tribuzzi did Tribuzzi things by scoring in the decisive moment, very much against the flow of the game. Good result against very strong opposition, and let's hope it's the first of many more points.

Dalbeider · November 1, 2022

Aug 26th 2024

Welp, problems. Victor Bobsin is suffering from a pulled abdominal muscle and he'll be out for 2 weeks. Nothing too serious, he'll only miss one game with an international break coming right after, but the problem is that Wouters is also out of that game, so we have no anchor available... Actually, I was thinking of maybe using the 3-5-2 against Gladbach as a defensive option trying to steal a point that way, and this makes it even more likely. We'll see.

Aug 31st 2024

Finally Iglesias found a transfer, and he's going to Croatia: Hajduk offered a flat €925k which we gladly accepted, and the player didn't think twice to agree to the move. He'll earn €5k per week, which is exactly what he was earning here, so uh, good job? €233k will be paid to Getafe due to his sell-on clause, and we get to add €275k to our transfer budget. Now to find a replacement, ideally before tomorrow's match.

Sep 1st 2024

Gonna be a busy day today. Not only do we have our match away to Gladbach, but the transfer window also closes tomorrow at 6PM. With a couple of outgoing transfers and loans still in discussions and the matter of Iglesias' replacement to be dealt with, it's likely to be a fun time in the office.

- - -

Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. TSV 1860 München (Bundesliga, 3/34)

The fun continues with a trip to Gladbach, who approximately one year ago kicked us out of the DFB Pokal at our own stadium without too much effort. Let's hope they remain confident in their superiority, because otherwise we're in for a tough time today. We'll be giving the 3-5-2 a try to see if it performs well in this division.

* * *

GLADBACH (4-2-3-1): Vladan Kovacevic (GK); Nahuel Molina (DR), Igor Diveev (DCr), Ozan Kabak (DCl), Nico Elvedi (DL); Gianluca Busio (MCr), Christoph Kramer (MCl); Manu Koné (AMR), Nedim Bajrami (AMC), Raúl Moro (AML), Luca Waldschmidt (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (3-2-2-1-2): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Albian Hajdari (DCr), Niklas Lang (DC), Linus Gechter (DCl); Armel Zohouri (WBR), Matheus Pereira (WBL); Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMC); Sergio Camello (STr), Mamadou Kaly Sene (STl)

* * *

Ian Fray gets called up from the reserves as our backup center back for today. Gladbach's lineup has changed about as much as ours since our last meeting, but they still take charge of the game from the get go, as is to be expected. We wait our chance to try and run on the counter, and for a while both teams stay in a standstill. The first chance that's not a shot blocked by a defender is a direct free kick Bajrami sends way over the bar in the 27th minute.

Kretzschmar's first save comes six minutes later to grab a header by Koné, nothing too dangerous. Another cross from the left by Elvedi allows another chance for the right winger, this time going wide after a not too well executed volley. A high ball by Hajrami from distance follows, and that's all Gladbach can manage in the first half. We keep waiting for our chance.

HALF TIME - 0-0

The second half remains more of the same, with Gladbach having serious trouble to break down our defensive line even if we try to be a little bit more adventurous in our play. Dressel, Steinhart, and Nmecha come as relief workers after a short while, while Gladbach also spend all their substitutions early looking for solutions. Time passes, and finally in the 74th we get our chance: clearance by Lang towards Sene that Kabak swallows whole, allowing the striker to face Kovacevic for the first time in the game. Shame that his attempt at a lob is way too short to be able to surprise the keeper.

Gladbach also have their chance six minutes later when Molina finally decides to push forward to create superiority in the wing, then sends a cross towards the small box which Gechter really should've intercepted, but he didn't, thus the ball reaches Moro for a very easy tap-in and the 1-0. We have to attack now, and in injury time Steinhart actually gets really close with a direct free kick Kovacevic tips wide. We don't get another, though, and after so much defensive effort we have nothing to show for it.

* * *

Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 (Raúl Moro 80)
TSV 1860 München 0

- - -

Aw, so close. A matter of which team took their chances today, really. If Sene had put that one in we could be talking about an unlikely win, but alas, it was not to be. Good defensive performance barring that one mistake by Gechter, and I think I might try this tactic against bigger teams more often this season, seems to work well at limiting their chances. After three matches there's no team in the league with zero points, and that puts us currently in the relegation playoff position, which I'd happily take at the end of the season right now. Funnily enough, Bayern are only eighth after losing to Stuttgart and drawing to Hertha so far.

Dalbeider · November 3, 2022

Sep 2nd 2024

Very late transfer window closing this year, probably so it doesn't fall on a Sunday? Anyway, we do need to loan out a few of our youngsters, Kabadayi and Wicht most notably, and we *need* a new right back, so let's get right to it. There's also interest in some of our young players, particularly Gechter and Svetlin, so let's hope there are no last-second surprises this year...

Halle keep raiding our youth teams to build their 2.Bundesliga squad, which is nice for us from a development point of view. Both Fray and Wicht leave to join Knöferl and Franzke there, both in free loans, which I'm sure the board won't be too happy about.

Another player leaves, but this one permanently: Sven Müller, backup keeper these past two seasons, moves to the MLS to join Charlotte FC, who pay €120k for him. Decent sale considering he was in his last year of contract and is 28 already. Funnily enough, he won't leave until January since the MLS window is already closed. With this Quintero now officially becomes our number 2 option on goal.

Here's our new right back, who comes in a bit of a complicated deal from Sao Paulo. 25yo Argentinian Francisco Gerometta joins on a season-long loan for only 60% of his wages (total €4.4k) but with a clause which will force us to buy him for €1.4M once we secure our place in the Bundesliga. This will count towards next season's budget, I expect, so it shouldn't be a big problem, and the player looks good enough to be worth the investment: quick, good defender and crosser, great stamina and hard working, all the right things to have in a wing back in our systems. His wages once he joins next year will be on the high side, but I fully expect we'll have more resources to spend then. We'd better, otherwise we won't last long here. We have currently less than half wage expenditure than HSV, who are second from the bottom...

And that's about it, a much quieter day than expected in the end. There was no loan interest on Kabadayi so he'll stay with us until January at least, playing very limited minutes if at all.

Sep 7th 2024

We've ended the transfer window with about €10k in weekly wages unspent, so we make use of some of it to extend Zohouri's contract until June 2027. His wages were ridiculously low before, and stay so now but just a little bit more in line with the norm: €4.2k per week. He does have a €600k release clause now, but I wouldn't mind too much if anyone triggered it.

Sep 14th 2024

TSV 1860 München (16th) vs. VfB Stuttgart (4th) (Bundesliga, 4/34)

Stuttgart are supposed to be a borderline-bottom-half team come the end of the season, but for now they've already claimed a famous scalp by beating Bayern and sit very comfortably near the top. They are one of the few teams we have actual chances of beating, so seeing them in this kind of form is worrying. Oh well, we'll do our best like always.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Matheus Pereira (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Erik Tallig (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
STUTTGART (3-2-2-1-2): Bartlomiej Dragowski (GK); Chris Richards (DCr), Waldemar Anton (DC), Hrvoje Smolcic (DCl); Roberto Massimo (WBr), Tanguy Coulibaly (WBl); Enzo Le Feé (MCr), Orel Mangala (MCl); Amine Harit (AMC); Terem Moffi (STr), M'Bala Nzola (STl)

* * *

Back to the 4-3-3, while Stuttgart come with the same 3-5-2 formation we used last time against Gladbach. Worrying, but we'll deal. Bobsin and Wouters are both healthy already, and the former gets to start while the latter waits on the bench, Gerometta debuts, and Svetlin misses out due to short fitness after his international matches with Slovenia. We start dominating possession with ease, and soon Tallig gets our first crack at goal with a low 20-yarder that Dragowski tips wide. We continue on with a great run by Pereira down the left wing and a cross that Camello hits into the keeper's reflex save.

Stuttgart give us a first scare on the 16th minute with a run through the center by Harit who, instead of going for the easy finish, tries a lob over Kretzschmar and ends up sending it wide. Four minutes later a pass towards the left side of our attack by Majetschak find 't Zand with lots of space ahead, and the winger learns from Harit's mistakes and goes for a simple, well-placed finish to score the 1-0.

The following minutes go exactly like we'd like them to go: lots of midfield play with little action on either goal, and more importantly on ours. We wanted to keep it that way until the end of the half, but sadly Harit also learns from his own mistakes, and on the 35th he runs through the center again and this time hits the back of the net with his finish, drawing the game again. A high ball by Moffi is Stuttgart's next try, nowhere near the target, while we try to regain control of the situation. There are no more chances in a quite even first half.

HALF TIME - 1-1

We kickstart things in the second half with a direct free kick by 't Zand that Dragowski punches away, and by the time five minutes have gone by all three of Stuttgart's center-backs have earned themselves yellow cards. We keep pushing with a narrowly high header by Majetschak, and soon after Dressel and Sene come into the game to give us more dakka. Stuttgart mostly bide their time in the first fifteen minutes of the half, only recording a blocked shot by Le Feé as anything remotely dangerous.

That changes soon after, though: a long ball reaches Moffi's head after a badly measured jump by Gechter, and that creates a quick attack by Stuttgart that Nzola finishes with a quick step and a placed left-footed finish past Kretzschmar. Tribuzzi replaces a disappointing Forson (again) as we try to get back the good times of the first half, and the winger starts his game by assisting Sene with a nice through ball that the striker finishes well, but Dragowski saves even better. Bobsin tries luck from distance next, but sends the ball well over the bar as the clock gets closer and closer to the end.

Thirteen minutes remain when Pereira sends a whipped cross towards the penalty spot, where Dressel jumps and connects with a perfect header that bends Dragowski's hands and falls into the net. The same Dressel almost surprises the keeper again three minutes later with a 30-yard free kick that would've gone straight into the top corner if it weren't for Dragowski's timely swat. We keep the pressure up in the final minutes, but Stuttgart defend well and even deny Sene's last minute run into the box with a great last-second tackle by Richards. A fair draw in the end.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Shiloh 't Zand 21, Dennis Dressel 77)
VfB Stuttgart 2 (Amine Harit 35, M'Bala Nzola 63)

- - -

Not ideal but I'll take it. The game could've gone either way, but we dominated both possession and chances for most of it, although Stuttgart's few chances were always really dangerous. Still, a decent result, I won't say no to any points this season. We went toe-to-toe with a mid-table team and almost got away with it, that's promising at the very least. Our league season starts for real next week. Solid debut by Gerometta.

oche balboa · November 3, 2022

A good enjoyable read. Keep up the good work

Dalbeider · November 5, 2022

Thank you! Now, if on top of being entertaining I could get a win or two that'd be perfect...

* * *

Sep 20th 2024

Injury to Sene just twenty-four hours before our match against Hamburg. Pulled ankle ligaments, a classic, will keep him out for 2-3 weeks.

Sep 21st 2024

Hamburger SV (17th) vs. TSV 1860 München (16th) (Bundesliga, 5/34)

If there is a match we absolutely, no-questions-asked must win if we're to survive in the Bundesliga it's this one. Well, okay, the return leg at home is even more of a must-win, here I wouldn't say no to a draw, but it's obvious that we can't gift points to any of our direct rivals for relegation, so a defeat here would be troublesome at the very least. At least we're slightly ahead of them, so that should give us a small edge.

* * *

HSV (4-4-2): Daniel Heuer Fernandes (GK); Jan Gyamerah (DR), Sebastian Schonlau (DCr), Jamie Lawrence (DCl), David Kinsombi (DL); Xavier Amaechi (MR), Ron Schallenberg (MCr), Jonas Meffert (MCl), Ludovit Reis (ML); Kevin Schade (STr), Steffen Tigges (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)

* * *

One more chance for Forson, who's having a horrid start of the season so far, but he should work really well against HSV's 4-4-2 today. Wouters and Steinhart get starts today, as we lean on experience in this vital match. HSV's eleven has changed very little since the last season in the 2.Bundesliga. Still, they give us a mortal scare only thirty seconds in when Reis heads into the net a cross from the right by Amaechi, although thankfully VAR catches his offside position and disallows the goal.

HSV continue pushing in the early game, and Schallenberg has a great chance on a corner kick he heads from inside the small box, only to find Kretzschmar pulling a miracle save right in front of him. Nmecha has our answer in a counterattack he finishes with a narrowly high shot, as we struggle to keep the ball under their constant pressure. We survive the initial onslaught, though, and little by little we start pushing them back. They're still dangerous, though, and Kretzschmar has to block a shot by Schade after he wins a race against Lang.

After a while in which we manage to smother their attacks and slowly build up our midfield presence, we finally create a good attacking play on the 35th minute which ends in a finish by Nmecha and a great save by Heuer Fernandes. HSV remain in charge, though, and Kretzschmar has more work to do against a shot by Tigges only two minutes later. The striker heads miles over a final chance in a deep set piece already in injury time before the first half ends.

HALF TIME - 0-0

We look better in the second half, actually managing a few good-looking passing plays in the first minutes. One of those ends with Nmecha crossing towards the opposite side so Forson can gather it, turn around, and assist Majetschak so the midfielder can score the 0-1 from just inside the box. HSV try to get us back immediately, but somehow they seem to have lost their flair from the first half, and struggle to create any credible chances for a while.

With our substitutions made, we get ready to survive what remains of the match. We get as far as the 77th minute, when HSV find a way through in the simplest of ways: goal kick towards Schade, Lang fails to do anything worthwhile in defense, and the striker just gathers the ball, rounds Kretzschmar, and scores the 1-1. Almost looked easy. Momentum seems to shift, and soon Lawrence heads a free kick taken by Krasniqi into the stands behind our goal.

We almost get back in front on the 84th when Majetschak assists Forson and the wingers scores with a placed shot, but he happened to be just a tiny bit offside according to VAR. The best and last chance is for Tigges, though, following a steal on Majetschak in midfield which allows the striker to run at Kretzschmar and lift the ball over him... and into Hajdari, who covers the goal and prevents the ball from going in. Seconds later the game ends, and we go back to Munich reasonably satisfied with our point.

* * *

Hamburger SV 1 (Kevin Schade 77)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Erik Majetschak 53)

- - -

Again, I'll take it. It wasn't our best performance by any means, and at times HSV looked like running us over, but we survived our worst minutes and scored in our best ones to take the lead. Too bad an individual mistake once again has cost us our first win of the season, but a draw away to a direct rival is never a bad thing. Hoffenheim's defeat against Bayern (it's nice being right behind them in the schedule, not gonna lie) makes us gain one place at their expense. And of course, they're coming to Grünwalder Strasse next week...

Dalbeider · November 7, 2022

Sep 25th 2024

Gechter is one of our most promising young players right now, maybe even ahead of Lang, so keeping him (or guaranteeing a good compensation should we lose him) is paramount for the club's future. Therefore, he's offered a new contract worth no less than €22k per week with a minimum release fee of €13.5M and a relegation clause of exactly half that amount, €6.75M. A huge expense for us which puts us quite a bit over our budget until we divert all of our transfer funds to wages, but absolutely worth it in the long term, I'd say.

We can't have a day with only good news, though, and Lang brings the compensation with a fractured rib sustained in training. He's sent to an specialist and will be out of contention for at least four weeks.

Also, a report from whoscored.com shows that the current German national team isn't dominated by players coming from a single club's youth system, and in fact Bayern have to share the first place with Schalke with four players each. Even more surprising, though, is that we're right behind them with three current internationals coming from our youth ranks: Julian Weigl, Felix Uduokhai, and Florian Neuhaus. Comes to show that our youth production hasn't slowed any during all these years in the lower divisions. Who knows, maybe Kretzschmar will eventually make it there, too? A far shot, but Neuer and ter Stegen have to retire at some point...

Sep 26th 2024

Finally, and after prodding them once again, the board answer our request for a wage increase. I was expecting a 10% increase or so, but Herr Dippel surprises me by raising our spending ceiling from €233k to €339k, almost a 50% increase! Too bad we can't use it to sign anyone now, but damn if it won't make contract extensions much easier from now on. I immediately divert about €25k back into our transfer funds, leaving us with a healthy €2.5M budget to spend come January and more than enough wage space still left available.

Sep 28th 2024

TSV 1860 München (15th) vs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (16th) (Bundesliga, 6/34)

Now this is an important match. Hoffenheim weren't in the cards to be involved in the bottom half battle for survival, but their form so far with one win and four defeats has landed them here, tied on points with us and with a terrible -8 goal difference. They're bound to bounce back up eventually, but we should profit from their current struggles and steal some points from them, ideally our first win of the season. It's overdue already, really.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Matheus Pereira (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
HOFFENHEIM (4-4-2): Oliver Baumann (GK); Jordan Beyer (DR), Stefan Posch (DCr), Igor (DCl), Marco Friedl (DL); Darius Wolf (MR), Nadiem Amiri (MCr), Angelo Stiller (MCl), Roland Sallai (ML); Andi Zeqiri (STr), Andrej Kramaric (STl)

* * *

Tribuzzi gets to start today after Forson's recent below par performances on the right. He starts the game nodding a cross from the left so Majetschak can shoot, and although the ball is blocked by a defender it is a promising start for the winger. Tribuzzi's second action is assisting 't Zand for a finish that strikes a defender and almost floats into the net over Baumann, who has to stretch to tip it over the bar. Our early attacking flair soon dries out, though, and Hoffenheim start looking more comfortable by the minute, even trying their first shot at goal with a wide finish by Zeqiri eighteen minutes in.

The game slows down even further after that, entering a phase where we hold the ball most of the time but without any kind of penetration, while Hoffenheim look a bit more dangerous but also unable to get shots in. A long shot by Kramaric on the 41st barely breaks the tedium and is easily held by Kretzschmar, as is a weak header by Sallai a bit later. We finally show up near Baumann's goal again in the 44th with a quick break that Tribuzzi finishes with a narrowly wide shot, then one minute later the Italian winger runs into space on the right before passing back towards the edge of the box, where Majetschak gathers the ball and places a low shot beyond Baumann's reach to score the 1-0 at the exactly right moment. There's still time for the midfielder to return the favor and assist Tribuzzi via through ball, only for the winger to hit the root of the post with his finish. Leading and looking good at half time.

HALF TIME - 1-0

A high free kick by 't Zand is the first action of the second half, but what matters is what happens ten minutes in: long ball towards Kramaric which Hajdari fails to intercept with his header, and the veteran striker is allowed to run alone against Kretzschmar and calmly place the ball into the net to pull level. Nmecha soon replaces a very ineffective 't Zand, and we start once again trying to regain our lead.

Matheus Pereira has our first try, a powerful shot that Baumann barely manages to block with his gloves and the defense clears before Tribuzzi can jump in. The keeper soon has more work to do, tipping over a point-blank header by Nmecha after a nice cross by Gerometta. After that things slow down once again, though, and Dressel has to replace an excellent but very tired Majetschak, while Tallig comes in for a once again anonymous Svetlin. The final minutes of the game are a nervy affair, with little football and lots of interruptions and yellow cards, mostly for us, and in the end neither team has any further chances to take the win. Another draw for us.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Eric Majetschak 45)
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 1 (Andrej Kramaric 55)

- - -

Okay, this one stings a bit. It's still a good point in a quite even game, mind, but I have the feeling we just about edged it thanks to our better chances, particularly that post by Tribuzzi at the end of the first half. We keep performing up to Bundesliga levels, but we still can only get draws for it. Need to do better. We also need to keep our discipline under control, six cards in one game are about five too many.

Dalbeider · November 8, 2022

Oct 1st 2024

Majetschak makes the Team of the Week, our first selection in the Bundesliga.

Oct 5th 2024

Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 (12th) vs. TSV 1860 München (15th) (Bundesliga, 7/34)

An old foe of ours from two years ago in our path once again. Fortuna were supposed to be second favorites for relegation only behind ourselves, but so far they've done pretty well with seven points and a comfortable mid-table position. Of course that's only three more points than us so a win puts us level with them, but they seem much more used to this league than we are, and in fact last week they held Bayern to a draw all the way into injury time, when they finally lost. A difficult one, but I think we have a chance.

* * *

DÜSSELDORF (3-2-2-1-2): Amir Saipi (GK); Jesús Vallejo (DCr), Christoph Klarer (DC), André Hoffmann (DCl); Khaled Narey (WBr), Felix Agu (WBl); Ilay Elmkies (MCr), Steven Alzate (MCl); Laurent Schmitz (AMC); Florian Niedenlechner (STr), Dawid Kownacki (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Linus Gechter (DCr), Dries Wouters (DCl), Matheus Pereira (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Erik Tallig (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)

* * *

Ah, yes, 3-5-2 variants, my favorite tactic to play against. Sigh. Sene is back in action, although he'll play off the bench today. The game looks very even in the first minutes, with both teams fighting in a very overcrowded midfield on almost equal terms while the attacks don't get as much as a sniff of the ball. Set pieces are key in these situations, and Fortuna get a double chance in one of those with headers from both Niedenlechner and Klarer, both well stopped by Kretzschmar. Another header by Niedenlechner, this time in normal play after a cross from the left, meets the same fate in the keeper's hands.

Our first appearance in Fortuna's box comes in the 26th, following a good steal by Tallig and an assist by Majetschak towards Tribuzzi, who can't get past Saipi with a pretty weak finish which nonetheless gives the keeper some trouble. Ten minutes later it's Fortuna's turn in an attack down the left flank that ends in a beautiful curling shot by Schmitz, straight into the top corner of our goal for the 1-0 as Kretzschmar can only watch. No more chances come before the first half ends.

HALF TIME - 1-0

We try to turn the pressure up a notch in the second half, but five minutes in we're hit again with a long ball that Kownacki brings down towards Schmitz, who then assists Niedenlechner so he can score the 2-0 with a placed finish. A header by Elmkies a couple of minutes later finds its way into the woodwork, and we're looking like ourselves from two years ago whenever Fortuna walked all over us in the 2.Bundesliga. On the 55th we fail to get the ball out of their own half before losing it and eventually it reaches Neidenlechner on the edge of the box so the striker can find the top corner once again, impossible for Kretzschmar. 3-0 and counting.

The only thing our substitutions seem to manage today is to stop the wound from getting any deeper, or maybe Fortuna just decide three is enough and take it easy from then. Regardless, our first dangerous attempt of the half comes on the 73rd, a wide header by Hajdari in a corner kick, and three minutes later Kretzschmar's hesitation to come out to clear a complicated backwards header by Gerometta almost gifts Kownacki the fourth, but thankfully the striker seems to have forgotten his outrageous goalscoring form from two years ago and wastes the chance with a wide finish. Nothing else of relevance happens in the match.

* * *

Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 3 (Laurent Schmitz 36, Florian Niedenlechner 50 55)
TSV 1860 München 0

- - -

Our worst performance so far, by far. We were never in this game, and once again a three-at-the-back formation throws our game plan into complete disarray. Horrible individual performances all around, with Gerometta as the only player coming out of this with any credit left. Down to the relegation places, which is where we belong right now.

Dalbeider · November 9, 2022

Oct 14th 2024

After a quiet international break we get a call from Can Sapmaz, our young and promising right winger currently on loan in our next DFB Pokal rivals Sandhausen. Turns out he's only played three games off the bench so far with zero starts despite the loan agreement saying that he'd be a regular starter. Just like last year, huh. Same as then, we decide to recall him and try our luck elsewhere. This kid's cursed with loans, I swear...

On the international front, Svetlin is once again the stand-out name as he scored once and provided one assist in a 4-0 win over Montenegro for Slovenia. Let's hope he carries that form into our next game.

Oct 16th 2024

Been a while since the last major injury, but here we are again: Matheus Pereira tears his groin and will miss six weeks, which is a lot of time to spend with Steinhart as our only left back.

Oct 19th 2024

TSV 1860 München (17th) vs. 1.FSV Mainz 05 (18th) (Bundesliga, 8/34)

We've been bad so far, that's true. But it's also true that we're not the worst team in the division. That dishonor belongs to Mainz, who have scored a single point so far in a home draw against Union Berlin. Quite the downfall for a team playing Europa League and expected midtable this season, huh. Just like the match against Hoffenheim, we should profit from their bad form and get a win here.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Dennis Dressel (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
MAINZ (3-2-2-1-2): Finn Dahmen (GK); David Nemeth (DCr), Stefan Bell (DC), William Bianda (DCl); Silvan Widmer (WBr), Moussa Niakhaté (WBl); Leandro Barreiro (MCr), Anton Stach (MCl); Lincoln (AMC); Jonathan Burkardt (STr), Yuri Alberto (STl)

* * *

Only problem is, well, yet another 3-5-2. Sigh. Svetlin doesn't make the team due to tiredness from his midweek fixture, and Forson gets the nod on the right after two starts for Tribuzzi with mixed results. The game starts with Gerometta losing the ball to Niakhaté and allowing a counter that thankfully Burkardt volleys wide, not exactly a promising first impression. The ball is still ours, though, and nine minutes in a long passing play ends with the ball on the left wing, where Steinhart sends a ball ahead of 't Zand so the winger can run into the box and beat Dahmen with a subtle finish through the gap in the near post.

Lead achieved, now it's a matter of keeping it for longer than usual. Mainz soon start putting us under pressure and Kretzschmar has some work to do against a couple of long shots. The next good chance is ours, though, once again coming from Steinhart as he takes a free kick near the corner flag towards the far post for Hajdari to head it very narrowly over, even clipping the upside of the bar.

On the 26th Forson finds space in the right and crosses for Camello's volley. Dahmen manages to block it, but 't Zand is first to the rebound and pushes it over the line for the 2-0. Our two-goal lead lasts for all of two minutes, though, which is what Burkardt needs to score the 2-1 following a cross from the right by Widmer, almost unopposed. Both teams trade blows in the following minutes, although neither gets particularly close to scoring again before the first forty-five minutes come to an end.

HALF TIME - 2-1

A knock to Gerometta in the early second half brings him out of the game, replaced by Zohouri. Meanwhile, Mainz seem to take the initiative after the break, although with little in the way of real danger created. Sene and Svetlin soon join the fray, and in the 67th there's finally some action when Majetschak finds Forson with a great through ball that the winger wastes with a weak finish, easy for Dahmen.

Time passes slowly afterwards, with Mainz trying but not quite getting into any dangerous positions. On the 90th 't Zand gets close to a hattrick with a curler from the edge of the box that goes a few inches over, and two minutes later Svetlin tries the same from a bit farther away, and with much better luck, the ball cleaning the cobwebs away from the top left corner and sealing our first win of the season for good.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 3 (Shiloh 't Zand 9 26, Tamar Svetlin 90+2)
1.FSV Mainz 05 1 (Jonathan Burkardt 28)

- - -

Finally, a win! And against a likely direct rival in the relegation battle, too, which counts double. Good game overall, with our left flank of Steinhart and 't Zand being the standout, plus Svetlin with that scorcher off the bench. Good show by Forson, too, back to his usual standards after a two-week rest. Let's hope this is the first of many. Up to 13th, although tied on points with three other teams including 16th-placed Union Berlin. A team we'll be facing in our next home game, actually, so that's another important fixture for us in the near future.

Dalbeider · November 10, 2022

Oct 22nd 2024

Steinhart and 't Zand are selected in the Team of the Week.

Oct 26th 2024

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (2nd) vs. TSV 1860 München (13th) (Bundesliga, 9/34)

On a high after our first win of the season, but it's unlikely to last any longer than this. Leverkusen are second in the Bundesliga two points behind leaders RB Leipzig and one point ahead of Bayern and Gladbach, and they're on an eight match unbeaten run counting both the league and the Champions League. It's not a matter of being happy with anything we get here anymore, it's just that it'd be a miracle not to be thoroughly destroyed. Yet we'll try, because that's what we do.

* * *

LEVERKUSEN (4-2-3-1): Altay Bayindir (GK); William Saliba (DR), Jonathan Tah (DCr), Kaiky (DCl), Riccardo Calafiori (DL); Eljif Elmas (MCr), Yangel Herrera (MCl); Luis Sinisterra (AMR), Shinta Appelkamp (AMC), Moussa Diaby (AML), Sardar Azmoun (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Mamadou Kaly Sene (ST)

* * *

Some rotation looking towards the upcoming cup tie against Sandhausen, in which we'll most likely have to improvise something for our left back position... Lang is back in the lineup, and we bring out a strong eleven hoping for the best. We start cautiously as Leverkusen dominate possession from the get go, and ten minutes in Gechter tries to intercept a pass towards Azmoun inside the box and instead trips the striker. VAR confirms the penalty, but Kretzschmar dives in the right direction to save Azmoun's kick from the spot.

Appelkamp has the next good chance for the home team, running through a gap in the center before shooting well over. We're having real problems getting the ball out of our defense today, mostly thanks to Leverkusen's heavy pressure. On the 14th minute an unlucky clearance by Steinhart hits Diaby, and the ball bounces all the way to Azmoun so the striker can score the 1-0 unopposed, almost easier than the penalty kick he missed. However, only one minute later the momentum shifts when Majetschak is the victim of a criminal two-footed lunge by Calafiori, who sees the corresponding red card and leaves Leverkusen in a difficult situation, forced to replace Herrera so they can plug the gap on the left side of their defense.

We start playing much better after such an eventful start of the game, and on the 22nd minute Majetschak sees Svetlin running into space and sends the ball towards him so the midfielder can round the keeper and make it 1-1. Seven minutes later Majetschak himself completes the comeback heading a perfect cross by Steinhart into the back of the net, despite Leverkusen's protests for a non-existing offside position by the midfielder.

Leverkusen still have most of the ball after that, but they keep it in their own half for the most part while we take our time and wait for more chances to come. And come it does, with only one minute in the first half's clock and through the right flank when Gerometta finds Majetschak inside the box and the midfielder crosses low towards the near post so Forson can just smash it in. Majetschak completes a dream-like first half performance with a wide finish on a counterattack in injury time, and we go to the dressing room with an unbelievable two-goal lead.

HALF TIME - 1-3

Leverkusen go in full desperation mode right from the restart, making two more substitutions and returning to their original formation, minus any player on the left side of their attack. It seems to work at first, giving them an early corner kick Kaiky heads over, but we soon wisen up and stop their attacks dead on their tracks. Gerometta now has a lot of space available for him, and our defenders an easy way out of Leverkusen's pressing. It's through that gap that our first chance of the half comes, with Forson assisting 't Zand on the break but Altay blocking the winger's finish.

Leverkusen answer with another attack through their strong right side, a pass ahead of Azmoun who controls and finishes, only to see Kretzschmar deflect his shot over. The corner kick that follows also has work for the keeper, who blocks a header by Saliba and then watches as substitute Löwen (great name by the way) shoots wide from the penalty spot on the rebound. Svetlin answers with a narrowly high shot from the edge of the box, with the game becoming a bit too difficult to control for my tastes. Next up is a header by Nmecha saved by Altay after a cross by Gerometta, a bad decision since he was wide open and with lots of space ahead of him.

Things finally calm down for a while after that, though, and Leverkusen enter the final ten minutes still trailing by two. We're happy keeping the ball now, and they don't have the means to take it away from us with only ten men on the pitch. Another shot from the edge by Svetlin that the keeper tips over already in injury time and a badly wide header by Hajdari immediately after are the last chances, and our fantastic victory is confirmed.

* * *

Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1 (Sardar Azmoun 14, Riccardo Calafiori sent off 15)
TSV 1860 München 3 (Tamar Svetlin 22, Erik Majetschak 30, Amankwah Forson 44)

- - -

I mean, Calafiori sure made it easy for us, but we still had to step up and take control after the sending off, and we did so in style and with uncharacteristic efficiency upfront. Majetschak had yet another stormer of a game, showing he's a worthy replacement for Tsarenko in our starting eleven and worth every penny we spent on him. Three unexpected points into the bag, and onwards we go.

* * *

| Pos | Inf   | Team                | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | GD    | Pts   | Form  |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st |       | RB Leipzig          | 9     | 7     | 1     | 1     | 24    | 7     | 17    | 22    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd |       | FC Bayern           | 9     | 6     | 1     | 2     | 22    | 11    | 11    | 19    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd |       | Borussia Dortmund   | 9     | 5     | 2     | 2     | 17    | 11    | 6     | 17    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th |       | Bayer Leverkusen    | 9     | 5     | 2     | 2     | 17    | 13    | 4     | 17    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th |       | Hertha BSC          | 9     | 4     | 4     | 1     | 12    | 7     | 5     | 16    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th |       | Borussia M'gladbach | 9     | 5     | 1     | 3     | 10    | 9     | 1     | 16    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th |       | Wolfsburg           | 9     | 3     | 5     | 1     | 15    | 7     | 8     | 14    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th |       | Frankfurt           | 9     | 4     | 1     | 4     | 18    | 10    | 8     | 13    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th |       | Stuttgart           | 9     | 4     | 1     | 4     | 15    | 15    | 0     | 13    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th|       | Freiburg            | 9     | 4     | 1     | 4     | 13    | 14    | -1    | 13    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th|       | Fortuna Düsseldorf  | 9     | 3     | 2     | 4     | 9     | 9     | 0     | 11    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th|       | 1860 München        | 9     | 2     | 4     | 3     | 12    | 13    | -1    | 10    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th|       | Augsburg            | 9     | 3     | 1     | 5     | 5     | 11    | -6    | 10    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th|       | Hoffenheim          | 9     | 2     | 3     | 4     | 8     | 15    | -7    | 9     |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th|       | Köln                | 9     | 1     | 5     | 3     | 9     | 15    | -6    | 8     |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th|       | Union Berlin        | 9     | 2     | 1     | 6     | 11    | 23    | -12   | 7     |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th|       | Hamburg             | 9     | 1     | 3     | 5     | 9     | 21    | -12   | 6     |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th|       | Mainz               | 9     | 0     | 2     | 7     | 9     | 24    | -15   | 2     |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Not complaining one bit about our position right now. These last two wins have done miracles for our chances of survival, pulling us three points clear of the playoff place and closer to a mid-table position than anything else. Of course this could go pear-shaped in a moment as soon as Union and Hamburg start winning games themselves (Mainz look hopeless right now), but for now let's enjoy the good times while they last. Worth mentioning that we're hosting Union next week, so that could be another great chance to keep climbing.

At the top RB Leipzig remain strong, and might actually prove worthy challengers for Bayern's almost undisputed throne for once. Still, something tells me that as soon as Bayern really start ticking it will be impossible to stop them, like always. Not many surprises in the league otherwise, other than the obvious one of Mainz sinking from European place to rock bottom in the course of a few months, and Augsburg being also surprisingly low given their recent standards.

* * *

PLAYER STATS
============

Average rating (min. 3 games played):

Erik Majetschak             7.10 (8(2) apps)
Albian Hajdari              7.04 (5(2) apps)
Victor Bobsin               7.02 (6 apps)
Linus Gechter               6.95 (8 apps)
Dennis Dressel              6.93 (3(4) apps)

Goals:

Shiloh 't Zand              4 goals
Erik Majetschak             3
Amankwah Forosn             2
Tamar Svetlin               2
5 players                   1

Assists:

Erik Majetschak             3 assists
Philipp Steinhart           3
7 players                   1

Edited November 10, 2022 by Dalbeider

Dalbeider · November 12, 2022

Oct 29th 2024

Majetschak surprises absolutely no one and claims a slot in the Team of the Week.

Today we conclude one of our random midseason free transfers after our scouts spot someone interesting in the wild. This time it's another American youngster, 21yo Jonathan Perez, who joins on a free after leaving LA Galaxy with only a handful of first team appearances. The kid has the potential to make it big, but will need to work hard in the three years of his new contract with us, most likely including a loan or two. His wages are negligible, and with such a long deal we'll have time to see how he does and decide what to do with him going forward. Perez is a left-footed wing player who can play well on both sides of the attack, a very valuable type of player for our usual tactics, so if he develops well he could have a chance in the future.

Oct 30th 2024

SV Sandhausen vs. TSV 1860 München (DFB Pokal 2nd round)

Time for the cup, and with a theoretically easy tie away to 2.Bundesliga side Sandhausen, who funnily enough share our same league position, twelfth. A good chance to play some of our fringe players and see if they measure up in a high-stakes situation like a cup tie.

* * *

SANDHAUSEN (4-4-1-1): Alexander Meyer (GK); Erasmo Mulè (DR), Thomas Meissner (DCr), Immanuel Höhn (DCl), Dirk Carlson (DL); Guevin Tormin (MR), Janik Bachmann (MCr), Franz Pfanne (MCl), Erich Berko (ML); Tòfol Montiel (AMC); Marlon Roos Trujillo (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Tim Warner (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Dennis Dressel (MCr), Erik Tallig (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)

* * *

You might recognize Tim Warner as one of those random midseason signings, just like Jonathan Perez from yesterday. We have a couple other youngsters in the bench today, including Can Sapmaz and Mathias Kvistgaarden, and Zohouri misses on a great chance to start on the right back position due to a badly timed minor injury. Sandhausen maintain the same formation and a couple of players from the last time we met them almost two years ago.

We start the game on the offensive, as the favourites are supposed to do, beginning with a wide header by Nmecha after a cross from Warner. We dominate the early game easily, but good chances are hard to come by, and it takes us until just past the half hour to create something mildly dangerous with a header by Tribuzzi that Meyer saves without much effort. A bit later Sandhausen create a long passing play which ends with the ball on the edge of our box, where Pfanne gathers it and shoots with power past Quintero to score the 1-0. Not according to the plan.

Good thing luck shines on us today and a set piece that Dressel sends into the small box ends with Meissner deflecting a finish by Nmecha into his own net, gifting us the draw almost immediately. The inside forward then picks a minor knock in a fight for possession, but he still has enough in him to gather a cross from the right on the far post the tap it back towards Camello so the Spaniard can push it over the line and score the 1-2 right before the end of the first half. There's still time for the striker to sneak his way past his marker and send a curling finish into the post before the teams are sent to the dressing rooms. Not our best showing, but still ahead.

HALF TIME - 1-2

Camello continues his good performance so far into the second half, assisting Tribuzzi with a neat through ball that the winger wastes with a weak finish, easy for Meyer. Our next chance strikes true, though, when Dressel runs into space like in the old times and Nmecha sends a perfect cross towards him so the midfielder walks around the keeper and makes it 1-3. With our lead secured we decide to give Steinhart a well deserved rest, bringing Bobsin in and making Wouters our emergency left back, a position he's reasonably comfortable in. He soon shows with a good cross that Tribuzzi heads over the bar.

After a while we bring our two bench kids into the game, replacing Tribuzzi and the excellent (for once) Camello. Sapmaz soon has a dangerous-looking shot blocked by a defender, then heads a cross by Tallig into Meyer's hands, showing he's willing to take his opportunity to show what he's capable of. Kvistgaarden also has his chance, gathering a loose ball near Sandhausen's box then running and shooting into Meyer's fingertip save, then trying his luck from distance but once again finding the keeper in the way. Hajdari also gets really close in a set piece taken by Tallig, heading the cross very narrowly over. Sandhausen show no will to resist, but the result doesn't change at all before the game ends despite our many attempts. Still, a good win, and a good show by the youngsters.

* * *

SV Sandhausen 1 (Franz Pfanne 34)
TSV 1860 München 3 (Thomas Meissner 36og, Sergio Camello 45, Dennis Dressel 52)

- - -

First thirty-five minutes aside, a good game in general. We had to get lucky after conceding in order to get ourselves going, but after that there was no doubt about which was the best team on the pitch, and we probably should've scored a couple more. The kids did well, Nmecha had a great game on the left, and even Camello scored! Funnily enough, he's on two goals and both have been in the cup so far. We really expect better from him than that, though... €366k into the club's coffers, and our first appearance in the third round!

Dalbeider · November 13, 2022

Nov 1st 2024

Happy birthday to me! The DFB Pokal 3rd round draw brings me a present in the shape of an away tie against Mainz, currently dead last and winless in the Bundesliga and a team we've already beaten once this season. I'll take it, although there were quite a few 2.Bundesliga teams and even one 3.Liga side (Duisburg!) still alive in the competition. Winnable, although come February circumstances might be very different than they are now, for better or worse

Huh, first time I'm linked with a job outside of Germany. Betis, too, which is quite the big name back in Spain. Would be nice, they're one of my favorite teams too, but alas, I'm committed here.

John Dahl Tomasson is being a bit of a nuisance lately regarding 't Zand's loan deal, insisting he's to be played as a left midfielder instead of further forward. Sorry, man, not changing my tactics just to suit your needs. Note to self, though: triple-check loan agreements from now on, this is getting annoying.

Nov 2nd 2024

TSV 1860 München (12th) vs. 1.FC Union Berlin (16th) (Bundesliga, 10/34)

Back to serious matters, this is a key fixture to test the extent of our current good form. Union are roughly where they were expected, but we've leapfrogged past them in the last couple of weeks and now we must prove we're actually better than them. A win would go a long way to putting relegation fears in the backburner for a while.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
UNION BERLIN (4-2-3-1): Frederik Ronnow (GK); Julian Ryerson (DR), Paul Jaeckel (DCr), Robin Knoche (DCl), Nico Geisselmann (DL); Robert Wagner (MCr), Max Meyer (MCl); Levin Öztunali (AMR), Aymen Barkok (AMC), Jakub Kaminski (AML), Lucas Höler (ST)

* * *

Same team that beat Leverkusen, minus Camello in Sene's place to try and capitalize on his good cup form. It's a slow start today, with a close-fought battle for possession and only a direct free kick by Meyer that Kretzschmar saves and holds to break the tedium in the first ten minutes. Once again we need to deal with a high pressing line, but it's precisely one of Kretzschmar's clearings under pressure that creates our first chance, as Camello profits from some indecision between Union's center-backs and sneaks through to shoot into Ronnow's deflection.

A clearly offside goal by Camello, who looks quite active today, gives way to the real thing on the 21st minute: good recovery by 't Zand, Forson gathers the ball in the midfield, then sends a through ball towards Majetschak, once again running into space behind the defenders, so the midfielder can score the 1-0 with a subtle touch over Ronnow's rush. Union try to go forward for an instant reply, but a quick counter after a set piece is cleared from our box allows Camello to run into the Union's penalty area, pause, then pass back so Forson can dribble his way into the small box and finish with ease, making it 2-0 only six minutes later.

Öztunali has a great chance to claw one back after a bad attempt at a clearance by Steinhart, but Kretzschmar sees his finish coming and saves with a quality dive. Then, on the 38th minute, a throw-in on the right side of our attack leads to a quick passing combination between Gerometta and Majetschak which ends with the midfielder running into the box and rifling it to beat Ronnow through the gap at his near post and make it three. Forson almost grabs himself a fourth near the end of regulation after he gathers the ball in the edge of the ball with the keeper out of position, but Ronnow performs a miracle save to keep the ball away from the net. He can't do anything in injury time when another combination down the right flank between Majetschak and Forson ends with the winger crossing into the heart of the box so Camello can tap it in and score his first league goal with 1860. Cruising at half time.

HALF TIME - 4-0

We take the foot off the gas a bit in the early second half, fully expecting Union's reaction, and they don't disappoint with a pretty good chance three minutes in, a point-blank header by Höler after a cross by Barkok that Kretzschmar somehow deflects over. The keeper repeats with another great save to turn a long-distance try by Knoche around the post, then blocks another clear chance coming from Höler's head in the corner kick that follows. Kretzschmar continues his second-half show with a dive to deny Kaminski's placed finish after another cross from the right, seconds before the left winger heads another cross from the right narrowly wide. Steinhart is really having it tough today...

Kretzschmar continues being our savior by stopping a one-on-one against Barkok after a very badly performed attempt at an offside trap, and by now it's more than obvious that we need to change things. In come Wouters, Hajdari, and Kabadayi, who missed out on the cup but has a chance to perform today, and we try to slow down the tempo a tad, keep the ball and put the game to sleep. It seems to work, to the point that Camello even has a chance for the fifth with a break through the center, but his finish is also centered and easy for Ronnow. Union don't give up, though, and soon they're back at it with a high ball from distance by Geisselmann.

Barkok heads a corner kick into the sidenetting with fifteen minutes on the clock, and by now it looks evident that time is running out for Union. Players on both sides look tired, particularly those who played midweek in the cup. The game thus slows down dramatically in the final minutes, and only a final chance for Forson in injury time could've moved the score, but the winger blasts it over when the goal looked almost certain. No matter, still a fantastic result for us, keeping the run going.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 4 (Erik Majetschak 21 38, Amankwah Forson 27, Sergio Camello 45+2)
1.FC Union Berlin 0

- - -

Don't let the result fool you, this was a very close game and the only reason Union didn't score at least a couple is because Kretzschmar was absolutely unplayable today. One of his best performances since I've been here, and that's saying something. Meanwhile we continue our recent trend of being terribly effective up front, scoring almost every time we have a chance to do so, and with Majetschak being an absolute goalscoring machine coming from deep, lately helped along by Forson, Camello, and Gerometta, all three excellent today. Awesome result which pushes us upwards in the table and puts us tantalizingly close to the European places. Let's not dream too hard, though, not yet...

Dalbeider · November 14, 2022

Nov 4th 2024

A small crisis is averted when Tribuzzi comes to me asking to start more games. I mean, fair, he was signed as a sure starter a little over a year ago and since then Forson has overtaken him as our best option on the right wing. Eventually he accepts switching to a squad player role, which fits him much better. Long term, though, we'll have to consider his future at the club, since while he's a decent rotation/backup option for us right now, he won't make the cut once we start fighting for bigger things in the Bundesliga. That's the thing with growing fast, you tend to outgrow your players...

The same goes for Tallig, actually, who comes with similar concerns a few days later and is convinced to wait for his chance. We've been waiting for him to develop into the playmaker he was supposed to become since my arrival, and so far he keeps disappointing. At 24 years old I don't expect any dramatic developments from him, so it's likely he'll be sold at the next opportunity.

Nov 5th 2024

Kretzschmar, Forson, and Majetschak all make the Team of the Week. Then the keeper celebrates by bruising his thigh in training, which means he's most likely out of our next fixture.

Nov 9th 2024

Borussia Dortmund (4th) vs. TSV 1860 München (9th) (Bundesliga, 11/34)

And thus our winning streak ended. I mean, let's be realistic here, Borussia are perhaps the second or third best team in this league, and there's absolutely no chance a squad with the likes of Reyna, Jovic, and Moukoko in it is within our current reach. Then again you could say the same about Leverkusen and hey, look what happened two weeks ago! Freak accidents aside, though, I won't be expecting much today.

* * *

DORTMUND (4-3-1-2 narrow): Gregor Kobel (GK); Thomas Meunier (DR), Manuel Akanji (DCr), Arthur Theate (DCl), Júnior Firpo (DL); Joey Veerman (MCr), Mahmoud Dahoud (MC), Jude Bellingham (MCl); Onurhan Babuscu (AMC); Youssoufa Moukoko (STr), Kelechi Iheanacho (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Mamadou Kaly Sene (ST)

* * *

Kretzschmar makes it to the lineup in the end despite his midweek injury, and other than Hajdari and Sene rejoining the starting eleven, we keep the same players that destroyed Union last week. Dortmund on the other hand rotate their players quite a lot today, although the names out there still sound terrifying to me. They start the game passing us out of Iduna Park, with Dahoud being the first to test Kretzschmar from distance. Ten minutes in, bad news: Gerometta is injured in his thigh and has to be replaced by Zohouri.

The match is surprising uneventful otherwise, with only a high header by Veerman threatening something in the first twenty minutes, and then nothing for the next fifteen. Of course what happens then is that Dahoud whips a free kick into the box and Meunier, very poorly marked, heads it into the back of the net. We try to react, but Dortmund's pressing is top notch and we have serious trouble building up any kind of play. Dortmund don't do much other than a couple of wide shots by Bellingham, though, so we're still within striking distance at half time, and that's the best we can say so far.

HALF TIME - 1-0

We look a bit better after the break, actually having more of the ball and getting closer to Kobel's goal, atlhough still without really testing him. We replace both of our wingers looking for a change, but instead almost find ourselves two behind when Iheanacho nods a clearance into Babuscu's run from deep only for the attacking midfielder to hit the post with his finish. In the 68th a low cross from the right by Meunier finds Moukoko inside the box and the wonderkid calmly sidesteps Kretzschmar to score the second for his team. We still haven't got a single shot at goal.

Said first shot comes six minutes later, if you wanna call Sene's blocked attempt at a finish that. This and a long range shot by Svetlin that went very wide are our best attempts at scoring for the day, while Dortmund decide to take it easy and just hold us at bay effortlessly until the game ends. No contest.

* * *

Borussia Dortmund 2 (Thomas Meunier 36, Youssoufa Moukoko 68)
TSV 1860 München 0

- - -

Yeah, that's more like what I expected against Leverkusen, really. Dortmund just played with us all game long and we didn't have any counters. Somewhat surprisingly we matched them in possession, but ours was mostly useless passing between defenders, so it doesn't really count. Bobsin is the only player with a half-decent individual performance today, the rest were obviously out of their depth.

Another serious injury for our full backs, this time for Gerometta, who'll be 4-7 weeks out of contention with a hamstring strain. Zohouri now becomes our default and only option in that position for a while. The international break coming next week will lessen the impact, but still, ow.

Herr Müller · November 14, 2022

Up the lions!

Dalbeider · November 15, 2022

And up they shall go! ...Eventually!

* * *

Nov 12th 2024

More issues with backup players, now it's Dressel who wants to play more (despite being considered a squad player already and having featured in over half of our games so far) and asks for a loan out. Not ideal, but I guess his departure would allow us to explore other options in our midfield. As much as I like the guys who brought us to the Bundesliga, we can't rely on them to go any further than this. Good thing we have some money to spend in the winter transfer window...

Nov 24th 2024

TSV 1860 München (12th) vs. Sport-Club Freiburg (13th) (Bundesliga, 12/34)

After a quiet international break with only Svetlin and the U18 crew seeing any action (and doing quite well), we return to the league with, shock and horror, a midtable duel against Freiburg. We're currently tied on points with them and only ahead on goal difference, meaning this should be a tightly contested match on paper given current forms and pre-season predictions, which put them at 14th. A chance to add a few more points to our board and get closer to the goal of salvation.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Armel Zohouri (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Matheus Pereira (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Dennis Dressel (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
FREIBURG (4-2-3-1): Mark Flekken (GK); Felix Passlack (DR), Dario Maresic (DCr), Hugo Siquet (DCl), Christian Günter (DL); Maximilian Eggestein (MCr), Niklas Dorsch (MCl); Edon Zhegrova (AMR), Lars Kehl (AMC), Steven Zuber (AML), Marco Richter (ST)

* * *

Lots of changes today, including Pereira's return to action and Zohouri starting in Gerometta's place, while Svetlin rests after playing a whole game with Slovenia midweek. The bookies consider us slight favorites, but reality is different and Freiburg overwhelm us in the first minutes, putting us under heavy pressure until in the ninth minute the ball reaches Kehl on the right side of the box and the attacking midfielder sends a death pass towards Zuber for an easy tap-in and the 0-1.

We try to strike right back in our usual fashion: Camello holds the ball and attracts the defense so Majetschak can run into space and face Flekken, who does really well to block his shot. Freiburg do one better when Richter sends a direct free kick straight into Kretzschmar's crossbar, but at least things don't look as one-sided now. Nmecha has our next chance after a first-touch combination involving all of our attacking line, but his finish goes straight into the keeper's hands, and Majetschak tries again, this time from distance, only to find Flekken's hands in the way once again.

After that, though, the chances graph for both teams flatlines, with possession split and defenses overpowering attacks. On the 41st Tribuzzi breaks the deadlock with a great movement breaking the offside trap, but once again Flekken denies us with a great one-on-one save. That's it, though, and half time finds us still trailing.

HALF TIME - 0-1

Fifty seconds is all we need to fix that, though: Gechter brings the ball out of the defense with one of his usual forward runs, finds Nmecha on the left, and the winger sends it into space first time so Camello can gather it, run into the box, and shoot into the root of the post and in. Great goal. Then Lang almost goes and ruins it with a botched control that gifts Richter a chance to shoot, but which thankfully goes over. Gechter then tries to do the same, and this time Kretzschmar has to dive to save the striker's finish and prevent an embarrassing goal.

With that nervy moment out of the way we go back to it with a run by Camello that ends with Dressel shooting, Flekken parrying, and Nmecha scoring on the rebound. It looks offside from where I stand, though, and VAR confirms my gut feeling. The game calms down somewhat after all, and we take the chance to rest Pereira, who's still not ready for a full match. Forson and Bobsin also join the game, and we attempt to increase the pace looking for the second.

Nmecha has a good chance on the 80th minute after a long while of nothing on either goal, but he blasts it well over the bar. However, attacking has its risks, as Richter shows in a lightning-quick counter that only Kretzschmar can prevent becoming the 1-2 with one of his fantastic saves. In the end, though, time runs out before either team can score, and the points are shared equally.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Sergio Camello 46)
Sport-Club Freiburg 1 (Steven Zuber 9)

- - -

Fair result, even if we were a tiiiiny bit better in the second half. We put ourselves in a difficult situation by conceding so early, though, so I'm happy we at least managed to salvage something. All points are worth their weight in gold this season. Camello seems to have found his form lately, hope it lasts.

Lang was a casualty today, though, suffering from sprained wrist ligaments which will keep him out for 8-11 days. Hopefully he'll be back in two fixtures, there's a bit of a biggie coming then he surely won't want to miss...

Dalbeider · November 16, 2022

Nov 28th 2024

Welp, problems. Zohouri twists his ankle in training and will miss 3-4 weeks. Let's cross our fingers and hope Gerometta is back soon, otherwise we're fresh out of right backs...

Nov 30th 2024

Eintracht Frankfurt (9th) vs. TSV 1860 München (12th) (Bundesliga, 13/34)

Might be our last chance to steal some points for a while considering what's coming next... Anyway, Eintracht have been as midtable-ish as the pre-season predictions called, so they should be within our punching range or slightly higher. Not an easy match by any means, but one where we can go thinking about getting something out of it.

* * *

EINTRACHT (4-3-3): Kevin Trapp (GK); Matthew Sorinola (DR), Marvin Friedrich (DCr), Benjamin Hübner (DCl), Lennart Czyborra (DL); Lewis Cook (DM), Louis Schaub (MCr), Djibril Sow (MCl); Bryan Mbeumo (AMR), Christoph Baumgartner (AML), Randal Kolo Muani (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Matheus Pereira (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)

* * *

Gerometta makes it, if barely, and we can have an actual right back playing today, although most likely not for the whole match. Lang misses out, while Forson and Svetlin return to the lineup and Pereira keeps trying to regain fitness. The match starts with the left back picking his fifth yellow card for the season, meaning he misses our next game, and with Sow getting a one-on-one chance stopped by Kretzschmar, once again excellent. It's a pretty even early game, though, with neither team managing to overpower the other, although Eintracht seem to push a bit higher.

A cushioned header by Nmecha that Trapp catches without any problems is our first approach, a good twenty minutes into the game. Eintracht look more dangerous in their few approaches, and soon Hajdari has to stretch himself to block a lob Kolo Muani attempts after a quick run through the center. Baumgartner follows with a high ball from the edge of the box after a clearance, then Svetlin finishes a low cross by Nmecha with an equally low shot that Trapp has some trouble holding onto.

After this brief period of attacking flair, though, both teams go back to their midfielding with little happening on either goal for a while. Until injury time, in fact, when a cross by Baumgartner is headed by Mbeumo straight into Kretzschmar's hands. With that last scare, the first half ends without goals.

HALF TIME - 0-0

The second half starts with Baumgartner sending a direct free kick narrowly over our bar, but otherwise the game remains boring and with little action on either goal. We're soon forced to give Gerometta a rest, placing Steinhart on the right as an inverted wing back, something he's very much not used to doing. 't Zand also comes in for Nmecha, and his first action is a terrible back pass which allows Sorinola to cross towards Kolo Muani for an easy finish, which officially becomes the 1-0 after VAR gives the all ok.

't Zand soon compensates for his mistake with two great crosses which end in two fantastic chances for Majetschak and Forson, both blocked consecutively by an excellent Trapp. That's all we manage in a long while, though, while Eintracht seem happy to sit back and defend. Eventually, though, Mbeumo launches a counter down the right flank then sends a beautiful cross towards the far post that flies over Kretzschmar's head and allows a difficult finish by substitute Kjaergaard that still manages to find its way into the net. Our hopes of a comeback die there, although we still have enough lion pride to keep trying, and on the 90th minute Forson is brought down inside the box for a penalty kick that Svetlin transforms. There are no injury time miracles, though, and it all ends in a short but deserved defeat.

* * *

Eintracht Frankfurt 2 (Randal Kolo Muani 57, Maurits Kjaergaard 83)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Tamar Svetlin 90+1p)

- - -

No complaints, we just weren't good enough to get anything here. Would've been different if those two consecutive chances after Eintracht's first goal had gone in but alas, Trapp earns €28k per week for a reason. It was a pretty even game in most aspects, but our attacking flair just wasn't there for the most part. We'll have to do better in our next match, or our fans might be pretty unhappy with us...

Dalbeider · November 17, 2022

Dec 3rd 2024

TSV 1860 München (14th) vs. FC Bayern München (2nd) (Bundesliga, 14/34)

The day is finally here. The first Münchner derby in the Bundesliga in decades has arrived, and despite our recent results it might be the best possible moment for this? Bayern come into this after drawing at home with Eintracht, then losing in Leipzig against the current leaders. They're not looking as untouchable as they've been these previous years, and that means we can try and put them under pressure. Of course our chances of actually succeeding are slim at best, but hey, it's a derby, we'll sure try.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Tim Warner (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Erik Tallig (MCl); Alessio Tribuzzi (AMR), Mamadou Kaly Sene (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
BAYERN (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer (GK); Joshua Kimmich (DR), Nordi Mukiele (DCr), Marc Guehi (DCl), Alphonso Davies (DL); Sandro Tonali (MCr), Leon Goretzka (MCl); Leroy Sané (AMR), Thomas Müller (AMC), Jamal Musiala (AML); Robert Lewandowski (ST)

* * *

Thing is, considering how improvised our defense today looks, it'll be good if we don't concede five. Warner has to start on the right because Gerometta is still very short on fitness, even more after playing in the weekend, and Steinhart starts on the left because Pereira is suspended. Add Lang still not fully recovered from his latest injury and we have what we have. Tallig and Sene make uncommon starts, too, particularly the striker who moves to the left side, looking to regain last year's form. He's been absolutely atrocious so far as a striker. Bayern have a bit of a mixed eleven, and are most famously without Gnabry, out with a broken leg.

Of course Bayern start strong, and four minutes is all they need to silence the Grünwalder Stadion when Musiala sends a long pass towards the center and Lewandowski breaks the offside line to face Kretzschmar one-on-one, and we all know what happens if you let the veteran Pole do that: 0-1. We half expect an onslaught in the coming minutes, but strangely enough Bayern seem to be content with this minimal lead and allow us to regain our composure and actually start playing football. And football of the highest quality is what Camello produces in the 16th minute when, after receiving a harmless-looking pass from Steinhart, he leaves Mukiele for dead with a great dribble, runs into the box, and places the ball past Neuer to pull level. Looks like the derby is fulfilling expectations so far!

Happiness is short-lived, though, and a corner kick masterfully taken by Kimmich finds Guehi's head only four minutes later so the center-back can score the 1-2. Gechtel then has to block a finish by Müller to prevent Bayern's lead from growing even larger, but after a bit we once again start regaining the lost ground and pushing Bayern back a bit. It's still futile, though: 38th minute, direct free kick for Sané, and the winger buries it from 25 yards away to score the 1-3. Can't do anything against that. A wide shot from distance by Musiela follows, and then Kretzschmar catches a good header by Lewandowski after a cross from Davies. With that, a very one-sided first half ends.

HALF TIME - 1-3

Warner just can't cope with players of Bayern's level, and we knew that from the start. Musiela shows why once again three minutes into the second half when he receives, forces his way past the right back, and curls it into the back of the net to score Bayern's fourth of the evening. We finally end the American's torture a couple of minutes later, bringing in Gerometta, Dressel, and Forson to try and at least salvage some pride from this disaster of a derby, but not before Sané sends narrowly wide a clear-cut chance to make it even worse for us.

That miss just delays the inevitable, though, and Goretzka actually makes it 1-5 when he finishes a set piece taken by Kimmich from the left wing. Sene tries to answer immediately after a good combination with Steinhart down the left, but this time Neuer dives well to stop the finish and deflect it wide. Kretzschmar does the same on the other goal to prevent another howitzer by Sané to enter his goal. After that, though, Bayern seem satisfied with the result (duh!) and take the foot off the gas, giving us some much needed breathing room. Substitute Mazraoui didn't get the memo, though, and two minutes before full time he breaks in from the right wing and places yet another ball past Kretzschmar, making it 1-6. And that's all, thank the gods.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Sergio Camello 16)
FC Bayern München 6 (Robert Lewandowsky 4, Marc Guehi 20, Leroy Sané 38, Jamal Musiala 48, Leon Goretzka 53, Noussair Mazraoui 88)

- - -

No comment.

Wait, yes, I have a comment. We can lose to Bayern, it's to be expected, but this? This is not acceptable. Worst of all is that it comes to confirm a few things I was starting to see from previous matches, and completely exposed a handful of players who have no business playing in the Bundesliga, no matter how well they did for us in the past or how much promise they seemed to have. Tallig, Tribuzzi, and Sene might have sealed their fates as 1860 players today with their abysmal showings. There'll be movement in the coming transfer window, and possibly before.

Dalbeider · November 18, 2022

Dec 4th 2024

Said and done, Tribuzzi is most likely on his way to Lecce in exchange for €600k. There's currently no interest for Tallig nor Sene, but I might try to drum up something. Tallig's contract runs out in June, though, so there's a good chance we'll just let him go then and keep him as a backup until then, particularly considering Dressel should also be leaving on loan. We'll see.

Dec 5th 2024

Another interesting job opening in Spain I'm linked with, Celta this time. Still no.

Dec 6th 2024

Woohoo, and an even bigger one closer to home: Leverkusen apparently have me in their shortlist. Still no, but the wince when saying so is starting to become more noticeable... For what it's worth, their previous manager, Gerardo Seoane, left to take over Newcastle.

Largely irrelevant injury to third-choice keeper Sven Müller, who will probably not return to the training grounds again after twisting his ankle. Out for four weeks, which is roughly the time left until he leaves for Charlotte FC.

Dec 7th 2024

Tribuzzi confirms his transfer to Lecce in exchange for €600k, which will be effective at the turn of the year. He was solid for us last season in the 2.Bundesliga, but the Bundesliga was a step too far for him, despite a few isolated good performances here and there. He moves to a team with 3 points in 13 fixtures in the Serie A, so it's likely he'll be returning to a second tier league soon. Now we have a decision to make: do we reinvest the money in a replacement, or do we trust Forson to start most/all games and use young Can Sapmaz as his backup? I'm leaning towards this latter option, as this allows us to invest in other areas of the pitch in more serious need of improvement. We can also use other players like Nmecha and Svetlin on the right if needed.

Dec 8th 2024

RasenBallsport Leipzig (1st) vs. TSV 1860 München (14th) (Bundesliga, 15/34)

Ah yes, this is the capital-eff Fun part of the Bundesliga schedule. First Bayern, now the leaders who haven't lost a game in forever and just one all season so far. Oh, and Wolfsburg are next, but at least they lost to Bayern yesterday so that's something. Yeah, not rating my chances too highly unless we change things completely from our last couple of matches. In fact I might try a tactical switch today. Not like we have anything to lose...

* * *

RB LEIPZIG (4-4-2 diamond narrow): Alexander Nübel (GK); Wilfried Singo (DR), Kamil Piatkowski (DCr), Matthias Ginter (DCl), Angeliño (DL); Jakub Moder (DM), Paulo Bernardo (MCr), Moisés Caicedo (MCl), Dani Olmo (AMC); Liel Abada (STr), Musa Barrow (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (3-2-2-1-2): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Albian Hajdari (DCr), Niklas Lang (DC), Linus Gechter (DCl); Francisco Gerometta (WBR), Matheus Pereira (WBL); Erik Majetschak (MCr), Victor Bobsin (MCl); Felix Nmecha (AMC); Sergio Camello (STr), Mamadou Kaly Sene (STl)

* * *

Been a while since we pulled out the 3-5-2 card, huh? It's also been a while since we played against a narrow diamond, so I figured it'd be a good day to clog the center and hope for the best. The goal today is to have as few things happen as possible, and for about thirteen minutes we manage exactly that, somewhat helped by the absence of Leipzig's recently purchased superstar, Patson Daka. Barrow breaks the deadlock with a good-looking shot that Kretzschmar dives to deflect wide, and seconds later Abada finds a gap, funnily enough through the supposedly well-defended middle, and places the ball into the back of the net to give Leipzig the lead. So much for that plan.

Moder almost makes it two with a long-range effort that bounces off the top left corner of our goal, then Kretzschmar has to parry a header by Barrow which looked like it was headed roughly in the same direction. Possession is all theirs, and we struggle to get out of our own half. Even Singo tries his luck from distance, although his aim is terrible and the ball sails miles over. Our first chance comes in the 35th, when Gerometta finds himself with a lot of space on the right and assists Camello, who finds Nübel in the right position to push his finish wide. It's not much, but at least we deny Leipzig any further chances and keep the game close at half time.

HALF TIME - 1-0

The second half starts with a dangerous set piece Abada heads very narrowly over, so close that most of the stadium celebrated it as a goal. This time we don't sit back and take it, though, and a cross by Gerometta a couple of minutes later almost becomes a fantastic chance for Sene, but Ginter dives just in time to prevent his finish. Leipzig hit back with a long ball towards Abada, who nods it at Barrow so the striker can shoot just a bit too high. The game is evening out, though, and that means we still have a chance. We just need to find it.

A long period of relative calm follows, with only a couple of blocked shots near our goal breaking the battle for possession. Eight minutes before the end we find the chance: cross from the left by Steinhart and Forson barges in from midfield, completely unmarked, yet his header misses the target by a foot or two. We try a last minute rush looking for more opportunities to score, but the one who gest the closest is Basic for Leipzig, sending a bit too wide to the right a long-range free kick. There is a last second chance for us, though, and it falls to Steinhart of all people when the wing back enters the box unmarked and tries a lob over Nübel, only to send it wide. We found it, but we couldn't take it.

* * *

RasenBallsport Leipzig 1 (Liel Abada 13)
TSV 1860 München 0

- - -

See? This is how you lose to a top-tier rival, fighting until the last second and keeping it as close as possible. Much better performance today, even if the result was the same in the end. A big shame for those two missed chances in the last few minutes, because a draw here would've been huge. Oh well, good effort. Incidentally, the relegation battle just got silly close, with Mainz scoring three wins on the trot and catching up with both us and Augsburg. We remain 14th on goal difference, but we need points and fast.

Dalbeider · November 20, 2022

Dec 13th 2024

When things don't work, look for solutions. That's what we've done by signing 24yo Argentinian midfielder Matías Miranda from Gimnasia La Plata. An extremely gifted player with fantastic passing and vision, but also a mean long shot and enough pace and technique to be able to play on the wings if needed, Miranda will cost us €2.5M upfront, €1.5M in two yearly installments, and €500k after playing 30 games for us, and will earn €16k a week, making him one of the best paid players in the squad and our most expensive purchase to date. We bring him as a solution to our chronic problems in the playmaker department, and his arrival allows us to use Svetlin (another seriously underperforming player so far this season) in other roles where he might show a better version of himself. A Bundesliga level player for a Bundesliga team, as it should be.

Dec 16th 2024

VfL Wolfsburg (8th) vs. TSV 1860 München (14th) (Bundesliga, 16/34)

Well, that was a fun time against the two best teams in the nation, wasn't it? Time for more reasonable opposition in Wolfsburg, who aren't exactly in the best of forms and seem to be dropping towards midtable, although still within touch of the European places. Their last three fixtures have been defeats, so we might have a chance at stealing something from their stadium today. A small one, though.

* * *

WOLFSBURG (4-2-3-1): Koen Casteels (GK); Ridle Baku (DR), Sebastián Cáceres (DCr), Andy Pelmard (DCl), Jayden Oosterwolde (DL); Elvis Rexhbecaj (MCr), Maximilian Arnold (MCl); Rubén Vargas (AMR), Luka Ivanusec (AMC), Thorgen Hazard (AML); Daishawn Redan (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Matheus Pereira (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)

* * *

No fancy tactical inventions today, just bring our theoretically best players and hope for the best. Except Lang, who rests because he's been pretty bad lately. In Wolfsburg's lineup we come across an old foe in Redan, who we already enjoyed as a rival when loaned to Bielefeld two seasons ago, in what's his just his second Bundesliga game of the season. The reason? Their starting striker Lucas Alario, who is on sixteen goals in fifteen appearances and ties with Lewandowski as the Bundesliga's top scorer, is out with a lower back stress fracture.

Wolfsburg are still more than good enough to dominate us, though, and three minutes in Hajdari is already throwing himself in front of Ivanusec's finish to prevent an early goal. One minute later Baku's incursion into the box from his right wing ends in a shot from a difficult angle that nonetheless gives Kretzschmar quite a bit of trouble. Finally, on the sevent minute, Redan breaks through the center with Gechter chasing him, and the center-back barges on the striker's back inside the box for a clear penalty. Redan himself scores from the spot to inflict us yet another early goal against.

We've barely started playing and we're already trailing, which is wonderful for morale. Majetschak has our first shot at goal three minutes after that penalty, low and weak and easy for Casteels, but it's something. Bobsin is the next one to try from the edge of the box, this time with good power but aiming a tad too high, then Forson sends another weak finish into the keeper's hands. We're slowly but steadily improving and regaining possession of the ball while creating some danger, and that's a good sign. It all comes undone in the 27th minute, though, when Wolfsburg's first attack in a while gets the ball to Redan inside the box, Kretzschmar blocks his first finish, but the ball goes straight back to the striker for an easy tap-in and the 2-0.

Nmecha has our answer with a direct free kick that bounces off the crossbar, as our luck remains as abysmal as our defensive play lately. Majetschak comes next with another long-range effort, this one narrowly over, and that's where our attacks for the first half end, as does the first half itself a few minutes later.

HALF TIME - 2-0

The second half starts with fifteen minutes of nothing, which is obviously not good news for us. Substitutions seem to bring us a bit more life in attack, and on the 62nd minute Forson finally tests Casteels again with a good header after a cross from 't Zand which the keeper misses but the crossbar doesn't. A blocked finish by Sene after a cross from the inverted winger five minutes later also looks dangerous, but Vargas reminds us that Wolfsburg are still dangerous by dribbling past a very inconsistent Gerometta and shooting into Kretzschmar's save. By now thirty minutes have already gone by, and the remaining fifteen pass in an instant without any other chances on either goal.

* * *

VfL Wolfsburg 2 (Daishawn Redan 8p 27)
TSV 1860 München 0

- - -

Frustrating to watch, really. Wolfsburg weren't that good, they just had a couple of good chances and took them while ours went into the woodwork. To be fair though, our abdication in the second half wasn't particularly encouraging either. Let's hope we'll do better when facing teams in "our" league, or we'll be toast.

Dalbeider · November 20, 2022

Dec 20th 2024

TSV 1860 München (15th) vs. FC Augsburg (16th) (Bundesliga, 17/34)

On the topic of teams in "our" league, here's Augsburg! Our rivals, probably only second to Bayern in our fans' to-hate lists, are one of the three teams currently below us on the table, and also come into this game after three consecutive defeats. Sounds weird this early in the season, but this game could be a turning point for both teams. We absolutely need a result today.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Dennis Dressel (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
AUGSBURG (4-4-1-1): Roman Bürki (GK); Benjamin Henrichs (DR), Moritz Jenz (DCr), Jordan Torunarigha (DCl), Iago (DL); André Hahn (MR), Yacine Adli (MCr), Lee Jae-Sung (MCl), Roberto Alvarado (ML); Pascal Gross (AMC); Jonas Wind (ST)

* * *

Dressel returns to the squad after a while, hoping he'll bring some actual desire into our play. For once it's us dominating the early game and dictating the tempo, although it doesn't quite translate into any chances out of the gates, just a couple blocked shots by usual suspects Forson and Majetschak. It's Forson himself who finally tests Bürki for real with a good finish following a nice assist from Camello, although the keeper's response is about as good. On the 12th minute, though, Dressel makes me choosing him a genius move retroactively when he towers over the defense to head into the net a set piece taken by Steinhart. Our first lead in who knows how long.

Augsburg don't seem to have much of a response, their hands tied by their defensive outlook, and it's not long until 't Zand turns around inside the box and tries to curl one into the top corner, missing it by quite a bit. On the 26th a foul near the edge of the box leaves the ball in a fantastic position for a master of the trade like Steinhart, and the veteran left back doesn't disappoint with a picture-perfect free kick into the top right corner for the 2-0. A counter finished by Camello five minutes later almost becomes a third, but the striker's shot misses by a few inches.

The visitors finally show some teeth on the 36th in a quick break through the center that Wind thankfully sends wide, but which serves as a grim reminder that we still haven't won this game. Our lesson learned, we decide to hold onto the ball for the remainder of the first half and preserve our lead at least until half time without any further issues.

HALF TIME - 2-0

Augsburg try pushing their lines a bit further up in the second half, and we say thank you for the extra space for our forwards to run into. Forson is the first to profit from this, although his finish is once again blocked by Bürki, and soon the keeper has more work tipping over the bar a shot by 't Zand after a good combination with Majetschak. Augsburg's answer comes from a deep set piece that Adli manages to reach with his head, but is unable to direct properly towards goal. On the 54th Majetschak runs towards the space in the right wing and crosses for Camello's volley, which is blocked by a defender but falls to Forson for the easiest goal in his career: 3-0 and counting.

The clear lead gives us the chance to rest some exhausted players like Majetschak and give some minutes to Kabadayi, who hadn't featured at all in the last couple of months. Funnily enough, all three substitutes play a key role in our next attack, starting when Kabadayi receives a pass from Svetlin and redirects it first-touch towards Sene who, finally, manages to score his first goal of the season with a well-placed finish. Good feels all around today.

We relax a bit after that fourth goal, and Campos almost punishes us immediately with a flash run on the left flank to gather a through ball from Gross, but the finish is badly wide when the goal looked almost certain. A header by the substitue left winger meets a similar fate on the 83rd minute, sailing over the bar, and Dressel also manages to miss an absolute sitter one minute later with a horrible finish to waste a beautiful assist by Svetlin. It doesn't matter now, though, and after a few more minutes the referee signals the end of the match, returning the feeling of victory to Grünwalder Strasse.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 4 (Dennis Dressel 12, Phillipp Steinhart 26, Amankwah Forson 54, Mamadou Kaly Sene 65)
FC Augsburg 0

- - -

The old guard's last hurrah, perhaps? I don't know if it's the last one or not, but it's clear that Dressel and Steinhart did today what many Bundesliga-worthy players (or so their reports say) have failed to do lately: lead the team to victory. Absolutely fantastic win against a rival team who didn't get a sniff of it until it was too late to matter, fantastic performance by the "veterans", and even a goal for Sene, who might still be redeemable. Now, if they could do this consistently we wouldn't be struggling this much... We end the first half of the season on a high and put some space between us and the relegation playoff. Most important of all, we regain all the self esteem we'd lost recently. A turning point? We'll see.

* * *

| Pos | Inf   | Team                | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | GD    | Pts   | Form  |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st |       | RB Leipzig          | 17    | 13    | 3     | 1     | 38    | 9     | 29    | 42    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd |       | FC Bayern           | 17    | 12    | 2     | 3     | 44    | 20    | 24    | 38    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd |       | Frankfurt           | 17    | 9     | 3     | 5     | 35    | 18    | 17    | 30    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th |       | Bayer Leverkusen    | 17    | 9     | 3     | 5     | 29    | 19    | 10    | 30    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th |       | Borussia Dortmund   | 17    | 8     | 5     | 4     | 31    | 25    | 6     | 29    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th |       | Hertha BSC          | 17    | 7     | 5     | 5     | 21    | 18    | 3     | 26    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th |       | Freiburg            | 17    | 7     | 4     | 6     | 21    | 23    | -2    | 25    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th |       | Wolfsburg           | 17    | 6     | 6     | 5     | 25    | 19    | 6     | 24    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th |       | Fortuna Düsseldorf  | 17    | 6     | 6     | 5     | 20    | 18    | 2     | 24    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th|       | Stuttgart           | 17    | 7     | 3     | 7     | 26    | 26    | 0     | 24    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th|       | Borussia M'gladbach | 17    | 6     | 3     | 8     | 19    | 22    | -3    | 21    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th|       | Köln                | 17    | 4     | 9     | 4     | 24    | 28    | -4    | 21    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th|       | Hoffenheim          | 17    | 4     | 6     | 7     | 16    | 25    | -9    | 18    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th|       | 1860 München        | 17    | 4     | 5     | 8     | 23    | 27    | -4    | 17    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th|       | Mainz               | 17    | 4     | 4     | 9     | 21    | 31    | -10   | 16    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th|       | Augsburg            | 17    | 4     | 2     | 11    | 9     | 31    | -22   | 14    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th|       | Hamburg             | 17    | 2     | 5     | 10    | 16    | 34    | -18   | 11    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th|       | Union Berlin        | 17    | 3     | 2     | 12    | 16    | 41    | -25   | 11    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Only seven points in the last eight matches isn't exactly ideal, but at least we've managed to keep our heads afloat after facing the hardest part of the schedule. We'll need to build up on it in the third quarter, because the final stretch looks like it's going to be another nightmare. One thing gives me hope, though: we've got results against basically everyone in the bottom half, some of them quite fetching like the 4-0 wins over Union and Augsburg. Mainz seem to be recovering from their horrid start, but they're still well stuck in the battle. Hoffenheim and Köln might get dragged down into the mud soon, too, and we actually host the latter in our first match after the break. Promising.

At the top Leipzig keep ahead of Bayern thanks to great consistency and a leak-proof defense, by far the best in the league. Both of them are running away with it, though, and behind them the most surprising thing is seeing Eintracht ahead of both Leverkusen and Dortmund. The fight for the Europa League and Conference League places is wide open, and even some of the bottom half teams (Gladbach and Stuttgart in particular, the former are one of the biggest disappointments so far this side of Mainz) could get involved with a few well-timed wins. Other than the top 2, everything is up for grabs.

* * *

PLAYER STATS
============

Average rating (min. 6 games played):

Phillipp Steinhart             7.04 (9(5) apps)
Erik Majetschak                7.02 (16(2) apps)
Dennis Dressel                 6.98 (6(5) apps)
Linus Gechter                  6.97 (15 apps)
Dries Wouters                  6.95 (8(2) apps)

Goals:

Erij Majetschak                5 goals
Sergio Camello                 5
Amankwah Forson                4
Shiloh 't Zand                 4
Dennis Dressel                 3
Tamar Svetlin                  3

Assists:

Phillipp Steinhart             5 assists
Amankwah Forson                3
Erik Majetschak                3
Felix Nmecha                   3
Yusuf Kabadayi                 2
Sergio Camello                 2

* * *

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Premier League: looks like England is set for another fun battle for the Premier League title, although one among the usual suspects: Man City are top, with Liverpool and Chelsea within a couple of points and Man Utd trailing a bit farther back. Small surprise seeing the likes of Aston Villa and Leeds in the European places, while others like Newcastle, Spurs, and Leicester find themselves closer to mid-table than to the title fight. Also surprising seeing usual Europe hopefuls West Ham in the drop zone, even if only just. Fulham and Stoke are below them, none of them unexpected, while the other relegation favorites Norwich have so far shocked everyone by holding onto an excellent twelfth place.
LaLiga: utter Real Madrid domination, with los Blancos having dropped just three points all season in a surprising away defeat to Osasuna. Barça are second, but already fourteen points behind, and will probably worry more about not losing their place to the chasing Basque duo of Athletic and Real Sociedad. Osasuna's season has been remarkable so far, not just for beating Real but also for sneaking into the Europa League places together with Sevilla, and ahead of a very disappointing Atlético de Madrid. No big surprises in the bottom half, with Granada, Getafe, and Mallorca in the red zone but still with salvation within reach.
Serie A: somehow Italy manages to be almost as one-sided as Spain, with Inter having dropped one more point but still unbeaten in the league, and twelve points ahead of second-place Juventus. Roma, Napoli, Milan, and Atalanta complete the noble zone of the table, with Lazio just outside the European places. At the bottom both Lecce and Venezia look like Serie B teams already, with only 5 and 7 points scored so far respectively. Benevento are the third relegation-threatened team, but they might still pull a third consecutive miracle save, having the likes of Frosinone and Bologna within striking distance.
Ligue 1: shock and horror, PSG are leaders! If anything, considering the trend from Spain and Italy, the shocking part is that they're only four points ahead of the second. It's also somewhat surprising to see Lyon back there, comfortably ahead of Monaco, Metz (another surprising face), Rennes, and Nice, while Marseille languish in seventh place despite having better goal difference than the three teams ahead of them. Paris FC made it to the Ligue 1 for the first time since the seventies, but they're struggling as expected, currently second-to-last with eight points and only ahead of Brest, who look like their streak of consecutive seasons at the top flight is about to end. Clermont are right now in the playoff place.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Dalbeider

Dalbeider · November 22, 2022

Dec 21st 2024

Just as the players depart for the winter holidays we finalize another signing for the upcoming window, this one more for the future: 19yo midfielder Laurin Ulrich joins from Stuttgart in exchange for €235k upfront, €30k after 50 league appearances, and a 40% of future profits, and with a pretty high wage for a youngster worth €5k a week set to rise even further once he gets into a first team dynamic, plus a €5.75M release clause. Ulrich is an extremely promising talent who's already an U19 international and looks set for a great career, but is still a bit raw around the edges. He'll most likely be loaned for what remains of the season and see how he pans out from there.

Add Wolfsburg to the list of teams reportedly interested in me after the sacking of Manuel Baum, who has lasted exactly one year. No interview offers ever came since that last one from Schalke, though, so it might all be the press making up stuff like almost always. It's the same back home in Spain, and now it's Athletic who need a manager and are apparently looking at me. Nice for ego boosts, but nothing else to it.

Dec 22nd 2024

Another transfer for January, this time on a free and coming from Vélez Sársfield: 21yo right back Isaías Andrada joins on a low-risk one-year-and-a-half contract with minimal wages as a bet for the future. The young full back had found himself transfer listed by his formative club without having the chance to debut for the senior team, and comes to Europe looking to kickstart his career. He has some promise, although there's doubt whether he'll make it to a Bundesliga-worthy level or not. At the very least he's extremely cheap both transfer and contract-wise, so nothing lost if he doesn't work out, and at worst he's another backup option for a position we're somewhat weak in, what with Zohouri still being second choice. Depending on what our coaches think when they get a first-hand look at him he might be loaned out like Ulrich, or he might stay as Gerometta's new main backup.

Dec 24th 2024

Christmas present for Kretzschmar, Gerometta, and Steinhart, all of them included in the last Team of the Week of 2024.

Dec 29th 2024

Contract renewal time! This season we only have one first team player whose contract is expiring, and that player is Tallig who's currently transfer-listed and we'll be doing our best to move on the upcoming transfer window, so he doesn't count. The rest are all reserve players, some with more upside than others. The big one among those is Knöferl, who isn't exactly setting the 2.Bundesliga alight with Halle but then again neither are Halle themselves, dead last right now despite (or because?) all the players we've loaned to them. We can afford to offer him a decent €5k deal until June 2027, though, since at least he's showing signs of development and he's still 21. We'll make a final decision about his future in June 2026 at the latest.

On the topic of Tallig, look like he's going to the US of A: DC United offer €825k for him, a fee we'll gladly take considering he could already go on a free come June.

Jan 1st 2025

Happy new year!

Transfer window opens: Miranda, Andrada, and Ulrich join while Tribuzzi and Müller depart. Tallig will probably follow suit soon, and Dressel is already attracting loan interest from St. Pauli, which would be a good destination for him. We'll be looking into signing another box-to-box midfielder to replace him with, probably on loan since next season it's likely that the likes of Wicht or Franzke will enter first team dynamic as backup for Majetschak. Either that or we just use Ulrich in that role and spend our remaining purchasing power to improve some other positions.

On the topic of transfers, the board give me the option to change season expectations. We originally were just expected to fight bravely against relegation, but given how we've been doing so far survival is now an actual possibility, and one I'm more than willing to aim towards. The increase in wage and transfer budget is small (€160k to spend and €10k in weekly wages) but it's better than nothing.

Jan 4th 2025

Tallig agrees a move to DC United and will play for the MLS side starting today. A key player in our promotion from the 3.Liga, he showed glimpses of a greater potential but he never could repeat that performance in the upper leagues. Already borderline in the 2.Bundesliga, the promotion to the top flight left him without a place in the team, and the few times he played he was disappointing or worse. A shame he never quite reached his potential, but we can't afford to wait anymore. Good luck to him in America.

Remember when Bayern bought Kevin Volland for €93M a year and a half ago, gifting us a nice solidarity fee in the process? Well, he's about to leave on a free transfer after a grand total of five Bundesliga appearances and a couple showings in the cup and Champions League. Nice piece of business there, although I guess it shows that Bayern don't really care about wasting almost a hundred million on a fringe player with no return whatsoever.

* * *

TSV 1860 München vs. Heracles Almelo (Friendly)

Our winter friendly brings Dutch side Heracles, a team we've had dealings with in the past when they bought Moll and Goden from us, to Grünwalder Strasse. They're both in their starting eleven, actually, which is nice to see. The match is very much in our favor from the start, although it takes us until the 27th for 't Zand to put into the net a cross by Forson and translate our domination into an actual lead. The second half brings the second unit into play, our domination intensifies even further, but the result doesn't change at all despite a good amount of chances. Solid debuts for the new guys.

TSV 1860 München 1 (Shiloh 't Zand 27)
Heracles Almelo 0

Dalbeider · November 23, 2022

Jan 7th 2025

Scratch the interest on Dressel, apparently St. Pauli no longer want him. And funnily enough, neither does he want to leave anymore, it seems. Looks like we'll have to either keep him or sell him, and there doesn't seem to be any interest on the latter either. Hm.

Jan 8th 2025

Meanwhile, we finalize a signing for the next season: Shiloh 't Zand will be joining us permanently! The winger has been quite solid so far (well, for the poor standards set by our attacking players anyway), and at 21 years old he's still supposed to improve quite a bit, so signing him on a free transfer was a no-brainer. He comes with a very reasonable €11.25k weekly wage and a €5M release clause for clubs in continental competitions, which isn't ideal but at least guarantees a pretty decent profit should anyone want to sign him.

One who moves out on loan is recent signing Jonathan Perez, who'll be heading back to North America to join Canadian side Monterey Bay until the end of the season. No wages paid, but he's on peanuts anyway. We'll see if the playing time he'll get there will help him develop into either a quality player or a valuable asset.

Jan 9th 2025

One day later another of our recent purchases leaves on loan, with Andrada joining Chacarita Jrs., a team where he'll be playing more than here and improving, or so we hope. They also pay his whole wages, small as they are.

Jan 11th 2025

We managed to sign 't Zand, but we failed to do so with our second free transfer target for the 2025/26 season, Hajdari. We did make him a good offer, but in the end the Juventus player will join Utrecht come June. A shame, he's been really solid for us these two years and I'd have loved to have him permanently, but alas, we'll have to move on. That's one position we'll most certainly have to reinforce come the summer.

Jan 12th 2025

TSV 1860 München (14th) vs. 1.FC Köln (12th) (Bundesliga, 18/34)

Back to the fray, and back to "our" league with an important home match against Köln, who currently sit only four points ahead of us and could be brought down into the battle for survival if they lose today. The more teams involved the better for us, so we'll do our best to continue on what we started against Augsburg.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Matheus Pereira (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
KÖLN (4-2-3-1): Timo Horn (GK); Noah Katterbach (DR), Nathan Phillips (DCr), Stephan Ambrosius (DCl), Jonas Hector (DL); Dominik Yankov (MCr), Yannick Gerhardt (MCl); Jan Thielmann (AMR), Ondrej Duda (AMC), Linton Maina (AML); Janni Serra (ST)

* * *

Miranda makes his debut today as our playmaker and Pereira returns to the left back position, but otherwise we keep the same eleven that thrashed Augsburg. And well, Köln seem like they want to win this game, too, creating a chance within fifteen seconds with a long pass towards Thielmann on the right side of the box that Kretzschmar thankfully turns into nothing with a good save. A high header by Gerhardt in a corner kick follows while we still haven't settled on the pitch, then Kretzschmar has more work to do deflecting wide a dangerous close-range finish by Maina. That corner kick ends with Yankov shooting from the edge of the box, Pereira blocking, and Hector pouncing on the rebound to score the 0-1 only nine minutes into the match.

We seemed to need that punch in the face to wake up, and only two minutes later Majetschak is already testing Horn with one of his finishes on the run, well stopped by the keeper. It's not the start of a comeback, though, and Köln soon regain control and keep probing at our defence with dangerous runs and long passes behind our backs. Kretzschmar saves us again with a great reflex save to a piledriver from distance by Katterbach, then Serra sends the rebound into the sidenetting. Then it's Duda who misses a sitter after a bad clearance by the keeper is intercepted by Serra. Once again we seem to be unable to deal with high pressing lines, our defenders unable to get the ball out and our forwards unable to bring down any clearances we attempt.

Another chance falls to Serra on the 24th minute, but thankfully the striker seems to have his aim a bit rusty today, and he shoots wide with all the time and space in the world. Four minutes later we finally find a way to attack, Forson sending a cross towards 't Zand whose finish goes straight into Horn's hands. Serra answers with another missed chance, this time a narrowly high header in a dangerous set piece. We're finally starting to attack with some regularity now, though, Majetschak sending wide a flat shot from the edge of the box in our next approach. A couple more end in shots blocked by defenders, but time runs out before we can turn them into anything more tangible. Trailing at half time.

HALF TIME - 0-1

The second half starts like the first, with Köln trying their best to overwhelm us and with substitute Pedrinho sending a pretty good chance into Kretzschmar's arms. Things slow down rapidly, though, although that also means we're not creating any danger, either. Sene and Nmecha come into the pitch to try and bring some change into the match, and a bit later it's Svetlin who replaces Miranda, disappointing in his debut. Nothing seems to make a dent on Köln's super controlled stance, and we fail to create even a single notable chance in more than thirty minutes of play.

Desperation breeds carelessness, and Köln soon find a way to exploit our advanced lines when Pedrinho sees substitute striker Andersson's movement through the center and sends the ball ahead of him. Kretzschmar's rush goes nowhere and Andersson scores with a calm finish to make it 0-2 with only seven minutes remaining. We capitulate right then, and the only team to create danger in the remianing minutes is Köln, although thankfully none of their tries becomes another goal. A thoroughly deserved defeat.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 0
1.FC Köln 2 (Jonas Hector 9, Sebastian Andersson 83)

- - -

Bad game, bad result. We're talking about Köln here, not Bayern or Leipzig, and they still overwhelmed us as if it were nothing. We played much better in our first meeting with them, for instance. Seriously considering tactical changes, there's got to be something wrong with our playmaker position because no matter who plays there, they never perform as they should.

Dalbeider · November 24, 2022

Jan 14th 2025

From bad to worse: Bobsin strains his thigh in training and will be out for 3-4 weeks. He was already going to miss our next fixture due to suspension, but this hurts a bit more. Good thing Wouters remains a solid alternative and we have other players who can fill in in case of emergency.

Jan 16th 2025

Valencia, huh. Now that's a team where I'd most certainly NOT want to go, considering all the shenanigans the club has been involved with in the last decade or so. Still the press apparently want me to be a candidate, so hey, let them talk.

Meanwhile we complete another signing, a loan this time, and our second Juventus player together with Hajdari: 18yo winger Lorenzo Guzzo joins until the end of the season in a deal in which we pay his €12k weekly wages plus an extra €92k per month (double that if he doesn't play), and we have an optional €5.5M clause to buy him should we want to make the deal permanent. Young as he is, Guzzo is an absolute superstar in the making, capable of playing as a traditional winger on the right, an inverted winger on the left, or even a quite competent false nine. Very determined, with great passing and natural fitness, he might not automatically steal the starting place from any of our current wing players, but he's surely a great option to have on the bench and as a rotation player. It's unlikely he'll be interested in signing permanently even if we manage to afford the fee, but hey, better to have the option and not use it than the other way around.

Another youngster from the reserves, American center-back Ian Fray, will be moving back to his country in June to join Nashville on a free. Never developed beyond what he already was when we signed him, so this was a likely exit. A bet that didn't pan out, but which didn't cost us anything anyway.

Jan 18th 2025

Young defensive midfielder Riza Gundak moves to Denizilspor on loan until the end of the season in order to get some playing minutes under his belt. He's one of our most promising youngsters, so we'll be keeping an eye on him. Meanwhile neither Sapmaz nor Kabadayi seem to attract any loan attention, which is both surprising and worrying.

As a result I've asked the board to see if we can get an affiliate team we can just send our youngsters needing playing time to, ideally somewhere with good facilities and not in danger of relegating out of the professional leagues. Hansa Rostock look like the best option, given they have a solid foundation and are currently leading the 3.Liga. We'll see how it goes and, more importantly, if it happens before the window shuts down.

- - -

Hertha BSC (6th) vs. TSV 1860 München (14th) (Bundesliga, 19/34)

Well, if we can't even compete against Köln, we shouldn't even dream of stealing anything from Hertha. Yet we did steal a point against them in our stadium back in the early season, so who knows. We come into this game with a few tactical tweaks to try and make our playmaking work better and create more danger, so there's that hope to cling to, at least.

* * *

HERTHA (4-2-3-1): Dominik Livakovic (GK); Pedro Porro (DR), Niklas Stark (DCr), Pascal Strujik (DCl), Rogério (DL); Julian Weigl (MCr), Suat Serdar (MCl); Florian Neuhaus (AMR), Brais Méndez (AMC), Nemanja Motika (AML), Krzysztof Piatek (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)

* * *

Some rotation today, particularly on our always problematic left wing in which Pereira keeps disappointing everytime he plays while Steinhart remains as solid as ever, plus the mandatory replacement of Bobsin with Wouters. Our players seem to be hungrier today, pressing high and stealing the ball in dangerous situations from the first minute. A first chance soon follows, coming through our left with Nmecha crossing and new guy Miranda shooting narrowly over. He's also been given more freedom to go forward and look for goals and assists, which should help put him more under the focus.

Hertha soon recover control of the ball, although they're still mostly moving it inside their own half. Their first approach also comes from the left, and ends with Motika crossing from a dangerous position, Kretzschmar diving to block the cross, and Piatek kicking the loose ball into the root of the post. The match is slow and without much space for the forwards to show off, though, and it takes until the 34th for the next chance to arrive. Too bad Porro's cross from the right reaches Piatek in a perfect position and the striker doesn't miss, scoring the 1-0.

Our reaction comes swiftly, with Nmecha finding Forson with space ahead only for the winger to shoot way off target, although to be fair to him he was under heavy pressure. On the other end of the pitch another cross by Porro finds Neuhaus's head, although this time Kretzschmar is there to save. Another shot by Brais Méndez goes over the bar on the 41st, but three minutes later Méndez tries again, this time left-footed, and curls an absolute beauty into the back of our net, doubling Hertha's lead just before half time.

HALF TIME - 2-0

Steinhart and Nmecha leave the field after the break, the latter exhausted and the former completely incapable of defending his wing. The match is still under Hertha's complete control, though, and we even gift them extra chances through bad passes, like Hajdari does five minutes in so Piatek can shoot into Kretzschmar's diving save. Gerometta picks up his fifth yellow of the season and will sit through our next game, which might not be a bad thing considering his performance today. Méndez continues putting pressure on our goal with a header on a corner kick that bounces on the crossbar and over, and the third might not be much longer.

With nothing to lose we decide to give young Guzzo a few minutes of the bench on the right side of our attack, replacing a once again anonymous Forson. Chances still happen mostly on the other side, though, this time with Méndez crossing towards Motika for another good save by Kretzschmar, maybe our best player today. He shows his quality again by saving and grabbing hold of a dangerous header by Stark in a corner kick, just before a minor miracle happens: cross by Miranda from the left wing and Majetschak outjumps everyone to head it into the back of the net. Suddenly, we're back.

The goal gives us a boost, and Guzzo's silky runs down the right wing bring some fear into Hertha's fans' hearts. Our attack is more flashy than effective, though, and time passes quickly without any further chances to keep our momentum going. On the 86th all our hopes are gone when Gechter commits a penalty for pushing Méndez inside the box. Pedro Porro, possibly man of the match today in his debut, scores from the spot and the game is once again set. We get a glimmer of hope back when Majetschak scores again in injury time, this time finishing a great cross by 't Zand, but time runs out on us before we can even start believing.

* * *

Hertha BSC 3 (Krzysztof Piatek 34, Brais Méndez 44, Pedro Porro 86p)
TSV 1860 München 2 (Erik Majetschak 67 90+2)

- - -

Slightly better, I guess, in that we did pretty well until Hertha scored and had some good moments in the second half, but we still were nowhere near deserving a win in this match. Flashes of quality from new kid Guzzo, and surprisingly effective appearance off the bench by Pereira, who was about to lose his place in the rotation. Some bright spots, but still another loss. Also Gechter has already given up a few silly penalties like today's, something he needs to work on.

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Einmal Löwe, immer Löwe - a(nother) 1860 story

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