Dalbeider

Feb 2nd 2026 Transfer window closes at 6 PM, but we've already done all our business. All that might remain is finding someone willing to take Steinhart (no luck so far) and maybe loaning some of our youngsters out, although there's also little interest so far. No plans of any purchases unless someone gets poached at the last second. The day is pretty calm at the office, except that St. Pauli try to get Ulrich on loan. I might have accepted at the start of the season, but right now I need him around, and they're offering only a squad player status, so he might not even play much more there than with us. Not to mention they'd only pay 10% of his wages. Rejected. Finally we find a place for Steinhart to spend what remains of his contract: Darmstadt, currently 8th in the 2.Bundesliga, who take him on a free loan as a squad player. A pretty good fit for a player of his calibre, I'd say. Literally the last deal to sneak under the deadline in Germany, too. Feb 3rd 2026 1.FC Union Berlin vs. TSV 1860 München (DFB Pokal, 3rd round) And back to the cup, with 2.Bundesliga promotion hopefuls Union Berlin as a difficult but not excessively so hurdle to jump over and make the quarterfinals for the first time since my arrival. Our main enemy will be tiredness, with most of our starters still reeling from the effort against Hertha only three days ago. Our rotation players should do well enough to see us through today, though. * * * UNION BERLIN (4-2-3-1): Frederik Ronnow (GK); Lukas Klünter (DR), Reece Oxford (DCr), Dominique Heintz (DCl), Jarrad Branthwaite (DL); Rani Khedira (MCr), Paul Jaeckel (MCl); Robert Wagner (AMR), Max Meyer (AMC), Lucas Höler (AML), Miguel De la Fuente (ST) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Laurin Ulrich (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) * * * As expected lots of rotation today, although Lomónaco has to await his debut on the bench for now, since Stjepanovic is available and fit. Union lost Jakub Kaminski, probably their best player, a few days ago to Sampdoria and his replacements haven't exactly filled their fans with hope for the future. We give them more reason to be pessimistic four minutes in: Ulrich controls the ball in midfield and spots Miranda's run into the box, so he sends the ball over the defense so the Argentinian catches a spectacular volley to score the 0-1. Beautiful. Union strike right back with a quick cross by Wagner into Höler's header, narrowly over, but we soon hit them again through Moura and 't Zand, the first assisting and the second shooting into Ronnow's difficult fingertip save. We dominate the early game possession with ease, and even score a clearly offside goal in a set piece that Rijkhoff heads into the net before seeing it disallowed. Another set piece is what Union use to hit us with next, and it's a good one: Meyer passes alongside the edge of the box towards Wagner, who doesn't hesitate to hit a 20-yarder next to the post and past Quintero to draw the game. We remain calm, although Quintero soon has to block a header by Höler after another run down the right flank by De la Fuente. Union ride the high from their goal for a few minutes more before we restablish control and start pushing them back again. A cross from Moura towards Vuskovic that the defensive midfielder finishes with a low shot into Ronnow's save is our first attempt in a while, and a pretty decent one at that. On the other goal it's Höler again with a header, this time well held by Quintero. In the 39th Ulrich creates another clear-cut chance with a through ball towards Rijkhoff, who can't get past Ronnow with his finish. That's the last real chance of the first half, which dies with both teams still tied. HALF TIME - 1-1 Fifteen seconds and Sapmaz's first good cross of the evening is all we need to create danger right out of the gates, Rijkhoff's header meeting the same fate as all his finishes so far today: Ronnow's hands. One minute later a nice combination through the left and center ends with 't Zand getting another good chance stopped by the keeper, and in the 49th a barge on Vuskovic just a few inches inside the box prompts the ref to point to the spot. Miranda buries the penalty for his and our second of the match, and our lead is finally restored. Union react to our quickfire attacks with a run down the right by Klünter and a cross for, who else, Höler, who once again sees his header stopped by Quintero. Miranda needs to be replaced by Majetschak soon despite being on a hattrick, and Vagnoman also comes in to try and stop Höler from getting so much space for his headers. It's not him who gets the next, though, but Jaeckel, who nods a corner kick straight into the crossbar in Union's best chance in a while. We're suddenly struggling, and Meyer is the next one to test Quintero with a direct free kick that the keeper barely manages to swat off the top left corner. It was coming, and it comes in the end: quick counterattack by Union, the ball ends in Wagner's feet on the right side of the box, and his quick low pass towards Meyer is turned into a powerful finish that Quintero can only watch as it hits the back of the net. Back to the drawing board once again. Union keep attacking even after the goal, and soon a through ball towards Höler turns into another great chance and another great save by Quintero. Urko for Vuskovic is our final substitution as we try to reignite our midfield's engine, which apparently stalled as soon as we scored the 1-2. That seems to work in at least stopping Union's attacks, and the following minutes are calm on both goals, so much so that we go all the way into the 89th minute before something happens, said something being a weak shot by Sapmaz that Ronnow saves with ease. Injury time brings no changes, and we head into extra time with lots of uncertainties. FULL TIME - 2-2 We quickly spend our extra substitution to bring Bustos in 't Zand's place, hoping for fresher legs to give us the edge upfront. And it works, although not through this substitution: an attack down the right led by Vagnoman and Sapmaz ends with Majetschak receiving the ball inside the box, and the midfielder passes low towards Rijkhoff so the striker can rifle it past Ronnow and score the 2-3. Then it's back to the mines, trying to hold Union back as they go for the inevitable reaction, starting with a shot by De la Fuente that Quintero saves and holds. It's not all defense, though, and a cross by Vagnoman towards Bustos ends with his header bouncing off the crossbar. We hold on without any further scares until the end of the first fifteen minutes, but in injury time a corner kick is headed into the crossbar by Barkok and Heintz pounces on the rebound to make it 3-3. Once more with feeling. Both teams are exhausted by now, but Stjepanovic doesn't care: the defender barges into midfield and assists Majetschak, who shoots low and right next to the root of the post from just outside the box and scores the fourth only three minutes into the second half of extra time. And then back to the same old song: cross from the right by Karbownik towards Höler, who gets his umpteenth finish blocked by Quintero and sent wide, a corner kick that Oxford then heads wide. Quintero performs once again tipping over a point-blank finish by De la Fuente in the 111th minute, just before they throw caution to the wind and change into a 3-4-3-ish formation. That change actually works in our favor, since it allows us to keep the ball better and let the minutes pass until the referee calls for the end. Suffering with a reward at the end hurts less. * * * 1.FC Union Berlin 3 (Robert Wagner 16, Max Meyer 65, Dominique Heinz 105+2) TSV 1860 München 4 (Matías Miranda 4 49p, Julian Rijkhoff 94, Erik Majetschak 108) - - - Gods, what a game. We were on the driving seat for most of it, but never quite managed to keep moving forward whenever we took the lead. In the end, though, Majetschak gave us the punch we needed, funnily enough after being absolutely atrocious in regular time after coming in for the excellent Miranda. Great game by Quintero on goal, too, despite conceding thrice. A hard-fought win which sees us reach the quarterfinals, and from here on anything can happen.

Jan 27th 2026 Majetschak is our representative in the Team of the Week this time. Jan 30th 2026 We make another one of our random youth signings, once again betting on a South American player which looks to have some serious potential: 19yo Colombian striker Juan Mosquera, formerly in Deportivo Cali, joins on a free transfer on nominal wages. A fast and nimble forward with good pace and dribbling but somewhat short in finishing ability, he could have potential for at least some mid-term profit, even if he doesn't make the first team in the end. We'll try to loan him out and see how he develops, and if he turns out to be another dud then nothing of value was lost. Jan 31st 2026 TSV 1860 München (7th) vs. Hertha BSC (3rd) (Bundesliga, 21/34) Yes, third, which is amazing for Hertha by the way, but only four points ahead of us, and given our home form I don't think they're beyond our reach by any means. The thing is, this is a difficult week because we'll be playing in the DFB Pokal in only three days, so we'll have to balance the minutes very carefully if we want to stay competitive throughout. * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Josha Vagnoman (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST) HERTHA (4-3-3): Oliver Baumann (GK); Pedro Porro (DR), Andrew Omobamidele (DCr), Pascal Strujik (DCl), Fredrik Bjorkan (DL); Lucas Tousart (DM), Julian Weigl (MCr), Florian Neuhaus (MCl); Brais Méndez (AMR), Nemanja Motika (AML), Krzysztof Piatek (ST) * * * Urko returns to the lineup after his injury, since Stjepanovic is nursing a minor knock and I'd rather have him fully fit for the cup. Some rotation in other positions, too, although we'll most likely need the likes of Sapmaz and Ulrich to step in during the second half. It's another stormy day with lots of water on the pitch today, which Hertha seem to adapt better to as they score an offside goal only three minutes in, correctly disallowed by VAR. Their second attempt in the 8th minute is valid, though: Weigl passes into the box for Motika and the left winger curls it into the top corner to give Hertha an early lead. We slowly rebuild ourselves, progressively regaining possession from Hertha after their overbearing start, but in the 17th minute a corner kick taken by Porro is headed with power by Omobamidele and the 0-2 becomes a reality in their second shot on target of the game. Their first miss is a header by Méndez that Kretzschmar catches five minutes later, while we still can't seem to find a way past their midfield. And so the game continues on and on, with only a few minor approaches by Hertha and absolutely nothing from our attackers, until the first half is over with no further goals nor anything remotely resembling one. HALF TIME - 0-2 The screaming in the dressing room was inevitable, and the immediate reaction very welcome: five minutes into the second half we finally do our usual passing play, and eventually Manu Sánchez finds Nmecha running ahead of Porro and sends the ball through to him so the inside forward can place it into the net and bring us back into the match. A weak header by Piatek to Neuhaus's cross from the left is Hertha's answer, but after that the game becomes mired down in midfield again and it's time for substitutions: Rijkhoff and Sapmaz are the first to come in, and 't Zand follows soon after due to Nmecha's exhaustion. Time passes and only a high header by Strujik in a corner kick breaks the boredom for both teams' fans. That one came in the 71st minute, and it takes until the 88th for something else to happen, that being a clearly offside goal by Rijkhoff that doesn't change the score in any way. But right after Hertha restart the game Rijkhoff himself steals the ball, passes it to the right for Sapmaz, and the youngster crosses low towards the far post so 't Zand can tap it in and draw the game. All three subs working together to score a last-minute draw, nice. In injury time Tousart heads a corner kick wide for Hertha, and that's it. One point for each team in the end. * * * TSV 1860 München 2 (Felix Nmecha 50, Shiloh 't Zand 89) Hertha BSC 2 (Nemanja Motika 8, Andrew Omobamidele 17) - - - Fair result in the end, but we really love making it hard for ourselves, don't we. Another game in which we had to work hard to fix our early mistakes, and which thankfully ended in a decent result, but which we could just as easily have lost given how hard it was to create anything under these weather conditions. Good impact by our subs once again, and another pretty bad game for Urko in defense. Tempted to look for another center back in the remaining days of transfer window just so we can use him exclusively as a midfielder, he does better there. And said and done, because things apparently happen in a flash with the end of the window so close: we sign Benfica's 24yo Argentinian center back Kevin Lomónaco for €3.3M plus 20% of future profits. A solid ball-playing defender very much like Stjepanovic (and Gechter and Hajdari before him), he's good defensively (of course) but also comes with a surprising amount of flair for a defensive player. The fee we paid for him is a bargain given his market value, and the wages (€17.75k per week) very reasonable, even more considering he comes with no release clauses whatsoever. I'd like for him to work with our coaches to remove some undesirable tendencies in his play (like apparently loving to beat opponents repeatedly, which er, I'd rather not have in our center backs), but otherwise a signing I'm very happy with. He'll rotate with Stjepanovic in one of our two slots at the back, with Lang and Hadzic in the other and Urko freed for midfield duties as Vuskovic's main alternative in the anchor.

Jan 19th 2026 Bobsin finally departs for Corinthians, leaving €2.7M and lots of peace and tranquility behind. Jan 20th 2026 Stjepanovic scores a place in the Team of the Week. Then karma decides we need some bad news to compensate so much good happening lately and brings a training injury to Entrena. Just like Urko one week ago, pulled ankle ligaments for two to three weeks of rest. Not ideal but we'll cope. Jan 24th 2026 Borussia Mönchengladbach (6th) vs. TSV 1860 München (7th) (Bundesliga, 20/34) Don't think anyone would expect us to be playing a six-pointer for the Europa League places any time in this season, but here we are. Van Bommel's Gladbach are right in front of us in the table and only four points away, so a win here would bring us really close to that particular target. Let's see if we can stop gifting goals to the opposition when playing away and we might actually have a chance here. * * * GLADBACH (4-2-3-1): Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK); Arbnor Aliu (DR), Cheick Doucouré (DCr), Igor Diveev (DCl), Luca Netz (DL); Gianluca Busio (MCr), Elvis Rexhbecaj (MCl); Breel Embolo (AMR), Nedim Bajrami (AMC), Raúl Moro (AML), Marcus Thuram (ST) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) * * * Entrena and Urko can't play today, so that means Karlsen gets his first call-up to the senior team and might actually play some minutes in the second half if circumstances allow. Our woes with conceding early in our away games continue, and six minutes into the game a deep set piece taken by Moro from the right wing is volleyed in by Embolo with both Kretzschmar and the whole defense watching. And they are right to do so: he is offside, and the goal is called off. We strike back quickly thanks to Rijkhoff's tireless pressing intercepting a pass between the center backs and shooting into Mamardashvili's fingertip save. We're doing fine in possession, and our few chances are actually quite good, including a shot by Bustos after gathering a loose ball inside the box that's once again denied by Mamardashvili. Next up is Maldini, whose shot meets the same fate, then Majetschak smashes the ball on Diveev on the rebound. Meanwhile Gladbach haven't managed a single (legal) shot at goal in over twenty minutes. Even Mamardashvili's clearances turn into chances for us sometimes, as when he kicks the ball straight into Rijkhoff's head in the 25th minute, although the striker is as surprised as everyone else and doesn't have the time to aim it correctly, sending it wide in the end. One minute later Thuram finally gets a header in after a corner kick, well saved by Kretzschmar but still their first real attempt at goal, which we answer with a long pass by Bustos towards Rijkhoff, who once again shoots wide with his left foot. Another steal by Majetschak on the pressure allows him a chance to shoot, but it's a weak one and Mamardashvili has no trouble catching it, and a few minutes later he sends a good through ball towards Bustos who hits it with more power, but with the same result in the end: saved by the keeper. Another assist by Majetschak in the 43rd, another shot by Rijkhoff, another save by Mamardashvili, a song we've heard many times in this first half but which keeps looping and looping, leaving us still goalless at half time. HALF TIME - 0-0 Slow start to the second half, with Gladbach seeming to increase the pace a bit and actually getting closer to Kretzschmar's goal, although without any real danger. A distant header by Embolo after Moro's cross from the left is the closest they get in the early minutes, and that one's an easy catch for Kretzschmar. Then, in our first real attack after the break, Sánchez assists Bustos inside the box so the forward can shoot into yet another block by Mamardashvili, but this time Majetschak is there to get the rebound and pass it into the back of the net. Finally ahead. Vagnoman for Gerometta is our first substitution, since the right back's performance has been somewhat suspect today. Not much happens in the minutes that follow our goal, and after a while a solid but tired Miranda leaves his place to Ulrich, while Karlsen debuts in Maldini's place, moving Bustos to the right. Gladbach don't try again until the 76th with a dangerously close bending shot by Soteldo after a set piece which misses the target by inches. The ball is theirs now, but they don't seem to do much profitable with it, and so we reach injury time, where Mamardashvili saves another shot by Majetschak while his partners fail to give us any trouble in defense. Thus the game ends in our victory, and suddenly we can start dreaming big. * * * Borussia Mönchengladbach 0 TSV 1860 München 1 (Erik Majetschak 57) - - - Really, really good job. Mamardashvili earned himself a man of the match award today, which should speak miles about how much better we were for most of the game. Only in the final minutes we took a step back and let Gladbach do their thing, which mostly consisted in passing the ball around without any attacking aim. We're now one point behind the sixth place (and two behind the fourth!), and we even put some (small) space between us and Leverkusen behind. Also, 33 points already, only two away from the magic 35, in case relegation was still a worry. Elsewhere, Bayern's second draw in the last three fixtures sees Dortmund regain the top of the league.

Jan 12th 2026 And here's our new center back, a bet for the future that's almost sure to pay off: 18-year-old (yet two times senior international for Bosnia) Amer Hadzic joins on a €2.1M transfer, no clauses attached since it was his release clause back in Austria Wien. A no-nonsense defender very much in the style of Lang, fantastic in the air and with outstanding work ethic and bravery, this kid is bound for great things and is already good enough to start for us, even if he's half a step behind Lang and Stjepanovic in quality. The only bad thing about this deal is that we couldn't dodge a €5.5M release clause in his contract, which is extremely likely to feel very small in just a few months' time. His wages are also very low, so there's a good chance we'll have to offer him a new deal before the end of the natural year. Jan 14th 2026 Urko will miss two weeks with pulled ankle ligaments, nothing serious but enough to take him out for our next two fixtures, just when I was planning to give him more minutes in our midfield. Jan 15th 2026 Bayern solve Neuer's inheritance problem with one simple step: pay Arsenal €82M for Aaron Ramsdale, a quality keeper in his prime. Not bad. Jan 17th 2026 TSV 1860 München (8th) vs. 1.FC Nürnberg (12th) (Bundesliga, 19/34) Back home with Nürnberg visiting, one of the few teams we've managed to steal something from away from home, and so far they've been doing a pretty good job at staying well above the relegation battle, which is a success for both them and us. They're only six points behind us, so they have to be respected, but we should have enough in ourselves to beat them without too much trouble today. Emphasis on "should". * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) NÜRNBERG (4-4-2): Christian Mathenia (GK); Maksim Paskotsi (DR), Alex Pascanu (DCr), Armel Bella-Kotchap (DCl), Jannes Horn (DL); Facundo Pellistri (MR), Ilai Madmon (MCr), Aleksandar Jukic (MCl), Mats Moller Daehli (ML); Inaki Larthirigoyen (STr), Manuel Wintzheimer (STl) * * * Debut for Hadzic and rotation in various other positions, while Urko and Vagnoman miss out due to injury and suspension respectively. The pitch of Grünwalder Stadion is waterlogged due to heavy rain today, which won't exactly help our passing play. We still do pretty well in the early game, Nmecha soon creating a decent chance for Rijkhoff that the striker sends over the bar, while Nürnberg take a bit longer to get their first shot in, a wide long shot by Pellistri after a set piece is cleared from our penalty area. The real danger arrives in the 21st minute when Stjepanovic eats a long pass over his head and Larthirigoyen almost turns that mistake into a goal, only stopped by the post. Medina brings us back into the attacking action with a long shot straight into Mathenia's hands, but we're struggling a lot to create anything today, most certainly not helped by all the water. Vuskovic finally finds the way in the 39th minute, and it's simple: vertical pass through the center into the box so Majetschak can collect and shoot into the back of the net. Okay, VAR had to double-check his position because he was really close to being offside, but it was good in the end. One minute later another gap opens for Manu Sánchez to run through, stop, then pass back to Nmecha so the inside forward can curl it into the top corner, a very Thierry Henry-like goal for our 2-0. Even new kid Hadzic joins the party in the final minutes of the half with a well-placed shot that Mathenia barely blocks in time, and Rijkhoff wastes a good run behind the defense in injury time with a wide finish. Still, good result at the break. HALF TIME - 2-0 We continue our newfound attacking flair in the early second half, with Nmecha almost getting a second with a shot into the near post that Mathenia blocks over the goal line. Nürnberg wake up not much later with a high ball from distance by Wintzheimer, and on the other goal Vuskovic finds Sapmaz with another through ball from deep but Mathenia manages to dive at the right moment to prevent the winger from scoring, then Rijkhoff heads the corner kick very narrowly over. Ulrich and Bustos enter the game shortly after, with Entrena following not much later. Nürnberg finally create real danger in the 70th minute with a pass into space for Bidstrup's run from deep, but the midfielder can't stay calm in the crucial moment and blasts the ball into high orbit when one-on-one against Kretzschmar, who still hasn't had any real work to do. A wide finish by Nmecha follows, once again assisted by an excellent Vuskovic, but in the 78th Nürnberg finally find the way with another long ball over Stjepanovic and into Larthirigoyen's feet, with the striker finding space and time to control, dodge Kretzschmar's rush, and score with ease. It's time for nerves, but we keep our heads cool and maintain control despite Nürnberg threateing with random counterattacks from time to time. We reach injury time without further incident, and then Rijkhoff and Bustos have a fantastic double chance to seal the deal, but first Mathenia and then Horn block both forwards' finishes and all we get is a corner kick, which Hadzic proceeds to head a couple inches over the crossbar. Nürnberg try pumping balls into the box as a last resort, but our teenagers at the back hold their ground and secure the win for us. * * * TSV 1860 München 2 (Erik Majetschak 39, Felix Nmecha 40) 1.FC Nürnberg 1 (Iñaki Larthirigoyen 78) - - - Good show, even if we had to suffer a bit at the end. We really had the game under control most of the time, and those two strokes of genius at the end of the first half turned our good play into an actual lead we could ride until the end. Great game for Vuskovic and our whole defense, although Kretzschmar conceded on Nürnberg's one and only shot on target. That was Miranda's 30th league game for us, so Gimnasia La Plata get the agreed €500k fee. Worth it, I'd say, even though it wasn't his best performance of the year by any stretch. He's been picking Majetschak's slack as the engine that makes our midfield tick, adding both goals and assists and looking dangerous coming in from deep, and I'm really happy to see him finally finding his place in our team.

Dec 24th 2025 In the middle of the winter break, it's time to start preparing for the upcoming transfer window. Wouters and Steinhart are offered out to fulfill my promise to them, although we'll try to move on the former permanently. There are some transfer offers for Wouters coming from Belgium, Switzerland, and the 2.Bundesliga, but nothing for Steinhart so far. Worth noting that we're getting a new midfielder added to the mix in January since Karlsen will join on a free, although he's likely to either be loaned out or play very limited minutes, since he's only 17 and needs a lot of work to become first-team ready. Dec 27th 2025 Late Christmas present: Victor Bobsin agrees a €2.7M transfer to Corinthians. I was afraid he was gonna reject the bids once again, but apparently the Brazilian team offered him a tasty contract to entice him to return back home, and off he goes. Good riddance. He was solid last season, but his attitude since this summer has been appalling, and I have no place in my team for players like that. Jan 1st 2026 Transfer window opens! Karlsen joins and moves to the U19s for now, Andrada returns from loan and is immediately transfer listed just in case someone is desperate enough to pay for a mediocre player in an expiring contract. Bobsin doesn't leave just yet since the Brazilian window opens later in the month. The board offer me the chance to change the season's expectations, and once again I take the bait, we're gonna need all the money we can get to improve our defense in this window. In the end I go with a conservative bid to avoid a relegation battle, which should be all but guaranteed unless we implode in the coming matches. This leaves us with €8.17M to spend in transfers and a €439k weekly wage budget, of which €33k are still unspent. Should be enough. Time to search for a center back and a left back on the cheap. I'm open to loans, too. To make space for our new signings Dries Wouters moves to St. Pauli for a flat €1.7M fee. A very solid performer in the three years he was with us, he shined in particular during our promotion campaign in the 2.Bundesliga, where he dislodged Wein from the anchor position and made it his. His performances suffered in the Bundesliga, though, and Bobsin's competition made him lose the starting place without being able to play regularly in defense either, as his place there was taken by Gechter and Hajdari. Only three appearances this season so far meant that it was the right moment for him to go. I'm sure he'll shine in the 2.Bundesliga once again. He was our vice-captain, too, so Majetschak will take his place. Jan 3rd 2026 TSV 1860 München vs. AZ Alkmaar (Friendly) Winter friendly against one of the stronger teams in the Eredivisie, just to test our mettle. It's also a good chance to see how well we do against a 3-5-2, a formation we've come across very rarely so far this season and which historically has given us trouble. Early signs are good, as we dominate from the start and take the lead ten minutes in, with 't Zand assisting from the wing and Rijkhoff finishing in style with a beautiful chip over Hoffmann. Our domination continues after the goal, and near the half hour Maldini finds Majetschak inside the box and the midfielder shoots low to score the second. The winger scores a second assist in injury time with a neat cross for 't Zand's easy tap-in, and we close the first half three ahead. A team full of kids and reserves takes the field in the second half, including Karsten's debut in midfield, which allows AZ to get their first shots at goal of the match, and eventually a goal through Hjulsager, who finishes a through ball by the hilariously named Kwakman. We still control the game other than that, though, and the result doesn't change any further. TSV 1860 München 3 (Julian Rijkhoff 10, Erik Majetschak 29, Shiloh 't Zand 45+3) AZ Alkmaar 1 (Andrew Hjulsager 63) Jan 4th 2026 Isaías Andrada agrees a free transfer to Ferro come the summer. One of those random bets on good-looking young players we make from time to time, this one didn't pay out any dividends in the end. Nothing lost, nothing gained. Jan 6th 2026 Today laughter could be heard all over the club's office. Apparently Mainz, currently second in the 2.Bundesliga, felt it would be funny to file a €15.25M bid for Lang and see if we would accept. They were right, it was really funny. To be fair to them that's basically on point with Lang's market value, but a) the player doesn't even want to hear about moving to Mainz, and b) seriously, who in their right mind would sell their club icon and best defender when we're actually short-handed in that area of the pitch? Jan 7th 2026 Remember Forson? No, not the English midfielder currently out on loan, but Amankwah Forson, the winger we had on loan for the previous two seasons. He's just signed for Hamburg for €1.6M, so we'll be "enjoying" our games against him in the near future. Jan 8th 2026 Here's our new left back, coming from Levante: 25yo Spaniard Manu Sánchez joins in a €1.5M plus 25% of future profits transfer, and on a reasonable €15.5k weekly wage until June 2029. Most likely the best option available from the left backs we had in our shortlist, Manu is a much more reliable player than Moura could ever dream to be. Solid in all departments, with good pace and technique in particular, he comes to be our default starter on the left side of the defense for what remains of the season and most likely the following one, and his arrival will probably mean Moura's departure come the summer. Cheap price, too, which is an added bonus. Let's hope this one does pan out, our luck with left backs not called Steinhart has been terrible so far. Well well, there's trouble in paradise... 39-year-old Manuel Neuer has rejected Bayern's offer for a new deal, and in response he's been transfer listed. With him most likely gone and 37-year-old Lewandowski on the tail end of his career, I predict lots of cash splashing in Bayern's near future. Jan 10th 2025 Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 (16th) vs. TSV 1860 München (8th) (Bundesliga, 18/34) And back to action with a trip to Düsseldorf to visit struggling Fortuna. No surprise for them, they were always expected to be there or thereabouts, but it's never funny to be in the position of fighting for survival. I'd know, we've been there not that long ago... Like the Augsburg game before, this is a match we should be winning giving the current form of both teams, but our away form is still suspect at best, so anything could happen here. * * * DÜSSELDORF (4-2-3-1): Florian Kastenmeier (GK); Steven Alzate (DR), Jesús Vallejo (DCr), Christoph Klarer (DCl), Pietro Beruatto (DL); Santiago Ascacibar (MCr), Ilay Elmkies (MCl); Levin Öztunali (AMR), Nilson Angulo (AMC), Rafael Santos Borré (AML); Gonçalo Ramos (ST) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST) * * * Fortuna seem to have schewed their 3-5-2 and switched to a more standard (and boring) 4-2-3-1, which we don't mind in the slightest. Sánchez gets his debut on the left back while Lang returns to action after his injury. The first chance is ours, only three minutes into the game and with a quick combination through the center with Bustos and Entrena creating and Maldini finishing into Kastenmeier's punching save. Things look quite even possession-wise, but we seem to be pushing forward with more consistency in the initial minutes, although Ramos is the next to try luck with a header in a corner kick, well blocked by Kretzschmar. Twelve minutes in Fortuna create their first open play chance with a cross from Ascacibar that Ramos heads into the crossbar, although luck has it that the ball falls straight into Borré's feet for an easy finish and the 1-0. Our answer is a play down the left for Bustos, who crosses back towards Miranda so the midfielder can shoot low into Kastenmeier's block, then put some pressure on the defense for a second shot that the keeper now manages to hold securely. But in the 21st Beruatto sends a quick cross from the left towards the far post, Öztunali gets ahead of Sánchez, and Kretzschmar can't close the gap in time: 2-0, and now we're in real trouble. Ten minutes without action on either goal end with a close-range finish by Miranda that hits Beruatto's legs and rolls wide by inches. We can't create danger consistently, though, and more time passes before Ramos heads another set piece narrowly over. It takes us until injury time to make something happen, but when it comes it's for real: Stjepanovic breaks into the midfield with a run and a vertical pass over the defense towards Maldini, who hits it first time and beats Kastenmeier to claw one back right before the end of the half. There's hope still. HALF TIME - 2-1 After reassuring the players during half time they come roaring right out of the gates, starting with a high effort from distance by Vuskovic seconds into the second half. Even Kretzschmar looks more alive now, flying to prevent a beautiful curler from the edge of the box by Ramos to hit the back of the net. Maldini continues playing out of his mind and almost gets the draw in the 52nd with a subtle chipped finish that bounces off the corner of the goal's frame, then Borré hits us right back on the counter with another good shot that Kretzschmar tips over the bar. Very entertaining minutes for sure. Our keeper and Stjepanovic combine to block and clear another very dangerous finish by Ramos in the 57th minute, right before Rijkhoff comes in 't Zand's place. Soon after it's Majetschak and Vagnoman who enter the game, the latter replacing a pretty average Sánchez to protect him from a second yellow card. Said and done, Vagnoman picks a yellow literally seconds after stepping on the pitch... Our next shot comes in the 71st minute after a long period of inactivity, a long-range try by Rijkhoff that goes very narrowly wide to the right of the target. Time is running out, though. Fortuna hit us again on the break, with Borré getting behind Gerometta with surprising ease but blasting his finish miles over the bar. Borré does much better in the 75th minute, though, curling a 25-yarder straight into the top corner to score the 3-1, impossible for Kretzschmar. We don't surrender, though, and only three minutes later Vagnoman breaks into the box from the left then taps the ball back towards Rijkhoff, who shoots at the near post and beats Kastenmeier. Two minutes more and it's Majetschak who tries luck from the other side, his shot much weaker and much easier to catch for the keeper, though. The siege continues, and in the 83rd Majetschak sends a high ball into the box from deep so Maldini can head it down, well tipped wide by Kastenmeier, then it's Rijkhoff who gets a tap-in blocked by a defender after another good assist by Majetschak. But that's all we get, and in the end the game escapes through our fingers when we were this close to grasping it. A real shame. * * * Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 3 (Rafael Santos Borré 12 75, Levin Öztunali 21) TSV 1860 München 2 (Daniel Maldini 45+1, Julian Rijkhoff 78) - - - Remember the board wanted us to play solid defensive football? Heh, I'm sure they must love this new version of ourselves. But seriously, we can't afford to concede two in the first two chances any team has against us, because having to play catch-up all game long is nowhere near the best way to score points consistenly, as demonstrated today. Our attack was good at creating danger (not so much at finishing it) but our defending was shambolic all night long, and even the ever-solid Lang had a terrible game at the back. We probably need to dial it back a notch or two when playing away, it's obvious we get caught with our pants down way too often.

Dec 16th 2025 Okay, the Bobsin issue is getting out of hand. Now he's complaining about not starting enough games, and when I tell him that he hasn't played well enough to deserve it he goes nuclear: first he threatens me with leaving, and when I say okay, you can leave, he turns it around and says that he'll instead stay until he "gets his way". So how much would it cost to just tear his contract up, again? Too much? Aw. Dec 18th 2025 Alright, offers for Bobsin come from Fortuna Düsseldorf and Corinthians, and the player seems keen on the latter. €2.7M in both cases, which I'll gladly take to remove a ticking bomb from our dressing room. Dec 19th 2025 TSV 1860 München (7th) vs. FC Bayern München (1st) (Bundesliga, 17/34) And the footballing year ends with the Münchner derby, with Bayern having just regained the first place in the Bundesliga after Dortmund's defeat against Freiburg. We're at home and that means we get a massive boost considering the results so far, but Bayern is Bayern, so it'll take something special to get something out of this match. And considering our lineup is gonna be compromised by injuries, suspensions, and stupidity, well... * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Urko (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Antonio Entrena (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) BAYERN (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer (GK); Joshua Kimmich (DR), Dayot Upamecano (DCr), Nordi Mukiele (DCl), Alphonso Davies (DL); Sandro Tonali (MCr), Leon Goretzka (MCl); Leroy Sané (AMR), Jamal Musiala (AMC), Serge Gnabry (AML); Robert Lewandowski (ST) * * * In the end we move as few pieces as possible: Urko for Lang, Entrena moves to the anchor position, and Majetschak fills the gap in midfield, leaving everything else just like in our last fixture. Bayern obviously go full attack from the get-go, and one minute plus some change into the game Kretzschmar is already deflecting wide a dangerous shot by Sané. They have all the possession in the world, but somewhat surprisingly we manage to keep them at bay for a good while. Eighteen minutes, to be precise: Kimmich steals the ball from Miranda in the midfield, sees Lewandowski unmarked in the box, and the rest is history: 0-1 for Bayern. Not much happens in the minutes that follow, with Bayern still holding the ball but apparently not wanting to push us too hard, while all we can manage is an occasional long shot that goes nowhere near Neuer. A wide shot by Lewandowski is their first in a while, and comes already in the 32nd minute. Good defending keeps their following shots from ever reaching Kretzschmar, and we go to the dressing rooms with a short result against. HALF TIME - 0-1 The second half follows the same pattern, only Bayern now don't even seem to get close enough to shoot into our defender's legs. That is, until Lewandowski finds Sané on the run down the right in the 58th minute and assists him, only for Kretzschmar to dive down in front of his shot and tip the ball wide. A bit later 't Zand and Sapmaz come in as we start thinking about maybe grabbing an isolated chance out of nowhere and stealing a draw. Moura is our third substitution in Gerometta's place in order to prevent a second yellow card. Time passes and Bayern don't seem to want to score the second despite controlling the match completely. In the 79th we find a gap and plunge through it, with Vagnoman assisting and Sapmaz finishing, although the winger's left foot betrays him and the ball sails over the stands behind the goal. Three minutes later Bayern decide it's enough: Kimmich takes a corner kick towards the near post and Goretzka heads it in, scoring the 0-2 and robbing us of our faint hopes. Miranda tries to get them back with an effort from distance that sails narrowly wide in the 89th, but we can't get any closer than that and Bayern get another win to add to the ever growing pile. * * * TSV 1860 München 0 FC Bayern München 2 (Robert Lewandowski 18, Leon Goretzka 82) - - - Honestly? Not too fussed about this match. We held them at bay quite well, and they only scored because they're that good and it had to come sooner or later, and it still took a bad marking decision and a set piece for the goals to arrive. Probably our best performance against Bayern to date, and it shows that we're on the right path. Still a long way to go, though. The weekend ends with Leipzig losing to Dortmund and Matthias Jaissle getting the sack with the team in sixth place. And guess who the press calls to ask about being a favorite for the job? Yep, me. Getting bigger and bigger... * * * | Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | Form | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | FC Bayern | 17 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 56 | 14 | 42 | 40 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Borussia Dortmund | 17 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 43 | 13 | 30 | 38 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Borussia M'gladbach | 17 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 27 | 17 | 10 | 34 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Hertha BSC | 17 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 18 | 6 | 30 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Freiburg | 17 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 29 | 20 | 9 | 29 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | RB Leipzig | 17 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 37 | 26 | 11 | 28 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | Bayer Leverkusen | 17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 31 | 27 | 4 | 28 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | 1860 München | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 28 | 29 | -1 | 27 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | Frankfurt | 17 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 33 | 32 | 1 | 25 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | Köln | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 26 | 25 | 1 | 24 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | Hoffenheim | 17 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 20 | 24 | -4 | 22 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | Hamburg | 17 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 21 | 36 | -15 | 21 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | Nürnberg | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 20 | 32 | -12 | 20 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | Stuttgart | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 22 | -9 | 19 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | Arminia Bielefeld | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 30 | -12 | 17 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 29 | -19 | 15 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | Augsburg | 17 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 20 | 35 | -15 | 13 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | Hannover 96 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 37 | -27 | 7 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Still eighth, and still chuffed about it. Even better, we're only three points away from the fourth place. Imagine getting into the Champions League? That'd be insane, but honestly I just wish for a safe, boring mid-table position we can use as a base to keep building upon. Anything else would be gravy. It's somewhat worrying that the relegation places are "only" twelve points behind, but really, that shouldn't be a concern for us anymore. We're only eight points away from the magic 35, which should all but guarantee survival in all 18-team leagues, and we should be getting there soon enough. Well, so much for Dortmund having a good start of the season, huh? Three defeats in the last eight matches and boom, Bayern are back on top and looking unstoppable as always. Them goal differences, though... Gladbach, Hertha, and Freiburg remain as the positive surprises and will most likely duke it out for the Champions League places, although I expect Leipzig and Leverkusen will soon join that battle. Eintracht might also get there, but after the heights of last season that mid-table place feels disappointing. At the bottom Stuttgart seem to be slowly but steadily climbing out, Hamburg and Nürnberg look mostly safe, and Hannover just got their first win of the season and are not quite dead just yet. Everything up in the air. * * * PLAYER STATS ============ Average rating (min. 6 games played): Daniel Maldini 7.37 (13(2) apps) Niklas Lang 7.27 (18 apps) Antonio Entrena 7.25 (13(2) apps) Francisco Gerometta 7.14 (16(2) apps) Laurin Ulrich 7.10 (3(5) apps) Goals: Daniel Maldini 9 goals Julian Rijkhoff 8 Antonio Entrena 5 Matías Miranda 5 Nahuel Bustos 5 Assists: Shiloh 't Zand 5 assists Francisco Gerometta 5 Antonio Entrena 4 Daniel Maldini 4 Matías Miranda 3 * * * ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD Premier League: guess who? Kompany's Manchester City, that's who. Seven-point lead over Chelsea with a game in hand should be enough to see them run away with their sixth title in a row, and the Belgian's third since taking over from Pep. Usual suspects Liverpool, Arsenal, and Man Utd lead the chasing pack, with Newcastle and Leicester close behind and Tottenham in a fictitious 10th place due to also having a game in hand. Bristol City are not enjoying their first season in the top flight in forty-six years very much, and are currently bottom with only four points, far behind other relegation candidates like Sheffield Utd, Brentford, and, somewhat surprisingly, Wolves. LaLiga: close-fought battle between the two monsters dominating the field in Spain since forever ago, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The former take the lead on goal difference right now, both teams tied on 44 points and having lost only one game (and not against each other, the first Clásico was a draw) so far. Villarreal lead the mortals chasing after the gods, with Real Sociedad, Sevilla, and Atlético filling the other European spots. Another long-time returnee to the highest tiers, Real Oviedo, are winless and deep in trouble, with Granada and Valladolid also threatened but much closer to other teams like Málaga, Celta, and Sporting. Serie A: small surprise in Italy, with Milan taking the top spot one point ahead of still unbeaten neighbors Inter and three ahead of Juventus. The rossoneri could be on their way to their first Serie A title in fifteen years, but the competition is going to be fierce, like almost always in this league. Roma and Napoli are also close, while the likes of Fiorentina, Lazio, and Sampdoria trail by a bigger distance and most likely will be only allowed to fight for scraps. Verona, Spezia, and Parma are currently in the drop zone, but with the teams like Torino, Genoa, and, yes, Benevento really close anything can happen in that particular fight. Ligue 1: do my eyes deceive me, or is that Marseille on top of the Ligue 1? And with a two-point lead over PSG? Now that'd be a shock if it were to remain until the end of the season, but I've been burned before by early challengers floundering in the second half of the season. Behind the runaway pair Nice and Monaco complete the top four, while Lille and OL take the Europa League places with a healthy eight-point lead over the closest competition. The mid-table is extremely close, but the bottom five are once again quite separate from them, with Angers and Montpellier in the red zone and Metz holding onto the playoff place and keeping Valenciennes and Nimes Olympique within reach.

Thanks oche! * * * Dec 9th 2025 Kretzschmar and Maldini make the Team of the Week amid a sea of Bayern shirts. Vuskovic's recent progress means he's already valued at 25-35M according to our staff. He has a €25M release clause. Welp. Dec 12th 2025 FC Augsburg (16th) vs. TSV 1860 München (7th) (Bundesliga, 16/34) And to close the first half of the Bundesliga, how about two rival games in a row? We start with the lesser one, both for the intensity of the rivalry and for the opposition's general quality. Augsburg have been in and out the relegation zone all season long, and now barely hang onto the playoff place just above Fortuna and just below Stuttgart. They've won three of their last five, though, so if any bottom half team is on the rise, it's them. * * * AUGSBURG (4-4-2): Tomás Koubek (GK); Benjamin Henrichs (DR), Moritz Jenz (DCr), Jordan Torunarigha (DCl), Micky van de Ven (DL); Yacine Adli (MR), Sebastian Vasiliadis (MCr), Torben Rhein (MCl), Omar Campos (ML); Jorgen Strand Larsen (STr), Jonas Wind (STl) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) * * * No punches pulled today, we send out our most in-form eleven to try and snap out of our funk away from home in the most significant of moments. Augsburg use the extra push given by their fans to take the initiative in the beginning, soon creating danger with a corner kick that van de Ven volleys wide from a very dangerous position. We weather the early storm and, in our first serious attack of the game, Gerometta and Maldini combine down the right wing until the winger finds space for a cross, and Rijkhoff is there to head it in and score the 0-1, silencing the rowdy crowd. We take control then, and our next attack is a twenty-plus-long passing play that Miranda ends with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, tipped over by Koubek. The following minutes turn into a fight for possession in which neither midfield gets close enough to the opposing area to create danger, with the most noteworthy news being Lang's fifth yellow of the season, which means he'll miss the Münchner derby. That's further confirmed when he suffers a foot injury with thirty minutes played and has to be replaced by Urko. Augsburg try to react with a shot by Wind that doesn't even reach Kretzschmar, deflecting off Urko's legs, then try a cross from the right towards Campos, who actually connects a good header that the keeper saves with no trouble. Another header, this time by Adli, goes way over the bar in the final minutes of the half, minutes after Vuskovic also picks a suspension-carrying yellow card. That's all for the first half, though. HALF TIME - 0-1 The second half starts with Augsburg getting close in a corner kick, headed narrowly over by Henrichs. Ten minutes of pushing us back later, a long ball towards Strand Larsen ends in a dangerous shot that Kretzschmar tips wide. We soon replace our two wingers, Bustos due to being practically a ghost throught the game and Maldini due to tiredness, with Sapmaz and Nmecha taking their places. We haven't been anywhere near Koubek's goal for a while now, and Vagnoman breaks that trend with a high ball from distance after a good run into space by Entrena. The keeper doesn't have it as easy when Rijkhoff finds Nmecha with space ahead inside the box, and Koubek has to dive to deflect the ball wide. The match is still not particularly exciting, though, and we reach the final ten minutes with the result still unchanged. Three minutes later another corner kick, Augsburg's favorite source of danger, ends with Torunarigha heading it over, although extremely close to the crossbar. Yet another corner kick in the 86th and the danger levels reach peak tier: Jenz heads the cross into the crossbar, and substitute Lee Jae-Sung smashes the rebound into Gerometta, who was guarding the far post and found himself in the right place at the right moment. Jae-Sung has another in yet another corner kick, shooting into Kretzschmar's hands after a failed clearance. That's the last one, though, and we survive the game with our lead intact. * * * FC Augsburg 0 TSV 1860 München 1 (Julian Rijkhoff 9) - - - Yay, first away win in forever! Completely undeserved though, we basically spent the whole second half defending and Augsburg deserved at least one goal, even though most of their chances came from set pieces rather than open play. Regardless, three important points and bragging rights against Augsburg obtained for at least five months. The price we paid was steep, though: Lang strained the ligaments of his left ankle and will be KO for three to four weeks, while Miranda suffered a minor bruise in the final minutes. At least there's the winter break ahead of us after the Bayern game, so the center back won't miss much actual playing time.

Dec 4th 2025 And here goes Bobsin once again talking to the press about how unhappy with his contract he is. Can't wait for the winter window to open, really. Dec 6th 2025 TSV 1860 München (8th) vs. Hannover 96 (18th) (Bundesliga, 15/34) Four points and zero wins in fourteen fixtures. Hannover are on their way back to the 2.Bundesliga, don't pass go, don't collect $200. If there's a game we must win no matter what this season, it's this one. * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Antonio Entrena (MCr), Laurin Ulrich (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST) HANNOVER (4-2-3-1): Lukas Schneller (GK); Cédric Kipré (DR), Amos Pieper (DCr), Kasim Adams (DCl), Tahsin Velioglu (DL); Svante Ingelsson (MCr), Dominik Kohr (MCl); Patryck Piszczek (AMR), Pascal Gross (AMC), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Havard Nielsen (ST) * * * Many tired legs today after the Leverkusen game, which prompts an almost complete makeover. There's a known face in Hannover's lineup in Emmanuel Iyoha, who played for us in our last season in the 2.Bundesliga, and who creates a chance for his current team within seconds, assisting Nielsen so the striker can hit the post with his finish when Kretzschmar looked all but beaten, then gets a header in that the keeper does save well before the first minute is over. Are we there or not? Apparently we are, and seconds later it's our turn to attack with a quick passing play leaving the ball in Maldini's feet in front of Schneller, who covers well the gaps and saves. Four minutes later a great pass into space by Gerometta allows Bustos to run alone into the box, where he proceeds to tie with Hannover on woodwork hits by blasting his finish into the crossbar. Iyoha hits back with a powerful low shot that Kretzschmar blocks by going down at the right moment, then it's our turn through Maldini running the flank and passing back for Vuskovic's centered shot, easy for the keeper. Ten minutes gone and this game can't catch its breath. The all-out attack continues with Maldini assisting Entrena inside the box and the youngster failing to find the target with his shot, and not even forty seconds later Iyoha is already running at Kretzschmar, then sending the ball straight into his arms when a goal looked almost guaranteed. The goal is coming, and it arrives in the 16th: corner kick taken by Gross and Adams towers over all the opposition to head it into the net, grabbing a surprising 0-1 for Hannover. Bustos should've pulled level four minutes later, but Schneller denies him with a great save, wasting a rare great assist by Moura. Then another corner kick for Hannover comes, the ball is cleared off the box as far as Piszczek, and the right winger bends a beautiful banana shot from distance into the top corner to make it 0-2. Grünwalder Stadion stares in shock. We go back on the attack with a double chance: Stjepanovic shoots from 25 yards away into the crossbar, then the play continues until Maldini's header is held by Schneller. A cross by Gerometta finally gives us our first goal, reaching Bustos so the striker can control, dribble past a defender and the keeper with one single move, then pass it into the net unopposed. After that the game finally slows down, precisely when we don't want it to. Stjepanovic says nope, does a Beckenbauer with a nice run towards midfield, then assists Bustos so he can have another clear-cut chance stopped by Schneller. Then another, as he actually gets his head to the ball in the corner kick that follows but finds the keeper well positioned to parry once again. And that's the last chance of a very eventful first half of a match we're, somehow, losing. HALF TIME - 1-2 No rest for the wicked: we spend the first minute and a half of the second half laying siege to Hannover's goal, and finally 't Zand finds a gap to send the ball through towards Bustos and the striker blasts it in with all his strength to score the 2-2. Five minutes later Schneller undoes all the good he did in the first half with a horrid pass towards Adams that Maldini intercepts inside the box, putting himself in the perfect position to just shoot and score the 3-2. Comeback achieved, now to keep it. We do just that, finally making the game sleep for a while as Hannover seem to have lost all the flair and gung-ho attitude they had in the first half. Vagnoman and Urko come in to give Gerometta and Lang some much needed rest, then it's Rijkhoff for 't Zand a bit later. There's no action on either goal until the 75th, when Pieper shoots into the sidenetting after a deep set piece. Two minutes later Schneller denies Entrena the clincher with a good save at the midfielder's feet, and in the 80th Bustos crosses towards the far post from the left so Maldini can nod it back into the center, where Rijkhoff only has to push it over the line to score the fourth. Game not done just yet, though, because we can't have nice things today: immediate long pass towards the right wing by Iyoha which substitute N'Dongala controls and finishes into Kretzschmar's body, promptly answered by Vagnoman assisting Maldini and the winger also finding the opposing keeper in the way of a tight angle finish. Both teams keep going at each other's throat until the very last second, which actually coincides with a final chance for Rijkhoff saved by Schneller just before the referee says that's enough. What a game. * * * TSV 1860 München 4 (Nahuel Bustos 27 47, Daniel Maldini 52, Julian Rijkhoff 80) Hannover 86 2 (Kasim Adams 16, Patryk Piszczek 22) - - - The perfect definition of a fantastic game for the neutral fan. Myself, I'd rather not concede twice against a winless team, but hey, the fans had fun with the comeback and we got to see Bustos score two in one game, so there's some upside here. The result in the end was good, but we surely should've got it much, much earlier. Insane goalkeeping by Schneller and incredible misses by our finishers made this a candidate for match of the season, for sure, at least when it comes to pure entertainment. And hey, results elsewhere help us so we regain the seventh place and creep closer to the Europa League zone. Dare we dream?

Thanks, gav! I do try to go for a simple style with this, after all 90% of it is written as I play, so I can't really afford to get distracted with word choices and weird turns of phrases and the hellscape that's the English language in general. * * * Dec 1st 2025 Huh, so those rumors about Stuttgart wanting me were true after all. Interview offer rejected, of course. Dec 2nd 2025 Another appearance for young Entrena in the Team of the Week. He's looking cheaper and cheaper by the minute, and we might have to offer him a new contract before the season ends to try and get rid of his release clause. He's that good, and can only get better. Dec 3rd 2025 Bayer 04 Leverkusen (8th) vs. TSV 1860 München (7th) (Bundesliga, 14/34) Gechter must be in disbelief whenever he looks at the Bundesliga table and sees TSV ahead of Leverkusen, heh. Reunion match with our former starlet, although he's not guaranteed to start by any means, he's only featured in six league games so far. Leverkusen's season so far can only be called a disappointment, nine points away from the Champions League and with a very inconsistent form. Their result against Bayern on the weekend? Seven goals to three. * * * LEVERKUSEN (4-2-3-1): Maarten Vandevoordt (GK); Jeremie Frimpong (DR), William Saliba (DCr), Adama Diallo (DCl), Devyne Rensch (DL); Eljif Elmas (MCr), Yangel Herrera (MCl); Fabio Vieira (AMR), Florian Wirtz (AMC), Moussa Diaby (AML), Iker Bravo (ST) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Josha Vagnoman (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) * * * Midweek fixture equals rotation, including unsettled Bobsin getting some chance to show he really deserves a new and improved contract, and a maybe-final chance for Moura to start performing at an acceptable level. No Gechter in Leverkusen's starting eleven and, more importantly, no Schick, considering the striker is already on eleven goals scored. His replacement ain't half bad either, though: three minutes in, Vieira steals the ball from Miranda in midfield and sends a long pass ahead of Bravo, who places his finish next to the post and gives Leverkusen a very early lead. Leverkusen keep the ball after the goal, maintining a strong pressure on our defense throughout the following minutes, and in the 13th Herrera once again finds Bravo escaping our center-backs' attention with a high pass over the defense and the striker once again hits the back of the net for the 2-0. We still haven't done anything worth mentioning in attack when things get even worse: Diaby runs into the box and forces a foul from Vagnoman for a penalty kick. Bravo scores from the spot and grabs himself a hattrick within 22 minutes. So much for Schick... Three shots on target, three goals. Thirty minutes into the game we finally get something resembling a chance with a high header by Lang in a corner kick. Then, because apparently we can still do worse than this, Sapmaz goes two-footed on Diaby in a completely irrelevant midfield play and gets himself sent off. Bustos replaces Bobsin so we can keep our front three, and we proceed to survive the rest of the first half with only a high ball from distance by Frimpong bringing us any trouble. Game as good as finished by half time. HALF TIME - 3-0 A struggling Vagnoman leaves the field at half time, replaced by Gerometta, and five minutes in Kretzschmar finally gets his first save of the match against Diaby, who was in a great position to score the fourth, then repeats immediately after deflecting wide a shot by Bravo. A bit later we try something different, bringing Stjepanovic in to replace Nmecha and moving to a 4-3-2, with Urko as our most defensive midfielder and two strikers. Of course that leaves our wings wide open, and soon enough Diaby finds a gap and barges in past Moura, only stopped by Kretzschmar in the end. Leverkusen keep attacking, with Bravo being the next to try with a good header that Kretzschmar manages to save and keep under control, then with substitute Pirani running into space on the left side of the box and finishing into another good block by the keeper. In the 70th we actually manage to make a good attacking play, ending in a cross by Gerometta towards Rijkhoff, who finally gives Vandevoordt some work to do. Leverkusen seem to take a step back then, and another cross by our right back ends in another good chance, this time finished by Bustos into Frimpong's legs and wide. Vieira answers once again leaving Moura for dead and once again being stopped in the last moment by Kretzschmar, who also grabs Diallo's header in the corner that follows. The final stretch brings no more danger to either goal, though, and the first half result remains unchanged until the end. * * * Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3 (Iker Bravo 3 13 22p) TSV 1860 München 0 (Can Sapmaz sent off 31) - - - Mr. Hyde's turn, then. I'm not sure what's wrong with our tactics when it comes to away games, but all the good we do at home disappears as soon as we leave Grünwalder Strasse. Moura's abysmal performance today (once again) practically seals his fate com the next transfer window, assuming we can find a replacement for a reasonable fee. We can't continue with just Gerometta and Vagnoman as playable full backs. Sapmaz will also get some time out in the thinking corner after his reckless actions today. Dortmund and Hertha lose today, and suddenly Bayern are second only one point behind the leaders. Back to the usual, then.

Nov 23rd 2025 Been a while since I was last linked with some other job, but now Stuttgart have sacked Stefan Leitl (they're currently 16th) and apparently I'm in their shortlist, or so the press say. Why is it always teams doing worse than us, though... Regardless, not interested. Nov 26th 2025 Wouters joins Steinhart in the loan list, and for the same reasons: he isn't playing any and wants more minutes. Unlike Steinhart, though, he's still in his prime, just not a player that's worthy of a starter position with us anymore. Like many others before him, we've outgrown him. He's under contract until June 2027, so I might actually look into selling him rather than loaning him come January, then replace him with a center back better suited for the Bundesliga. Nov 29th 2025 TSV 1860 München (9th) vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (8th) (Bundesliga, 13/34) Once again we measure up against a Champions League team tied on points with us and only ahead due to goal difference. Two things are different from last week, though: one, we're home, and our home form so far has been fantastic. Two, Eintracht didn't get blown out by Bayern, and actually stole a point from them with a 1-1 home draw. Even worse, they just beat PSG in their midweek fixture. Our last meeting in the previous season ended in a key 1-0 win for us, though, so we're hopeful. * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST) EINTRACHT (4-4-2 diamond narrow): Diant Ramaj (GK); Almamy Touré (DR), Marvin Friedrich (DCr), Martin Hinteregger (DCl), Jordan Lotomba (DL); Toma Basic (DM), Djibril Sow (MCr), Tiago Dantas (MCl), Louis Schaub (AMC); Datro Fofana (STr), Bryan Mbeumo (STl) * * * Only forty-seven seconds into the game and Miranda is already running into space and gathering long passes to test Eintracht's new keeper Ramaj, who does well covering the gap in the near post to save the midfielder's finish. Eintracht answer with a deep free kick Dantas sends into the box so Fofana can score, but from an offside position, well spotted by VAR. After such an eventful start, though, the game becomes mired down in a very overpopulated midfield, something we try to counter by focusing our attacks on the wings. That seems to work: a throw-in on the right side of our attack ends with Maldini assisting Miranda inside the box, only for the midfielder to shoot straight into the root of the post and wide. We control possession now, despite Eintracht's numbers in midfield, and in the 24th 't Zand crosses the ball behind the defense into Miranda's run, and the midfielder makes his third chance count with a placed finish past Ramaj to score the 1-0. And then we proceed to almost give it away when Stjepanovic and Vagnoman mishandle an easy clearance and gift the ball to Fofana, who crosses to an unmarked Mbeumo for a tap-in that Kretzschmar miraculously deflects around the post. We soon recover from that scare and go back to controlling the match, and soon Miranda has another chance to score after a first-time assist by Gerometta, although this time Ramaj manages to block the Argentinian's finish. We take some time to just hold the ball and let minutes pass until Bustos sends a beautiful turnaround pass towards Entrena for another run into space, once again prevented from becoming a goal by Eintracht's goalkeeper. A wide shot from distance by Vagnoman in one goal and a high one by Sow in the other are the final attempts of the first half, which we end deservedly ahead. HALF TIME - 1-0 Not much changes in the second half, and four minutes in a long pass by Gerometta is controlled by Bustos and the striker holds it, waits, then sends the ball ahead of Entrena so the midfielder can score the 2-0 with another placed finish. Only three minutes later Entrena himself turns into provider with a diagonal pass towards the right flank so Maldini can get the ball ahead of Lotomba, then shoot into the top corner to make it 3-0. Game over. Eintracht won't give up so easily, though, and Fofana has a great chance to pull one back in the 57th after Stjepanovic fails to intercept a pass behind the line, forcing Kretzschmar into another miracle save in the one-on-one. Our answer is a long play down the left flank which 't Zand ends with a pass ahead of Bustos, who can't beat Ramaj with his poweful finish. Urko, Sapmaz, and Ulrich enter the game then, just before André Franco gets another fantastic chance to score for Eintracht but is once again denied by an excellent Kretzschmar. The game slows down a bit after our substitutions settle in, although Entrena still finds time to once again assist Bustos on the run, and once again Ramaj manages to block the striker's shot. In the 76th minute, however, a set piece on the right side of their attack is whipped in by Dantas and substitute Franke heads the cross into the underside of the bar and in, scoring the 3-1. This gives them a morale boost that André Franco uses to test Kretzschmar again, this time from distance, although with the same result: comfortable save for the keeper. They shift to a 4-3-3 in the final minutes and try going all-out, but we hold them back with good defending until the end. Another great home performance and result for us. * * * TSV 1860 München 3 (Matías Miranda 24, Antonio Entrena 49, Daniel Maldini 52) Eintracht Frankfurt 1 (Marcel Franke 76) - - - Fantastic. Gentle reminder that around six months ago Eintracht were actually challenging for the Bundesliga and qualified for the Champions League in the end, yet we manhandled them for most of the match today. Great team performance, with our three goalscorers a step above the rest and some great saves by Kretzschmar when it counted. Also, this time I did adjust our tactics a bit to account for their two-forwards-plus-attacking-midfielder formation and it showed, both defensively with Vuskovic tracking Schaub much more closely, and offensively with him dropping in between our center backs and giving us another option to play the ball from the back. That'll be a default change from now on whenever we play against narrow diamonds, 4-3-1-2s, 4-2-3-1s and even some 3-5-2 variants. Might even become our default tactic period, given how prevalent the 4-2-3-1 is in this league. Elsewhere in the league, Dortmund's first defeat of the season (at home against Arminia, of all teams) makes the title race less one-sided and opens the door for the likes of Bayern, Gladbach, and Hertha. The latter are now second and only three points behind the leaders...

Nov 14th 2025 Mostly uneventful evening for our youth internationals in this round, with one exception: Vuskovic got himself sent off with Croatia U21 against Romania in a match they ended up losing 0-2. On the bright side, that means no chance of him getting injured in their next fixture! Nov 19th 2025 Much better in the second round of fixtures, with Rijkhoff scoring for the Netherlands U21 in a 3-0 win against Luxembourg and Stjepanovic having a very good defensive performance with Serbia against Moldavia. In less good news, looks like Bobsin's contract issues are resurfacing again. Wouldn't be surprised if we have another round of drama with him come the winter window. One day later Majetschak also starts making noises, but another talk with captain Lang seems to at least delay the issue. Neither of the two is having a particularly good season so far and both are very replaceable in our lineup even without having to dip hard into the transfer market, so I'm not exactly willing to bend over backwards to accomodate their whims. If they don't like their contracts they're welcome to leave. Nov 22nd 2025 RasenBallsport Leipzig (6th) vs. TSV 1860 München (7th) (Bundesliga, 12/34) Believe it or not, we're currently tied on points with last season's almost-champions. I think it has more to do with them being very fragile this year in comparison, though, last week they ate four from Bayern like it was nothing. They're still a team beyond our reach under most normal circumstances, though, so I'll be extremely happy if we get anything other than a thumping from here. * * * RB LEIPZIG (4-3-1-2 narrow): Alexander Nübel (GK); Joao Mário (DR), Kamil Piatkowski (DCr), Jan Boller (DCl), Angeliño (DL); Dani Olmo (MCr), Paulo Bernardo (MC), Jakub Moder (MCl), Fabio Carvalho (AMC); Patson Daka (STr), Musa Barrow (STl) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) * * * Small formation change for Leipzig since our last meeting, moving the anchor forward to turn their diamond formation into a 4-3-1-2. Maldini returns for us, with Bustos taking the left wing today due to Nmecha's and 't Zand's flaky form as of late. The match starts with lots of rhythm, both teams having promising shots blocked by defenders within the first three minutes, but a quick injury to Boller puts a bit of a damper on things. Nine minutes in, though, a run into the box by Daka ends with Stjepanovic body-checking the striker, and VAR quickly calls for a penalty that Barrow turns into the 1-0 for Leipzig. We're forced to take a more positive outlook, but we clearly overdo it when a ball lost in Leipzig's area turns into a two-versus-one counterattack, easily finished by Barrow by sidestepping Kretzschmar and scoring the 2-0. The keeper does better by saving and holding a header by Daka three minutes later, but we're clearly being overrun all over the pitch. Our first attack in a while ends with a high ball from the edge of the box by Maldini twenty-five minutes into the game, but only three minutes later a cross by Angeliño reaches Musa with no one marking him, and the striker chips the ball over Kretzschmar to make it three. The following minutes give us a bit of respite, with Leipzig taking a step back and letting us move the ball around for a while, but nothing comes out of it. Two minutes before half time they launch another counterattack with a long ball ahead of Barrow, who outruns Lang and drops to the left before crossing low for Daka's easy tap-in. 4-0 at half time, and suddenly we look like our past season selves. HALF TIME - 4-0 Not much to do now other than try and salvage our pride, and Leipzig at least let us play during the first minutes of the second half, looking understandably relaxed. We make our three substitutions early, bringing Urko, Sapmaz, and 't Zand into the game just to try and make something happen and to keep key players like Maldini and Stjepanovic fit for more important fixtures. Leipzig still get the first shot of the half with an attempt at a lob by Daka that Kretzschmar just manages to reach and save, but in the 65th a cross from the right by Sapmaz creates chaos inside the box, with multiple rebounds and shot attempts until the ball reaches 't Zand inside the small box so he can score the 4-1 unopposed. The goal seems to give us wings (heh), and soon 't Zand has another header after a cross from Gerometta, although this one is an easy save for Nübel. An interception by Majetschak in the 73rd minute launches Bustos in a run alone against the keeper, but the striker fails to make it count and sends his finish well over the target. Three minutes later it's 't Zand who passes into space for Majetschak, and this time Nübel has to be there to tip his finish wide and prevent the 4-2. Next comes Miranda, miskicking the ball after a cross into the front side of the area and sending it wide. We don't get any more, and in the meantime Leipzig just let time pass with only a header by Daka straight into Kretzschmar's hands in injury time as proof of attacking intent. Still, easy win for them in the end. * * * RasenBallsport Leipzig 4 (Musa Barrow 9p 20, Patson Daka 28 43) TSV 1860 München 1 (Shiloh 't Zand 65) - - - Still a couple steps too far, I guess. That first half was absolutely terrible, and I'll take part of the blame for not adjusting to their attack outnumbering our defense earlier. The second half was much better and we probably deserved at least one more goal, although I imagine Leipzig's relaxation was at least half of the reason for our improvement. We'll see which version of ourselves is the real one in the following weeks.

Nov 3rd 2025 Steinhart finally snaps and asks me to loan him out come the next window so he can get more playing time. Absolutely fair, and we should probably have done this sooner. We might actually try and find another left back come January to replace him, since his contract expires next summer and it's 99% likely he won't stay with us beyond that. Nov 4th 2025 Entrena makes the Team of the Week. Scoring two from midfield tends to do that. Nov 7th 2025 TSV 1860 München (10th) vs. Sport-Club Freiburg (4th) (Bundesliga, 11/34) Time for the Fun part of the league schedule, starting with a home match against surprise package Freiburg, who despite losing to Bayern last week still hold onto a Champions League place. Expected 12th at the start of the season, they've had a fantastic year so far, but it remains to be seen if they can keep this form up consistently. Meanwhile we haven't lost at home yet, and we intend to keep it that way. * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST) FREIBURG (4-2-3-1): Peter Gulácsi (GK); Hugo Siquet (DR), Dario Maresic (DCr), Eric Martel (DCl), Christian Günter (DL); Manu Morlanes (MCr), Maximilian Eggestein (MCl); Edon Zhegrova (AMR), Matías Palacios (AMC), Sead Haksabanovic (AML), Marko Richter (ST) * * * Stjepanovic returns straight into the lineup after his injury, moving Urko to the bench after a pretty mediocre stretch of starts for the Spaniard. We start the game with our classic run into space by a midfielder, Miranda in this case, although his finish this time is pretty badly wide and not particularly dangerous for Gulácsi. Freiburg have more possession in the first minutes, although we keep them inside their own half through high pressing, and six minutes in Bustos gets really close with a narrowly high header in a corner kick. That's the last chance for a long while, though, as Freiburg plug their holes while still remaining mostly inoffensive. Another set piece in the 17th minute allows Bustos another chance, this time with a direct free kick he also sends a bit too high. Much better is Miranda's chance two minutes later when he and Bobsin find a huge gap in the center, the latter sending the ball ahead so the former can shoot into Gulácsi's fingertip save. Freiburg finally show their teeth with a wide shot by Siquet following a good run down the right flank by Richter, and Bustos has our reply, collecting a pass into space by Miranda but also stumbling with his finish against an excellent Gulácsi, who then goes on to perform another miracle save in the corner kick that follows, blocking Lang's header from point-blank range. We've been deserving a goal for a while now, and we finally find it in the 26th: Stjepanovic celebrates his return to action with a vertial pass through the center to Bustos, who this time finds the gap between Gulácsi and the target and scores the 1-0, breaking the offside trap by inches. Freiburg try to hit back immediately with Haksabanovic breaking the line through the left wing and passing back to Richter, who miskicks his finish and sends it straight into Kretzschmar's hands. In the 38th minute, though, a bad pass by Bobsin allows Richter to collect the ball twenty yards away from goal with Kretzschmar out of position, and the striker doesn't miss this time, shooting without thinking twice to score the 1-1. The result holds until the end of the half without further incident. HALF TIME - 1-1 Freiburg start the second half attacking, and one minute in Eggestein tries a beautiful bender from 25 yards away that curls into the goal and out of Kretzschmar's reach: 1-2. We seem to take it quite hard, and only a timely tackle by Vagnoman prevents Zhegrova from scoring a third just four minutes later. We soon replace our two wing attackers with 't Zand and Rijkhoff, moving Bustos to the right, while Palacios gets a dangerous header after a cross by Siquet saved by Kretzschmar. We finally get a good chance to get back into the game when Bustos sends a cross towards Rijkhoff that the striker volleys into the post come the 63rd minute of the game. Majetschak replaces Entrena a bit later, and in the 69th he strikes gold, with more than a bit of fortune: a cross from the left by 't Zand is intercepted by Günter and headed back towards Gulácsi, but the ball goes faster than expected towards goal and the keeper can only block it straight into Majetschak, so the midfielder has the easiest position to score the 2-2. Momentum seems to shift, and Bustos soon has a great chance to score the third with a run into space from the right, although his attempt at a chip over the keeper ends up blocked by a defender and sent behind. Miranda takes the corner kick towards the far post and Rijkhoff jumps higher than anyone to reach the ball and head it into the net, completing our comeback. The following minutes are firmly under our control, with Freiburg never getting anywhere close to Kretzschmar's goal. Bustos even scores a fourth in injury time, but he's very clearly offside and VAR can't miss that. We defend well for the rest of injury time and secure another great result in Grünwalder Stadion. * * * TSV 1860 München 3 (Nahuel Bustos 26, Erik Majetschak 69, Julian Rijkhoff 77) Sport-Club Freiburg 2 (Marco Richter 38, Maximilian Eggestein 47) - - - Great. Took us way longer than it should have, considering how many chances we had to just run away with the game, but in the end we managed. Impact subs for Majetschak and Rijkhoff, and finally some positive contributions by the midfielder (huge drop in return from last year so far) and Bustos, who hadn't scored in a long while. If it weren't for Freiburg striking lucky from distance twice this would've been a clear win for us.

Oct 30th 2025 The improvement work being done on our training facilities finally ends today. I'll hold off on further improvements for now because we're likely to get into big expenses as soon as construction for our new stadium finally starts, and I'd rather not bring the team back into the huge debt it had when I arrived. Oct 31st 2025 We get one of the best draws we could've got in the third round of the DFB Pokal: Union Berlin away. With only five 2.Bundesliga teams left alive out of fifteen options overall this was certainly lucky, even though they're currently third on the table and looking to bounce straight back into the Bundesliga. It'll be tough, but very winnable. Nov 1st 2025 Hamburger SV (14th) vs. TSV 1860 München (8th) (Bundesliga, 10/34) And back to the Bundesliga with a birthday trip to Hamburg, currently bottom half and very much where they were expected to be at the start of the season. Last time we played a game on my birthday Gladbach kicked us out of the cup, so not exactly expecting any presents today, but given our recent performances, this is a game we should be getting something out of. * * * HSV (4-2-3-1): Daniel Heuer Fernandes (GK); Jan Gyamerah (DR), Jamie Lawrence (DCr), Sebastian Schonlau (DCl), Andrii Buleza (DL); Ron Schallenberg (MCr), Ludovit Reis (MCl); Faride Alidou (AMR), Laurent Schmitz (AMC), Aaron Opoku (AML); Kevin Schade (ST) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Nahuel Bustos (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) * * * Some fitness concerns today, since Gerometta is unlikely to play the whole game due to tiredness but Moura isn't healthy enough to start either. Bustos gets the start on the right wing today ahead of Sapmaz, as we try to help him find the good form he's been missing for a while now. He gets our first chance three minutes in after a long passing play he finishes into a defender's legs, and a bit later Nmecha also gets close with a curling shot from distance that misses the target by a couple of feet. Our great start culminates six minutes into the game with Entrena running into space and collecting the ball from Vuskovic before placing his finish into the back of the net with aplomb. We keep pushing after the goal, soon enjoying another goalscoring chance with a high ball from the edge of the box by Rijkhoff. Schade finally answers for HSV, sending a dangerous shot towards the top corner but finding Quintero well positioned to tip it over. Much better is his chance in the 15th after a long pass by Schmitz, but once again the keeper is there to deny him in the one-on-one. After that, though, we regain control of the ball and put the game to sleep for a while, giving us some breathing room until some bad defensive positioning allows Opoku the chance to run alone towards our goal, a chance he thankfully wastes with a horrible shot over the target. A knock to Gerometta makes our wingback situation a bit harder to manage, but we decide to keep him out until the end of the half. Soon Bustos runs after a long pass by Majetschak and crosses so Rijkhoff can hit it straight at Fernandes, but in the 41st Buleza finds a gap through the left, passes towards the edge of the box to Reis, and the midfielder assists Opoku inside the box for an easy finish past Quintero, drawing the game. Rijkhoff enjoys a great chance to restore our lead that Fernandes blocks and deflects wide, and in injury time the struggling Gerometta sees from the right how Entrena is once again unmarked at the edge of the box, sends a cross towards him, and the midfielder once again faces the keeper and places the ball around him to score the 1-2. However, in the minute that remains HSV manage to mount another attack thanks to a mistake by Urko, which ends with Schmitz crossing into the box for Schade to head it past Quintero, drawing the game once again as a very entertaining first half reaches its end. HALF TIME - 2-2 Moura replaces Gerometta during half time, and we go right back at it trying to put ourselves ahead for the third time. The start of the second half is surprisingly uneventful, though, and it takes until the 62nd minute for the first approach on either goal, a high header by Lawrence on a corner kick for HSV. Sapmaz is our first substitution, replacing an invisible Nmecha and moving Bustos to the left, but two minutes later a bad clearance by Quintero gifts Schade the ball in a very dangerous position, and the striker says thanks and shoots to score the 3-2. 't Zand is our third and last substitution, since Bustos is having one of his days once again no matter where he plays. It takes us a while to recover from the blow, but when we do it's in style: long pass by Vuskovic towards the right flank, Sapmaz leaves Buleza behind with a burst of speed then runs into the box and places his finish between Fernandes and the near post to tie the game yet again. Both teams search for the winner in the final minutes, Schade having a one-on-one versus Quintero disallowed for offside and Rijkhoff having his own good chance blocked by Lawrence. It's HSV who draw the winning number, though, when three minutes into injury time Gyamerah runs the right, crosses into the small box, and Opoku gets ahead of both Quintero and the defense to tap it in and score the definitive 4-3. Gutted. * * * Hamburger SV 4 (Aaron Opoku 41 90+3, Kevin Schade 45+3 64) TSV 1860 München 3 (Antonio Entrena 6 45+1, Can Sapmaz 75) - - - Aaaargh. Absolute waste of a match thanks to bad defending in key moments. We were really good going forward, but every cross into the box was dangerous, and individual mistakes by Quintero and Urko costed us dearly. Conceding twice in injury time was pretty disgraceful, too. A real shame, Vuskovic's and Entrena's performances deserved better than this. Only a bruised ankle for Gerometta, he'll be fine and dandy for our next fixture, as will Stjepanovic.

Oct 28th 2025 Triple Team of the Week presence for our lads, with Kretzschmar, Lang, and Maldini all featuring. Oct 29th 2025 TSV 1860 München vs. 1.FC Köln (DFB Pokal, 2nd round) Back to the cup, and with a difficult tie against Köln we've been looking forward to for a while now. We got a pretty decent 2-2 draw in the league in the "practice match", and both teams are tied on points in the table with Köln only ahead due to goal difference, so we're confident of at least having a good chance today. About time we have a decent run in the cup, too... * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Laurin Ulrich (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST) KÖLN (4-4-2 diamond narrow): Kevin Trapp (GK); Danny da Costa (DR), Nathan Phillips (DCr), Stephan Ambrosius (DCl), Jonas Hector (DL); Dejan Ljubicic (DM), Ellyes Skhiri (MCr), Ethan Ampadu (MCl), Dominik Yarkov (AMC); Jan Thielmann (STr), Eddie Nketiah (STl) * * * We play today with a mixture of starters and youngsters in need of minutes, which gives us a very competitive eleven at least on paper. Köln are missing Serra and Mbabu, two of the players that gave us the most trouble in our league meeting. They still draw first blood with a long-distance, powerful try by Skhiri that Quintero punches over the bar only two minutes into the game, then Ljubicic heads the corner kick that follows over the bar. We soon shake off that early pressure and slowly but steadily start pushing them back into their own half. However, in the 16th minute, a deep free kick whipped into the box by Yankov is nodded into the center by Ampadu, and da Costa is there to smash it in and give Köln the lead. Our reaction is immediate, though, and only three passes after kick off Miranda finds a huge gap in Köln's defense and runs into it, gathering a long pass from 't Zand and calmly beating Trapp in the one-on-one to draw the game again within seconds. The game remains even after that, although Köln keep producing the most danger, like a header by Nketiah that hits the root of the post and bounces clear in the 26th minute. Three minutes later the striker has another chance when Vagnoman tackles the ball away from Thielmann but sends it into our own box, allowing Nketiah an apparently easy finish that Quintero somehow blocks and keeps out of the net. Skhiri heads the corner kick high once again, as we struggle to create any kind of danger beyond our goal. The final fifteen minutes of the half bring nothing new to the table, as even Köln seem to forget how to attack. The 1-1 stays until the end of the first forty-five. HALF TIME - 1-1 We finally get a shot in seven minutes after the break, courtesy of a very below average Sapmaz, who tries luck from the edge of the box but goes high and wide with his shot. Köln also go right back at it through a cross by da Costa that Thielmann half-volleys only to find Quintero's glove in the way. We do look a bit better going forward now, though, at least getting into decent shooting positions. Maldini and Rijkhoff replace the disappointing Sapmaz and Bustos, hoping that they'll carry their league form into this game. The impact is, once again, almost instantaneous: Rijkhoff controls the ball near the edge of the box then passes it back towards Ulrich, who finds himself with space and unleashes a missile with his right foot that flies past Trapp and straight into the back of the net. Great goal for the youngster. A few minutes later Steinhart makes his first appearance of the season, replacing an exhausted Vagnoman, and in the 69th Rijkhoff runs on his own at the defense, nudging his way past two defenders before being ultimately undone by Trapp's save. We're playing our best football of the game right now, and in the 75th we reap the rewards: minutes-long passing play that goes through every outfield player with Köln not even getting a sniff of it, and the ball finally reaches Gerometta on the right flank. The wingback then assists Maldini inside the box, and the winger runs at Trapp and finishes with a neat little chip to score the 3-1 in style. Köln change to a 4-2-3-1 with Thielmann and Draxler on the wings, and the former has a good run into the box from the left four minutes after our goal, his final shot punched over the bar by Quintero. In the 85th, though, Maldini takes a corner kick, Benkovic mistimes his header, and Miranda smashes it into the net near the far post to put our victory beyond any kind of reasonable doubt. Two minutes later Steinhart remembers the good old times with a run and pass down the left, enabling Rijkhoff for a good chance that the striker sends into the post, the ball rolling all over the goal line before being cleared away. Then, bad news: Maldini injures his leg in the final minutes of the game, leaving us with ten men on the pitch. We don't suffer for that, though, and score a brilliant result to keep us alive in the competition. * * * TSV 1860 München 4 (Matías Miranda 16 85, Laurin Ulrich 62, Daniel Maldini 75) 1.FC Köln 1 (Danny da Costa 16) - - - Well, that was unexpected. Not the win, that was very much in the cards, but such a big result surprises even me. The game could've easily gone either way, and if we hadn't scored the 1-1 as quickly as we did we most likely would've struggled to get back into the game, but our second half was much better, particularly once Maldini and Rijkhoff came in and the goals started flowing. Fantastic result, and now let's see what we get in the third round. It comes at a price, though: Maldini, probably our most in-form player right now, will be out for about three weeks with a pulled calf. Sapmaz will have to step up his game in the meantime.

Oct 25th 2025 TSV 1860 München (10th) vs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (9th) (Bundesliga, 9/34) Playing right after Bayern in the schedule is always funny. Either you get teams on the high of their lives because they just beat them, or you get teams that got annihilated 0-7, with Lewandowski scoring six of those seven. Guess which category Hoffenheim belongs to. They have just one point more than us, so regardless of recent results, this will be a close-fought match. * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Dries Wouters (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) HOFFENHEIM (4-4-2): Domen Gril (GK); Kilian Fischer (DR), Jordan Beyer (DCr), Igor (DCl), Marco Friedl (DL); Andreas Skov Olsen (MR), Dennis Geiger (MCr), Angelo Stiller (MCl), Roland Sallai (ML); Andi Zeqiri (STr), Andrej Kramaric (STl) * * * First league start for Wouters after Urko's recent mediocre performances, with the usual rotation otherwise with an eye kept on the midweek cup fixture against Köln. Hoffenheim have lost Baumann on goal to Hertha and have seen some turnover in defense, but otherwise look pretty similar to their version from last season. They try high pressing lines with their 4-4-2, but soon we learn how to disrupt this plan with a long pass towards the wing for Maldini, who crosses into the box and sees how Rijkhoff's header sails wide off the target. Nmecha does a bit better with another header one minute later, but this one's an easy catch for Gril. After those early chances, though, the game takes a much more midfield-y look, with possession mostly split equally and the only attempts at goal being long-rangers by Hoffenheim, none of them particularly relevant. They finally get a real chance in a corner kick 22 minutes in, headed by Beyer and cleared off the line between Kretzschmar and Moura. The next important event comes on the 35th minute, when Moura is forced to retreat into the dressing room with pain in his knee, and is replaced by Vagnoman. Five minutes later Maldini gets a good chance blocked by Gril following a nice through ball by Majetschak, and after a couple blocked shots on each goal the first half comes to an end without any changes in the scoreboard. HALF TIME - 0-0 The slow pace remains in the second half, and it takes us to try our luck with a long-range attempt by Vagnoman, way over the bar. Bustos and Sapmaz soon enter the game, with Maldini taking the left now, and the striker soon produces our best chance so far by holding the ball in midfield and assisting Entrena as he runs past the defensive line, even though in the end Gril stops his finish and sends it wide for a corner kick. In the 68th minute we finally find a way: Maldini takes a direct free kick and, as he's wont to do, places it exactly in the top right corner. Beautiful goal. Hoffenheim are surprisingly quiet in the following minutes, their first approach not coming until the 80th with a bender from distance by Geiger that Kretzschmar slaps away from goal with a photo-worthy save. It's also their last, and in the first minute of injury time a Majetschak leads a counterattack and passes towards Sapmaz on the edge of the box, and the winger shows he has gunpowder in his right leg with a powerful effort that hits the underside of the bar and goes in, scoring the 2-0 and calling curtains on the match. * * * TSV 1860 München 2 (Daniel Maldini 68, Can Sapmaz 90+1) TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 0 - - - Great result for a game that was really difficult to call until we scored our first. After that Hoffenheim just vanished, though, and we kept things under control until Sapmaz just smashed it in. Two beauties from our two right wingers today, and Maldini has been having some very interesting performances as of late. Moura will miss 6-8 days with a twisted knee, nothing too serious although he'll be out of contention for the DFB Pokal second round. * * * | Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | Form | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Borussia Dortmund | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 6 | 19 | 23 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Freiburg | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 20 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Borussia M'gladbach | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 19 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | FC Bayern | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 9 | 21 | 18 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | RB Leipzig | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 18 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Hertha BSC | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 17 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | Köln | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 15 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | 1860 München | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 15 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | Frankfurt | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 14 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | Hoffenheim | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 13 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | Bayer Leverkusen | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 12 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | Nürnberg | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 21 | -10 | 10 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | Arminia Bielefeld | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 17 | -6 | 9 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | Hamburg | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 20 | -11 | 9 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 17 | -12 | 7 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | Stuttgart | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 18 | -9 | 5 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | Hannover 96 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 18 | -13 | 3 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | Augsburg | 9 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 22 | -16 | 1 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Fantastic first quarter of the season, no questions asked. Last year we finished the first half of the Bundesliga with only two more points than we have right now, and that was the good half, so that should give you an idea of the jump in quality and results we've experienced since. Most importantly, we've put ten points between us and the relegation playoff, and that's ten points those teams from the bottom will have to sweat blood in order to recover. I won't look too hard at the two points between us and the European places, though, that's still well within the wishful dream category. As for the rest of the league, it's nice to see Dortmund finally having a good season from the start, it's been a few years. Only unbeaten team and with a healthy lead at the top, best defense and second best attack in the league... Looks like this might be their year if they can keep this up. Freiburg and Gladbach are the obvious surprise packages with their second and third places, and the latter could be even higher if they hadn't lost against us! Bayern and Leipzig have both had a rough start, but at least our neighbors seem to be recovering, having managed back-to-back blowouts against Hoffenheim (0-7) and HSV (8-1). The bottom half looks more or less as expected, with Stuttgart as the most obvious surprise with their awful form so far. Worth noting Leverkusen's position, too, extremely mediocre for their potential, and Eintracht's noticeable drop after getting into the Champions League last season. * * * PLAYER STATS ============ Average rating (min. 3 games played): Niklas Lang 7.46 (10 apps) Daniel Maldini 7.33 (8(1) apps) Tom Kretzschmar 7.22 (4 apps) Antonio Entrena 7.21 (7(2) apps) Francisco Gerometta 7.19 (8(1) apps) Goals: Daniel Maldini 6 goals Julian Rijkhoff 5 Can Sapmaz 3 Niklas Lang 3 4 players 2 Assists: Antonio Entrena 3 assists Francisco Gerometta 3 Laurin Ulrich 2 Shiloh 't Zand 2 Felix Nmecha 2

Oct 11th 2025 Quiet week for our internationals with Stjepanovic out of contention. Good minutes for Rung with the German U19s in a 4-0 over Iceland, but otherwise nothing particularly noteworthy. Oct 14th 2025 Three days later, though, Rijkhoff scores both goals in the Netherlands U21's 2-1 win over Macedonia, while Entrena and Rung grab themselves one assist apiece for Germany U21 and U19 respectively. Solid performance by Vuskovic with Croatia U21, too. Oct 18th 2025 DSC Arminia Bielefeld (12th) vs. TSV 1860 München (9th) (Bundesliga, 8/34) Pretty good start of the season for just-promoted Bielefeld, too, with only three points less than us and wins against fellow relegation favorites Augsburg and Hannover. Despite our current (barely) top half status, they're a direct rival of ours to avoid the drop, so a result here is almost mandatory. That said, our away form so far has been pretty bad with only one draw in three matches. A good chance to fix that, too. * * * BIELEFELD (4-2-3-1): Stefan Ortega (GK); Bafodé Diakité (DR), Pedro Álvaro (DCr), Malick Thaw (DCl), Rémy Vita (DL); Alessandro Schöpf (MCr), Mehmet-Can Aydin (MCl); Masaya Okugawa (AMR), Kenan Yildiz (AMC), Florian Krüger (AML); Wahid Faghir (ST) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST) * * * Majetschak is already back in action, although unlikely to be able to play the whole game today, while Stjepanovic still has a couple of weeks of recovery ahead of him. Little remains of the Bielefeld we knew in the 2.Bundesliga, with only Ortega and Krüger remaining from their lineups from back then. The first chance is theirs six minutes into the game, a run down the whole left wing by Vita and a cross into Faghir's header, well held by Kretzschmar. Ortega does the same to our first attempt, courtesy of Nmecha from the edge of the box as the game remains very even throughout the early game. Possession slowly becomes ours in the following minutes, although without much to show for it danger-wise. It takes us until the 28th to find a way into the box through quick, short passes ending in Maldini's assist towards Bustos, who gets his finish stopped by Ortega. One minute later another long attacking ends with the ball in the left wing under Nmecha's control, and the inside forward trades roles with Maldini with a cross towards the far post so the Italian can head it in and score the 0-1. Bielefeld attack for the first time since that distant first chance then, soon creating a chance through Okugawa's cross and Schöpf's header straight into Kretzschmar's hands. We remain in control, though, and enjoy a chance for the second with another connection between Maldini and Bustos that the Argentinian sends wide in the end. Vita is the next to try with another great run down the left, piercing through both Gerometta and Maldini before shooting with little power into Kretzschmar's save. The last minute of the half brings a quick counterattack by Krüger before he crosses towards Okugawa, who tries a spectacular bicycle kick but mishits it and sends the ball well wide. An also wide shot by Bustos in injury time is the last action of the first half. HALF TIME - 0-1 The second half starts at a leisurely pace, although ten minutes in Kretzschmar performs one of his miracles by somehow blocking a header by Faghir right in his face by extending his arms upwards, thus preventing a corner kick goal for Bielefeld. A bit later, still with the match half asleep, Ulrich and Entrena enter the game to revitalize our midfield, somewhat lethargic today. Then it's Wouters' turn to enter the fray in his first league appearance of the season, replacing Urko in defense. There's no more danger created on either side of the pitch until the 69th, and even then it's a high left-footed finish by Maldini that's not particularly close to Ortega's goal. A direct free kick from very close to the edge of the box taken by the Italian also ends up nowhere after his shot hits the fence and floats into Ortega's waiting hands. Arminia finally create something out of a bad pass by Wouters, which leads to Yildiz's silky run into the box and a good finish that Kretzschmar blocks with some difficulties. It's another mistake by one of our defenders, Vagnoman in this case, that allows Bielefeld to draw the game: an unnecessary attempt at dribbling past Okugawa fails, the winger steals the ball and quickly crosses into the box, and there's Faghir to head it in unopposed and score the 1-1 only three minutes before full time. And after that neither team seems to want to push too hard for the winner, so the result stays tied until the end. A wasted chance. * * * DSC Arminia Bielefeld 1 (Wahid Faghir 87) TSV 1860 München 1 (Daniel Maldini 29) - - - Way to throw away a win, ugh. Honestly, the draw was probably the fairest of results given how the game went. We were good until we scored, but after that it was mostly Bielefeld with a few flashes here and there by our attack. None of our midfielders had a good day today, which explains how most of our chances had to come from the wings. Oh well, another point, and not losing to relegation candidates is always a good thing, particularly away.

Sep 30th 2025 Injury for Wouters, the classic pulled ankle ligaments with the usual two-week recovery time. He hasn't played any so far outside of the cup, and I was thinking about giving him some time in defense in our next fixtures, but alas. Oct 4th 2025 TSV 1860 München (9th) vs. VfB Stuttgart (14th) (Bundesliga, 7/34) Back to our league, at least in theory. Because until last week Stuttgart were 16th and winless, but then they pulled out of somewhere a 3-0 win over Bayern, our neighbors' third defeat in six matches already, and now I'm scared. They're expected around midtable at best, though, so it should a team we can compare with and maybe get on top, but still. Scary. * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Josha Vagnoman (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) STUTTGART (3-2-2-1-2): Bartlomiej Dragowski (GK); Chris Richards (DCr), Waldemar Anton (DC), Hrvoje Smolcic (DCl); Pascal Stenzel (WBr), Tim Leibold (WBl); Enzo Le Feé (MCr), Orel Mangala (MCl); Amine Harit (AMC); Moussa Djénépo (STr), M'Bala Nzola (STl) * * * Look who's back! Quintero has been pretty decent, but having Kretzschmar back in goal should help our defensive performance a lot. Nmecha also returns tot he lineup today, with the usual rotation otherwise. Meanwhile Stuttgart keep the same team from last season, except for both starting wingbacks and Djénépo upfront. The match takes a bit to get going, as is usually the case when playing against 3-5-2 variants, but in the ninth minute we find an unexpected way through: throw in near the right wing corner flag and the ball eventually reaches Miranda, who cuts in alongside the edge of the box and bends it left-footed into the far post to score a beautiful goal for the 1-0. Stuttgart won't take this laying down, though, and only five minutes later Djénépo is already heading a cross from the left into the top of the crossbar and over. A weak header by Maldini that rolls into Dragowski's gloves is our not too convincing response, and soon Djénépo breaks in through the center so Kretzschmar can have his first one-on-one save after his return to action. Missed you, miracle worker. He can't do anything in the 25th, though, when Le Fée takes a corner kick towards the near post and Smolcic towers above everyone to head it in with all his power and grab a deserved draw for the visitors. The next ten minutes show both teams struggling to find a way through the overpopulated center of the pitch, so we try and focus our attacks on the wings a bit more. Said and done: Vagnoman assists Maldini on the run and the winger tries a very difficult finish through the near post, and manages to hit exactly that: the post. Things slow down again until injury time, when an apparently innocent long ball behind the defense is intercepted by Urko, but his pass back ends up short and Djénépo cuts it, dribbles into the box, and beats Kretzschmar to score the 1-2 right before the half time whistle. HALF TIME - 1-2 The second half starts like the first ended: ball stolen for a quick counter, this time finished by Harit with a bending shot that Kretzschmar saves and holds. Only three minutes into the half, though, Nmecha compensates for a pretty anonymous first half by holding the ball with his back to the goal, then assisting Maldini as he runs into the box and shoots low to score the 2-2. Ten minutes later the inside forward does it again, dropping towards the right wing to cross towards the penalty spot where Entrena nods it forward, allowing Rijkhoff to finish it off with a point-blank header that becomes the 3-2. Now that's a good reaction. 't Zand and Stjepanovic join the game then to give Urko and Nmecha some much needed rest, and we go on to dominate the following minutes, not allowing Stuttgart a sniff of the ball, let alone any chance to create danger. Ulrich for a solid Entrena is our last substitution, just after Stuttgart come back to live with a narrowly wide effort from distance by Harit. It's an isolated incident, though, and the clock reaches the final minutes with nothing else to report on either goal other than a header by Rijkhoff well saved by Dragowski in the 80th. Seven minutes later Kretzschmar does well to block a shot by substitute right wingback Massimo, who'd managed to sprint his way into the box unopposed. Stuttgart try a Dortmund-like 4-3-1-2 for the final stretch, but other than a direct free kick that Hrustic smashes into the fence it gives them nothing. Our biggest problem is a last-second injury to Stjepanovic which forces us to improvise with Vuskovic as emergency center-back, but it doesn't go beyond that, and our win is confirmed shortly after. * * * TSV 1860 München 3 (Matías Miranda 9, Daniel Maldini 48, Julian Rijkhoff 58) VfB Stuttgart 2 (Hrvoje Smolcic 25, Moussa Djénépo 45+1) - - - Great comeback, even if a bit lucky. Stuttgart probably deserved more from this game after a very good first half, but in the second half we were just clinical upfront when it counted, and after that we killed the game thoroughly to prevent any more shenanigans. Changing Vuskovic's role to half back so he could better track Harit's runs from deep was key, I think. Great result, solidifying us in the top half for the time being and widening the gap with the relegation battle. The earlier we can score our points, the better. Stjepanovic's injury is relatively serious, a groin strain that should remove him from this week's international fixtures and keep him out of the lineup for a bit over a month. Not the worst timing for it, though, considering the aforementioned international break.

Sep 23rd 2025 Miranda is our first presence in the Team of the Week for the season. Sep 26th 2025 Borussia Dortmund (2nd) vs. TSV 1860 München (8th) (Bundesliga, 6/34) Ah yes, time for pain. Dortmund are one of two unbeaten teams in the league, the other being, surprisingly, Freiburg. They've won four and drawn one, and last week they beat Bayern to put them only one point ahead of us. Which is nice, but this week it's very likely we'll drop to four behind... Let's see if our improvement this season is enough to at least give them some trouble. * * * DORTMUND (4-3-1-2 narrow): Gregor Kobel (GK); Mohamed Simakan (DR), Niklas Süle (DCr), Manuel Akanji (DCl), Tyrell Malacia (DL); Joey Veerman (MCr), Kacper Kozlowski (MC), Emre Can (MCl); Giovanni Reyna (AMC); Adam Hlozek (STr), Youssoufa Moukoko (STl) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Urko (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST) * * * Nmecha is back in the bench to get some minutes in the second half, and we expect Kretzschmar to be ready for our next fixture against Stuttgart. Dortmund start their most notable purchase of the summer, midfielder Kacper Kozlowski, who joined from Wolves for €53M in a surprisingly cheap (for his expected value) move. Somewhat surprisingly we start well, with Miranda having our first chance on the break but finding Kobel in the way of his finish. Lang then heads the resulting corner kick over the bar, just to reinforce the notion that we're here to give Dortmund hell. Of course it's still Dortmund we're talking about, and soon they start pushing us back into our own half, but we managed to escape through Moura, who sends a long ball into space for Bustos and Kobel has to go down once again to prevent the 0-1. Dortmund's first chance doesn't arrive until the 18th, a quick run through the center that Moukoko finishes with a defective shot, high and wide. Meanwhile we keep finding space to create danger through, and only very close offsides by Bustos and Maldini prevent two more one-on-one chances to score. On the 25th we get our first real scare, a run into the box from the right flank by Simakan and a pass towards the center of the box for Hlozek's shot, well parried by an excellent Quintero. Dortmund increase the intensity of their pressing after that chance, making it harder for us to move the ball around, and soon Hlozek has another chance with a good header that Quintero once again saves. We hold them back well, though, and after a while we manage to get out of the cage they've built for us and attack once again, although Gerometta's high effort from 25 yards away in the 38th minute could hardly count as dangerous. Dortmund answer with a cross for Moukoko's header, this time wide to the right of the target, but Maldini has a much better one in the 42nd, volleying a cross by 't Zand and being denied in the last instant by Kobel's miracle flying save. The play then continues into a long ball from Reyna to Hlozek, who dodges Stjepanovic's attempt at an interception and then runs around Quintero with ease to grab the 1-0 for Dortmund. No more chances in a surprisingly even first half. HALF TIME - 1-0 After congratulating the players on a very good first half despite the result, we go back out with the aim of not being as forgiving with our finishing this time. Instead we find ourselves watching as Hlozek once again outruns his marker and shoots into another save by Quintero, then as Reyna smashes into the crossbar one of the easiest one-on-ones he's probably had in his life. Our woodwork quota is also filled by Bustos in the 53rd minute, his header following a great cross by 't Zand bouncing twice on the crossbar before going over. Another chance for Reyna after a ball intercepted by Simakan in midfield dies wide of goal, and a goal looks extremely likely in the following minutes, although it's not clear on which target. Vagnoman and Entrena are our first two substitutions, while Dortmund bring Jovic into the game a bit later, and the striker says hello with a silky run through the center and a 20-yarder that goes over, but not by much. Rijkhoff joins then against his own team, moving Bustos to the left, and soon we get another chance on the break, finished with a diagonal pass back by Maldini and a low shot by Entrena, barely tipped wide by Kobel. Another missed chance for us, and Dortmund shows us how it's done in the 66th minute when Simakan finds a gap to send a cross from the right and Reyna wins the ball right in front of Quintero and just heads it in to score the 2-0. That's a hard blow to take, and we need some minutes to compose ourselves. Meanwhile Süle heads a corner kick over the bar, then substitute Verschaeren has a direct free kick from 20 yards away and bends it with a perfect curve to beat Quintero and score the third. That seals the game, but we still have our pride to fight for, and Entrena gives Kobel another scare with a narrowly wide finish in a set piece taken by Maldini. A high finish by Reyna from the edge of the box and a blocked shot by Rijkhoff are the next chances on both goals, and two minutes before fulltime Jovic has a great opportunity after a run and cross by Hlozek, but Quintero dives well for another save to add to the pile. A last second save by Kobel to deny Miranda a consolation goal marks the end of the match. * * * Borussia Dortmund 3 (Adam Hlozek 42, Giovanni Reyna 65, Yari Verschaeren 71) TSV 1860 München 0 - - - Flattering result for Dortmund, really. This should've been a 2-1 or a 3-2 given the chances both teams had and the general level of play they showed. Our first half in particular was fantastic, and I'd dare to say we had the best of Dortmund for at least half an hour there. Our finishing betrayed us again, though, and Kobel also did his part, while Dortmund's extreme quality going forward did the rest. Still, a very promising performance regardless of the result, I think we can be proud of our efforts today.

Sep 21st 2025 TSV 1860 München (8th) vs. 1.FC Köln (7th) (Bundesliga, 5/34) The Bundesliga calendar is nice enough to give us a practice run for our DFB Pokal second round tie against Köln. I mean, this match is about as important as the other one considering a win could solidify us in the top half for the time being, but points can be found elsewhere, while cup ties are a single shot and if you miss it you're gone. Regardless, I want to drop as few points as possible at home this season, and that means we have to aim for another win here. * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) KÖLN (4-4-2 diamond narrow): Kevin Trapp (GK); Kevin Mbabu (DR), Nathan Phillips (DCr), Stephan Ambrosius (DCl), Amadou Danté (DL); Jonas Hector (DM), Ellyes Skhiri (MCr), Ethan Ampadu (MCl), Dominik Yarkov (AMC); Eddie Nketiah (STr), Janni Serra (STl) * * * Rotation once again, including Sapmaz's first league start of the season ahead of a Maldini who's been pretty average lately. We know against a diamond narrow formation trying to exploit the wings is a good goal to have, and Gerometta starts the game with that idea, sending a quick cross to Rijkhoff after beating Danté for speed and watching the striker head it terribly wide. Their answer is surprisingly similar: cross from the right by Mbabu and high header by Serra, slightly closer to the target in his case. Third try is the charm though, and sadly it falls to them: another run down the right by Mbabu ends in a low cross towards the far post, Quintero doesn't intercept, and Nketiah just taps it over the line for the 0-1. The game remains quite even after the goal, and ten minutes without danger pass before Serra gets close with another header, this one coming from a corner kick. We finally react in the 30th minute with a double chance for Rijkhoff and Majetschak, both finishes extremely dangerous but both blocked by a defender in the last second. 't Zand follows it up with a good header to Majetschak's cross, straight into Trapp's hands, but for a moment it looks like we might turn this around quickly. Our high doesn't last, though: Majetschak is forced to abandon the match due to a lower leg injury after a collision with Ampadu, Miranda taking his place. Our momentum seems to die there, and nothing else happens until in the 45th minute 't Zand sees Rijkhoff's movement towards the back of the defense and the inside forward sends a long pass ahead of him, allowing the striker to run at Trapp and beat him with a powerful finish. Game tied, just in time for half time. HALF TIME - 1-1 Nine minutes into the second half Köln break a lull in the game when Mbabu sends a long pass ahead of Nketiah, who breaks away from Lang and sidesteps Quintero's desperate rush to pass the ball into the back of the net and restore Köln's lead. Urko and Ulrich come into the game a bit later trying to spark a reaction, and the young midfielder does have a good chance to pull level again following a diagonal pass by Miranda, but his finish isn't good at all, way over the bar. Time passes and our attack struggles to create danger. Only Rijkhoff's relentless pressing on Köln's defenders yields some benefits, although the one time he manages to steal the ball from them in a dangerous situation he ends up shooting very narrowly wide. A great chance nonetheless. Köln don't do much in attack either, only getting close with a shot deflected on Miranda's legs that bounces worryingly close to the crossbar, and in a corner kick that Phillips heads into the sidenetting. Two minutes before full time Rijkhoff has another great opportunity, a clean header after a great cross by Sapmaz, but once again the striker fails to find the target. In the 90th, though, Rijkhoff gathers the ball and runs towards the left flank instead before sending a perfect ball towards Miranda in the heart of the box, and the midfielder surprises with a powerful header into the post and in to draw the game. Sapmaz could have made it 3-2 a bit over a minute into injury time, following a great through ball from Miranda, but Trapp dived down to tip the finish wide, then Lang could only head the corner kick over the bar. There's no time for more, and both teams split the points in a tightly contested fixture. * * * TSV 1860 München 2 (Julian Rijkhoff 45, Matías Miranda 90) 1.FC Köln 2 (Eddie Nketiah 13 54) - - - Fun game with lots of alternatives, and which we probably would've edged if our finishing today had been halfway decent. Rijkhoff should've walked away with a hattrick, really, a very nice performance by the loanee regardless of his misses. Still, a very credible showing against a strong Köln side, and points. Points are always good. Pulled calf muscle for Majetschak, could've been worse. He'll still miss between two and three weeks, which will mean more chances and playing time for Ulrich in the meantime.

Aug 31st 2025 One day until the transfer window closes and suddenly things take a weird turn with Bobsin: apparently he doesn't want to leave anymore? Despite having two offers already accepted? Well, let's hope he changes his mind in the end, because otherwise we might be unable to sign a good enough midfielder... Sep 1st 2025 Any transfer business must be concluded before today at 6 PM. Other than the Bobsin matter and his eventual replacement, we also have to see if we can find some of our youngsters a loan somewhere. Ulrich in particular is a good candidate, although I'll be holding onto him until we're sure we can sign a midfielder, because otherwise he's likely to be needed. And welp, there goes all that: Bobsin decides to stay put and rejects the transfer offers he had. That means we're most likely not signing anyone else today, and that Ulrich will stay. Bobsin and Vuskovic will rotate as our anchor, Wouters will move full time to defense, and Urko will be used wherever he's needed, although primarily in defense as our third option. With that, and unless something unexpected happens, our squad is finalized. We do get some unexpected money, though, as Mamadou Kaly Sene moves from Norwich to Mainz (who are spending like crazy this summer after their relegation) for €3M, of which €160k will come to us. Nothing great, but still welcome. That was a quick transfer out, by the way, he lasted all of eight months in England... With no transfer business expected we focus on loans. Most of our youngsters don't attract any attention, but recent debutant Tjark Rung is sent to Hansa Rostock, still a top-half team in the 3.Liga, to enjoy many first-team minutes, or so we expect. Aaand the window closes without any further incident. There's still a possible loan out in Riza Gundak who might be going to a Turkish team, but there the window will still remain open for a while, so there's time. We're no longer the team with the lowest wage expenditure in the league, by the way, that "honor" going to Arminia Bielefeld now by a small margin. Yay? Sep 4th 2025 Good performance by new kid Vuskovic with the Croatian U21 side, taking part in a 4-0 demolition of Liechtenstein. Entrena also has a cameo appearance in Germany's win over Montenegro. Sep 5th 2025 Bigger international news: Stjepanovic gets his senior debut with Serbia on a 1-2 defeat against Slovakia, and he was one of the best players on the pitch for his side while playing the whole game. Sep 8th 2025 Some last-minute departures going to Russia and Turkey. As mentioned before, Gundak moves to Ankaragücü on loan, where he'll be an important player in their bid to return to the second tier. Meanwhile, fringe Georgian prospect Mike Gevorgyan is transferred to Ural for €30k upfront, €10k after 10 first team appearances, and a further €10k upon his first international appearance, plus 30% of future profits. Sep 9th 2025 Second cap for Stjepanovic, although he won't remember this one with any pride in the future. Being the victim of a 6-2 obliteration by England tends to make one wish you hadn't been there, particularly when you're a central defender... Sep 13th 2025 Hertha BSC (7th) vs. TSV 1860 München (5th) (Bundesliga, 4/34) Week 2 of 1860 being the best Munich team in the Bundesliga. It won't last, but let me enjoy it while I can. We're also above Hertha in the table, precisely because Bayern bounced back from their defeat and destroyed them 4-0 last week. Math says that if we beat Gladbach we should be able to beat Hertha easily. Math is a consummate liar. * * * HERTHA (4-3-3): Oliver Baumann (GK); Guille Rosas (DR), Andrew Omobamidele (DCr), Pascal Strujik (DCl), Fredrik Bjorkan (DL); Julian Weigl (DM), Florian Neuhaus (MCr), Brais Méndez (MCl); Pedro Porro (AMR), Suat Serdar (AML), Krzysztof Piatek (ST) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) * * * Bobsin returns to the lineup after his whole contract fiasco, hopefully with everything in the past and focused on the task at hand. Hertha have changed their outlook since last season, moving from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3, although most of their players remain the same, with the notable exception of last-second signing Guille Rosas on the right back. The game starts with comedy, and thankfully it's Hertha who end up as the butt of the joke: backpass from Bjorkan towards Baumann who tries to clear, but instead hits Rijkhoff's back making the ball bounce over the keeper's head and fall straight into the net. We take those. Ridiculous goal aside, we look quite good in the first minutes, although Rosas soon has a chance to score in a set piece that Quintero manages to tip wide with a nice show of reflexes. Another set piece cleared off our box ends with the ball in Serdar's possession, and the winger crosses it back inside so Strujik can head it with precision and pull level quite quickly. On the 17th minute Porro runs at Moura and dribbles past him and into the box, provoking a strong challenge that VAR turns into a penalty kick. Piatek sends Quintero the wrong way, and we're now behind. Hertha keep attacking after taking the lead, and another great run by Porro ends in a cross towards Serdat, who heads it wide. Their momentum dies off after a while, though, and around the half-hour we start hitting them back through Maldini, who tries a low effort from distance that Baumann can't quite hold and ends wide for a corner kick. After that there isn't much more, and both teams struggle to create danger until the end of the first half. HALF TIME - 2-1 Hertha try to hold the ball in the initial minutes of the second half, but a quick counter and cross by Maldini gives Rijkhoff a chance to head it in that he sends wide off the target. A bit later 't Zand replaces a completely invisible Bustos, and then Majetschak does the same with Miranda. We have the ball now, but chances remain hard to come by, and we decide to send Sapmaz in for a bit of youthful spark in our attack. Meanwhile Pedro Porro blasts over the bar a good chance on the counter. Time passes with no work for either keeper other than a few long shots we try with little precision or power. We go full on attack in the final minutes and actually get something out of it, a cross by 't Zand that Rijkhoff tries to finish but finds Strujik in the way to block his shot. The game ends shortly after, and our first defeat of the season is confirmed. * * * Hertha BSC 2 (Pascal Strujik 9, Krzysztof Piatek 17p) TSV 1860 München 1 (Julian Rijkhoff 2) - - - We really can't have nice things. The one time Lady Luck smiles upon us with an absolute fluke of a goal and it lasts us all of fifteen minutes. The game was extremely even beyond that crazy start, honestly, but we just couldn't create enough in attack to deserve a second goal, so no complaints. Week 2 of being ahead of Bayern was the last. For now.

Aug 24th 2025 Oh hey, a bit of extra money coming our way. Remember Kevin Goden, our starting right back for the first two seasons? Well, Heracles just sold him to Groningen for €1.3M, and we get a 30% of the profits from this transfer, meaning somewhere around €250k. Nothing too big given our current standards, but still welcome. Aug 25th 2025 One week left in the transfer window and the Bobsin saga looks about to close: Legia come with a €2.9M offer for him which I happily accept. He's already willing to leave, even though he hasn't come with a formal transfer request just yet, so this comes with perfect timing. We'll now have to think if we want a like-for-like replacement or we'd rather sign another defender and move Urko full time to midfield. Aug 28th 2025 Seven players called up for various youth international fixtures, including Entrena with Germany and Rijkhoff with the Netherlands. And we might have one more to add to that count: 19yo Croatian defensive midfielder Darko Vuskovic agrees a move from Hajduk Split to 1860 München valued in €4.5M and a 30% of future profits. A strong, determined, and very defensive-minded midfielder, he comes as Bobsin's long term replacement and as a clear bet for the future. His potential should see his value skyrocket with regular play, and he's already about as good as Bobsin is or will ever be, so our starting eleven won't suffer at all with his presence. Also a capable advanced midfielder despite not being the best passer, he could be used there if needed, but his main role will be covering in front of our defenders against attacking counterattacks and helping with the build-up of our play from the back. His wages are also extremely low for this level, although he'll get a nice hike when (not if) he reaches five senior international appearances with Croatia. A certainly expensive purchase, but which might feel cheap in a couple of years if his €25M release clause is to be believed. Aug 30th 2025 Good news for one of our recent purchases, Stjepanovic, who's just been called up for the senior Serbia side and will have a chance to debut against Slovakia and/or England. * * * TSV 1860 München vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach (Bundesliga, 3/34) You'd think Gladbach would be among the most "winnable" foes from the top half of the Bundesliga, but consider this: they just beat Bayern 2-1 one week ago. If that's not scary, then I don't know what is... Regardless, we'll try our best and with some luck we might squeeze something out of this game. * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) GLADBACH (4-2-3-1): Jan Olschowsky (GK); Nahuel Molina (DR), Nico Elvedi (DCr), Igor Diveev (DCl), Luca Netz (DL); Gianluca Busio (MCr), Cheick Doucouré (MCl); Raúl Moro (AMR), Nedim Bajrami (AMC), Marcus Thuram (AML), Tiago Morais (ST) * * * Some rotation today, with Urko moving to defense, Moura, Stjepanovic, and 't Zand resting, Vuskovic debutting, and Rijkhoff getting his first league start with Bustos on the wing. Gladbach keep the same core from last season, and they try to put us under some early pressure with a couple of weak finishes that Quintero deals with efficiently. The match soon evens out, though, with possession being shared and neither team having enough of an advantage to create consistent danger. That changes in the 17th minute, when we finally chain some good passes together and the ball reaches Entrena with space inside the box, although his finish is deflected over the bar by Olschowksy. Momentum seems to change, and soon it's Rijkhoff who shoots with good power but bad aim after a nod by Bustos. Thuram answers immediately with a turnaround shot that also sails over Quintero's goal, but soon the game's focus returns to the midfield area and the minutes tick by without any more chances coming on either side of the pitch. On the 31st, though, Rijkhoff sends a ball into space towards the right flank for Maldini to run into, and Netz pushes the winger with enough strength to bring him down inside the box: penalty kick, yellow card, and Bustos buries it from the spot to give us the lead. After the goal we take the ball and hide it away for the rest of the first half, denying Gladbach the chance to mount an immediate comeback. Ahead at half time. HALF TIME - 1-0 Gladbach try to regain control of the situation in the second half, but their few chances end up coming to nothing due to good defending or offside positions. The one time they manage to get through, though, it ends up with Morais going completely alone against Quintero following a long ball by Bajrami, and the striker doesn't waste his chance and draws the game with a powerful finish. Sapmaz and Moura come in then, and after a while Miranda does the same. Once again the match evens out and both defenses plug the gaps effectively for a while, with only a high ball by Morais in the 69th minute to bring some thrill to the stands. One minute later, though, Sapmaz makes his presence known with a good pass forward towards the overlapping Gerometta, who crosses towards the center and finds Rijkhoff's perfect header to restore our lead. And after that, a long stretch of control for us and of frustration for Gladbach, who can't seem to find a way through anymore. It isn't until four minutes before full time that Gladbach finally catch us by surprise in a counter-counterattack, finished by Bajrami and well deflected wide by Quintero. Rijkhoff answers with a long-range attempt that Olschowsky saves and holds with ease, then follows by scoring a clearly offside goal, but which shows that Gladbach are overcomitting to the attack and might be very vulnerable at the back. Said and done: we chain some quick passes through all the space they leave for us, Miranda finds Sapmaz unmarked inside the box, and the youngster shoots with power with his left foot to score the third in injury time and put the game beyond any doubt. A fantastic result for a fantastic performance. * * * TSV 1860 München 3 (Nahuel Bustos 32p, Julian Rijkhoff 70, Can Sapmaz 90+2) Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 (Tiago Morais 56) - - - This is working, guys. We faced Gladbach (a team that just beat Bayern, remember) head on and emerged victorious, and actually dominated them for a good portion of the game. Probably a bit of a flattering result, but we did deserve the win, and for once our finishing gave us exactly that. Vuskovic had a quite pleasing debut, Quintero keeps looking solid enough on goal, and I couldn't be happier with our position after the first three fixtures: seven points and deep in the top half of the table. Don't look down...

Aug 17th 2025 A talk with dressing room leaders Steinhart and Lang about the Bobsin situation ended favorably, and while they agree he probably deserves a new contract, they also think he should've been more patient and not make such outrageous demands. Crisis averted, for now. 14,695 season tickets sold, basically the same amount as last year. Not like we can sell many more with our stadium's capacity so limited. So how's that construction site search going, Herr Dippel? Aug 18th 2025 And here's our new defender! Joining from Real Sociedad in exchange for €2.2M and a 20% of future profits, 24yo Urko González de Zárate joins 1860 in a 5-year deal worth €27k per week, no release clauses other than a relegation clause of €2.5M which we hope will never be an issue. Urko is, like Gechter before him, a fantastic ball-playing defender, maybe a bit weaker in the air but with the added bonus of being also a natural and very competent midfielder, both deep and further forward. He combines this flexibility with a fantastic passing ability, great vision, and even a pretty decent finishing. His arrival allows us not only to replace Gechter, but also to have a very good alternative to Bobsin should his unhappiness result in a transfer out of Munich, plus we can also use him as a more advanced midfielder if we need to. A great signing for the cost despite his high-ish wages, and even comes with a small potential for improvement. Also his full name is a mouthful so I'll just be calling him Urko from now on. This leaves us with around €9M to spend and €25k in our weekly wage budget still available. Should be more than enough to sign a good midfielder. We have two weeks to do so and no real urgency, so we'll take our time and consider our options carefully. No sense in overspending when we already have a very competent starting midfield. Aug 21st 2025 And suddenly our season explodes: Kretzschmar suffers from shin splinters and will be sent to a specialist to treat it, missing six to eight weeks. That's a lot of time without our starting goalkeeper and regular miracle worker. Let's hope Quintero steps up and shows he has the quality, too. Aug 23rd 2025 1.FC Nürnberg vs. TSV 1860 München (Bundesliga, 2/34) Nürnberg are one of three new faces in the league, having promoted last year as champions. Still, they're currently considered the top favorites for relegation, and having lost Entrena to us might be part of it. Regardless, another key fixture against a relegation candidate in which we would do well to get something positive and keep our good vibes going. * * * NÜRNBERG (4-2-3-1): Christian Mathenia (GK); Nicholas Mickelson (DR), Armel Bella-Kotchap (DCr), Maksim Paskotsi (DCl), Jannes Horn (DL); Ilai Madmon (MCr), Mads Bidstrup (MCl); Facundo Pellistri (AMR), Aleksandar Jukic (AMC), Mustapha Bundu (AML); Manuel Wintzheimer (ST) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Josha Vagnoman (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Urko (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST) * * * Urko debuts in the anchor position today, with Entrena and Vagnoman also featuring and Quintero getting his first Bundesliga minutes. Both teams start with doubts, trying to feel each other out in what could be a decisive match this early in the season. Eventually we start the hostilities with a quick counterattack led by Bustos and finished with a high header by Maldini, and Miranda keeps the pressure up with a not particularly accurate direct free kick. The match remains nervy and with few chances throughout the first twenty-something minutes, though. After a while Nürnberg seem to take the initiative, forcing a few corner kicks without much consequence but at least trying. A blocked shot by Jukic after a good run down the right by Mickelson is a marginally better chance for them, but the corner that follows really makes Quintero work to parry a point-blank header by Bundu. We run on the counter with danger in the 40th minute, Entrena leading and Bustos finishing, but a defender gets in the way and the chance goes nowhere in the end. Nothing else happens in a very even first half. HALF TIME - 0-0 Entrena looks quite motivated against his ex-team, and he's the first to try luck from distance in the second half, sending the ball a feet or two over the bar. In the 55th minute Miranda runs into a huge gap created by Urko's long pass, but he doesn't have the ability to finish with precision and sends the ball straight at Mathenia's body. Soon a very average 't Zand leaves his place to Rijkhoff and Bustos takes his place on the left wing, and not much later Gerometta and Majetschak also enter the fray. The match enters a lull, only broken when Gerometta crosses for Bustos' header in the 73rd minute, well saved by Mathenia. On the other end of the pitch Stjepanovic does well to block a dangerous-looking finish by Wintzheimer six minutes later, and in the 82nd our pressing finally bears fruit when Entrena intercepts a bad pass and sends the ball ahead of Rijkhoff so the striker can face Mathenia one-on-one, but he mishits his finish and sends it over when our fans were already celebrating. Then it's Quintero's turn to be amazing, blocking another point-blank finish, this time by Wintzheimer, then denying Moller Daehli after a bad backpass by Urko put him in the best position to score. Another chance for Rijkhoff in injury time ends in a good save by Mathenia to deflect his shot wide, and that's all she wrote. A goalless draw in a game either team could've won. * * * 1.FC Nürnberg 0 TSV 1860 München 0 - - - Points! But yeah, fair result and I'll happily take the draw. Good performance by Quintero in his first high-stakes appearance, Vagnoman was good playing on both sides of the defense, and a pretty decent debut by Urko in the anchor despite a couple of mistakes with his passing. Both teams had chances to steal the win, but in the end the draw was probably the most likely outcome. Not our best show by any means and we still got a decent result out of it, so no complaints whatsoever.

Aug 11th 2025 Welp, Bobsin just went public with his unhappiness. Thankfully the players don't seem to care one way or another so we don't have a riot in our hands just yet, but he might be about to buy a ticket out of here if he keeps this up. Moura will most likely miss our Bundesliga debut with a twisted knee, but he should be back for our next fixture at the latest. Aug 15th 2025 Bad news coming from Flensburg: Franzke breaks his foot in training and will be out for 3-4 months. He's been doing really well for them so far, scoring once and assisting twice in five games, so that's a huge shame. I won't recall him just yet as he'll be back for the second half of the season, but that's his second serious injury since his arrival to our U19s, as he tore his knee ligaments back in 2023 during a game against Bayern. Hopefully this doesn't become a trend... Aug 16th 2025 The second round of the DFB Pokal pairs us against Köln, ow. At least we'll play the game at home. And at least it's not Bayern nor Leverkusen, who will have to play each other this early in the competition. Eintracht-Dortmund and Leipzig-Nürnberg are other quite interesting ties. * * * TSV 1860 München vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 (Bundesliga, 1/34) And here we go again. With Gechter's replacement still in the pipeline we start the league season with a must-win fixture against Fortuna, who are also expected to involved in the relegation battle once again. Let's see if we've already improved as much as it looks like... * * * 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST) DÜSSELDORF (3-2-2-1-2): Florian Kastenmeier (GK); Florian Hübner (DCr), Jesús Vallejo (DC), André Hoffmann (DCl); Felix Agu (WBr), Kostas Stafylidis (WBl); Mamadou Loum (MCr), Steven Alzate (MCl); Nilson Angulo (AMC); Rafael Santos Borré (STr), Gonçalo Ramos (STl) * * * Entrena misses the league debut due to a suspension he carries over from his previous team. Bobsin starts despite his unhappiness, and Moura makes it in time in the end. It's an even start of the game, with both teams trying to find their place on the pitch, but we manage to break through early thanks to Nmecha assisting Maldini on the run, the winger then entering the box and shooting into the root of the post. Unlucky. Miranda heads wide the corner kick that follows and, despite Fortuna having most of the ball, we seem to be in the front seat. We keep stealing the ball through high pressing and creating danger from there, like Nmecha does intercepting a bad pass by Hoffmann and assisting Majetschak, who nonetheless shoots wide with his bad left foot. Fortuna struggle to create danger, but after a while seem to plug the holes in their defense and we start having trouble getting close to Kastenmeier, too. Our best chance in the middle section of the first half is a cross by Moura that Bustos smashes into a defender's legs, and the keeper remains untested so far. On the 36th a steal by Gerometta triggers a counter that Bustos finishes with a great touch past Kastenmeier to score what seems to be the 1-0, but after a call from VAR the referee correctly disallows it for offside. Our best chance comes in the last minute of regulation, though, a fantastic cross by Gerometta towards the far post where Nmecha, completely unmarked, somehow manages to head it over the bar. With that the first half ends, and we're looking really good so far, except for the lack of goals. HALF TIME - 0-0 After some words of encouragement the players go back into the pitch to try and repeat their first half performance. Instead what we get is a painful-looking knee injury for Nmecha, who needs to be replaced by 't Zand immediately. Our first chance is a weak header by Bustos ten minutes into the half, easy for Kastenmeier, but soon Kretzschmar has work to dofor the first time today with a dangerous direct free kick by Stafylidis that the keeper punches away from the top right corner. Our pressing keeps providing chances, and Bustos gets one after he nicks the ball away from Hübner inside the box, but he doesn't have time to prepare his finish correctly and ends up hitting the sidenetting. Ulrich replaces Majetschak after a few minutes and we keep pushing for the opener, although most of our good chances end up stopped short by offside positions. After a while a tired Miranda is also brought out, with Rijkhoff coming in, 't Zand moving to midfield, and Bustos taking his place on the left wing. Fortuna seem to be shaking off our pressure a bit better now, and we enter the final ten minutes with a header by Ramos that Kretzschmar saves with little trouble. In the 85th minute, though, a throw in on the right wing ends in a cross by Gerometta towards the far post, and Bustos stands tall to head it in and finally grab the opener, with some added VAR drama until his position was confirmed as legal. We enter a six-minute-long injury time with Fortuna pouring forward and Ramos sending another header narrowly over, but we do well to hold them back and even enjoy a fantastic chance to seal the game that Rijkhoff sends inches wide, well assisted by 't Zand. The result doesn't change in the end, and we start the season with a great performance and a good result. * * * TSV 1860 München 1 (Nahuel Bustos 85) Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 0 - - - That took way longer than it should, but we got the win we thoroughly deserved. Very encouraging play, too, somewhat different from our previous possession-based style, but still with very familiar movements, just with increased pressing and a higher tempo in our passing and buildup. This should make us less predictable and more exciting to watch, and so far the results are also good. Let's hope it continues. Nmecha's injury is a serious one, as knee injuries tend to be. Sprained knee ligaments, meaning a recovery time of at least six weeks. 't Zand will have to step up during this early season, and Bustos might end up playing more often on the wing that we'd expected.

Aug 3rd 2025 Our second new striker is finally here, and he comes from Dortmund on a season-long loan: Julian Rijkhoff, 20-year-old Dutch pure striker, joins in exchange for his whole €17.5k weekly wages plus a monthly fee of €205k. A young up-and-coming complete forward who has the potential for making it big even at Dortmund's overpowered attacking line, his team have been nice enough to include an optional €15.25M purchase clause if we like what we see this year. It's an expensive loan, but one that could prove very beneficial for us, giving us a different kind of striker to our usual small-and-nimble fair. And hey, if he does well and we have the money next year buying him for that price would be a good deal. He'll rotate with Bustos as our main man in attack, although the Argentinian will be the default choice at the beginning. Aug 8th 2025 Another of our youngsters, forward Gabriele Olivieri, leaves for Schalke in exchange for €160k, his release clause. He had some promise, but the coaches were reevaluating his potential lately and he had already announced he'd be seeing the remaining year in his contract off and considering his options, so we were bound to lose him anyway. A shame we couldn't fit a sell-on clause in there, but eh, we'll deal. Aug 9th 2025 Hammer SpVg vs. TSV 1860 München (DFB Pokal, 1st round) And the season is on with the traditional trip to some non-league stadium to play a tier five team. Hamm shouldn't give us much of a challenge, even compared to the Serie D teams we've been playing against during the preseason. A good chance to see the youngsters in action. * * * HAMM (5-3-2 WB): Nils Hahne (GK); Dino-Samuel Kurbegovic (DCr), Jonathan Riemer (DC), Fränz Sinner (DCl); Dominique Domröse (WBr), Tion Thaler (WBl); Elian Liesche Prieto (MCr), Paul Erb (MC), Niclas Kotuljac (MCl); Mike Bierwagen (STr), Reagy Ofosu (STl) 1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Dries Wouters (DCl), Tjark Rung (DL); Riza Gundak (DM), Laurin Ulrich (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST) * * * Said and done, an extremely young lineup with Gerometta, Lang, and Wouters as the only "veterans" in the squad and debuts for Rung and Gundak. The kids don't disappoint, though, and in our first approach of the game Gerometta sends a perfect cross into the heart of the box so Entrena can jump high and head it into the back of the net. Nothing better than an early lead in a cup tie, and nothing better than a debut goal for a young midfielder. Good thing we got that goal, too, because the following minutes show that we still have trouble breaking through five-man defenses, even more when the opposition do their best to keep the ball. It takes us until the 18th minute to generate danger again, and then Sapmaz blasts it over the stands when he was clean through following a great ball from Ulrich. One minute later, though, a set piece turns into pandemonium inside Hamm's small box, and after countless bounces and deflections Lang manages to stick his foot in just right to send the ball into the back of the net. One minute later Sapmaz fails to score again, this time thanks to the keeper stopping his volley to a good cross by Rung, then it's Ulrich again sending a ball through the defense and into Rijkhoff's path so the loanee can show Sapmaz how it's done and place it past the keeper to score the 0-3. And we don't stop there: a long pass towards the right side of the box by Entrena is gathered by Sapmaz, and this time the winger finds the gap to shoot and score the fourth. Then, on the 25th, the youngster is tripped by Riemar inside the box for a clear penalty kick that 't Zand converts into the 0-5, and our fourth goal in barely seven minutes. We take a six-minute breather then, broken when 't Zand crosses into the box and Ulrich tries a spectacular first-time lob that bounces on the crossbar twice before being cleared by the defense. Entrena tries another header that goes straight into the keeper's hands next, then Rijkhoff shoots wide from the edge of the box after a beautiful first-touch passing play by our whole midfield. With that the first half ends, and the game might as well. HALF TIME - 0-5 The pace in the second half is slower, of course, and it takes us all of five minutes for Rijkhoff to test Hahne with a header, well held by the keeper. Lang does the same in a corner kick three minutes later, and with the same result. His next attempt in another set piece is better, though, and Lang heads into the net a pinpoint cross by 't Zand to grab his first brace ever and our sixth for the evening. With the game more than finished we bring in the three other debutants today: Stjepanovic, Maldini, and Bustos. The winger is the first to try and join the goalfest with a shot from the edge of the box Hahne tips wide, then he steals a ball in midfield to provoke Kotuljac's second yellow card, in case Hamm needed more trouble. On the 71st Maldini's insistence finally draws blood when he collects a pass from Ulrich inside the box and finishes with quality to score the 0-7. Five minutes later Maldini decides he hasn't had enough and proves he's a fantastic set piece taker by burying a direct free kick into the top left corner for the eighth. We're missing Bustos' participation, and the striker obligues by assisting 't Zand so the inside forward can bend a beautiful finish into the inside of the post and in. One minute later Entrena sees there's still some cobwebs left in that corner after two balls went straight through it and tries to clean them off with a missile from distance of his own, making it a round ten goals. Then he returns to doing midfielder things, sending a wonderful long ball into space towards Maldini so the winger can round the keeper and grab himself an off-the-bench hattrick in his debut. On the topic of hattricks, here's an extremely unlikely one: Maldini takes a corner kick towards the far post and there goes Lang to score the twelfth with another great header. This comes already in injury time, though, so there's no time for more shenanigans. * * * Hammer SpVg 0 (Niclas Kotuljac sent off 66) TSV 1860 München 12 (Antonio Entrena 2 80, Niklas Lang 19 55 90+1, Julian Rijkhoff 21, Can Sapmaz 24, Shiloh 't Zand 26p 79, Daniel Maldini 71 76 87) - - - Well, that was comprehensive. I'm not sure if the opposition was just much worse than anything we've faced before in the cup, or if we were just that much better than in previous years. I'll lean towards the former. Lang got the man of the match award, but anyone between him, Entrena, 't Zand, and Maldini would've been a fair winner. Fantastic debut by both the Italian and the young midfielder, and the other youngsters did themselves proud, too, particularly Ulrich with two assists. Oh, and Sapmaz's first senior goal for us! A very complete day, that's for sure.

Jul 12th 2025 FC Hansa Rostock vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly) First preseason friendly against our recent affiliates, and we still don't have strikers in the first team, sigh. Franzke starts upfront today, with Knöferl in the second unit. We play a new variant of the 4-3-3 more focused on high pressing and quick tempo than in raw possession, and a penalty on Franzke eighteen minute in gives us the first chance to score, taken by Nmecha. A handful of good opportunities later Nmecha grabs his second after finishing a quick passing play, something I hope to see more of this season. Franzke scores the third five minutes before the end of the first half following a great through ball from new kid Entrena, and the second unit comes into play with the game already settled. As a result Rostock have chances to pull a goal or two back, and actually score the 1-3 in the 82nd minute through a header by Makreckis. Still, not a bad show for as long as the players could be bothered. FC Hansa Rostock 1 (Cebrail Makreckis 82) TSV 1860 München 3 (Felix Nmecha 18p 30, Helmut Franzke 40) Jul 15th 2025 Finally, our striker is here! And boy will he cost us a bunch of money... Joining from Schalke 04 on a transfer worth €4.2M plus €850k after 50 league appearances is 27yo Argentinian Nahuel Bustos, who signs a four-year deal worth no less than €42k per week, by far the highest wage in the squad. He's worth it, though, as we "enjoyed" in many of our past meetings with Schalke in the 2.Bundesliga. A versatile forward capable of playing both as our striker or on either wing, he'll be expected to become the focal point of our attack from now on, and to show that his 16 goals scored last season with Schalke in yet another unsuccessful bid for promotion weren't a fluke. His contract comes with a €10M release clause for Champions League clubs, so we've secured a decent deal even if he explodes and suddenly Bayern decide they want him or something. When it rains it pours, and our second signing of the day is confirmed just a few minutes later. It's another big name, although not (only) because of his own merits: 23yo Italian winger Daniel Maldini, son and grandson of legendary Milan defenders Paolo and Cesare Maldini, joins from his family's club in a transfer worth €1.1M and 40% of future profits. Another versatile attacking player who can slot in any of the four most advanced positions in our tactics, he's been brought to fill the gap on the right wing specifically, although he might feature elsewhere from time to time. A very technically-gifted player, he's better at creating chances for his companions than at finishing them, but his skill with free kicks might allow him to grab a few goals of his own, too. He can still improve, and his €6M release clause for Champions League clubs might end up falling a bit short. The same day recent arrival Forson moves back to England on loan to join South Shields, where he'll be expected to play lots and develop further. Jul 16th 2025 The transfer train doesn't stop, although our next signing is one for the future, in more ways than one: 17yo Norwegian attacking midfielder Martin Karlsen agrees to a free transfer move from Tromso IL once his contract expires in December. Already called up for the U21 euros (although he didn't feature in the end), he's one of the most promising players in his nation, a great playmaker even at his young age, plus also a very capable wing player on the left side of the pitch. He needs to bulk up a bit, but other than that he looks like the real deal, and someone we'll love to see evolve as he progresses. Not too happy with his €825k release clause, but that can be fixed with a new contract a year or two down the line. - - - ASD Calcio Gozzano vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly) First of four quick-fire friendlies in our training camp in northern Italy, featuring Serie D side Gozzano. Seven minutes in our new signings already show promising signs, with Maldini whipping in a free kick from deep in the right side and Bustos tapping it in on the far post to score the 0-1. The striker then nods a corner back towards Bobsin for an easy finish and the 0-2, and near the end of the half another nod towards the penalty spot, this time by Nmecha, allows Majetschak to make it three. Young Djé Bi heads a set piece into the crossbar early in the second half before Sapmaz grabs himself the fourth with an easy finish to Miranda's cross from the left. There's still time for a fifth, this time scored by Miranda with a first-time shot following Svetlin's assist from the right, and for Franzke to score the final 0-6 with a good header already in injury time. Nicely done. ASD Calcio Gozzano 0 TSV 1860 München 6 (Nahuel Bustos 7, Victor Bobsin 16, Erik Majetschak 41, Can Sapmaz 64, Matías Miranda 83, Helmut Franzke 90+1) Jul 17th 2025 Franzke signs a new contract with us, getting rid of all his release clauses, and immediately agrees a loan move to 3.Liga side Weiche, where he's expected to shine in a team likely to struggle. This will probably be his last loan move before finally entering first team dynamic next year. Our new center-back is here! 21yo Serbian U21 international center-back Mateja Stjepanovic joins from Partizan in exchange for €3.8M and a 30% of future profits. Very similar to Gechter in both quality and style of play, he's a ball-playing defender who's also extremely strong in the air, and who comes to become our alternative passing center-back to be played alongside the more traditionally-styled Lang. Being young there's a good chance he'll improve even further, too, and the comparatively small fee we've paid for him means we'll get some good profits should the same situation repeat again in the future with him in the big team's crosshairs. He does come with a €10M release clause for Champions League teams, but that'd still be a fair price. Also, and I won't say this too loud, he's our assurance just in case Gechter decides to leave in this transfer window as someone who can just step in his place without issues. With Stjepanovic's arrival our team is basically closed. We only need to find a second striker (most likely a loan, since our funds are almost completely depleted) and fill whatever gaps open due to players leaving in the coming weeks. Svetlin and Gechter are the obvious candidates. A better left back than Moura would be nice to have, too, but it probably won't happen unless money rains on us unexpectedly. Jul 19th 2025 AC Nardò vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly) Nardò are another Serie D team that should give us no trouble at all. Eleven minutes is all we need for Nmecha to head a cross by Vagnoman and score the opener, but it takes twenty-one more before Bustos finds Entrena on the run and assists the young midfielder so he can round the keeper and grab the 0-2. In the last minute of the first half Vagnoman and Nmecha repeat the same routine from the first goal and the inside forward puts us three ahead, as is almost tradition now. The second unit also enjoy good chances to score a few more, and in the end it's young Ulrich who finally scores the fourth with a beautiful 20-yarder into the top corner. There's bad news, though, as 't Zand can't finish the game due to a painful but eventually minor bruise in his ankle. A sending off for Nardò in the final seconds of the game doesn't change things any further, and we enjoy another peaceful afternoon stroll in Italy. AC Nardò 0 (Gabriel Ribeiro sent off 90+1) TSV 1860 München 4 (Felix Nmecha 11 45, Antonio Entrena 32, Laurin Ulrich 79) Jul 20th 2025 Another of the recently signed youngsters, Ante Crnac, moves back to Croatia on loan to play for Rudar Labin, where hopefully he'll get minutes and hard work to help him reach his potential. Jul 21st 2025 FC Südtirol vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly) Südtirol are managed by a legend like Fabio Cannavaro, but still find themselves in the Serie D for a second year after relegating back in 2024. We start the game with two offside goals for Bustos within fifteen minutes, but his third is the charm, well assisted by Entrena. Soon after Miranda places a good finish in the back of the net after a neat little pass from Maldini, who then goes on to score the 0-3 after a beautiful long ball from Entrena, who's having a fantastic game today. In the second half 't Zand is unlucky to hit the post with what looked like the fourth goal, but in the end the result doesn't change any further. FC Südtirol 0 TSV 1860 München 3 (Nahuel Bustos 16, Matías Miranda 20, Daniel Maldini 32) Jul 22nd 2025 Here comes one of the offers we'd been anticipating: Trabzonspor want to sign Svetlin and, after some haggling, we settle on a €1.8M bid plus 30% of future profits. It's a fair offer for a player who seems to be stagnating somewhat, and while it's not a fantastic profit for him it's still enough to allow us to sign a replacement. Vagnoman picks the first semi-serious injury of the preseason in training, pulled ankle ligaments which will keep him in the infirmary for a couple of weeks. Jul 23rd 2025 Gechter is next, with the exact same injury and a very similar recovery time. Jul 24th 2025 Piacenza Calcio 1919 vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly) Last friendly of the training camp against Serie C regulars Piacenza, the toughest opposition we've faced so far this summer. We start with an early goal like in all the previous ones, though, when 't Zand heads into the net a nice cross from the right by Maldini. Eight minutes later Entrena scores the second with another header, this time after a set piece taken by Miranda. On the 32nd Maldini and 't Zand connect again with the Italian delivering the death pass and the Dutch passing it into the back of the net. Then it's Gerometta's turn to assist Bustos for another easy finish, and we go to the dressing room with a four-goal advantage. The second half brings a fifth, courtesy of Sapmaz with a tight angle finish after a nod in a corner kick, but another corner kick gives Piacenza their first, headed in by Rastellino. In the end, though, another easy win to add to the pile. Piacenza Calcio 1919 1 (Anthony Rastellino 77) TSV 1860 München 5 (Shiloh 't Zand 11 32, Antonio Entrena 20, Nahuel Bustos 36, Can Sapmaz 72) Jul 25th 2025 Knöferl gets another loan, this time with Jahn Regensburg in the 2.Bundesliga where he's expected to be a squad player. I'm not really expecting anything dramatic from him at this point, but who knows, maybe he'll surprise me. If nothing miraculous happens with his development this season, he's extremely likely to be sold next summer. Jul 26th 2025 And here we go: Leverkusen trigger Gechter's release clause with a €13.5M offer we can only accept. Freiburg might also make a bid soon if they can afford it, so it's almost certain we're losing our best young player. Good thing we already bought Stjepanovic, huh? He'll still need replacing, though, so it's time to search for options. Pulled thigh for Svetlin in training, seven to ten days of rest, although he's likely to leave for Turkey before he recovers. Jul 27th 2025 Yep, only one day later Svetlin's transfer to Trabzonspor is confirmed, bringing €1.8M into our accounts, of which €350k go to Celje and €925k into our transfer budget. A player that showed lots of promise when he arrived, he did an acceptable job but never quite developed beyond what he already was back then, and soon found himself on the fringes of the first team instead of the sure starter he was supposed to be. Still a decent profit for the club, so I'll call his signing a success. And hey, if he actually hits it big in Turkey and gets a big move later on we'll get 30% of that, so it's all upside. With Svetlin gone and Gechter on the way out, I think I'll prioritize signing a new striker and Gecther's replacement in defense before moving for a midfielder. We have that position decently covered already, and we have quality youngsters plus another one coming in January if we need some extra bodies, so a new midfielder will most likely only come if budget permits after all the high priority signings are completed. The first round of the DFB Pokal will bring us to Hamm, home to the Oberliga team Hammer SpVg. Should be trivial. Jul 28th 2025 Majetschak is making noises about wanting a new contract. Not the best moment for this, since right now our budget must be spent in other areas. A talk with Lang seemed to solve the issue for now, but I'm certain it'll rear its ugly head again in the near future. There's a good chance that others will follow along, too, particularly Bobsin. Aug 1st 2025 Yeah, it took only four days for Bobsin to come with the same issue, and this time there was no talking him down. Even when challenged to prove he deserves a better contract he just dug his heels and kept insisting. I tried to negotiate a new contract, but his agent demands a guaranteed starter position, something I'm unwilling to grant to a player who's not particularly brilliant on a Bundesliga level. And now we have an unhappy player in the squad, yay. We'll see how this pans out, but I wouldn't be surprised if we're forced into another sale. To complete a day full of good news, Gechter confirms his transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, leaving €13.5M behind. Maybe our best signing so far, in only two years he's gone from being released by Hertha for free to becoming one of the best young players in the nation under my tutelage. I expect he'll keep improving in Leverkusen, although he'll have a tough job breaking into the starting eleven in such a stacked squad. I'll be keeping an eye on his future career and who knows, maybe our paths will cross again. Aug 2nd 2025 TSV 1860 München vs. FC Twente (Friendly) Last friendly of the preseason, at home against a strong Dutch team like Twente, ninth in the Eredivisie last year. After a crazy first minutes, Bobsin surprises the keeper with a 35-yard effort that bounces off the turf at the right moment to make the save impossible, becoming the 1-0. Soon Lang makes it two with a great header on a set piece taken by Miranda, and from there we start really controlling the match. The first half ends with the 2-0 despite many chances to improve our result, and our domination carries on into the second half, as does our lack of accuracy upfront. No more goals in the end, although the performance was quite good overall. TSV 1860 München 2 (Victor Bobsin 9, Niklas Lang 15) FC Twente 0 - - - Good vibrations from this match, dominating Twente from start to finish despite a very makeshift lineup at times. If we can keep this into the league we should have a much less stressful season than last year.