Dalbeider
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Posts posted by Dalbeider
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Jul 18th 2028
Gerometta confirms his move to Konyaspor in exchange for €2M, of which 10% go to the player and the rest straight into our transfer budget. A very solid right back since his arrival four years ago, first on loan and then on a permanent deal after our promotion to the Bundesliga, he was good for us while we were fighting for survival, but now that we're aiming for bigger things he falls a bit short in ability, and considering his age it was the perfect moment to replace him. Let's hope Javorcic gives us at least as much as Gerometta did during this time.
Today we also confirm an agreement with 2.Bundesliga side Dynamo Dresden to become our new affiliate club. A strong mid-table club in the second tier, they have top-notch facilities and a lot of history to their name, and hopefully will allow us to find a place where our best-looking prospects can find some play time on loan.
Jul 20th 2028
FC Schaffhausen vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)
Finally, a more traditional training camp friendly against a second tier Swiss team like Schaffhausen. It's also, surprisingly, the game in which we have the most trouble finding our first goal, and it takes us until the 35th for Rodríguez, once again, to score after a great cross by Marcos Paulo. The siege continues into the second half, although once again with few chances and even less goals. It has to be a mistake by their right back that allows Özcan to steal the ball inside the box and score the 0-2 with ease. That's all we manage, though, and we end the camp with a very short win, but a win nonetheless.
FC Schaffhausen 0
TSV 1860 München 2 (Jair Rodríguez 35, Vedat Özcan 67)* * *
Magaña's first game in the Olympics isn't particularly brilliant, and Mexico lose to Spain 0-1.
Jul 22nd 2028
Our full backs keep attracting attention, and now it's Sánchez who receives offers from Mainz and Fenerbahçe, both far from enough to consider selling him.
Jul 23rd 2028
Much better for Magaña in his second match at the Olympics. Not only did Mexico win easily against South Africa, the left back assisted in one of the three goals they scored.
And the DFB Pokal is once again back with its first round draw. Our ball appears in second place of all the teams involved, pairing us against SC Hessen Dreieich, another team playing in the Hessenliga and which shouldn't give us any kind of trouble.
Jul 24th 2028
Just before our next friendly game we finalize the signing of our new backup keeper: coming from Dortmund in exchange for €6.75M upfront, €1.3M after fifty league appearances, and a 35% of future profits, we welcome 22yo Kevin Rexhepi, thirty times capped for the German U21 national team and one of the (if not the) best young keepers in the nation. Might sound like a lot for a backup keeper, but the goal with Rexhepi's signing is to have more than adequate cover in case Kretzschmar ends up leaving in the future, and also as his natural replacement once our long-time goalkeeper starts growing older. Like Kretzschmar, Rexhepi is an instinctive keeper with great reflexes and fantastic ability in one-on-ones, while also being very solid in the air. He comes with a backup role, expecting to play in the cup and maybe in the occasional league match but little more, and with reasonable wages of €38k per week, plus no release clauses.
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Chemnitzer FC vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)
Back home after our trip to Switzerland, we now take a short detour to Chemnitz for another low-intensity friendly to get our legs in working order. This time we get our early goal through Marcos Paulo, well assisted by Rijkhoff's nod, but our attack stalls afterwards and the result remains the same until half time. We look better in the second half and get close to our second many times, but it's only in the final minutes of the game that Özcan finishes a low cross by Caraballo to finally double our lead. The winger then assists Miranda so the midfielder, playing on the right today, can round up our win with a third just before full time, only for Chemnitz to claw it back in injury time through Bruk.
Chemnitzer FC 1 (Yigal Bruk 90+3)
TSV 1860 München 3 (Marcos Paulo 5, Vedat Özcan 85, Matías Miranda 89)Jul 25th 2028
After a while without movement surrounding Vuskovic, Manchester City offer €26M plus 30% future profits for him. Once again we try to negotiate a higher fee, this time stopping just short of his release clause, and it works: €33.5M plus 30% future profits accepted, and off he goes into one of the best teams in the planet. Let's see who we can get with all that money...
Jul 26th 2028
Another good game for Magaña with Mexico U23, helping his team to a 1-0 win over Iraq which qualifies them to the quarterfinals as first of their group, thanks to Spain's surprise defeat against South Africa.
Jul 29th 2028
Real Madrid return with a €32.5M plus 30% future profits offer for Vuskovic, but as the player seems set on moving to City there's no point in accepting a slightly worse offer than theirs. Meanwhile Freiburg try a cheeky €3M offer for Marcos Paulo, which is about half what we'd need to even start talking.
Minor hamstring injury for Javorcic, who nonetheless will miss our final friendly and will be a last-second decision for our DFB Pokal debut.
Fellow new full back Magaña continues his successful campaign with Mexico in the Olympics, easily defeating Canada in the quarterfinals with a solid defensive presence by our new youngster.
Jul 30th 2028
TSV 1860 München vs. Arsenal (Friendly)
Our last friendly of the preseason will be a real test of our abilities and our chances of making it far in the Champions League. Arsenal are a very strong squad that should give us a taste of what we'll soon find in the top European competition. They show their quality in the first minutes with some dangerous chances, although for the most part we control the game and keep them in their own half. It's a very even first half overall, though, with neither team dominating clearly, and we reach the halfway point without goals. Odegaard misses a sitter in the first minute of the second half, and so does Karlsen one minute later, setting up an interesting second half in which Arsenal finally take the lead in the 62nd, with El Hadji Adamdu tapping in a cross by Ilaix Moriba, but we respond immediatly through Thiago, who finishes a good passing play after a great assist by Caraballo. Miranda then sets Karlsen up for the 2-1 with a short pass into the box that the midfielder doesn't waste, but which ends up flagged as offside by the linesman. In the end it's Ricci who steals the ball in midfield after a bad pass by Thiago and surprises Rexhepi with a 25-yard effort, scoring the 1-2 for Arsenal ten minutes before the end, but in injury time Miranda answers with an equally outrageous finish from distance after a good recovery by Baldé, and the game ends in a fair and very encouraging draw.
TSV 1860 München 2 (Thiago 63, Matías Miranda 90+2)
Arsenal 2 (Patrick El Hadji Adamdu 62, Samuele Ricci 80)0 -
Jul 1st 2028
Transfer window opens, bringing with it Svensson's departure and Englisch's arrival, for now.
Bad game for Caraballo with Venezuela, but his team did the unthinkable and defeated Brazil in the Copa America quarterfinals on penalties.
Jul 2nd 2028
No such luck for Mexico, who lost 1-0 to Ecuador with Rodríguez only playing half an hour off the bench and having little impact. He'll be returning just in time to start the preseason with us. Who needs holidays anyway.
And on the topic of Mexico and its players, here's Svensson replacement, coming all the way from Chivas de Guadalajara: 22yo César Magaña, two times capped with Mexico, joins in a transfer worth €9.75M plus a 30% of future profits with a contract that, most notably, doesn't include any release clauses but which rewards him with star-worthy wages. And he *is* a star, don't get me wrong, despite his young age. Already as good or better than Svensson, he still has potential to improve even further and become one of the best players in the world in his position. Extremely quick, brave, and with steel-like concentration, he's more defensive-minded than Svensson but is still far from useless going forward, and his penchant for long-range passes makes him a good fit for our tactics, since that particular movement created many chances for us in the past. An absolute bargain for half the money we got for Svensson.
Jul 4th 2028
The transfer window doesn't start in earnest until you have to swat silly offers away, particularly Wolfsburg's. The almost-relegated team think €7.25M is enough for us to part with Baldé, which is a very obvious mistake, particularly considering the player doesn't want to go there at all.
Ecuador end Venezuela's dream in the semifinals of the Copa America with another 1-0 win, and thus become the ones to send both our players home. Caraballo had another stinker of a game despite playing it all.
Jul 8th 2028
Rijkhoff signs a new contract after only one year with us. Yes, it's early, but he's one of our best players and we need to keep those if we're to continue improving. He'll earn €54k per week now, which will rise to a staggering €76k once he collects his fifth cap for the Netherlands (two so far). A release clause worth €48M is also attached, which I wouldn't mind too much being triggered. An expensive deal, sure, but one that needed to be made. And besides, we can afford it now that we have so much surplus transfer funds we can divert to wages. And that's before selling any big hitters besides Svensson so far!
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FC Hansa Rostock vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)
We quickstart our preseason with our now traditional trip to Rostock to play against our affiliates, who incidentally just relegated from the 3.Liga. We might need to look for a new one... Caraballo is still in the Copa America to play the third-place playoff with Mexico, so Jô will play in midfield in the second half, moving Karlsen to the left. Lang only needs two minutes to score the first, heading in a set piece taken by Miranda, then Rijkhoff adds another in a corner kick and we're off to a good start. We're completely dominating in set pieces today, and soon Lang grabs his second and our third in yet another corner kick, netting Miranda his third assist in seventeen minutes. A fourth header by Marcos Paulo becomes the another goal following a great cross by Maldini, and after that we start taking things a bit more patiently and, despite a few more good chances, we don't score again, and in fact allow Hansa to get one back in the 80th after a lightning-quick counter finished by Diambou.
FC Hansa Rostock 1 (Mamady Diambou 80)
TSV 1860 München 4 (Niklas Lang 2 17, Julian Rijkhoff 13, Marcos Paulo 22)Jul 9th 2028
Caraballo didn't take part in the third-place playoff in the end, which Venezuela lost against Uruguay. Argentina won the tournament with a 2-1 win over Ecuador.
The European Championship also finished today with Germany's victory, beating Belgium 2-0 in the final. Ireland made it all the way to the semifinals but lost to Belgium on penalties, while Germany destroyed the hosts 4-0 in the other semifinal. 35-year-old Lukaku ended as the top goalscorer of the tournament ahead of Moukoko and Depay, while Stjepanovic's partner Vlahovic was chosen as the best player of the tournament.
Jul 11th 2028
New arrival Magaña gets a callup from Mexico to take part in the Olympics. Somewhat surprising that Rodríguez isn't included despite being of the right age.
Welp, here we go: Real Madrid offer a bit over €29M for Vuskovic plus a 30% of future profits. This is not quite the value of his release clause, but that future fee could become extremely tasty if his value continues to skyrocket. We try to negotiate for a higher upfront payment, but they just withdraw the offer. Huh.
At the same time Köln try their luck with a €17.5M offer for Thiago, who has no interest in them and will most certainly not be allowed to leave unless someone pays *much* more than that with Vuskovic's future so uncertain.
Jul 12th 2028
ES Exincourt Taillecourt vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)
Our first training camp friendly is against an amateur French team who happen to be near St. Gallen and agree to be our punching bag for today. Magaña's departure for the Olympics leaves us one left back short of a full rotation, although that doesn't affect us much when it comes to grabbing an early lead, courtesy of Rodríguez. Marcos Paulo soon heads in a cross by Baldé to make it two, then misses a penalty committed on Rijkhoff while Rodríguez scores his second and our third from a loose ball inside the box. Things start snowballing from there and Vuskovic, Maldini (thrice), Lang, Rodríguez and Rijkhoff make the result a resounding 10-0 at halftime. The second half brings a few more thanks to Stjepanovic, Özcan, Sapmaz (with a hattrick), and Caraballo, not quite breaking our record of twenty but coming quite close. Not much history to this game otherwise.
ES Exincourt Taillecourt 0
TSV 1860 München 16 (Jair Rodríguez 7 18 40, Marcos Paulo 13, Darko Vuskovic 20, Daniel Maldini 26 45+1 45+3p, Niklas Lang 29, Julian Rikhoff 41, Mateja Stjepanovic 58, Vedat Özcan 61, Can Sapmaz 68 74 83, Rodrigo Caraballo 71)Jul 14th 2028
Preseason injury for Maldini, and it's a pretty serious abdominal strain that will keep him out of training for around four weeks.
Jul 15th 2028
Two signings confirmed today, the first of which is one for the future, both regarding his ability and his time of arrival: 17yo Argentinian midfielder Ezequiel Beltramone will join on a free transfer when his current contract with Atlante runs out in January. A very promising youngster, he brings a profile we don't really have in our squad right now: the pure destroyer. His passing and creativity are average at best, but he's hard-working and determined. Needs to buff up a bit, not to mention polish all his technical skills, but he has all the time in the world to do so. Don't expect to see him in the first team any time soon, though.
The other signing is also a young player, but he both comes immediately and straight into the first team: 19yo Croatian right back Tomislav Javorcic joins from Hajduk Split (Vuskovic's former team, funnily enough) in exchange for €5.25M, his release clause. Already two times senior international for Croatia, Javorcic comes as a straight-up replacement for Gerometta, who will be sold in the near future. Extremely strong both physically and mentally and with a mean tackle, he's a defensive monster who still has to polish his attacking skills, but still can do a good job going forward when needed. He'll rotate with Baldé as our starter in that position, and depending on his performances and development he might even become our default starter sooner rather than later. He's also very versatile, perfectly capable of playing on the left or even as a defensive midfielder if needed. Absolute bargain of a price, too, and his wages are very low for a player of his level at only €18k, set to rise to €23.5k after his fifth cap. He comes with a release clause attached, but it's a €70M one which would be enough to finance a whole transfer window just by itself, so I'm not too worried. Worth mentioning his estimated market value immediately after arrival is thought to be between €45M and €65M. This might be the best piece of business of my life...
Konyaspor immediately come offering €2M for Gerometta, which is a very fair price for him. Accepted, and the right back is likely to be leaving the club soon.
Jul 16th 2028
Real Club Celta de Vigo vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)
A bit of a strange fixture for our second training camp game, Celta just happened to be having their own camp nearby and agreed to set up a friendly. A team that finished sixth in LaLiga last season is sure to be a more serious test of our real abilities. We start the game moving the ball around until Da Silva finds a gap to assist Rodríguez through, and the young midfielder doesn't miss and scores the 0-1. It's not a particularly exciting game otherwise, and despite dominating play clearly in the first half we don't create any more clear chances, nor goals of course. More of the same in the second half despite having a very young midfield with Thiago, Karlsen, and Jô playing together, and Miranda smashes a direct free kick into the woodwork in our best chance to grab a second. The result doesn't change, but we can be happy with our performance, I think.
Real Club Celta de Vigo 0
TSV 1860 München 1 (Jair Rodríguez 10)0 -
Jun 3rd 2028
Özcan gets a callup for a couple of friendlies with Turkey. Looks like they didn't qualify for the Euros, which is sad considering how easy entry into this tournament usually is...
Jun 4th 2028
Our other internationals have been playing some friendlies here and there to prepare for the big competitions coming soon, but Rodríguez and Mexico had a somewhat more serious fixture in the third place playoff of the CONCACAF Nations League, which they won against El Salvador with the young midfielder looking good off the bench.
Jun 10th 2028
Sapmaz has a breakout game with Turkey U21, scoring once and assisting once in a 5-0 win over Estonia, while Özcan also scored with the senior team, also against Estonia. Meanwhile Venezuela and Mexico start the Copa America playing against each other, and Caraballo's team surprises Rodríguez's in a 1-0 win, with the winger doing well in the whole game and Rodríguez having a tough time and eventually being substituted.
The summer transfer window is drawing closer, so it's a good time to take a look at what we have and what we need. Depth chart, deploy!
GK: Kretzschmar/Englisch/???
DR: Baldé/Gerometta?/???
DL: Svensson?/Sánchez/???
DCx2: Lang/Casas/Stjepanovic?/HadzicDM: Vuskovic??/Thiago/???
MCx2: Miranda/Rodríguez/Da Silva?/Karlsen/???AMR: Maldini?/Sapmaz/???
AML: Marcos Paulo/Caraballo
ST: Rijkhoff/Özcan?/???There's a lot of uncertainty going on regarding our squad right now. The only position that's unlikely to see any change is, for once, the left winger, where Marcos Paulo and Caraballo should repeat after combining for sixteen goals this season. The rest can and most likely will change depending on what happens in the sales department.
On goal Kretzschmar seems to not be attracting any attention right now, but that could change at any time. Young Englisch is arriving in July, but it's likely we'll sign another young prospect (ideally with a bit more present quality) in this position who'll compete with him for the cup keeper role in the coming years. One of them might even leave on loan.
Defense could see movement in all positions. Gerometta is a very likely sale, he's twenty-eight already and most likely the "worst" player in the whole squad if we count both current and future ability. He won't bring much money in, but with that and our current transfer budget we should have no trouble finding a young replacement to rotate with Baldé. Same on the left, only we're not particularly willing to sell Svensson. The problem here is his contract demands are too high and his transfer value is rising, with big teams like Arsenal already tracking him. A very likely "forced" sale which should net us around €20M, and we already have a very interesting young Mexican in our crosshairs should this happen. The least likely defensive sale is Stjepanovic due to only Bournemouth being interested, but any English team can afford the approximately €25-30M we'll ask for him, so if they come with a bid he'll most likely leave, assuming he wants to. Casas is a very solid player for his position, and we can find another young player for half that money without issue.
In midfield the big question mark is Vuskovic, of course. Barcelona, Porto, Real Madrid, Bayern, and Dortmund follow his steps right now, with more big teams from all over Europe likely to join. He has a €34M release clause which we'll expect to receive in full, and with Thiago already here (chased by Real Sociedad, though) as a very solid replacement and bet for the future, we wouldn't need to spend much to find another young defensive midfielder with promise. In more advanced roles Da Silva is a likely exit, although not guaranteed. If he does leave, that's where most of the money we make with Vuskovic is likely to go, as we need a solid option there to rotate with Miranda and Rodríguez. Karlsen will remain as the fourth option.
The left wing of our attack won't change as mentioned unless we receive really good offers for Marcos Paulo, but there might be improvements made on the right. Maldini has been solid but irregular, Sapmaz is still a work in progress, and we really need a quality player here to complement our very good options elsewhere up front. Money pending, it's possible we sell Maldini and sign someone better, but it'll probably be the last piece of the puzzle to be filled and will depend heavily on profits made on others, since we don't expect to get much for the Italian. As for our strikers, we'll see if we can afford to extend Özcan's loan given Inter's demands, and Rijkhoff is likely to stay as his suitors seem to have lost interest recently. If Özcan doesn't stay we'll need to find someone of his approximate level, either on loan or on a permanent deal, and that'll cost a pretty penny.
Jun 11th 2028
Almost €31M in profits this year, nice. €4.6M fly away as taxes, though, which isn't as nice. We also confirm a new sponsorship for our youth team which basically doubles the income from the previous one. Not a big chunk of money by any means, but still a sign that our status in the game is increasing steadily.
Jun 12th 2028
Wow, starting early... Arsenal offer €12M for Svensson right off the bat. We want to get as much as possible out of him so we try to negotiate a higher fee, given we know for certain a team of Arsenal's size can afford it. And of course, when we propose a €20M deal they accept it outright. That was easy. Now to sign a replacement...
Jun 13th 2028
Karlsen grabs himself a goal with Norway U21 in a solid performance against Croatia. Meanwhile, our soon-to-be-ex-left back Svensson has a pretty mediocre game with Sweden in a 1-1 draw against Ireland in the Euros, Caraballo scores an assist with Venezuela but sees his team fall 2-4 to Uruguay, and Rodríguez does well with only thirteen minutes of play in Mexico's 2-1 win over Bolivia.
Robert Lewandowski retires, but just because he wants to. Even in his last season at thirty-nine years old this monster of a striker managed to score 21 in 22 league games with Bayern, and finished as the Bundesliga's third top goalscorer despite practically not featuring in the final third of the season. An absolute legend of the sport with over five hundred goals scored in his career, Bayern are sure to miss him in the future. We, not so much!
Jun 14th 2028
Another upgrade to the club's youth facilities will be starting in August, to be finished two months later at a cost of €4.65M. We can afford it.
Great show by Stjepanovic in the Euros against the hosts, Italy. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, but the center-back did well on defense and even scored the first goal of the game.
Jun 16th 2028
Only two days later Bournemouth come with a... strange offer for Stjepanovic. They only offer €1.1M in cash and a 20% of future profits, but also a direct replacement (and downgrade) in center-back Nathan Wood. We're not particularly interested in signing a 26yo center-back who might not even be better than Casas and Stjepanovic doesn't care much about Bournemouth, so offer rejected.
Mexico's presence in the Copa America might be shorter than expected considering their disastrous performance against Paraguay, losing 4-0. Rodríguez was one of the few players to come out of that fixture with any credit left.
Jun 18th 2028
The Bundesliga end of season review recognizes 1860 München as the overachievers of the season, because of course.
Meanwhile, in Italy, Stjepanovic completes another notable performance with Serbia, being the leader of their defense in an easy 4-0 win over Iceland. With this result they steal the top spot of their group in a three-way tie with Wales and Italy, all with five points, and in which the Italians lose out due to having the worst tie breaker of the three. They'll still qualify as one of the best third-placed teams, but still.
Jun 19th 2028
Next season's expectations are set, and as previously discussed, the board want us to qualify for the Conference League in the Bundesliga and for us to reach the group stage in the Champions League, already guaranteed to happen. Another big change is in the DFB Pokal, though, in which they now want us to reach the quarterfinals. Let's hope we don't get another murder draw in the second round...
0-0 draw for Venezuela against Chile in the Copa America, with Caraballo playing the whole game but being mostly inconsequential. A bit later Rodríguez does much better with Mexico, scoring his team's one and only goal in a 1-1 draw that gives them hopes of qualifying for the quarterfinals if they can beat Chile in the last game of the group stage.
Jun 21st 2028
Poor show by Svensson in Sweden's 1-2 defeat against England in the last match of the group stage of the Euros. So far the biggest news is seeing the world champions Portugal out of the reckoning after finishing third in their group behind Germany and Austria, plus Spain failing to win a single point in a group with France, Poland, and Albania.
Jun 22nd 2028
First public show of interest in Vuskovic coming from Dortmund. I'd very much prefer to sell him to someone outside the Bundesliga, but given his release clause it's likely we won't get a choice in the matter.
Mexico did it, and so did Rodríguez! The midfielder came off the bench in the final twenty minutes to set up Mexico's winner against Chile, and thus secure a place in the quarterfinals. Venezuela lost to Paraguay with thirty good minutes from Caraballo off the bench, but still qualified.
Jun 24th 2028
Well, looks like the Bundesliga will start with a bang this year. Not right away, we'll be traveling to Nürnberg for our debut, but right after that Bayern will be coming to Grünwalder Strasse for probably the last time, since we expect to have our new stadium built by the end of the season. We'll follow the Münchner Derby with an away match against Leipzig, and then Gladbach, Stuttgart, and Leverkusen in quick succession. Talk about a trial by fire...
That's it for Stjepanovic and Serbia in the Euros, after losing 1-0 against Croatia in the knockout stage with the center-back coming off the bench in the final fifteen minutes to little impact.
Jun 26th 2028
Svensson confirms his transfer to Arsenal after he was granted a work permit. We'll get €20M for him, of which €2.8M will go to Young Boys and €11.5M into our transfer kitty. A successful business for sure, and a solid player with some really good matches in the year and a half he spent with us, he'll sure be hard to replace but we'll try our best. You can't fight against English money, even less if you're a still small club like ours.
Jun 29th 2028
Time for the elections, in which once again none of the candidates has any original thoughts within the lot of them. Herr Dippel is running for a third term, so might as well vote for him if everyone's gonna be doing the same thing he's done, right?
Vuskovic and Hadzic are now considered homegrown and trained at the club, yay! That should make registration for the Champions League easier, assuming they stay. Which is a lot of assuming in Vuskovic's case...
Jun 30th 2028
Yep, no surprises there, Dippel wins again and we'll keep our president for a couple more years.
Contracts expire and players are released, including former prospects Morgalla and Ergül plus Laurin Ulrich, who didn't manage to establish himself in the first team despite enough playing opportunities and stalled dramatically in his development. We could've re-signed him to maybe make a small profit off him, but really, not much point to it anymore.
And just before he also has to leave to return to Milan, we agree to an extension of Özcan's loan in very similar terms to those Inter demanded earlier: full wages, €425k monthly fee, and a mandatory transfer worth €19M come June 2029. Honestly, this is a bargain for a player of Özcan's quality, not to mention we get to pay it in "installments" of sorts. If he performs as well as he did for most of last season he'll be absolutely worth the expense.
0 -
May 14th 2028
The prize money for our fourth place in the Bundesliga is no more and no less than ninety-two million Euros. We're rich! Now, let's see what we can invest it into...
Once again the five-year plan needs a revision, and for once the board are relatively ambitious: they want us to qualify for the Conference League at the very least. Doable, but not trivial. After that, though, the goal is to qualify for the Europa League in a couple of years' time and to remain there or higher in the future. As always, the board are a step or two behind what the team is actually achieving...
With that, the players depart on holiday until early July, although I expect some of them will have some work to do with their national teams before that. Our training camp will be held in St. Gallen a few days after preseason gets started.
May 16th 2028
The board quickly agree to my recommendations of upgrading our youth recruitment networks and academy coaching. Apparently it doesn't cost us anything other than increased upkeep, which begs the question of why we didn't do this earlier. Oh well.
May 20th 2028
Vuskovic has been selected as the Croatian Young Player of the Year. And that's with only two appearances for the national team so far. Incidentally, we tried offering him a new contract to see if we could manage to keep the vultures at bay, but the kid wants to keep his options open until after the Euros. Fair to him, considering the monster teams that are currently tailing him. Something tells me this will be an interesting summer...
Leipzig lift the DFB-Pokal with a simple 2-0 win over Freiburg in the final, earning their second trophy in four years and incidentally saving Leverkusen from dropping out of Europe completely. Gladbach will finally join HSV in the Europa League.
May 22nd 2028
Well, so much for Vuskovic's plans... Croatia's manager has left him out of the final squad for the Euros, so there'll be no chance for him to show off his quality to any prospective buyers. No idea why he's finding it so hard to keep his place in the squad considering how good he is, but okay. Vuskovic still doesn't want to extend his contract, though, so it's looking likely that someone's gonna be making a bid for him sooner or later. Hope it's not Bayern...
As for the rest of our internationals, more or less as expected: Caraballo and Rodríguez both make the final squads for Venezuela and Mexico for the Copa America, while Hadzic, Stjepanovic, and Svensson will take part in the European Championship with Bosnia, Serbia, and Sweden.
Inter's demands for renewing Özcan's loan are a bit out there: full wages, €475k monthly fee for a total cost of €6.75M, and a mandatory €19M fee at the end of the season. On the other hand, this guarantees we can buy him for a total cost of €25M, which is a pretty decent deal for a player of his quality and age. We'll think about it, but we'll probably end up biting the bullet.
Wolfsburg will stay with us in the Bundesliga after destroying St. Pauli in the playoff, 6-1 on aggregate with all goals scored in the first leg. Therefore, once again there'll be only two new teams in the division: Union Berlin and Hannover.
May 23rd 2028
Vereingung der Vertragsfussballer Fussball-Bundesliga Trainer des Jahres. Sounds nice, doesn't it? I can add that to my resume now, since I was selected as Manager of the Year in the Bundesliga ahead of HSV's Frank Schmidt and Nürnberg's Christian Streich. Yay.
May 27rd 2028
With the Europa League ending (see below for the eventual winners) we get a chunk of the TV money and coefficient ranking pool added to our accounts, for a total of approximately €1.5M. Not bad.
Guardiola, current Milan manager, going on record about his interest in buying Vuskovic. Yep, the kid's a goner. We'll have to start looking for a replacement soon, I fear.
* * *
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD
- Premier League: if you look at the final table it seems like it was a very close race, with Manchester City only ending two points ahead of Newcastle and six ahead of Liverpool. The truth is that City won the league at a canter and then let themselves go in the final fixtures, losing five games in the last seven weeks of the competition. The last of those games, incidentally, was a 0-1 home defeat against Crystal Palace that saved them from relegation and condemned Fulham, who'll play in the Championship next season together with Stoke and Norwich. Arsenal was the fourth team in the Champions League places, with Spurs, Chelsea, and Leicester completing the European qualifiers. Manchester United finished ninth. The "Unluckiest Team of the Season" award goes to Southampton, who lost both cup finals, both on penalties, against Liverpool and Spurs.
- LaLiga: one hundred points for Barcelona, and they still had to beat Espanyol in the final fixture to secure the title for good, with Real Madrid finishing only three points behind. The gulf between the two giants and the rest remains ginormous, with Real Sociedad finishing third twenty-one points behind the leaders, followed closely by Villarreal. Sevilla, Celta (!), and Atlético de Madrid completed the European positions, while Tenerife, Valladolid, and Getafe sunk into the second tier. Real Madrid once again had to do with the consolation prize of winning the Copa del Rey, even defeating Barça 2-0 in the final.
- Serie A: second consecutive win for Juventus, with the top three turning upside down since the December update: Inter finished second and Milan fell to the third place. After them Genoa was first of the pack and earned a very surprising qualification to the Champions League, while Roma, Napoli, and Sassuolo will have to deal with the lesser European competitions. At the bottom, Fiore saved themselves from a shocking relegation by the skin of their teeth, only surviving thanks to their results against eventual eighteenth-placed Verona. Spezia and Lecce are also going down, and Benevento will return to the top tier to restart their streak of miracle survivals. Milan at least took the Coppa Italia, destroying ninth-placed Lazio 4-1 in the final.
- Ligue 1: PSG won, thirteen points over the rest. Monaco and Nice in the Champions League, Lille and surprise package Strasbourg in Europe, too. Bourdeaux relegates again, together with Nimes and Troyes. Boring league is boring. At least the Coupe de France brought some entertainment, with an unlikely Saint-Étienne win in extra time against equally unlikely finalists Angers. We'll see Les Verts in Europe once again, yay!
- Champions League: in one of the most emotional finals in recent memory, Barcelona lifted their sixth trophy in a 2-1 extra time win against Guardiola's Milan, after the first ninety minutes ended without goals and Milan took the lead against the flow of the game early in extra time. Nice comeback from Barça afterwards, earning a very well deserved triumph and a great league-plus-European-trophy double. They had to deal with both Milan teams to do it, too, since they had to get rid of Inter in the semis first while Milan squeezed past Chelsea in theirs.
- Europa League: "our" competition ended in pain for at least one team: Liverpool lifted the trophy in a final in which their opposition, Villarreal, scored through Danjuma in the fourth minute and kept that lead until injury time, where 35yo Mohammed Salah pulled out another miracle and brought the game to extra time and, eventually, to penalties, where a final miss by Pau Torres decided the outcome. Both semifinals were also very tightly contested and ended 3-2 on aggregate, with Liverpool beating Newcastle and Villarreal robbing Club Brugge of what would've been a historic appearance in an European final. Worth noting that Liverpool's last win in the competition was also against a Spanish team (Alavés) and also in an equally dramatic fashion.
- Conference League: after one of their worst performances in the Premier League in recent memory, Manchester United managed to save their season and gain access to next year's Europa League after winning the Conference League, beating Dynamo Kyiv in the final two goals to nil. Another Belgian team, Standard Liège, were United's victim in the semifinals, while Dynamo had to deal with one of our former rivals in the Europa League group stage, FC Kobenhavn.
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May 1st 2028
Oooh, election time again at the club! Can't wait for all the candidates to introduce themselves as wanting to continue doing the same things the current board are doing! Exciting!
May 2nd 2028
Jair Rodríguez is, of course, selected in the Team of the Week.
May 3rd 2028
Youth facilities upgrade completed! Once we get our prize money for the fourth place in the Bundesliga we'll be investing some of it in our recruiting system and other aspects of the club. We'll be going straight into the group stage of the Champions League, so that means we'll be getting very juicy income, which in turn means we can afford to splurge and make our club better for the long term. That's the whole point of this after all.
May 10th 2028
It's gonna be a busy summer for our internationals, with both the Euros and the Copa America coming soon, not to mention the Olympics. For now, seven of our players are called up by their respective senior teams: Rodríguez with Mexico, Hadzic with Bosnia, Vuskovic with Croatia, Rijkhoff with the Netherlands (for the first time in a long while), Svensson with Sweden, Stjepanovic with Serbia, and Caraballo with Venezuela. Özcan's absence with Turkey is somewhat surprising.
May 13th 2028
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. RasenBallsport Leipzig (2nd) (Bundesliga, 34/34)
The best part of having already achieved all our goals for the season is that we don't need to get any points against Leipzig today, heh. To be fair the game is a dead rubber for both teams, although Leipzig still need to defend their second place against Dortmund for the slightly better prize money. It's kinda weird to see the league basically decided at all levels before the final fixture, but hey, we can't have nailbiters every year! Let's see if we can take advantage of the relaxation and get a win here.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Thiago (DM), Jair Rodríguez (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)
RB LEIPZIG (4-2-3-1): Alexander Nübel (GK); Wilfried Singo (DR), Kamil Piatkowski (DCr), Arnau Comas (DCl), Angeliño (DL); Paulo Bernardo (MCr), Jakub Moder (MCl); Francisco Conceiçao (AMR), Fábio Carvalho (AMC), Musa Barrow (AML); Patson Daka (ST)* * *
We start a mix of starters and backups today, both as an opportunity for some of the youngsters to get quality minutes and as a celebration for a job well done. Leipzig play most of their starters, though, showing they're taking this game seriously, even if it's only as a practice run for the DFB Pokal final. We start the game half asleep, first wasting a chance because Özcan took too long to shoot, then gifting the ball to Leipzig in attack because Stjepanovic didn't see Conceiçao coming to steal it. Thankfully Daka's shot went miles over after that.
Soon Baldé clears over the line a header by Moder in a corner kick as Leipzig start pushing forward and taking control as they usually do. Daka then mishits another shot from the edge of the box and sends the ball way over the bar once again, but for once we're not feeling particularly overwhelmed. It takes until the 28th for the next chance to come, and while it's a good one with Barrow sending his header into the crossbar and over, it comes from a corner kick, so it's not like Leipzig are creating much danger from open play.
We aren't either, but in the 33rd Maldini manages to control a long clearance by Kretzschmar and dribble past Angeliño, then shooting low and placed but being matched in the end by Nübel's good fingertip save. Leipzig finally return in the 41st with a good run through the right wing that Conceiçao finishes, his shot well blocked by Kretzschmar. The keeper has more work in injury time, tipping wide a dangerous finish by Daka after a good play on the left by Barrow, in what becomes the last chance of the first half.
HALF TIME - 0-0
The second half starts with a surprise when Rodríguez intercepts a pass in midfield and mounts a counterattck that ends with a cross by Marcos Paulo and a header into the crossbar and over by Maldini. It's a mirage, though, and neither team seems capable of creating danger in the minutes that follow. We soon bring Rijkhoff, Caraballo, and Karlsen into the game, but the game remains completely flatlined for a long time, with only offsides and long shots breaking the tedium.
A blocked shot by Maldini and some good runs into danger areas by Manu Sánchez give the fans some reasons to cheer, although the main one is that Kretzschmar hasn't had any work to do in the second half just yet, and we're already in the final fifteen minutes. Then, a corner kick taken by Miranda in the 79th minute reaches the far post and Rijkhoff is there to head it into the net past a badly placed Nübel, grabbing the 1-0 and gifting Miranda his tenth assist of the year.
Now Leipzig have to attack if they want to keep their second place, but that's exactly what we'd been waiting for: quick counterattack through the center, with Miranda, Caraballo, and Rijkhoff trading passes until the striker runs into the box, shoots into Piatkowski's challenge, and sees the ball elevate over Nübel's desperate attempt at swatting it away to become the 2-0. The visitors try to accelerate their game even further but that leads to more mistakes, and only Nübel can prevent Karlsen from profiting from a pretty egregious one by Piatkowski. The youngster then assists Caraballo with a beautiful pass into space only for the keeper to save and turn it over the bar again. The 3-0 looks much closer than the 2-1, but in the end time runs out before either of the two happens, allowing us to score a famous win to finish the season with.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 2 (Julian Rijkhoff 79 81)
RasenBallsport Leipzig 0- - -
Actually a very good game! Feels tempting to compare it to the HSV game because Leipzig did have quite a few chances in the first half and probably deserved to score then, but we resisted and then killed them in the final stretch thanks to our sub striker. But to be fair, we never felt too pressured even in Leipzig's best minutes, so I'll go ahead and say we deserved this one. It's also a perfect cap to an almost perfect second half of the season, so what's to complain about? Worth noting: we've only lost one game in the whole second half of the league, and it was against Bayern!
* * *
| Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | Form | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | FC Bayern | 34 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 99 | 36 | 63 | 82 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | CL | Borussia Dortmund | 34 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 70 | 33 | 37 | 73 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | CL | RB Leipzig | 34 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 77 | 44 | 33 | 72 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | CL | 1860 München | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 54 | 32 | 22 | 64 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | EL | Hamburg | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 59 | 41 | 18 | 57 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | ECL | Borussia M'gladbach | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 59 | 44 | 15 | 54 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Bayer Leverkusen | 34 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 55 | 46 | 9 | 54 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Stuttgart | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 50 | 51 | -1 | 52 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Frankfurt | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 54 | 45 | 9 | 50 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Freiburg | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 52 | 54 | -2 | 49 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Hertha BSC | 34 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 49 | 53 | -4 | 43 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Nürnberg | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 46 | 53 | -7 | 36 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Köln | 34 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 41 | 55 | -14 | 36 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Mainz | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 45 | 57 | -12 | 35 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 34 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 41 | 70 | -29 | 33 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | Pl | Wolfsburg | 34 | 8 | 5 | 21 | 30 | 64 | -34 | 29 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | R | Heidenheim | 34 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 37 | 93 | -56 | 19 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | R | SC Paderborn | 34 | 2 | 8 | 24 | 22 | 69 | -47 | 14 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|Our win against Leipzig combined with Dortmund's easy win against Eintracht to gift Klopp's lads the second place in the end. The really important battle, though, was the one for the sixth place, and in the end Gladbach managed a dramatic winner in the sixth minute of overtime to slip past Leverkusen on goal difference and guarantee a place in the Conference League, leaving the Aspirin club hoping that Leipzig win the cup and European football rolls one position down. At the bottom Wolfsburg drowned just as they reached the shore, falling heavily to Hertha in an ultimately irrelevant match, since Fortuna had a home tie against Paderborn that they won easily. Wolfsburg will now have a playoff for survival against St. Pauli, while Union Berlin and Hannover will replace Heidenheim and Paderborn come next year.
Also, something I just noticed: we were the best defense in the Bundesliga! Bayern's relaxation in the last few fixtures after winning the title sure showed in their final numbers, huh.
* * *
END OF SEASON 2027/28 - PLAYER SUMMARY
GOALKEEPERS
Name Apps Conceded Clean Sheets PoM Av.Rat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Kretzschmar 41 41 15 0 7.07 Valentino Quintero 3 7 1 0 6.67Another solid season for Kretzschmar, in which he once again was our saviour in many games (the win in Hamburg comes to mind), although he also had a few stinkers during that long streak of draws in winter where every single shot on target somehow ended up being a goal. Regardless, while not as great as last season, it was still a remarkable year for our keeper, and that attracted some unwanted attention back in January, In the end it turned out to be nothing, but there's no guarantee more big clubs won't be turning their eyes towards him this summer. If he does end up leaving, we'll have to be prepared to sign a quality replacement. Ideally that won't happen, though.
His backup for the last few years, Quintero, had what probably was his worst season with us, with pretty poor performances both in the DFB Pokal and in the Europa League, and we were planning on releasing him come July, but Racing Club took the initiative and gave us some money for him in January, which prompted his early departure. Young Englisch will come on a free this summer to replace him, and might be joined by another quality young keeper if funds permit.
DEFENDERS
Name Apps Goals Assists PoM Y.C R.C Av.Rat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Niklas Lang 27 2 0 2 3 0 7.20 Arnau Casas 21(2) 0 2 0 2 0 7.18 Daniel Svensson 26(3) 1 4 2 4 0 7.13 Amer Hadzic 17(1) 0 0 0 0 0 7.10 Thierno Baldé 27(3) 0 0 1 4 0 7.09 Manu Sánchez 18(4) 2 4 2 3 0 7.01 Mateja Stjepanovic 15(2) 1 1 1 1 0 7.00 Francisco Gerometta 17(4) 0 3 1 6 0 6.99 Julian Chabot 7 0 0 0 0 0 6.97Fantastic season for our whole defense, no questions asked, yet with one asterisk next to one particular name. Our center-backs were rock solid all year long once again, with Lang still as the stand-out no matter how many quality players arrive to compete with him. His most frequent partner in crime wasn't Stjepanovic for once, since the Serbian was out injured until mid-November, but new signing Casas, who got used to his new team really quickly and completed a remarkable debut season, even stealing many starts from Stjepanovic after he recoved from his damaged cruciate. Hadzic also played really well when he was allowed too, although with Lang in his usual good form chances weren't as frequent as they probably should've been for the young Bosnian. He keeps improving, though, and it won't be long until he's a real threat for our captain. Finally, Chabot came in a temporary deal until Stjepanovic recovered and was largely average, but still perfectly valid.
Our wings also had great seasons, with a caveat: Gerometta. Yes, his numbers aren't bad at all, but his last few performances were terrible defensively speaking, and he looked out of his depth for the first time since his arrival. Even teams like Mainz managed to exploit this weakness, and that's something we can't afford on any regular starter at this level. Selling him this summer and replacing him with someone younger and better is not out of the question. Other than him, all our options there played remarkably, with Svensson as the most consistently good and Sánchez coming and going in bursts of quality surrounded by some less impressive performances. Baldé on the right was the strongest of the four defensively, although his attacking contributions were few.
MIDFIELDERS
Name Apps Goals Assists PoM Y.C R.C Av.Rat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matías Miranda 31(4) 2 10 1 4 0 7.13 Darko Vuskovic 26(2) 1 0 0 8 0 7.08 Thiago 25(6) 1 0 1 3 0 6.99 Jair Rodríguez 27(12) 7 4 3 2 0 6.93 Martin Karlsen 7(20) 3 4 1 0 0 6.90 Florent Da Silva 17(13) 4 5 0 1 0 6.84 Laurin Ulrich 2(6) 1 0 0 1 0 6.78Fun year for our midfielders, with Miranda completing yet another great year and beating our record for assists in a season with ten. The Argentinian even performed admirably in some games where he was forced to fill in for Maldini on the right wing, showing that his versatility still remains. Twenty-eight and deep in his prime, we still have a couple of good years ahead for the most consistent midfielder we've had in this team since my arrival.
On the topic of consistency, Vuskovic remains solid as a rock in defensive duties, if still a bit too prone to picking yellow cards given the fantastic standards in that department elsewhere in our squad. The Croatian even popped off with our best goal of the season, but there's a good chance this might be his last year with us, as he's being chased by half of Europe's biggest teams including Bayern themselves, so it's very likely that his release clause will be triggered sometime this summer. New arrival Thiago is called to be his successor, both as our starting defensive midfielder and as one of our brightest young prospects, and his first year with us has been very promising, having good games both in that position and higher up the field. Another new arrival, Jair Rodríguez, wasn't just the hero of our win in Hamburg, but also our best midfielder when it comes to scoring goals in general, although he's still somewhat lacking in consistency. He has time to learn and improve, though.
Karlsen and Da Silva didn't perform as frequently as the aformentioned, but they still had their bright moments. The Norwegian in particular had some pretty nice showings off the bench, particularly in the first half of the season, and should be allowed to continue growing with us next season. Da Silva's numbers show a slight improvement after his debut season, although all his goals came from penalty kicks, but it still feels like not enough for someone who hasn't quite established himself as a regular starter despite having the time to do so. There are questions about his future. In Ulrich's case it's less questions and more a certainty that he'll leave on a free this summer, since his development stalled completely and his performances didn't give us any reason to keep playing him.
ATTACKERS
Name Apps Goals Assists PoM Y.C R.C Av.Rat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vedat Özcan 23(7) 10 6 3 2 0 7.01 Daniel Maldini 24(5) 5 5 3 1 0 6.98 Marcos Paulo 21(8) 8 3 2 1 0 6.97 Julian Rijkhoff 21(5) 12 2 4 0 0 6.96 Can Sapmaz 20(15) 6 2 1 0 0 6.83 Rodrigo Caraballo 20(10) 8 3 2 0 0 6.80A weird season for our forwards. None of them stands out numbers-wise, but if we take their global contribution, the unit as a whole did a much better job providing goals and assists than in previous seasons, and it's not even close. For starters, having two strikers who could rotate and alternate in the starting eleven all season while maintaining a high level of production is a luxury we haven't had in a very long time, and both Özcan and Rijkhoff provided exactly that. The Dutch striker could probably have scored more if it wasn't for his untimely broken rib, while Özcan had a more creative and involved role that saw him pick a good number of assists and end the season as the better performer of the two overall, although only just. We'll be seeing if we can manage to extend his stay for another year, he's more than earned it.
The wings also looked much more balanced and involved than in previous years. On the right Maldini and Sapmaz shared the load for most of the season, with some help from Miranda once the Italian missed a few games due to injury. Both were solid enough, but I feel like this is our weakest position in the whole squad right now, and might be looking into improvements which might lead into one of the two leaving the club this summer. We'll see, though... The left, for once, was the more productive of both wings, and the biggest shock of the season was seeing Marcos Paulo, butt of all jokes one year ago, pop off with eight goals this year, some of them critical for the ultimate achievement of our seasonal targets. New kid Caraballo put some pressure on the Portuguese, and just his presence might have provoked his reaction. The Venezuelan had a solid debut year with eight goals, but like fellow newbie Rodríguez, he showed a serious lack of consistency, something I expect will fix itself with time.
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Apr 22nd 2028
Well, one out of two ain't bad: Leverkusen got trounced 4-1 by Gladbach and end the weekend five points behind us, but HSV manage a 0-2 win in Düsseldorf and creep closer, now only with one point less than us. This basically forces us to win in Hamburg next week, since a draw wouldn't be enough unless we also beat Leipzig in the final fixture. Tough. At the bottom, relegation confirmed already for Heidenheim and Paderborn, while Wolfsburg win in Nürnberg and are now only two points behind Fortuna and four behind Köln, and might actually dodge the playoff in the end.
Apr 26th 2028
Leipzig and Bayern finally play their adjourned game, which Leipzig win 3-5. Other than being an absolute goal fest, this match means we can't catch up to them anymore, since it puts them nine points away with two games to play. Same for Dortmund, but that one was clear since the weekend. So, fourth to sixth is our window, and a win against HSV guarantees it's the former.
Apr 29th 2028
Hamburger SV (5th) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (Bundesliga, 33/34)
The Game, part two. We've been building a bit of a rivalry with HSV since we came across each other in the 2.Bundesliga, as we've been fighting for the same goals ever since. They had the upper hand in that promotion bid and won the league, they adapted earlier to the division, and last year they once again took the big prize with their Champions League qualification, just ahead of us. Not to mention they've been a thorn on our side whenever we've played them during these years. It's about time we changed that trend and upstaged them for once.
* * *
HSV (4-2-3-1): Yoshiaki Ichikawa (GK); Horst Billesfeld (DR), Jamie Lawrence (DCr), Joel Agyekum (DCl), Justin Janitzek (DL); Ron Schallenberg (MCr), Burak Ince (MCl); Xavier Amaechi (AMR), Tin Vrljicak (AMC), Faride Alidou (AML); Filip Ristanic (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Jair Rodríguez (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
No sense in playing around today, so we start the same team that won against Leverkusen with the only change of sticking Rijkhoff as our striker instead of Özcan, who's having a rough ending to the season. HSV surprise leaving their top goalscorer and arguably best player, Schade, not just out of the eleven but of the team altogether. They still start the game pushing hard for an early goal, and a corner kick four minutes in almost gives them exactly that, with Lawrence producing a great header and Kretzschmar's block leading to a scramble inside the small box that almost ends with the ball crossing the line before it's finally cleared.
One minute later Vrljicak keeps the pressure up with a run through the center and a good-looking finish that Kretzschmar can barely tip wide, and then it's header by Lawrence and Agyekum in consecutive corner kicks leading to two more close shaves thanks to our keeper, until finally Lawrence heads the third one over the bar and gives us a breather. We take it slowly from there, trying to regain some of the lost ground while still allowing a good chance for Ristanic after a long ball over the defense, once again stopped by Kretzschmar. Slowly, very slowly, we begin to ease the pressure a little.
Kretzschmar is still required to perform his usual heroics once againt in the 25th minute, deflecting wide a shot by Billesfeld, then watches Ristanic send a 20-yarder wide one minute later, but the constant flow of chances has now slowed down to a trickle. We still can't produce anything in attack because HSV don't let us get through the midfield with the ball under control, and our first shot at goal doesn't come until the 40th minute and it's a long range attempt by Maldini with little danger. It's still a sign of improvement, and the best news so far is that we're still tied when the first half end.
HALF TIME - 0-0
Things remain roughly the same after the break, although HSV do get a great chance eight minutes in with a cross by Ince that Alidou heads into the post from a tight angle. Amaechi also tries a daring lob over Kretzschmar a bit later, but the keeper backtracks quickly and has no trouble saving. We try some substitutions, bringing Özcan and Marcos Paulo into the game, but even before they can enter the field a cross by Janitzek is met with a precise header by Ristanic, the ball hits the underside of the bar and goes in for the 1-0 HSV have been deserving for a while now.
Kretzschmar keeps keeping us alive with a good fingertip save to deny Amaechi in the 59th minute, but he has to watch as another corner kick generates another chance, this one sent into the crossbar and over by Janitzek. We then try something different, bringing Thiago in for Maldini, moving Miranda to the wing, and trying to open up the path for our wingbacks to charge through both sides. That at the very least seems to stop their attacks, and in the 74th we generate an actual chance in open play, wow, with Rodríguez and Miranda creating space for Özcan to shoot through, although sadly Ichikawa was there to save.
We finally start playing then, the players finding their rhythm as we keep pushing forward trying to get HSV into trouble. A blocked shot by Rodríguez leads to nothing too relevant, but the signs are looking better at least. Better is Özcan's chance after a pass into space by Marcos Paulo, but the defenders close him down quickly and his finish isn't good enough to beat Ishikawa. Then, in the 82nd, a throw-in on the right side of our attack ends with the ball inside the box under Casas's control, and the center-back performs an unlikely maneuver turning around and sending a no-look cross towards the far post so Marcos Paulo, from just one meter away from the goal, heads it in and draws the game.
The game has turned around now, although Hamburg still have a quick reaction through a shot over the bar by Buleza. In the 88th we get a corner kick that Rodríguez whips in, Lawrence fails to clear decisively, and Casas once again turns provider by gathering the loose ball and passing outside towards Rodríguez, who curls an absolute beauty into the top corner and scores the 1-2. The home fans can't believe their eyes.
HSV still have time to get the draw back, and Alidou gets a header in a dangerous position just before injury time starts, but it's a centered one and Kretzschmar saves easily. His goal kick is controlled by Marcos Paulo, who sends the ball into the box towards Özcan. The striker runs in, stops, turns around, and passes it back towards Rodríguez, who this time hits it with more power and less precision but still sends it to the back of the net. 1-3, somehow. But wait, there's more: with Hamburg pouring forward desperately, Rodríguez runs all the way to the corner flag in the right wing and crosses towards the far post, where Marcos Paulo nods it back perfectly so Özcan can volley it into the post and in, making it four and sealing our place in next season's Champions League for good. There's still time for Schallenberg to send a 20-yarder into the crossbar for their third woodwork impact of the game, but it doesn't matter anymore.
* * *
Hamburger SV 1 (Filip Ristanic 57)
TSV 1860 München 4 (Marcos Paulo 82, Jair Rodríguez 88 90+1, Vedat Özcan 90+2)- - -
Insanity. That's the only word that can define this game. I know if I'd been on the receiving end of this I'd be throwing my coaching license into the closest open fire right now. Hamburg absolutely floored us in the first half, we looked like we were playing against Bayern at times with how cowed and powerless we seemed to be. We improved a bit in the second half, but then we conceded and it looked like game over. But our tactical change playing with two inverted wing players worked wonders, we scored in one of our first chances, and from then on the insanity really kicked off, with HSV looking aghast and our attackers just pummeling them time after time. That's one way to qualify for the Champions League, that's for sure!
Because yes, this seals the deal for good: we're now four points ahead of HSV and eight over Leverkusen, who lost at home to Freiburg and will still have to fight to keep their sixth place safe against Gladbach and Eintracht. At the bottom, Wolfsburg clawed another point back and will play the final fixture with real hopes of salvation, while Fortuna might want to start worrying seriously.
The board take the chance amidst the celebrations to set the initial budgets for next season: €700k for weekly wages and €24M for transfers. Not a huge increase from last year, but we'll make do.
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Apr 18th 2028
Lang and Maldini are selected in the Team of the Week this time.
Apr 19th 2028
Oh, big surprise in the DFB Pokal semis: Freiburg beat Bayern! A 1-0 win with a first minute goal by Haksabanovic which the Bundesliga champions couldn't overcome. Leipzig struggled past Gladbach in the other semifinal and will have a great chance to lift their second title after their 2025 win.
Apr 21st 2028
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. 1.FSV Mainz 05 (13th) (Bundesliga, 32/34)
From playing last to playing first, our last "easy" game of the season brings Mainz to Grünwalder Strasse, a team that's been going through the motions since practically the halfway point of the season, never threatened by relegation but never getting close to the important fights in the top half. And yet, they still managed a famous 0-5 win in Leipzig two weeks ago, which makes them scary. Let's see if we keep our current consistent form and not mess up at a crucial moment.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DM), Jair Rodríguez (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
MAINZ (4-2-3-1): Marvin Schwäbe (GK); Joe Scally (DR), Omar Rekik (DCr), Márton Dárdai (DCl), Mathias Farnes Gabrielsen (DL); Eduard Löwen (MCr), Syver Aas (MCl); Tore Os (AMR), Mohammed Diomandé (AMC), Paulos Abraham (AML); Alessio Besio (ST)* * *
Minor rotations once again, playing once a week we can afford to keep most of our core intact from game to game even when they're only five days apart. Mainz repeate ten out of eleven players from our last meeting, only replacing the promising young midfielder Hennig with Aas due to injury. Once again it's a slow start, with both teams struggling to dominate the midfield and neither managing a decisive victory in this early battle. We slowly seem to gain a small edge, though, and through that we manage a breakthrough: throw-in on the left side of Mainz's penalty area, Svensson and Marcos Paulo trade passes until the winger goes into the box, finds some space for himself, and curls the ball around Schwäbe to score the 1-0 with only fifteen minutes gone.
Mainz try to push forward immediately, but we remain patient in possession and, in the 23rd, build a long passing attack that ends with the ball at Marcos Paulo's feet just as Rijkhoff makes a run for it through the middle. The wingers sends the ball ahead, Rijkhoff gathers it, and sends it into the back of the net with style to score the 2-0 and his tenth of the season. Things don't seem to change much after the goal, and we look comfortable for a while until, suddenly, Aas finds space to send the ball through and assists Diomandé, who breaks the offside trap and beats Kretzschmar in the one-on-one to pull Mainz closer once again.
And then they do it again: quick ball towards the right for Os to gather, then the wingers sends a cross past Svensson and towards the far post where Diomandé shows up once again to score the 2-2. This happens five minutes before the end of the first half, and nothing else happens on either goal until half time. Four shots on target, four goals.
HALF TIME - 2-2
Nothing much happens in the second half until the 59th minute, when a cross by Maldini is volleyed by Rijkhoff in the near post, but Schwäbe flies across his goal to block it and concede a corner kick. Maldini and Miranda have been struggling a bit today, and Sapmaz and Da Silva come in in their place a couple of minutes later. Another combination down the left side of the box between Svensson and Marcos Paulo ends with the left back shooting this time, although Schwäbe does very well to produce a miracle hand and keep the draw going for a bit longer.
Our final substitution brings Karlsen in Rodríguez's place, but time keeps passing very quickly and with little production in attack for us, or Mainz for that matter. In the 76th we finally get there once again, Gerometta assisting Sapmaz so the winger tries to dribble past Schwäbe and put the ball between him and the post, but the keeper reads his intentions and closes the gap at the very last moment. We then enter the final minutes without much going on, and we run out of time before we can even realize it. A choke.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 2 (Marcos Paulo 15, Julian Rijkhoff 23)
1.FSV Mainz 05 2 (Mohammed Diomandé 32 40)- - -
Two things: we can't concede twice against a team that shot two times in the whole match, and Gerometta has proven today that he doesn't have the quality to play at this level anymore, at least defensively: Diomandé ate him for breakfast in both goals, and no one else was around to pick up his slack. Credit to Mainz for being incredibly hard to tear down, both before and after their goals. Now we wait and hope that Leverkusen and HSV also mess up tomorrow. At the very least this point guarantees we can't go any lower than sixth, so that's Europe of some kind guaranteed for next season.
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Apr 10th 2028
Random interview offer out of nowhere coming from Ajax, they just lost Michael Reiziger to Valencia and thought of me as his replacement. Flattered, since Ajax is a team I admire quite a bit, but not right now, sorry.
Apr 11th 2028
Manu Sánchez takes the left back position in the Team of the Week.
Apr 13th 2028
Yep, Leipzig out of the Europa League semis, could only win 3-2 in the return leg against Club Brugge. The Belgians now play Villarreal for a place in the final, while Liverpool and Newcastle face off in the other semifinal. Liverpool absolutely destroyed Leverkusen 6-2 on aggregate, incidentally.
Apr 15th 2028
We play last this week, so we can relax at home while Bayern clinch the Bundesliga with an easy 3-0 home win against Köln and the red half of the city invades the streets in the almost-yearly celebration parade. Results today also mean we've secured at the very least a top half finish (not that there's been any doubt about that since, like, October or so), which once again fulfills the board's long-term plans in a single season. Now for bigger and better things.
Apr 16th 2028
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (5th) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (Bundesliga, 31/34)
The Game, part one. Leverkusen come into this after a midweek game in which they lost to Liverpool at home, so both tired and demoralized. However, considering how our last meetings with Simeone's boys have gone (4-0, 0-4, 4-0) it's hard to predict how this game will go, other than that whoever wins is likely to win big. The prize today is important, though, as having a four point-lead on them before the last three fixtures would be a godsend.
* * *
LEVERKUSEN (4-2-3-1 deep): Maarten Vandevoordt (GK); Gonçalo Esteves (DR), William Saliba (DCr), Pascual Piera (DCl), Marat Gadjiev (DL); Alejandro Valle (DMCr), Giacomo Faticanti (DMCl); Moussa Diaby (AMR), Florian Wirtz (AMC), Sergey Varfolomeev (AML), Lucas Júnior (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Jair Rodríguez (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)* * *
We'll be keeping half an eye on HSV's result against Leipzig today, although our focus has to be solely on winning our match. We go with our most in-form eleven with Casas ahead of Stjepanovic and Özcan up front despite his somewhat mediocre recent performances. In Leverkusen Marcos Leonardo's absence after his move to Manchester City is covered by Lucas Júnior, a Brazilian youngster bought from Villarreal and who's already on three goals and three assists in nine league games.
The game goes back and forth in the early minutes, although eventually we start establishing ourselves in midfield and dominating possession while Simeone's team wait at the back ready to counter, as his teams usually do. Neither team manages to push through the other, though, and the first relevant event is not even a chance but an injury to Wirtz, which forces an early substitution with Davoud Sattari taking his place. Rodríguez finally tests Vandevoordt with a couple of inconsequential attempts from afar, and in the 29th Leverkusen finally create a dangerous counter through Diaby, whose run ends with a pass backwards towards Lucas Júnior who's unable to get his finish past Casas.
Our first proper chance doesn't come until the 32nd, a header by Maldini after Svensson's cross that Vandevoordt saves without trouble. We hit again five minutes later through Miranda, who shoots with power from the edge of the box but sees the keeper deflect the ball wide. Injury time brings Kretzschmar's first save of the game, holding well a finish by Varfolomeev after a cross from the left, and thus ends an uncharacteristically quiet first half in which we've held a slight edge.
HALF TIME - 0-0
The second half starts with a big one: set piece taken by Miranda and headed by Lang into the crossbar, then Casas can't gather the rebound clearly and ends up shooting wide. The game remains as even as before, though, although another set piece, this time a corner kick, ends with a header by Özcan that also hits the crossbar before going over. We're getting closer and closer, but we still need a bit more, and we bring Marcos Paulo and Rijkhoff in hoping they'll provided that little something. Leverkusen do the same, bringing Sinisterra and Pirani in on both sides of their attack.
Baldé generates our next chance with another cross into the box, this one headed by Marcos Paulo and once again saved by Vandevoordt. Seconds later the Portuguese repeats with another header, this one assisted by Maldini, but with the exact same end: excellent dive by the keeper to tip the ball wide. On the other end Kretzschmar also saves a header by Lucas Júnior without much trouble, while Sánchez replaces Svensson as our third and last lineup change.
The left back soon gets to work with a cross into the box that Saliba fails to clear and Maldini half-volleys high and wide. A mirror play with Maldini delivering the cross ends with a blocked shot by Marcos Paulo and a weak header by Rijkhoff on the bounce, easy for Vandevoordt. Finally, on the 82nd, a clearance after a corner kick allows us to patiently build a new attacking play, then Miranda sees Maldini's movement towards the box and sends the ball through the gap to him, and this time the winger doesn't miss, placing his finish past Vandevoordt and finally scoring the 0-1.
Leverkusen shift shape and move to a flat 4-4-2, pushing Sinisterra forward, but that just gifts the ball to us even more than before. Minutes pass without any danger coming near Kretzschmar, except for a long pass by Esteves towards Sattari in injury time that Vuskovic intercepts with a great tackle before it becomes a problem. We happily keep the ball under control for the remainder and score a critical victory.
* * *
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0
TSV 1860 München 1 (Daniel Maldini 82)- - -
Not a big result like most would've expected, but a huge result for us in our race towards the Champions League. Leverkusen were thoroughly dominated today, with most of the chances falling to us one after another until the dam finally broke. The day ended with Hamburg beating Leipzig for their second straight defeat in the league, once again failing to deliver when it matters the most, and now HSV climb over Leverkusen onto the fifth place, three points behind us and still with a good chance of catching up to us with a win in our meeting in two weeks. That'll be the decisive match if all things go to plan.
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Apr 1st 2028
Well then, Leverkusen drop two points against Leipzig and that means we regain the fourth place. That's good, of course, but nowhere near definitive, since getting one point against Leipzig is probably one more than we'll get when we play them in the final fixture. We still need to beat Leverkusen in two weeks and drop as few points as possible elsewhere to be certain. Hamburg remain three points behind us after beating Mainz, but after that there's only Stuttgart in seventh place and already seven points behind, not particularly worrying. Europa League almost in the bag, now to reel the big fish in.
Apr 5th 2028
Yet another poor youth intake, and that's way too many in a row now. We really need to step up our recruiting game, otherwise we'll have serious problems in the future with homegrown quotas. Not to mention missing out on one of the club's bigger strengths in the past... At least this year there is one player with a certain degree of potential, 15yo attacking midfielder/forward Fatih Ari, but even he is a long shot.
Apr 6th 2028
Huh, Club Brugge just beat Leipzig 2-0 in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals. Looks like it wasn't all our fault then...
Apr 8th 2028
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. 1.FC Heidenheim 1846 (17th) (Bundesliga, 30/34)
This looked like the easiest game in this final stretch by far until last week, what with Heidenheim having failed to win a single game since October, but then they went and beat Fortuna and now they're only six points behind Wolfsburg and have an actual chance at escaping the pit in the last moment. Not to mention they stole a draw from HSV just two weeks earlier. Relegation favorites, yes, but should be respected.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Martin Karlsen (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
HEIDENHEIM (4-4-1-1): Timothee Lo-Tutala (GK); Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel (DR), Kasim Adams (DCr), Dzenis Burnic (DCl), Kimberly Ezekwem (DL); Franco Tongya (MR), Paul Seguin (MCr), Dominik Kohr (MCl), Maurice Malone (ML); Leo Castledine (AMC); Tim Kleindienst (ST)* * *
It's still a good chance for some rotation and for Karlsen to get some minutes as a starter, though, so we take it. Rijkhoff finally returns after his rib injury and goes straight into the eleven, although most likely will have to go rest sometime in the second half. The game starts terribly slow, with Heidenheim doing their best to keep the ball and then risk it as little as possible, while we run into their double defensive line time and time again. Our first chance doesn't come until the 12th minute and it's fruit of a momentary lack of organization in defense after a corner kick is cleared, which allows Baldé to find Caraballo inside the box so the winger can shoot into Lo-Tutala's save.
Heidenheim don't just defend, though, and two dangerous runs through the center by Castledine give us some trouble, with Kretzschmar and Stjepanovic dealing with both in the end. In the 19th minute, though, a steal by Rodríguez provokes a counterattack that ends with Sapmaz crossing into the box and Rijkhoff falling on the grass after a push by Burnic, correctly spotted by VAR. Manu Sánchez is our surprising taker today, but the left back doesn't miss and calmly scores the 1-0 from the spot.
The visitors don't give up, mostly because their survival is at stake, and Kohr soon gives us another scare with a surprise attempt from 25 yards away that hits the crossbar and bounces clear. Caraballo has our reply after a great pass into the box by Sánchez, but his finish is centered and easy for Lo-Tutala. Afterwards it's just twenty minutes of Heidenheim holding the ball and doing nothing worthwhile with it, and the clock ticks all the way until half time without any further chances.
HALF TIME - 1-0
Youngsters connect in the early second half with Karlsen assisting Sapmaz in a run into the box by the winger, who in the end can only shoot over the bar under pressure. Castledine hits us on the break one minute later, but his finish is equally poor, soft and straight into Kretzschmar's hands. Another good run by Sapmaz in the 57th ends with Ezekwem blocking his finish before it can get to the keeper, and soon afterwards Miranda and Özcan come into the game to give Rodríguez and Rijkhoff a bit of a break.
Their presence is key in a play that might decide the game: Miranda steals in midfield, Özcan gathers it and runs towards the box, and Burnic trips him just at the edge of the arc and earns himself an early bath through two yellow cards. The free kick is sent over the bar by Miranda, but the game should be much more in our favor now. Da Silva returns to action then in Karlsen's place to make sure we dominate the rest of the game, as Heidenheim change their outlook to a 4-3-1-1, trying to clog the center. That, of course, means weak wings, and that's where we focus now, finally generating the 2-0 in the 75th minute through Baldé and Miranda, with the later crossing so Caraballo can head it in at the far post. Game over.
Or so it should be, but ten-men Heidenheim still have enough to create danger from time to time, with a point-blank header by Kleindienst requiring Kretzschmar's intervention in the 81st minute, then Lee Jae-Sung blasting a 20-yarder miles over after the corner kick was cleared out. Özcan answers with a good header after a cross by Sapmaz, well saved by Lo-Tutala, but a bad pass by Manu Sánchez gifts the visitors another chance, once again denied by Kretzschmar as he deflects wide a one-on-one with substitute Ramazan Tas. Another header by Özcan saved by Lo-Tutala in the 90th is the last chance of a game that wasn't as one-sided as one might have expected.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 2 (Manu Sánchez 19p, Rodrigo Caraballo 75)
1.FC Heidenheim 1846 0 (Dzenis Burnic sent off 61)- - -
Not brilliant by any means, but it'll do. Heidenheim's tactic of hiding the ball away gave us some trouble, but thankfully Burnic was there to first gift us a penalty, then remove himself from the picture early in the second half to make our job easier. Three more points in the end, another clean sheet, and things remain the same in the fight for the fourth place, with all three teams involved winning. The big news today is that Bayern are one point away from being crowned Bundesliga champions once again thanks to Leipzig's shocking 0-5 defeat against Mainz. I'd like to trade notes with Erol Bulut, if that's all right with him...
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Mar 24th 2028
Very solid full-game performances for Hadzic and Vuskovic with their national sides, while Caraballo and Rodríguez had more discreet outings. This is also Vuskovic's fifth senior cap, which means he gets a wage hike up to €44k per week. Still more than worth it, although now offering him a new contract to get rid of his release clause is going to be even harder, even more considering the likes of Chelsea, Milan, and Bayern are apprently trailing him right now... The U21 kids also got their play time, with Karlsen as the stand-out with an assist against Armenia. Meanwhile, still no debut for Kretzschmar.
Mar 31st 2028
Just before the game against Wolfsburg the NxGn 2028 list is announced, and we receive the very pleasant surprise of seeing Jair Rodríguez at the very top after his second place from last year. Once again the Mexican league dominates the award with two Mexican players in the top 2 and a third-placed Brazilian kid who's playing for Toluca. As always, our scouts will have some work to do with this list, and maybe it's time to consider sending one of them full time to Mexico...
* * *
VfL Wolfsburg (16th) vs. TSV 1860 München (5th) (Bundesliga, 29/34)
Of the six fixtures remaining three of them are against bottom-half teams, and we should aim to take all the points from them if we want to challenge for the fourth place in the end, considering there's also two direct duels (HSV and Leverkusen themselves) and a final match against Leipzig to take into account. Wolfsburg are one of our favorite victims, and we come into this game after four consecutive wins against them, not to mention they've been stuck in the playoff position for basically half the season now. We should win this.
* * *
WOLFSBURG (4-2-3-1): Nico Mantl (GK); Pascal Stenzl (DR), Otan Kabak (DCr), Moritz Jenz (DCl), Gianluca Frabotta (DL); Gianluca Busio (MCr), Maximilian Arnold (MCl); Randal Kolo Muani (AMR), Luka Ivanusec (AMC), Jovane Cabral (AML), Gabriel Vidovic (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)* * *
I'm actually glad Özcan didn't play any minutes with Turkey during this international break, so we have our one healthy striker at full fitness for once. Others weren't so lucky, though, so there's some rotation and starting positions for the likes of Thiago. Da Silva also returns to the bench after his injury, which gives us more options in midfield. Wolfsburg recover Mantl in time and start their new signing Vidovic upfront, a former Bayern product that we'd been tracking almost since my arrival but never had the chance to buy.
We start the game in style: long pass by Svensson from the left into the space ahead of NxGn winner Rodríguez, who gets his first shot blocked by Jenz but is first to the loose ball and, with Mantl still struggling to stand up, calmly passes it into the back of the net for a quick third-minute opener. Wolfsburg try to hit us right back through Vidovic, but the striker meets Kretzschmar's hands with his finish and all they can get is a corner kick. Eight minutes in Maldini takes a deep free kick into the box and Özcan taps it into the net, but he was offside by a bit and the goal is called off.
The game evens out, with Wolfsburg trying to push us back while we still do our best to try and find a second. We get three consecutive chances in three back-to-back-to-back corner kicks headed in by Özcan, Miranda, and Lang, and all of them saved by an excellent Mantl. Open play isn't generating much on either side of the pitch now, though, although we still have the upper hand in possession at the very least. Our best attempt comes through the center thanks to Rodríguez's through ball towards Özcan, who once again runs into Mantl with his finish. Next comes Maldini, once again assisted Rodríguez and also meeting the same final fate with his shot. The rest of the half sees little more than a couple of long-range attempts without any real danger to them, and we retain our lead without much issue.
HALF TIME - 0-1
Things remain mostly the same in the second half, although an early corner kick that ends in two dangerous blocked shots for Wolfsburg gives us some pause. The home team seem to be a bit more daring now, although without much bite upfront so far. Caraballo and Sánchez enter the game after fifteen minutes as the game remains under control, but with the feel that things might turn south at any moment. We need a second goal to close this, and Sánchez almost creates it with another fantastic pass from deep in the 67th minute towards Özcan, who finishes well but is denied by Mantl yet again.
Vuskovic for Thiago is our final substitution as we enter the final twenty minutes, and six minutes later we get a big scare when Waldschmidt receives on the left wing and crosses towards Kolo Muani, who scores with a good header but sees his goal disallowed as Waldschmidt had been offside when he got the ball. Kretzschmar then needs to block a difficult finish by Jovane after a cross from the right, and Wolfsburg look set to go all-out attack in the final ten minutes to get the draw. That doesn't happen, though, and with a great defensive and midfield display we proceed to completely and thoroughly kill the game before it can go anywhere dangerous. No chances at all in the final minutes, and three more points for us.
* * *
VfL Wolfsburg 0
TSV 1860 München 1 (Jair Rodríguez 3)- - -
I did say I'd kill for six more 1-0 wins, didn't I? Well, that wasn't the intention today, and we probably should've scored at least one more if Özcan hadn't had a horrid day in front of Mantl, but it still worked out in the end. Once again extremely solid at the back and completely dominating in midfield, and Rodríguez celebrating his award with a key goal, his fifth of the season already. We put some pressure on Leverkusen now and wait to see how they react.
0 -
Mar 17th 2028
It's a miracle! Kretzschmar gets called up with Germany's national team for the first time ever! Granted, it was only because Wolfsburg's Mantl got injured and he was the next in line, but still. We'll see if he gets the chance to debut, Mantl still hasn't despite being called up multiple times before now...
Mar 19th 2028
TSV 1860 München (5th) vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (7th) (Bundesliga, 28/34)
With Europe now done and dusted, it's time to focus on returning there next season, and for that we need to start picking up wins in the many direct duels we'll have to face in these final seven fixtures. Starting with Eintracht, who together with Gladbach might be one of the most in-form teams in the league not called Bayern. We'll need to be at our best today, and we haven't really been there for a while now...
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)
EINTRACHT (4-2-3-1): Timo Horn (GK); Jordan Lotomba (DR), Marvin Friedrich (DCr), Jackson Porozo (DCl), Matthew Sorinola (DL); Lewis Cook (MCr), Toma Basic (MCl); Datro Fofana (AMR), André Franco (AMC), Bryan Mbeumo (AML); Joe Gelhardt (ST)* * *
With the same starting eleven that got our last win against Stuttgart, we face an Eintracht side that only change three quarters of their defense from our previous meeting, with former Löwe Erik Tallig in the bench. After ten minutes of midfield battle without a clear winner we start pushing forward slightly, soon creating our first chance with a long distance direct free kick taken by Miranda and which Horn has trouble deflecting wide. Özcan gets his head to the corner kick, too, but that only sends the ball over the bar, and his second attempt two minutes later after a cross by Baldé doesn't find the target either, this time going wide.
With the game now firmly in our grasp we keep pushing for the opener, with Miranda testing Horn from distance and Svensson getting another potentially dangerous shot blocked by Franco. Özcan keeps finding crosses with his head, but mostly from awkward positions that don't lead to any real danger for Horn's goal. Eintracht are more than happy to keep defending all game long, and only show up near our goal in the final minutes of the half after a quick counterattack that Fofana finishes with a high header, in what turns out to be the final chance of the half.
HALF TIME - 0-0
There's a shift in Eintracht's attitude in the early second half, trying to push a bit farther forward and even testing Kretzschmar with a shot by Mbeumo that the keeper blocks with some difficulty. It's a momentary thing, though, and soon they're back to defending with all eleven men, denying us even the most basic of chances with very solid defensive work. Since normal attacks won't work, we give set pieces a try: Rodríguez takes a corner kick towards the far post and who else but Lang is there to put his head in and score the 1-0.
Now it's Eintracht's turn to attack, and it doesn't take long for Mbeumo to remind us of our many wasted leads into all those draws in January and February, entering the box and shooting into Kretzschmar's good save. It's time for substitutions, and soon Maldini, Thiago, and Marcos Paulo enter the game to try and help us retain our lead, or expand it if possible. Substitute Maina tries an acrobatic volley from afar that doesn't catch Kretzschmar by surprise, but otherwise the following minutes are a calm affair.
Kretzschmar is called up in the 83rd minute to perform his usual magic, parrying a point-blank header by Maina after a fantastic run and cross by Lotomba and keeping us still ahead. Eintracht move to a 4-4-1-1, a surprising move when chasing a goal which seems to make our life easier in the final stretch, even allowing us to create a great chance to score the second that Maldini sends straight into Horn's hands. There are no more scares, Eintracht don't really seem to push all that hard to score the draw, and we secure a vital win to revitalize our campaign.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 1 (Niklas Lang 58)
Eintracht Frankfurt 0- - -
Absolutely key result, knocking Eintracht out of the race for Europe for the time being and putting some extra space behind us, while also recovering most of the lost ground with Leverkusen thanks to their defeat in Hamburg. It wasn't a brilliant game by any means, and Eintracht's defensive outlook didn't help matters, but we got the win and actually held onto it for a change and that's what matters at this stage. I'd kill for six more wins like this one.
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Mar 12th 2028
It's time for international callups once again, and Mexico bring Rodríguez back to the senior team for a potential third and fourth caps. A few days later the European nations name their squads, which include Özcan with Turkey, Svensson with Sweden, Hadzic with Bosnia, and, finally, Vuskovic returning with Croatia. Sapmaz and Karlsen also join their respective U21 squads. Finally, just before the Europa League game, Caraballo is called up by the Venezuela side.
Mar 16th 2028
TSV 1860 München vs. Club Brugge SV (Europa League 2nd knockout stage, 2nd leg)
Time to fish for a miracle, I guess. At least this time our next league game is in three days rather than two, so we can at least play a less backup-heavy eleven and hope for the best. Our focus will still be in the league, though, so we won't go all out unless there's a real chance of fixing our mistakes from last week. I'll want at least a good performance and a win, though, as a bare minimum.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Ader Hadzic (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Martin Karlsen (MCr), Thiago (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)
CLUB BRUGGE (4-2-3-1): Nick Shinton (GK); Mark Spanring (DR), Henrik Heggheim (DCr), Josip Sutalo (DCl), Abner Vinicius (DL); Pedro Chirivella (MCr), Sivert Mannsverk (MCl); Sergi Canos (AMR), Sofiane Diop (AMC), Diego Moreira (AML); David Okereke (ST)* * *
With Miranda out of contention due to suspension and Rodríguez looking tired, we push Thiago into a more advanced role today alongside Karlsen. Maldini also returns to the lineup after his latest injury, but otherwise we trust in the same defense that conceded four one week ago. Club Brugge only change their left back from last time, and still seem to want to score more against this defense, with Canos smashing a shot into Casas's back just mere seconds into the game. We take control afterwards, though, with possession on our side and pushing Brugge back like we didn't manage to do in all of the first leg.
A weak header by Maldini is our first attempt at goal, easy for Shinton, but our first real chance comes in the 15th minute after a nod by Marcos Paulo leaves Özcan with only the keeper ahead, yet the striker ends up shooting wide by an inch or two. One minute later Okereke also sends the ball far from the target after a good-looking run through the center, but we keep piling the pressure on through Gerometta, whose shot is tipped over by the keeper in a really good save. Maldini also comes across Shinton's agility in another good chance generated by Karlsen's passes into space, but Okereke strikes back for the Belgians once again, this time heading wide a cross from the left by Mannsverk.
Karlsen joins the attack in the 34th minute to catch a long ball by Vuskovic and send it wide to the left of the target, but after that we run completely dry, and the final ten minutes of the half pass without any further chances. Still way too far from a comeback.
HALF TIME - 0-0
Another pass into space ahead of Karlsen ends with the ball flying into the stratosphere in our first approach of the second half, but after fifteen minutes pass and that's still our best chance post-break we need to start making decisions. Sapmaz replaces a tired Maldini, while Rodríguez and Caraballo replace Vuskovic and Özcan to keep them fresh for Sunday's key game against Eintracht. A left-footed finish by Canos sails over Kretzschmar's goal a few minutes later, as Club Brugge start feeling comfortable enough to push farther forward.
Soon Diop gathers the ball inside the ball following good service from Moreira, much quieter today so far, and shoots into Kretzschmar's first difficult save of the evening. On the other end Thiago tries luck from thirty yards away, but his shot is centered and easy to punch away for Shinton. Another attempt by the young Brazilian doesn't even find the target, and Kretzschmar's fingertips have soon work to do to stop a dangerous curler by sub forward Malpon. Three minutes before full time Sapmaz gets a low shot in after a good assist by Marcos Paulo but, once again, finds Shinton well positioned to save. Moreira wastes another chance for Club Brugge on the counter with a terrible finish just before time runs out on our European adventure for this season.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 0
Club Brugge SV 0- - -
Much better today, even though our finishing was still poor and Shinton made good work of the few times it wasn't. Still, a marked improvement for most players, probably helped by the fact that Club Brugge didn't really have to try all that hard today. Let's hope we can carry this into the league now and turn it into actual wins. At least we get €1.2M for our troubles. Good bye, Europe. We will return.
Siren songs playing from back home in Spain, Valencia to be precise. Cute little job to take, assuming the board have sorted themselves out in the meantime (doubtful), but still no.
0 -
Mar 10th 2028
If by some miracle we manage to come back from that 4-1 defeat we'd be facing either Leipzig or Atlético de Madrid in the quarterfinals. Not sure if worth it... Villarreal, OL, Monaco, or Leicester would be our extremely hypothetical semifinal opposition.
Mar 11th 2028
FC Bayern München (1st) vs. TSV 1860 München (5th) (Bundesliga, 27/34)
Fantastic timing for this, really. Can't help but think that if Club Brugge can put four (and threaten at least four more) past us, what can Bayern do then? On the other hand we've been doing really well lately except for that particular game, and our lineup today will be completely different, so who knows? We're most likely losing anyway, but at least we should put up a bit of a fight. Just a bit.
* * *
BAYERN (4-2-3-1): Aaron Ramsdale (GK); Nordi Mukiele (DR), Dayot Upamecano (DCr), Andrea Papetti (DCl), Alphonso Davies (DL); Leon Goretzka (MCr), Mikkel Damsgaard (MCl); Leroy Sané (AMR), Kai Havertz (AMC), Ansu Fati (AML); Timo Werner (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1 deep): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DMCr), Darko Vuskovic (DMCl); Jair Rodríguez (MC); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)* * *
Back to the 4-2-3-1, even though Thiago is reeling a bit from playing the whole game two days ago and we're without Da Silva as an alternative there. Bayern are also in need of a comeback against PSG in the Champions League so they save a few starters today, although Moukoko and Kimmich are both injured, the latter about to return after damaged cruciate ligaments. That's still more than enough, though, and after ten minutes Mukiele runs into space after a long ball sent in by Goretzka, enters the box, makes Kretzschmar go to the ground, then shoots calmly into the empty goal to score the 1-0.
Of course Bayern want more, and soon Werner is testing Kretzschmar from the edge of the box with a flat shot that the keeper manages to tip wide, before having to fly to keep out of the net a header by Goretzka in the corner kick that follows. Next up is Fati, receiving a long ball from Goretzka inside the box and trying to surprise Kretzschmar with a first-touch shot which the keeper reads well enough to save and hold the ball, and then it's Havertz who sends a header over the bar after a cross by Davies. In the 17th, though, we manage to break free for the first time and Caraballo almost scores the 1-1 with a cute little lob over Ramsdale, who has to watch the ball miss the target by mere inches.
That chance gives us a push, and soon Özcan is gathering a pass by Sapmaz and trying a finish that Papetti blocks and sends behind. A quick run through the center by Werner cuts our reaction short, though, as Stjepanovic is forced to trip him when he was getting ready to shoot and score the second. The penalty is clear, and so is Werner's 2-0 from the spot. Kretzschmar is called to action once again a while later to stop a very dangerous finish by Fati, but after that things seem to calm down a bit, with only Werner trying a powerful finish after sneaking past Stjepanovice once again but blasting it over. A wide header by Sané leads into the final minutes of the half, when a set piece whipped into the box by Damsgaard is perfectly headed by Werner to score the 3-0. Not the best note on which to end the first half.
HALF TIME - 3-0
The second half starts in a similar note, only this time Goretzka heads a corner kick wide instead of into the net. We still can't get the ball out of our own half, though, so a chance is warrented: Karlsen replaces Thiago and we move back to the 4-3-3, while Miranda takes Sapmaz's place in the right wing. No matter: another corner kick taken by Damsgaard reaches Upamecano at the near post and the center back heads it in for the fourth.
Marcos Paulo replaces a very frustrated Özcan after a bit, just to save some of the striker's energy for the Europa League's return leg, and not much later Miranda has a chance to put some pressure on Ramsdale with a direct free kick that the keeper tips over the bar with an aesthetic flight. The game is a bit more back-and-forth now, although with less clear chances on either goal. Probably an improvement. Kretzschmar doesn't have more work until the 69th, when he goes down well to save a long-range attempt by Sané.
After ten minutes of tranquility it's our turn to strike, once again through Miranda, who gathers a great pass by Baldé and faces Ramsdale one-on-one, but is once again denied by the keeper. Lang also gets close in the resulting corner kick, although his header ends up going over. On the other goal Werner wastes a clear-cut chance to grab himself a hattrick with a narrowly wide finish four minutes before the end of regulation, then Kretzschmar saves a powerful header by Upamecano, once again unbeatable in set pieces. A final high ball by Papetti in yet another dead ball situation marks the end of the most one-sided Münchner Derby in recent history.
* * *
FC Bayern München 4 (Nordi Mukiele 10, Timo Werner 22p 44, Dayot Upamecano 52)
TSV 1860 München 0- - -
Apparently Bayern can do exactly the same Club Brugge did, only not conceding even once. At least this is a game we should be losing, because even a Kimmich-less, Lewandowski-less, Moukoko-less Bayern team is ridiculously strong. It's still a bad feeling to see that after all the improving we've done throughout the years we still keep being swept aside as an afterthought time and time again. Sigh, our time will come. Eventually.
0 -
Mar 5th 2028
Baldé signs a new contract with us, an upgrade to his wages after a bit over a year with us that the right back has deserved thoroughly so far. We guarantee his presence in the team for four more years at €29k per week and with no release clauses attached, a good deal in my books.
Mar 7th 2028
Svensson earns a place in the Team of the Week with his game-deciding assist and solid defensive work against Stuttgart.
And the injury crisis gets worse: Maldini goes down with a gashed upper leg which will make him miss somewhere between one and two weeks. Suddenly playing Sapmaz for the whole game against Stuttgart feels like a bad idea...
Mar 9th 2028
Club Brugge KV vs. TSV 1860 München (Europa League 2nd knockout stage, 1st leg)
Europe calls once again. Club Brugge are the current runaway leaders in the Belgian league, going strong for their fifth title in a row. It's still the Belgian league, though, meaning the standard of play there should be at least a step or two below what we find week in and week out in the Bundesliga. As such, we have to believe we have a chance of getting a result here, injuries or not. And for once, I'd welcome a draw.
* * *
CLUB BRUGGE (4-2-3-1): Nick Shinton (GK); Mark Spanring (DR), Henrik Heggheim (DCr), Josip Sutalo (DCl), Gastón Ávila (DL); Pedro Chirivella (MCr), Sivert Mannsverk (MCl); Sergi Canos (AMR), Sofiane Diop (AMC), Diego Moreira (AML); David Okereke (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Ader Hadzic (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Thiago (DM), Martin Karlsen (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)* * *
Mandatory rotation today as we save a few legs for the game against Bayern in just forty-eight hours, with Karlsen getting his first start in a while after some good performances off the bench. Sapmaz and Özcan might need resting at some point today, though. There's a familiar face in Club Brugge's lineup, too, since left winger Diego Moreira spent some time with us on loan a few years ago. They start controlling possession in the early game, and after nine minutes a ball lost by Gerometta in midfield reaches Okereke some thirty-five yards away from goal, and the striker unleashes an absolutely unstoppable missile into the top right corner to score a spectacular 1-0 for the Belgians. His thirtieth goal in all competitions this season, by the way.
After the goal Club Brugge seem to retreat into their own half, something we thank them for with a good chance created by Marcos Paulo and finished, very poorly, by Rodríguez fourteen minutes in. Five minutes later Marcos Paulo has a chance to score himself with a header after a good cross by Karlsen, but he happens to send it exactly where Shinton was, and it's an easy save for the keeper. A through ball to Canos generates Club Brugge's second attack of the game, although this time Kretzschmar is where he has to be to stop the winger from scoring the second. Things even out after that, the game getting mired in midfield for a long while until in the 40th minute a good run down the left by Diop ends in a cross towards Moreira, who also finds Kretzschmar in the way of his finish. That's it for a very even first half decided by a moment of genius.
HALF TIME - 1-0
The second half starts in the worst possible way: pass into space from deep by Mannsverk towards Moreira, the winger completely outpaces Gerometta, enters the box, and rounds Kretzschmar with a good show of skill to score the second. Three minutes later another missile from outside the box, this one fired by Diop, rips a hole in our net as Kretzschmar is unable to stop it, and the game is now completely out of reach, as might be the competition altogether.
We decide to rest Sapmaz then and bring Miranda in, but Club Brugge still run rampant, with Kretzschmar having to go down in the 56th to prevent another goal by Diop following a great assist by Moreira, who's destroying Gerometta today. Caraballo replaces Özcan, moving Marcos Paulo to the center, and Ulrich returns to the team in Rodríguez's place. Then, to complete an absolutely horrid performance, Gerometta pulls on Moreira's shirt inside the box and it's a stonewall penalty that Okereke turns into the 4-0.
Moreira keeps hitting us even after switching sides to allow a substitute in his previous position, heading over the bar a cross from the left in the 62nd minute. Two minutes later and completely out of nowhere we get a corner kick, Miranda takes it towards the far post, and Marcos Paulo heads it in to cut our disadvantadge by a little. The incidental striker tries luck again a bit later from afar, trying a placed shot but sending it very narrowly wide. Miranda then picks a yellow that implies suspension for the second leg, followed by Diop wasting a good chance for a fifth with a centered shot after a lightning-quick counterattack.
We keep trying to reduce Club Brugge's lead as much as possible, and Marcos Paulo has another good chance with a header tipped wide by Shinton, well generated by Karlsen's cross from the right wing. We aren't having the best of days overall, though, and Sánchez forgets about his usual solid self with an absolutely atrocius mistake that gifts Nusa the ball and an empty goal to score in, and which the forward somehow manages to turn into an even worse finish, the ball sailing well over the bar. A cross by the same Nusa allows Okereke another chance to score but he sends it straight at Kretzschmar, then Nusa tries again from distance, this time hitting the crossbar. Thankfully that's the end for today, but this first taste of European knockout stages couldn't have been more bitter.
* * *
Club Brugge SV 4 (David Okereke 9 60p, Diego Moreira 46, Sofian Diop 49)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Marcos Paulo 64)- - -
That was a short result. That's how bad we were today. I don't think Club Brugge are better than, say, Bayern, but we certainly made them look like worldbeaters. We still have to be thankful for Marcos Paulo's goal and their many sitters missed, because now we have a (small) chance to fix this at our stadium. Many players lost a lot of credit today, though, including but not limited to Gerometta and Hadzic.
1 -
Feb 29th 2028
February 29th is a weird day, and not in a good way for us: Rijkhoff breaks a rib in training, because apparently doing American football drills without protection is a good idea. Our striker will be out of contention for five to six weeks, leaving Özcan as our only out-and-out striker in a very loaded period, with the Europa League coming in between a handful of extremely important league games.
Mar 1st 2028
Bayern, Leipzig, Gladbach, and Freiburg will be the participating teams in the DFB Pokal semifinals, quite the loaded lineup.
Mar 2nd 2028
Another serious injury, this time for Da Silva, who twists an ankle and will miss approximately one whole month. He's not having a fantastic season by any means, but he's still our main rotation option in midfield, so losing him now hurts. More minutes for Karlsen and, perhaps, Ulrich, I guess, plus Thiago might play some games in a more advanced position to see how he does.
Mar 4th 2028
TSV 1860 München (5th) vs. VfB Stuttgart (9th) (Bundesliga, 26/34)
Three fourths of the season gone today and everything still very, heh, tied up. Draw jokes aside, Stuttgart have had a rougher winter than even us, particularly in February where they lost three and drew one, thus dropping places like a rock. They're still only five points behind us because yeah, we only got three points more than them in February after all... Dare I wish for a win to end this curse?
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)
STUTTGART (4-2-3-1): Finn Dahmen (GK); Chris Richards (DR), Waldemar Anton (DCr), Hrvoje Smolcic (DCl), Fabian Nürnberger (DL); Shinta Appelkamp (MCr), Orel Mangala (MCl); Aleksander Andresen (AMR), Ismaël Gharbi (AMC), Moussa Djénépo (AML); Borja Mayoral (ST)* * *
We need to be careful about who we play and when now, because we have a trip to Belgium in five days, and two days later a derby in the Allianz, plus our injuries thinning our options in midfield and attack. Today we play a mostly-starters eleven that should be ready to face Bayern next weekend, and save a mostly-backups eleven for the Europa League. The match starts quite even in possession, although Stuttgart have a noticeable tendency to go back into their own half easily. They still draw first blood with a good run by Mayoral, who gains some space on Stjepanovic and shoots into Kretzschmar's save. We answer quickly through Rodríguez's pass into space and Sapmaz's finish, well blocked by Dahmen.
We keep pushing, generating a few shots without much danger to them before a corner kick allows Özcan a chance to get a header in which sadly goes wide by about half a meter. Stuttgart look content to wait in their own half now, thus making our job more difficult. We try widening the field as much as we can, and in the 42nd minute a good cross by Baldé gives Özcan another header, this one saved by a very confident-looking Dahmen. That's the last action of the first half, still goalless.
HALF TIME - 0-0
The second half starts even slower than the first ended, with neither team getting anywhere close to dangerous positions for over ten minutes, only a blocked shot by Özcan after a good counter by Sapmaz. Karlsen soon replaces a mediocre Miranda but nothing seems to really change, so it's Thiago's and Gerometta's turn to try and turn our engines on. Still nothing, other than Stuttgart having a bit more of the ball now and starting to get a bit too daring for my tastes.
Finally, some action in the 74th minute: good cross by Svensson into the penalty spot for another header by Özcan, deflected behind by Dahmen. That corner kick turns into an even better chance when Lang heads the ball into the crossbar and over, and the fans finally got lively, hoping for this to be the start of something better. It is not, and we go into the last minutes of regulation with only a weak shot by Andresen that Kretzschmar has zero trouble saving. Injury time comes and almost goes, and it looks like this is gonna be the seventh in a row when Caraballo spots Svensson running unmarked down the left flank and passes the ball to him, Stuttgart's defense have a bit of a sudden collapse, and the wingback just passes it towards the center where an equally unmarked Özcan only needs to push it into the net to score the 1-0 just seconds before the end of the match. That felt good.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 1 (Vedat Özcan 90+3)
VfB Stuttgart 0- - -
FINALLY. And with the heaviest possible dose of drama, too. Absolutely deserved win against a very defensive-minded Stuttgart that only got a single, weak shot on target in the whole game, yet almost escaped from Grünwalder Strasse with a point. Özcan's goal is enough to snap us of our draw streak and give us a nice morale boost before the Europa League and the Munchner derby.
* * *
| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | Form | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | FC Bayern | 25 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 75 | 17 | 58 | 66 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | RB Leipzig | 25 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 62 | 30 | 32 | 56 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Borussia Dortmund | 26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 54 | 29 | 25 | 55 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Bayer Leverkusen | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 44 | 32 | 12 | 46 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | 1860 München | 26 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 45 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Hamburg | 26 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 45 | 33 | 12 | 41 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | Freiburg | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 41 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | Frankfurt | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 45 | 39 | 6 | 38 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | Borussia M'gladbach | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 39 | 33 | 6 | 37 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th| Stuttgart | 26 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 39 | 43 | -4 | 37 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th| Hertha BSC | 26 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 37 | 38 | -1 | 36 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th| Nürnberg | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 42 | 43 | -1 | 33 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th| Mainz | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 34 | 46 | -12 | 28 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 35 | 54 | -19 | 28 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th| Köln | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 32 | 47 | -15 | 26 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th| Wolfsburg | 26 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 26 | 53 | -27 | 21 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th| Heidenheim | 26 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 28 | 73 | -45 | 12 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th| SC Paderborn | 26 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 17 | 60 | -43 | 7 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|One one hand, yay, unbeaten in 2028! On the other, boo, only fifteen points in nine league games, or in other words the same we would've got if we'd won five and lost four. Yet somehow, despite all the point-wasting and all the goals conceded in key moments, we remain as the second best defense in the league only behind Bayern, and that's with Kretzschmar having been a bit on-and-off lately. Our attack is still a work in progress, though... Fifth is a good place to start the final stretch in, and our four point lead on all our chasers, most notably Hamburg, means we don't have to worry too much about the upcoming and almost inevitable defeat in the Allianz. We have a chance to get in the Champions League, and we should take it this time.
The league title, on the other hand, is almost decided pending the adjourned match between Bayern and Leipzig, which won't happen until early April. Still, it feels like Bayern's lead is more than enough regardless of what happens then, and it'd take an implosion of massive proportions to rob them of the Bundesliga. Dortmund have entered a downward spiral with four consecutive games without a win and might find their third place in jeopardy if they don't snap out of it soon. On the other hand, look at Gladbach go! I predicted they'd bounce back in the second half of the season and they sure are doing so. I'd call them favorites for the seventh place, and might get even more than that. The bottom looks almost completely decided by now, with the only doubt remaining being whether Wolfsburg will have it in them to put some pressure on Köln, Fortuna, and Mainz for the relegation playoff. Heidenheim and Paderborn are almost as good as gone.
* * *
PLAYER STATS ============ Average rating (min. 9 games played): Vedat Özcan 7.20 (16(5) apps) Niklas Lang 7.17 (21 apps) Daniel Svensson 7.16 (20(3) apps) Matías Miranda 7.15 (25(1) apps) Arnau Casas 7.13 (16(2) apps) Goals: Vedat Özcan 9 goals Julian Rijkhoff 9 Rodrigo Caraballo 7 Can Sapmaz 6 Marcos Paulo 5 Assists: Matías Miranda 6 assists Vedat Özcan 5 Florent Da Silva 5 Daniel Maldini 5 Manu Sánchez 4 Martin Karlsen 41 -
Feb 22nd 2028
Russia and their weird transfer windows... Turns out they still can make signings, and Dinamo Moscow make a ridiculously low €4.8M offer for Baldé, then try again with €6M plus 20% of future profits. Good thing the player doesn't even want to hear about moving there.
Feb 25th 2028
Finally, we're going back to the Europa League. The first knockout round just ended (Napoli lost to Benfica, incidentally), and now we reenter in the second, where we get one of the best draws we could realistically hope for: Club Brugge from Belgium. Considering this same round has ties like PSV-Liverpool, Benfica-Leverkusen, or Leipzig-Atlético, I'd say we got lucky here.
Feb 26th 2028
Borussia Dortmund (3rd) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (Bundesliga, 25/34)
Klopp's boys are on their worst run of the season by far, with two defeats in the league and a loss in London to Chelsea in the Champions League just four days ago to boot. They're still heavy favorites here and I'll prepare for a pretty thorough drubbing, but if there's a moment where we might be able to steal something from them, it's probably now.
* * *
DORTMUND (4-3-3): Gregor Kobel (GK); Mohamed Simakan (DR), Niklas Süle (DCr), Manuel Akanji (DCl), Marcus Holmgren Pedersen (DL); Angelo Stiller (DM), Hadj Semahi (MCr), Giovanni Reyna (MCl); Luka Jovic (AMR), Adam Hlozek (AML), Liam Delap (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
Sapmaz misses out today with an untimely cold, but otherwise our team looks more or less as one would expect, except maybe for Casas in Stjepanovic's place. Dortmund start their new striker Delap upfront returning Jovic to the wing and Chukwueze to the bench, yet surprisingly it's us who have the first chance still in the first minute, with Rijkhoff heading a corner kick taken by Miranda into Kobel's fists and over. We also keep the ball very well in those first minutes, putting some pressure on Dortmund to see if they will crack under it. They don't, and instead create a very dangerous chance in the 11th minute with a cross into space by Hlozek towards Semahi, who rushes his finish and sends it well wide.
Jovic is the next to try luck with a curler from the edge of the box that goes wide to the right of Kretzschmar's goal, but the game is starting to take a very yellow color, as would be expected. Delap soon finds another pass into space by Reyna inside the box, but thankfully he shoots well over the bar, and afterwards we start taking less risks and just trying our best to have possession, only pushing forward when a clear opportunity to do so arises. The plan seems to work, and for a good while Dortmund look incapable of breaking us down.
That changes in the 41st, when Semahi breaks into the right side of the box and crosses towards Delap, who once again has his aim set too high and sends his header over. That's the last thing they can produce in the first half, though. Surviving so far.
HALF TIME - 0-0
Dortmund need a goal and start the second half looking for it, with Reyna heading over the bar a dangerous corner kick in the very first minute. Next comes Delap, profiting from a bad pass by Maldini in midfield to get a shot from inside the box blocked by Kretzschmar. Maldini himself is our first substituted player, bringing Da Silva in and moving Miranda to the right, while Özcan takes point in Rijkhoff's place. Meanwhile Holmgren Pedersen tries a right-footed curling shot from afar that goes well wide, but Dortmund still can't seem to be able to break us down, and look increasingly desperate.
Caraballo for Marcos Paulo is our final substitution, and now we start looking seriously into launching a counterattack here and there, just for variety's sake. Miranda ends one of them with a left-footed effort into the post from an offside position, which should serve as a nice warning shot. Dortmund haven't created anything in a while now other than a couple of good chances for Hlozek that were also flagged down due to offside. Theate finally tests Kretzschmar again with a powerful finish from inside the box in a set piece come the 78th minute, but the keeper answers admirably once again and the ball is deflected away from danger.
There's a dramatic moment in the 82nd minute when Caraballo goes down due to a challenge by Holmgren Pedersen right on the edge of the box. After checking with VAR, though, the referee correctly signals a free kick just outside the penalty area. Shame. That set piece goes nowhere, but Özcan manages to give Dortmund a pretty good scare in the 86th, running at his marker and into the box, but finally getting his shot blocked by Akanji. Two minutes later the striker gathers a clearance by Kretzschmar, holds it down for a bit, then assists Rodríguez as the young midfielder runs into space, into the box, and shoots past Kobel to score a dramatic 0-1.
Even more dramatic, though, is the next minute: corner kick headed by Delap and parried by Kretzschmar, only for the ball to go all the way outside the box to Kozlowski so the midfielder can send a low shot into the root of the post and in, drawing the game almost instantly. Injury time brings a direct free kick for Stiller that the defensive midfielder smashes into the crossbar and over, then a bicycle kick from distance by Da Silva that Kobel saves easily. In the end, though, the 1-1 stands.
* * *
Borussia Dortmund 1 (Kaçper Kozlowski 89)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Jair Rodríguez 88)- - -
I hate that the first thing that comes to mind after such a fantastic performance and result in Dortmund is "gods, not another draw". And yes, it hurt to concede once again immediately after scoring, but to be fair this is the most we deserved out of this game, if that. Dortmund had us bottled in for most of the match, and although we defended well we should never have scored today, but Özcan does those things sometimes and goals just happen. I'll take it happily. Well, mostly happily, we lose the fourth place to Leverkusen today, but whatever, we'll get it back.
So yes, Leverkusen won and are now fourth one point ahead of us. The surprising thing today is that Eintracht have come out of nowhere, beat HSV, and snuck into the sixth place four points behind us. Stuttgart's loss at home to Fortuna helps, even more considering we're hosting them next.
0 -
Feb 13th 2028
New kid Jô suffers a twisted ankle in training and will be recovering for over a month. Not ideal, for sure.
Feb 15th 2028
Stjepanovic earns a place in the Team of the Week thanks to his goal against Köln.
Feb 16th 2028
Looks like it's the week for our reserve midfielders to get injured. Next in line is Van Santen, also with a twisted ankle, and also out for over a month.
Feb 19th 2028
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. Hertha BSC (8th) (Bundesliga, 24/34)
Last chance to turn this streak of draws into something positive, because after this Dortmund is waiting... Hertha are on the rise mostly thanks to our (and HSV's and Leverkusen's) failure to, well, win games rather than to their great play and form, as they keep alternating home wins with away defeats. That said, they've beaten both Hamburg and Leverkusen this year already, so they have to be respected. And for the love of all that's good and cute, please don't give up another lead!
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Florent Da Silva (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
HERTHA (4-2-3-1): Marco Carnesecchi (GK); Fredrik Byorkan (DR), Andrew Omobamidele (DCr), Omar Alderete (DCl), Amar Dedic (DL); Julian Weigl (MCr), Charles De Ketelaere (MCl); Pedro Porro (AMR), Miguel Carvalho (AMC), Hannibal (AML), Delyan Atanasov (ST)* * *
Da Silva returns to the starting eleven after one too many mediocre games by Rodríguez, while Hertha present basically the same team we met (and defeated) in the first half of the season only with Byorkan showing off his versatility by moving from left winger to right back. We play the patient game in the first minutes, holding the ball and trying to see if Hertha had left any obvious gaps in their formation today. We can't find any, but Vuskovic still has enough to send a 20-yard piledriver into the post with fourteen minutes played, just to keep Carnesecchi on his toes.
From then on we turn our attacking engines on, testing the keeper with a couple of long range efforts he deals with easily, but after a while we start running into a wall whenever we get near Hertha's goal. A shot that Maldini that hits a defender and bubbles over the bar is our best not-quite-a-chance during this period, after which we decide to start focusing more on the wings, since Hertha seem to be defending really narrow today.
Hertha's only approach in the first half hour is easily solved by Stjepanovic with a good block on Carvalho's attempt inside the box, but in the 40th they manage to produce a corner kick that Porro takes towards the near post, where Omobamidele outjumps Stjepanovic and heads it in for the opener. Maldini heads a cross by Sánchez into Carnesecchi's hands one minute later, then the keeper does it again, tipping wide a finish by Miranda after a nice barge into midfield by Stjepanovic. With that, the first half ends.
HALF TIME - 0-1
Another corner kick for Hertha kickstarts the second half, with Carvalho heading it wide, while the best we can do is a bad shot by Rijkhoff that doesn't even reach the keeper. The striker is soon replaced by Özkan after one of his most irrelevant performances since his permanent signing, just as Miranda wastes yet another chance with a wide finish when completely unmarked inside the box following a nice cross by Sánchez. Rodríguez and Marcos Paulo come in then, replacing Da Silva and Caraballo to see if we can improve our finishing.
The winger makes me look a bit silly with his first chance, which he smashes into a defender's legs, while Hertha get close again in their first approach in a long while, a cross from the left that Atanasov finishes on the turnaround inside the box, but which Kretzschmar solves with a solid save. Carnesecchi saves easily a header by Marcos Paulo in the 72nd, and time is starting to run a bit too short for my tastes. One minute later, though, a long pass by Marcos Paulo towards Maldini allows the Italian to gather the ball, pause, look up, and put a perfect cross in Özcan's head so the striker can score the 1-1, finally.
We take a short break to catch our breath, then we go right back at it. Hertha hit first, though, with Hannibal slipping past Baldé and crossing towards Atanasov, who once again finds Kretzschmar well positioned to save. Then Marcos Paulo almost profits from an injury to Bjorkan and Hertha's failure to cover his position in defense, although in the end Carnesecchi fixes it all with a good save, which he repeats one minute later to stop a shot by Maldini. The match goes a bit crazy then, with both teams running up and down the pitch and threatening constantly, and Carnesecchi has another great save in the 87th, going down to stop a dangerous placed finish by Özcan. The final chance is for Hertha in a corner kick already in injury time, headed by Alderete and tipped over the bar by Kretzschmar. Time's over, and it's draw number five for us. Joy.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 1 (Vedat Özcan 73)
Hertha BSC 1 (Andrew Omobamidele 40)- - -
I'm starting to think this is less a matter of not knowing how to hold a lead and more a matter of having extremely rotten luck, or extremely bad finishing. We had ten shots on target today, most of them in really dangerous positions, and a couple others that went wide that were also clear-cut chances. Then Hertha just get a corner kick and boom, another draw. This is getting silly by now.
Leverkusen win today, so we don't get out of jail for free for once, but an interesting result is Dortmund's heavy 3-0 loss in Düsseldorf, their second in a row. Might be a good moment to go visit them and maybe, heh, snatch a draw. Hamburg do lose to Bayern, though, and Stuttgart do the same in Leipzig. I don't know how we're managing to hold on to the fourth place with just draws, but so far it's working!
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Feb 11th 2028
1.FC Köln (13th) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (Bundesliga, 23/34)
I could basically copy-paste my pre-match comments from last week here, honestly. Köln are also in that awkward zone of the table where they're not really playing for anything relevant with so much still left of the season, to the point that they're tied at almost everything with Nürnberg (same wins, draws, loses, and points, but -7 vs. -8 goal difference). Let's hope this game doesn't end exactly the same way, too...
* * *
KÖLN (4-4-2): Kevin Trapp (GK); Kevin Mbabu (DR), Hugo Faria (DCr), Saúl Filipe (DCl), Philipp Max (DL); Julian Draxler (MR), Ellyes Skhiri (MCr), Anton Stach (MCl), Jayden Braaf (ML); Felix Afena-Gyan (STr), Janni Serra (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)* * *
Even more deja-vu inducing coincidences, Köln also play a flat 4-4-2 like Nürnberg now, having ditched their 3-5-2 when Podolski was sacked in December and Torsten Frings took over. They start well today, though, keeping the ball away from us and creating an early half-chance with a header by Serra that goes high and wide off the target. We soon regain control and start pushing back, though, and we hit back through Özcan's pass into space and Sapmaz's not too confident finish, easy for Trapp. Afena-Gyan then gives us a scare after scoring from a cross by Braaf, although thankfully the striker, just arrived from Sheffield United, was offside.
Things slow down after that, with both teams playing in a very narrow band in midfield and struggling to find a way through. Finally, in the 30th minute we create a gap in the center through which Özcan can try another assist towards Sapmaz, and this time the winger hits low and placed, making Trapp's attempt at a save useless: 0-1. Not even one minute later the winger is knocking at Trapp's door once again, this time after a great pass by Rodríguez, but the keeper does much better this time and blocks the finish effectively. And in the next minute, long clearance by Trapp towards Stach, the midfielder wins the jump against Lang, and Serra finds himself in a perfect position to beat Kretzschmar and score the 1-1. Deja-vu intensifies.
Özcan is in a very assisting mood today, and in the 36th he threads the needle with a perfect pass towards Rodríguez and between three defenders, but the young midfielder can't finish the job properly and shoots wide. The rest of the first half only brings a shot by Özcan into a defender's legs already in injury time while Köln seem happy to hold onto the draw for now. They get their wish, at least until the break.
HALF TIME - 1-1
Köln turn it up a notch in the early second half like they did in the first, restarting the hostilities with a shot from outside the box by Faria that Kretzschmar tips wide with some difficulty. Like before, though, we let their effervescence die off and start hitting them back through Miranda, who sends into the sidenetting his finish after an intelligent nod into the box by Marcos Paulo. Karlsen and Baldé then join the game in Rodríguez and Gerometta's places, but it's Sapmaz who creates our next chance stealing the ball from Max, then crossing for Özcan's header into Trapp's easy save.
Caraballo for Marcos Paulo is our last substitution with about twenty minutes left to play, and it's precisely a foul on the youngster that gives us the 1-2: Miranda whips the ball into the box, Özcan nods it forward, and Stjepanovic smashes it in from right in front of Trapp's face, straying dangerously close to an offside position but timing his jump forward perfectly. And once gain, Köln hit us back almost immediately, and in a surprisingly similar way: corner kick that Max takes, Júnior Firpo prolongs on the near post, and Faria puts it in on the far post. This is getting ridiculous.
Time to look forward once again, starting with Thiago's pretty bad attempt from distance in the 77th minute, and with a pause so Max can take another corner kick and allow Stach a high header over the bar. Both teams try their best to score in the final minutes, but once again the game dies off without any further chances and we score our fourth consecutive draw, once again thanks to our very own mistakes.
* * *
1.FC Köln 2 (Janni Serra 32, Hugo Faria 77)
TSV 1860 München 2 (Can Sapmaz 30, Mateja Stjepanovic 73)- - -
To put it simply, we can't hold a lead for our lives. In each of the last four games we managed to put ourselves ahead, and then within ten minutes we'd conceded the draw. Sometimes, like today, even more than once per game. Whenever teams push us we fold like a house of cards, and we won't be going anywhere like this. And the sad thing is, other than that we're playing really well! Today we could've scored a couple more, and Özcan in particular had a fantastic game playing the buoy and assisting everyone around him, but in the end it was for nothing. Well, for one point.
Once again other results make our draw look almost good, though. Leverkusen draw in Frankfurt and Stuttgart and Hamburg do the same against each other, so everything behind us remains the same except that Hertha and Freiburg creep a little closer to the pack. At the top, Leipzig win in Dortmund and now Bayern is seven points clear at the top. Doesn't look like they're gonna be losing this one either... Fati scored their one and only goal against Mainz, by the way.
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Jan 30th 2028
Thiago's Brazil U23 qualify for the Olympics together with Argentina after a 2-0 win against Colombia, in which our midfielder played a solid game for about sixty minutes. Hopefully he'll be allowed to take part in the tournament proper this summer.
Jan 31st 2028
And another transfer window draws to a close. This one has been surprisingly quiet so far considering the expectations, what with Kretzschmar and all that. Watch it all explode in the final hours, though... It's very unlikely we'll do any deals today, not even for a backup keeper: we'll wait for Englisch to take that role next year and make do with what we have. Crossing fingers that Kretzschmar doesn't have any serious upset.
Three of our players are currently attracting attention: the usual suspects Karlsen (Karlsruhe and Hoffenheim) and Svensson (Feyenoord, Roma, Udinese), but with the recent addition of Köln tracking Rijkhoff. I mean, if they have 40 million euros to spend I might consider it, but... As for the other two, I have no intention of selling Karlsen (even less for the ridiculous offers we've received so far) and Svensson would take a lot (€15M+) to convince me otherwise.
Three hours to go and no offers so far other than a €1.4M one for Karlsen by Hoffenheim which we auto-refuse. Not even our potential loanees seem to be garnering any attention.
When I saw the e-mail header reading "Borussia Dortmund make Svensson offer" I almost had a heart attack. Turns out they only offer €7M for a player with a much higher value. What's with this window, even Dortmund are trying to lowball us... Rejected, of course, if they come with something much better than that we might consider negotiating. Incidentally, Dortmund just spent €59M to take Liam Delap from Man City. Looks like they finally found a replacement for Moukoko...
One hour to go. Remember Vagnoman? He just left Leipzig for Bournemouth after playing almost zilch since they bought him from us. A shame we don't get anything out of that deal... Meanwhile, Dortmund return with a barely improved offer and PSV and (again) Leipzig join in, neither of them meeting our valuation. Still no, you can all do better. I won't even bother mentioning Hoffenheim's offers for Karlsen anymore, they're a joke.
And just with that, the window ends. Huh. Turns out it was a calm day after all. There's a couple off-window offers for both our targets, but with no possibility of replacing them there's no way in hell I would accept now.
Big transfer news that might affect us indirectly: Marcos Leonardo leaves Leverkusen for Manchester City in exchange for one hundred and sixty-eight million euros. Madness. Not that we mind right now, but them having this much money to spend come the summer is somewhat terrifying. Bayern meanwhile add yet another forward to their already stacked line with Ansu Fati (€78M) after he found himself benched in Barcelona. Y'know, just in case Lewa, Moukoko, Havertz, Werner, and company have a bad day.
Feb 5th 2028
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. 1.FC Nürnberg (13th) (Bundesliga, 22/34)
With the whole transfer thing in the backburner for at least a few months it's time to focus in what matters: winning games. Nürnberg look like a viable candidate to return to winning ways after two consecutive draws, being currently in no-mans land, eleven points over the playoff place but nowhere near Europe, or the top half for that matter. They just won their first game after four straight defeats in the league, though, so we'd better be careful.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Julian Rikhoff (ST)
NÜRNBERG (4-4-2): Jan Olschowsky (GK); Nicholas Mickelson (DR), Maksim Paskotsi (DCr), Lee Han-Bum (DCl), Omar Campos (DL); Brooks Lennon (MR), Ilai Madmon (MCr), Sebastián González (MCl), Lars Kehl (ML); Facundo Farías (STr), Manuel Wintzheimer (STl)* * *
Casas returns to the lineup and Thiago is finally back from the pre-Olympic, so we're at full strength for the first time in a while. We rotate our defense a bit but otherwise keep the same core, and we soon get a first chance with a simple pass over the defense by Baldé towards Rijkhoff, who can't get his good foot into it and shoots very wide. Nürnberg take refuge inside their own half for the first ten minutes, but on their first incursion into our half of the field Kehl manages a great dribble past Baldé and assists Wintzheimer, who just hits it with all he has to score a shocking 0-1.
We go right back at it, Svensson being the first to try luck with a wide shot after the ball goes through basically all our forward line from right to left. It's slow going, though, not helped by Nürnberg having more reasons than ever to park the bus now. After a couple of minor chances Caraballo assists Rodríguez for a decent-looking one, but once again it all ends up in a mishit finish that goes wide without even bothering Olschowsky. In the 34th, finally, a great steal by Vuskovic in midfield leads to a counter led by Rijkhoff, a cross towards Caraballo, and a pass into the heart of the box so Maldini can rifle it in and draw the game.
A draw is not enough, though, and soon Miranda is seeking a second with a wide direct free kick. Another set piece, a corner kick this time, gives Hadzic a great chance with a downwards header that a defender clears off the line, then the play continues until Rijkhoff assists Svensson and the wingback gets his finish deflected over the bar by Olschowsky. In the final moments of injury time a header by Rijkhoff licks the upside of the crossbar before going over, and seconds later it's time for a rest and to look for new ideas.
HALF TIME - 1-1
We continue right where we left things before the break, with Svensson creating danger with a long ball towards Miranda, who gets stopped by the keeper in the end. An offside chip by Rijkhoff ends bouncing on the crossbar in spectacular fashion, even though in the end it was all disallowed, and in the 57th Caraballo intercepts a pretty bad clearance by Olschowsky near the penalty area, runs at the defense, then shoots into a gap to surprise the keeper and score the 2-1 we'd been deserving for a while now.
Nürnberg now make a few timid attempts to get back into an attacking mood, while we bring Gerometta, Da Silva, and Özcan into the game as substitutes. Rodríguez gets a chance to score the third and make our win much more clearer blocked by Paskotsi, then Hadzic gets really close to a goal with another good header in a corner kick, but for the most part we play the long game as time goes by, trying to keep Nürnberg away from our goal by holding the ball.
It's not a perfect plan, though, and in the 86th Lennon shows its flaws when he gathers a long ball into the box thanks to a missed header by Casas, only to shoot very wide when Kretzschmar was getting ready for another miracle save. And then it happens again, just as the clock goes over ninety: Vuskovic loses the ball, Lennon gathers it, shoots low, and the bounce on the wet grass surprises Kretzschmar, who watches it go over his body and into the net. There is no time to react, and two points fly away from Grünwalder Strasse in the most dramatic and unfair of ways.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 2 (Daniel Maldini 34, Rodrigo Caraballo 57)
1.FC Nürnberg 2 (Manuel Wintzheimer 11, Brooks Lennon 90+1)- - -
...Well. That was a thing that happened. Nineteen shots to four, five to two on target. And this is what we get. Wonderful, just wonderful. Can we please not do this again?
Bayern bail us from this disaster with a win in Leverkusen, then Dortmund round it up by also winning in Hamburg. Stuttgart and Hertha lose too, so despite everything we manage to put one more point on everyone behind us. Could've been three, though. Should've been three.
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Last update of August, since I'm off for the holidays tomorrow.
* * *
Jan 24th 2027
One week left in the transfer window and still no movement. Only Svensson and Maldini seem to be attracting any interest nowadays, which is good. Watch it all happen at the very last moment once again...
Jan 29th 2027
Sport-Club Freiburg (8th) vs. TSV 1860 München (5th) (Bundesliga, 21/34)
And now for something completely different: a direct duel for Europe, and against a team that already beat us at our own stadium, no less. Freiburg have been extremel inconsistent all year long, though, managing famous wins against big teams but then failing against opposition way below them in quality. One never knows what version will appear. Still, we need a result here to keep them at bay and avoid making European qualification a free-for-all.
* * *
FREIBURG (4-2-3-1): Pontus Dahlberg (GK); Erik Warner (DR), Linus Gechter (DCr), Eric Martel (DCl), Felix Passlack (DL); Niklas Dorsch (MCr), Yangel Herrera (MCl); Akinkunmi Amoo (AMR), Erik Majetschak (AMC), Sead Haksabanovic (AML), Nicolai Skoglund (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Florent Da Silva (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Julian Rikhoff (ST)* * *
Going back to the 4-2-3-1 was very tempting today, but with Thiago still with Brazil U23 and Vuskovic suspended we don't have the right personnel for this, so we stick with the usual. Da Silva is our emergency anchor today, and Caraballo returns from international duty straight into the starting eleven, with Svensson on the bench. Freiburg start a very similar eleven to the one we met in September, and start the game on the offensive through Majetschak, who runs into the box and shoots into Kretzschmar's save. Our answer is even better, though: great ball into space by Caraballo and Rodríguez runs and shoots into the root of the post. Looks like another entertaining match in the making.
After those early chances both teams start playing a bit more carefully, so it isn't until the 22nd minute that another run into space by Rijkhoff gives Freiburg's defense some pause. The run is intercepted and Warner gathers the ball, but instead of clearing it he decides to pass it back to Dahlberg while Rijkhoff is still there lurking. The striker intercepts and, with the fans groaning in the stands, just passes it into the back of the net to score the 0-1.
Things slow down again after the goal, something we welcome with open arms. We go all the way into the 42nd minute before something else happens on either goal, and it's Caraballo sending another beautiful through ball towards Rijkhoff who, with everything in his favor, sends the ball wide by a couple of inches. There are no news from Freiburg's attack until injury time, when Warner sends a good cross into the box, Haksabanovic heads it into a miracle save by Kretzschmar, but the ball bounces back to Skoglund who just has to put his head on it to score the 1-1, just before the end of the first forty-five minutes. Harsh.
HALF TIME - 1-1
We almost get another scare six minutes into the second half when Rodríguez gets the ball stolen by Majetschak and it soon reaches Skoglund who, unmarked, shoots wide in a move very reminiscent of Rijkhoff's earlier miss. Passlack has another chance six minutes later that he sends straight at Kretzschmar's arms, but lately all divided balls end up going Freiburg's way, and our defense seems unable to cope with their movements. Karlsen and Maldini replace Rodríguez and Sapmaz then, but not much seems to improve. After a while it's Marcos Paulo who replaces a tired but solid Caraballo.
We finally create something in the 71st minute through Sánchez and Marcos Paulo, with a finish by Karlsen that hits a defender before being cleared out of the way. Still, it's a good sign, and we start pushing a bit farther forward looking for the winner with more faith. Freiburg hit us on the break from time to time, although their finishing is not good either and Skoglund sends their best chance into the stratosphere after a good run and pass by Amoo.
In the 74th Karlsen creates danger again with a good cross towards Rijkhoff who can't get a good enough header in and makes it easy for Dahlberg. Five minutes later the same play repeats, this time with Marcos Paulo being the one to finish with a good-looking header that hits the crossbar and bounces clear. Third time's the charm, though, and after a run through the center Karlsen delivers a soft touch towards Rijkhoff ahead of him, and this time the striker doesn't miss, placing the ball into the back of the net with ten minutes on the clock.
We can't have nice things today, though: four minutes later a corner kick taken by Haksabanovic towards the far post is met by good ol' Gechter with a perfect header, helped by the lack of markers around him, and it's 2-2. It could be worse, too, as Amoo has a great chance to steal the winner in the last minute of injury time but thankfully he sends it wide. Miranda then blasts a final shot over the bar, and the game ends in another draw that could've gone either way.
* * *
Sport-Club Freiburg 2 (Nicolai Skoglund 45+1, Linus Gechter 84)
TSV 1860 München 2 (Julian Rijkhoff 22 80)- - -
A shame, but once again, fair result. It pains me to concede two goals so close to the end of the respective halves, to be honest. And also that another fantastic show of creativity by young Karlsen has been wasted by bad finishing. The kid really got us ticking in the second half, even if Rijkhoff got the glory with his goals. Oh well, another point which Hertha make taste a bit sweeter by beating HSV, and Stuttgart also beat Leverkusen. Problem is, that brings them both closer to the European places, which is exactly what I wanted to avoid in the first place. Sigh, we really can't have nice things...
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Jan 16th 2028
Much better from Caraballo in his second game with Venezuela U23, scoring the only goal of his team in a 1-3 defeat to Uruguay. Doesn't look like Venezuela have much of a chance at making the Olympics now...
Jan 17th 2028
That's one face I didn't expect to see in the Bundesliga at all... Remember Erik Tallig, that attacking midfielder we had in our first couple of seasons then sold to DC United because he was starting to feel out of place in an ever improving squad? Well, Eintracht just paid €8.25M for him! It's a shame we couldn't include a future profits fee in that transfer, but at least we get €123k off a 1.5% solidarity fee as his second formative club. Will be nice to see him again, and in a Bundesliga team to boot.
Jan 18th 2028
Maldini caps his excellent performance against Paderborn with a place in the Team of the Week.
Once again, random international callup for Svensson to play against Cyprus. And once again while Manu Sánchez is out injured. Good thing he's returning in a couple of days, but still, what's this deja vu?
On the topic of injuries, Casas suffers from pulled ankle ligaments, the classic that never dies. He'll miss two weeks during which Stjepanovic will be starting in his place.
Jan 20th 2028
Oh my god, Fiore... They make a loan offer for Svensson, paying half his wages for what remains of the season, and with an optional future clause of a bit under €10M plus 20% of future profits. I think I'll laugh every time I remember this in the future. Heh.
Meanwhile, in South America, neither Thiago nor Caraballo manage a win with their U23 national teams, with Brazil losing to Uruguay and Venezuela at least drawing with Ecuador. None of them had particularly brilliant performances either.
And closer to home, yet another injury, this time for Rijkhoff. Thankfully it's just a twisted knee, so he'll only miss our next game against Gladbach.
Jan 21st 2028
Feyenoord do one better and offer a part-exchange transfer for Svensson with 20yo center-back Dean Bosz. Who yes, is a pretty interesting young player and has a higher market value than Svensson, but doesn't replace him in the team and wouldn't even have a place in our rotation right now. You can do better than that. Svensson doesn't want to go there anyways.
Jan 22nd 2028
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach (12th) (Bundesliga, 20/34)
Yes, Gladbach are the disappointment of the season so far. So far. Their form has improved a lot with the turn of the year and they've won their last two fixtures, including a 0-3 away win against Leipzig. They seem to be recovering a bit of the lost ground, although it's doubtful that they'll have enough to reach the European places in the end. In any case, we should be the better and most in-form team today.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Florend Da Silva (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)
GLADBACH (4-4-2 diamond narrow): David Raya (GK); Brandon Soppy (DR), Igor Diveev (DCr), Nico Elvedi (DCl), Bali Mumba (DL); Tom Krauss (DM), Cheick Doucouré (MCr), Mike Kleijn (MCl), Antoni Milambo (AMC); Jonas Wind (STr), Marcus Thuram (STl)* * *
Given our multiple absences due to injury and international duty today we're forced to bring new kid Jô along as a bench player, and might even have a chance to debut depending on how things go. Peter Ziedler has changed Gladbach's outlook to a rarely seen nowadays diamond formation, and seem to want to dominate the game with the ancestral tactic of clogging the middle with players. It doesn't seem to work too well, though, because our first chance comes from right there, with Özcan assisting Miranda so the midfielder shoots over the bar. They answer with a long cross by Soppy towards Wind, who benefits from Lang failing to intercept the ball and gets a shot in, also well over.
The game slows down then, just as Gladbach seems to want. We struggle in attack while they keep testing us with long shots, the best of which Milambo sends a couple of meters higher than the target. In the 25th, though, we find ourselves with a throw in near Gladbach's box and push our center backs inside. The ball eventually reaches Stjepanovic inside the box, and he decides to pass it back outside so Manu Sánchez can shoot with power and precision to score the 1-0. Too bad it only lasts four minutes: another throw in is intercepted by Mumba and the full back just hoofs it ahead towards the unmarked Thuram, who takes the chance to round Kretzschmar and pull level once again.
The game then returns to its previous state of attacks failing to do much noteworthy, at least until Miranda gathers a long ball on the right side of the box and runs at Raya, who covers the gap well and deflects the shot wide. The keeper has it much more difficult to tip wide Özcan's header in that corner kick, which was going straight into the top right corner of his goal, but that's enough to keep the draw on the board until half time.
HALF TIME - 1-1
The second half starts interesting, with Vuskovic trying a long pass into space for Miranda who tries a first-time touch around Raya, but the keeper reads it well and saves. Marcos Paulo comes next with a header straight at the keeper, wasting Baldé's good cross, while Gladbach can only produce a direct free kick that Wind smashes into the fence and a finish by Milambo that Kretzschmar saves without even having to move. Sapmaz and Rodríguez then enter the game replacing Maldini and Da Silva, trying to give our attacks some extra punch.
One more terrible finish by Marcos Paulo later, Wind has another good chance with a header that Kretzschmar tips over the bar, well assisted by Mumba from the left wing. Our answer is a great run by Baldé and a cross that Özcan heads very narrowly wide, just before Karlsen replaces Marcos Paulo on our left wing. Milambo then gives us a real scare when he controls a pass by Mumba and squeezes the ball between Lang's legs before rifling it towards goal, only for Kretzschmar to perform one of his miraculous reflex saves.
At that point Gladbach decide to change formations, replacing Milambo and moving to a 4-3-3 like ours. That slows the game down to a crawl, and the constant flow of chances on both goals stops suddenly. Diveev gets in the way of Özcan's finish in our first approach in a long time, already in the 81st minute, then Raya holds another header by the striker one minute later without issue. That seems to wake everyone up once again, and soon Kretzschmar is saving a header by Samardzic after a cross from the right, and Tshibangu sends another header over when the keeper had completely missed the flight of the ball. Another save by Kretzschmar prevents Elvedi from scoring in a corner kick one minute before full time, Rodríguez scores in a clear offside position in injury time, and an extremely entertaining game ends in a fair draw.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 1 (Manu Sánchez 25)
Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 (Marcus Thuram 30)- - -
Told you this wouldn't be easy. Gladbach are a much better team than their position shows and they're finally finding their rhythm. This game could've gone either way, particularly in the second half when most of the best chances went for the visitors, but we also had our fair share. In the end a result that's not too bad but not particularly good given HSV's win. Leverkusen also take the chance to win against Dortmund and give Bayern the chance to escape, which they (barely) take winning 0-1 in Wolfsburg thanks to an 80th minute penalty kick.
0 -
Jan 11th 2028
Here comes Mourinho to make our life difficult with a €7.75M bid for Svensson. Nowhere near enough, and while the player wouldn't mind a move to Roma, he isn't willing to push the issue either, so rejecting the offer is the easy choice here. Now, if other, more enticing teams come around we might have to deal with this differently, but for now we're safe.
Rodríguez and Rijkhoff make the Team of the Week, and deservedly so.
Jan 12th 2028
One of them won't be starting in our next game, though: Rijkhoff stubs his toe in training and will be in the medical bay for a few days, enough to give Özcan the nod against Paderborn.
Jan 14th 2028
Caraballo has a pretty torrid day in his first match with Venezuela U23, which they lose clearly to Brazil 1-3.
Minor injury to loanee keeper Aghajanyan, who still hasn't played but has now been thrust into the second keeper position with Quintero's departure. A gashed leg means he misses only five to eight days, but it's still enough to force us to call up a kid from the U18s just to fill the mandatory reserve keeper slot.
Jan 15th 2028
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. SC Paderborn 07 (18th) (Bundesliga, 19/34)
Dead last, only six points scored so far, and with their last (and only) win having happened in September? This should be a walkover. But of course we can't go out there thinking like that, because that's when you throw away points you end up missing at the end of the season. Let's take this seriously.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DM), Jair Rodríguez (MCr), Florend Da Silva (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)
PADERBORN (4-4-2): Leopold Zingerle (GK); Bendegúz Bolla (DR), Laurin Moser (DCr), Jacek Winiarczyk (DCl), Jaouen Hadjam (DL); Bruninho (MR), Kacper Duda (MCr), Tomer Gannah (MCl), Felix Mambimbi (ML); Jessic Ngankam (STl), Johann Brunnemann (STr)* * *
Some rotation today, but we keep a competitive eleven with few concessions to luck. The game starts slow, with possession clearly on our side but little in the way of results in attack, until twelve minutes in Maldini goes down inside the box after a challenge by Hadjam and, after the usual VAR drama, a penalty kick is given. Da Silva quickly makes it four out of four for him from the spot this season and gives us the early lead we'd been craving.
A good block by Thiago prevents an instant reply by Paderborn through Bruninho, and after focusing on defense and control of the ball for a bit we go right back at it, with Maldini leaving Hadjam behind in a burst of speed and shooting into Zingerle's effective but not very aesthetic save. In the 24th the winger goes for a more traditional route, dropping into the corner and crossing towards the heart of the box, where Marcos Paulo heads the ball unopposed into the back of the net for the 2-0. One minute later Maldini does it again, this time finding Özcan for a slightly wide header, but afterwards we go back to our more controlling profile, keeping the ball well hidden away for the rest of the half, with Paderborn only interrupting us in injury time with a corner kick that Winiarczyk heads into the crossbar and over. Easy so far.
HALF TIME - 2-0
To the players' credit they come into the second half looking for a third, with Özcan and Marcos Paulo having early chances denied by an excellent Zingerle. On the other end Kretzschmar has to go down to save a rebounded ball after an attempt by Ngankam, but we quickly respond through Özcan's through ball towards Marcos Paulo, who once again runs into the keeper in his attempt to score. After a while Stjepanovic, Baldé, and Karlsen enter the game, which seems to be completely under control.
Mambimbi has a decent chance to make me eat my words in the 64th after gathering the ball inside the penalty area from Hadjam, but thankfully his aim is terrible and his shot goes well wide. Meanwhile Maldini tries luck with a 30-yard direct free kick that almost surprises Zingerle, but the keeper manages to swat it away from the top corner before it goes in. Next comes Karlsen, barging into the box but being blocked by Hadjam when trying to finish the job, and in the 74th a combination through the center between Özcan, Karlsen, and Maldini almost ends with the Italian scoring, but another timely block by the defense saves an already beaten Zingerle, at the risk of almost scoring an own goal. Özcan follows up with a great header in the corner kick, sending it a few inches above the bar.
One minute later, though, Ngankam profits from Baldé's extremely deep position to receive unmarked and onside inside the box, but he takes too long to shoot and gives time to the same right back to come and take the ball away from him. On the other goal Zingerle flies again to tip wide another direct free kick, this one by Da Silva, and after a few more blocked shots Karlsen finally finds a way to the keeper with a run into space and a first-time shot that Zingerle once again turns around the post. Despite our somewhat suspect finishing, though, we still manage a comfortable win in the end.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 2 (Florent Da Silva 12p, Marcos Paulo 24)
SC Paderborn 07 0- - -
Easy as expected. We probably could've scored a few more today if we'd needed them, although Zingerle had a bit of a stormer despite conceding twice. Other than a couple of isolated chances Paderborn were about as inoffensive as we could imagine from their position, so we never felt threatened. Great game by Maldini today. Once again tasty results elsewhere, with Leipzig and Leverkusen dropping more points, leaving us four points behind the third place and with a healthy six-point lead over seventh-placed Stuttgart.
After the match Thiago receives the news that he's been called up as an injury substitute for the Brazil U23 side. Good thing we made him play today, as he's unlikely to be available next weekend.
0 -
Dec 19th 2027
Okay, time to look at expiring contracts, of which we have three in the first team. First up is Quintero, who I fear has hit his ceiling already and, if we go by his latest performances in the Cup and Europa League, he's simply not good enough to play at this level. Extending his contract just to sell him is an option, but his value is low and the hassle is probably not worth it. He'll be let go come June, with a thank-you gift for all his work in that DFB Pokal semifinal run two years ago.
Then there's Ulrich. Unlike Quintero, who came on a free, we actually paid some money for Ulrich back in the day, but just like Quintero, he seems to have already reached a plateau where he's not good enough to play regularly for us, but also unlikely to ever get there no matter how much we try to force the issue. He's younger at only 22, but even if he manages to reach his whole potential he'll never be anything more than a fringe player. He has some current upside due to being homegrown, but that changes next June when both Vuskovic and Hadzic will attain that status, which makes him expendable. Most likely released in June, unless we can find a really good reason to keep him in the meantime.
Last one is Sapmaz, and his case is a bit more problematic than it seems. Yes, he's slowly getting better, but his development pace seems to always put him a step behind what a regular starter at the club should be. Still 21 so plenty of time to get there, and he is homegrown at the club so that's a huge upside, but just having him there needing regular minutes means improving on that position becomes more difficult, as we need to sell Maldini if we want a better starter, and that in turn makes it more difficult for Sapmaz to get minutes. Still, the kid's shown a remarkable increase in consistency this year when compared to his ten-game wonder from the last, and already has numbers comparable to what he achieved last year during the whole season, so an extension (and a healthy raise in weekly wages to €16.5k) is warranteed in any case. Doesn't mean he will stay past next summer with 100% certainty, though.
Dec 26th 2027
Well, that's a surprise. I was fully expecting some transfer offers to come our way as soon as the new window approached, but I didn't think the first one would be for Quintero! And from Racing Club de Avellaneda, no less. The fee is small (€55k with some extra clauses) but it includes a 20% of future profits which I'm much more keen on, particularly considering he'd leave on a free come June anyway. The only issue is that now we need to find a backup keeper for the rest of the season, although we might wait to see what happens with Kretzschmar (and how much we get for him) first to decide how much we want to splurge into this.
Dec 29th 2027
Baldé goes down in the first training session after the winter break with pulled ankle ligaments, meaning he's gonna be out for at least a couple of weeks and miss at the very least our first Bundesliga game of 2028.
Dec 31st 2027
Unexpected awards coming for one of our players, Arnau Casas. The center-back had an impressive year in Brondby before joining us, and even now they remember him fondly enough to give him the Player of the Year and Media Player of the Year awards.
Jan 1st 2028
Happy new year, and let the madness of the winter transfer window commence! First of all, one arrival in the shape of young midfielder Jô, who we signed on a free a few months ago and who will be loaned out as soon as possible to get him some playing time.
Otherwise, the party starts about the same as it ended last time: with Ajax being annoying sending lowball offers for Karlsen. Give up already, guys.
It doesn't take long for Quintero to agree his departure back towards Argentina to join Racing Club. The small fee is just that much more than we expected to get for him at this point of his contract, so this has to count as a good sale. He did acceptably well as our backup/cup keeper, but this is as far as he could go with us.
Jan 2nd 2028
TSV 1860 München vs. Olympique Lyonnais (Friendly)
For our traditional winter friendly we bring to München former Ligue 1 winners who have hit a rough patch lately, to the point of hiring ex-Wolfsburg Edin Dzeko as their manager. OL come into the game with a very defensive outlook, which hinders our progress towards scoring the opener, not helped by our lack of accuracy upfront. After ten shots, none of them on target, we go into the second half with a fresh new eleven and finally make their keeper work a little bit. A corner kick in the 54th minute finally gives us the lead thanks to a nod by Özcan and a point-blank header into the net by Casas. Four minutes later Hadzic makes it two in yet another corner kick, which seem to be Lyon's weakness. Their first shot at goal doesn't come until the 75th and it's a wide one, and four minutes later Rodríguez scores the third with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, and could've got a fourth in injury time if the post hadn't got in the way. A surprisingly easy win all in all.
TSV 1860 München 3 (Arnau Casas 54, Amer Hadzic 48, Jair Rodríguez 79)
Olympique Lyonnais 0Jan 3rd 2028
Looks like the interest in Kretzschmar is cooling down a bit, with only Chelsea trailing him now. On the other hand Svensson is attracting attention from many clubs with deep pockets including Roma, Fiorentina, and Crystal Palace, so that's another problem we might have to deal with soon.
Jan 5th 2028
Welp, problems: Gerometta has a pulled groin. This is nothing serious and should only keep him out of the game for less than a week, but that's enough to make him a very serious doubt for our game in Düsseldorf in three days, and Baldé is definitely out for that one...
Jan 7th 2028
Caraballo gets called by the Venezuela U23 squad to take part in the South American branch of the Pre-Olympic tournament, in which he'll face against Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay in only six days. Of course that means we'll miss him for a while, which isn't ideal, but at least it's not in the busiest part of the schedule.
Still no transfer activity, which is good, but we secure a signing for the summer: 19yo goalkeeper Christian Englisch, who is German by the way, agrees to a free transfer from Hoffenheim. A young keeper with lots of future, he could become Kretzschmar's long-term replacement if he develops as well as the scouts expect him to. Somewhat surprising that we didn't have to fight against any of the big teams in the nation for him, though. Regardless, he'll come on minimal wages and with the expectation to train well and possibly play in the cup. His minutes with the first team might be reduced, probably to zero, if we sign an actual, senior backup in the meantime, though.
More problems in the infirmary, and once again with one of our full backs: now it's Manu Sánchez who's suffering from the seasonal flu, and will be sent home to recover for around two weeks.
Jan 8th 2028
Fortuna Düsseldorf (15th) vs. TSV 1860 München (6th) (Bundesliga, 18/34)
Break over, back to work. Fortuna remain in "their" place, hovering right above the relegation battle without getting dragged into it, but always with the feeling that a few bad results in a row could bring them down into the mud. With our last three fixtures having resulted in two draws and a defeat it's about time to get back to winning ways.
* * *
DÜSSELDORF (4-4-2): Florian Kastenmeier (GK); Benjamin Henrichs (DR), Christoph Klarer (DCr), Matthias Ginter (DCl), Pietro Beruatto (DL); Levin Öztunali (MR), Ilay Elmkies (MCr), Finn Ole Becker (MCl), Ben Bobzien (ML); Mamadou Kaly Sené (STr), Rafael Santos Borré (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Jair Rodríguez (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
Gerometta is able to play with minimal difficulties in the end, although we'll be keeping an eye on his fitness levels as the game progresses. Not like we have any other right backs to replace him with, though... Fortuna start someone familiar upfront today alongside Borré: Sené signed for them from Mainz this past summer after our previous meeting and has been doing a good job so far with six goals in twelve appearances.
The game starts quite even, both teams trying to push forward but not really getting past the opposing defensive lines with any clarity in the first twenty minutes. Then, exactly on the twenty-first minute, a long passing play by Fortuna ends when Becker finds Elmkies unmarked after a bad decision by Stjepanovic, and the midfielder takes his chance to advance and shoot with power to score the 1-0. But that lead lasts them all of two minutes: Caraballo assists Rijkhoff inside the box, the striker drops towards the left, turns around, and passes it low towards the center so Rodríguez can hit it on the run and draw the game. That's some change of pace.
Suddenly chances seem much easier to get, and soon Svensson is sending a shot over the bar after another good pass by Caraballo. Rijkhoff also sends his finish over the bar a bit later following a good low cross by Rodríguez, who almost returned the favor there. Another chance falls to the striker after a cross by Sapmaz, but this time his header is well saved by Kastenmeier. Fortuna all but disappear after our goal, but they still manage to hold on to the draw until half time.
HALF TIME - 1-1
We keep the pressure up in the second half, starting with another cross from the right that Rijkhoff heads into the keeper's hands. We switch wings then after Svensson sends a beautiful pass into the center towards Rodríguez, whose finish is once again blocked by Kastenmeier and deflected wide. The goal still won't come, though, and we try with Da Silva and Maldini to see if they can create something new. That doesn't seem to work, and after ten minutes without any more chances we bring Marcos Paulo in, too.
In the end our substitutions work as intended, at least one of them: in the 74th minute Da Silva drops to the left wing to trade passes with Svensson before throwing a high cross into the heart of the box so Rijkhoff can use his height to jump over Ginter in and score the 1-2. Fortune once again seem to take it hard, and Rijkhoff almost profits from their funk to score a third with a powerful left-footed finish that goes narrowly wide.
Seven minutes before full time Da Silva sends another ball into the box and Rodríguez, who looks very much offside, gathers it and calmly slots it in. The surprising part comes when VAR gives the all ok and the goal makes it to the scoreboard: turns out Elmkies was juuust in line with the Mexican. That basically seals the game, but there's still time for Rijkhoff to get a one-on-one stopped by Kastenmeier after another great assist by Da Silva, and for Kretzschmar to save a clear-cut chance for Köhlert to get one back for the home team in the 89th. The result doesn't move one way or the other, though, and we score a quite comprehensive away win to start the year in a good note.
* * *
Fortuna Düsseldorf 1 (Ilay Elmkies 21)
TSV 1860 München 3 (Jair Rodríguez 23 82, Julian Rijkhoff 74)- - -
Quite good, this one. Conceding in Fortuna's only real chance in the first half was unfortunate, but we recovered quickly and, mostly thanks to Rodríguez, Rijkhoff, and a good show by Da Silva off the bench, we made short work of them and secured a very comfortable win in the end. A great result made even better by Leverkusen's draw against Köln, HSV's defeat at home to Freiburg, and Leipzig's shocking 0-3 loss to Gladbach, which means we go back to the fourth place once again and creep a bit closer to the third.
0 -
Dec 13th 2027
Not one but two job interview offers out of nowhere. The culprits were Köln (expected after that question from the press a while ago) and Hertha (not so much, they sacked Dárdai a week ago), and both get the usual line of "I'm sorry, this can't work. It's not you, it's me."
Meanwhile transfer rumor season is already in full swing with only a bit over two weeks remaining until the winter window. First one in the headlines is, somewhat surprisingly, Svensson, who is reportedly Freiburg's main target. €20M or bust, guys, he's not moving otherwise.
Dec 14th 2027
Gigachad Sapmaz with the Team of the Week appearance off the bench.
Dec 17th 2027
RasenBallsport Leipzig (3rd) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (Bundesliga, 17/34)
Early end of the first half of the season, since we get the Friday fixture this week in our trip to Leipzig. The Red Bull fellows are doing their best to keep Bayern's and Dortmund's pace, but they still look like the weakest link in this top three. Let's see if we can give them a scare and pull them down into a whole different battle.
* * *
RB LEIPZIG (4-2-3-1): Alexander Nübel (GK); Wilfried Singo (DR), Kamil Piatkowski (DCr), Felix Uduokhai (DCl), Angeliño (DL); Jakub Moder (MCr), Nedim Bajrami (MCl); Francisco Conceiçao (AMR), Fábio Carvalho (AMC), Alan Velasco (AML); Patson Daka (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1 deep): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DMCr), Darko Vuskovic (DMCl); Matías Miranda (MC); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
We repeat our "defensive" formation since we know Leipzig love pressing us high, with some minor changes in the lineup from our last fixture. Leipzig get an early chance in a corner kick that Moder heads over Kretzschmar and into the crossbar, then Velasco follows it up with another header to a cross by Singo, this one wide. As expected, they're not pulling any punches. We try our best to get away from their early pressure, which directly leads to a ball lost in the build-up and a high shot by Daka as he tries to surprise Kretzschmar, and after some minutes without shots at our goal it looks like we've survived the first wave.
The second is a whole another matter, though: Singo runs down the right wing and crosses directly towards the goal, forcing Kretzschmar to punch the ball away but only as far as Daka, who scores easily to put Leipzig ahead. Immediately after that we mount our first real attack, with Caraballo nudging the ball under Moder's legs and assisting Rijkhoff, who shoots left-footed and weakly into Nübel's hands. Kretzschmar then does well to save and hold a dangerous header by Daka, but in the 29th Vuskovic trips Moder inside the box and the penalty is clear even before VAR's intervention. Bajrami beats Kretzschmar from the spot, and the game is starting to run away from us.
Once again we try to hit back right after kick off, and once again Caraballo sets up a good chance, this time with a pass into space ahead of Miranda who also sees his finish denied by Nübel, as does Stjepanovic in the following corner kick. Velasco then hits us back with a good run into the box from the right wing that he finishes by shooting into the sidenetting, and in the 35th Stjeppanovic tries again in another corner kick, this time nodding the ball slightly over the bar. We're improving, but we'll need more than this if we want to get something out of this game in the second half.
HALF TIME - 2-0
We give it ten minutes until we pull the trigger and bring in three players and a formation change, similarly to what we did against Hamburg: Rodríguez, Sapmaz, and Özcan are the chosen ones this time, but there's no immediate effect other than a good chance on the wrong goal, with Carvalho breaking through the center and shooting into Kretzschmar's block. We slowly push forward, although not every effectively when it comes to creating danger, while Leipzig keep hitting us with balls into space that generate good chances, like one for Joao Mário in the 73rd minute that Kretzschmar once again stops.
The keeper needs to perform once again two minutes later, stopping a long-range attempt by Paulo Bernardo, then watches as Barrow sends wide an absolute sitter in the 80th after a great through ball tears our defense apart. In the final ten minutes they seem to take pity on us, though, and stop their attacks in order to keep the ball and prevent any of our desperate attempts at a last-second comeback. Not a good note to end the year with.
* * *
RasenBallsport Leipzig 2 (Patson Daka 19, Nedim Bajrami 30p)
TSV 1860 München 0- - -
Nah, this was terrible. Neither tactic worked today, we just didn't have the required skill level to put them under even the tiniest bit of pressure all game long. This could've easily been a 4-0 if they'd even bothered to try. Still worlds apart.
* * *
| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | Form | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | FC Bayern | 17 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 55 | 14 | 41 | 42 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Borussia Dortmund | 17 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 18 | 17 | 41 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | RB Leipzig | 17 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 43 | 19 | 24 | 39 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Bayer Leverkusen | 17 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 30 | 22 | 8 | 32 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Hamburg | 17 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 31 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | 1860 München | 17 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 15 | 11 | 30 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | Stuttgart | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 31 | 28 | 3 | 27 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | Freiburg | 17 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 27 | -2 | 26 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | Frankfurt | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 28 | 25 | 3 | 24 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th| Hertha BSC | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 24 | 27 | -3 | 23 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th| Nürnberg | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 25 | -2 | 20 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th| Köln | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 27 | -4 | 19 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th| Borussia M'gladbach | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 26 | -9 | 17 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th| Mainz | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 33 | -10 | 16 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 22 | 38 | -16 | 16 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th| Heidenheim | 17 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 21 | 46 | -25 | 10 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th| Wolfsburg | 17 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 30 | -18 | 9 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th| SC Paderborn | 17 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 39 | -28 | 6 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|Still, we're roughly where we'd want to be at this stage. It's obvious we're still far from a title-worthy team so challenging for the Bundesliga is a pipedream, but we certainly can fight for the fourth place and use the Champions League as that final step towards the top three. The situation is very similar to last year's, only the table is a bit less tight in the top half than it was then, with only Hamburg and Leverkusen really there and Stuttgart and Freiburg a fair bit behind, with other candidates like Eintracht and Hertha needing a huge comeback to even get involved. That should simplify matters come the final fixtures, and hopefully make it easier to secure European qualification once again.
The battle for the Bundesliga is, as mentioned previously, wide open between the three usual suspects. Bayern have a small lead and the moral advantage of only having lost once, but that one defeat was a thorough drubbing by Dortmund, so they might not want to feel too confident in their position. At the bottom, Heidenheim have just escaped the direct drop and dragged Wolfsburg into it, but only to see that there's a world and a half ahead of them if they want to reach Fortuna, Mainz, and the extremely disappointing Gladbach and Köln and drag them into the fight for extra funsies. It'll take something special for the bottom three to not remain as is come the end of the season, in whatever order.
* * *
PLAYER STATS ============ Average rating (min. 6 games played): Vedat Özcan 7.19 (12(2) apps) Matías Miranda 7.19 (17(1) apps) Arnau Casas 7.19 (13(2) apps) Niklas Lang 7.15 (14 apps) Thierno Baldé 7.11 (14(1) apps) Goals: Vedat Özcan 7 goals Rodrigo Caraballo 6 Julian Rijkhoff 6 Can Sapmaz 5 Marcos Paulo 4 Assists: Matías Miranda 6 assists Manu Sánchez 4 Jair Rodríguez 3 Martin Karlsen 3 Florent Da Silva 3 Daniel Maldini 3 Francisco Gerometta 3* * *
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD
- Premier League: sigh, I don't know why I even bother with this league anymore. The Ligue 1 is boring with PSG's domination, sure, but Manchester City is becoming as bad or worse. At least there's some entertainment in their chasers this time, though. Sure, Liverpool and Newcastle seven points behind are predictable, but West Ham in fourth place, comfortably ahead of Chelsea, Leicester, and Arsenal? Now that's different. Even more different is Manchester United's shocking twelfth place, although with a game in hand and only three points behind the Europa League places. As for the relegation places, Norwich and Stoke were expected as newly promoted teams, but Fulham is a bit of a surprise. The third ex-Championship side, Brentford, are actually eighth. Wow.
- LaLiga: Barça are building up on last year's success with an almost perfect season so far, conceding only a single draw in seventeen games (against seventh-placed Atlético) and leading with four points over Real Madrid, with the likes of Real Sociedad, Sevilla, and Villarreal a world apart. At the bottom the one surprising thing is that none of the newly promoted teams (Alavés, Zaragoza, and Tenerife) are in the drop zone right now, although the latter are really close. Getafe are dead last with only seven points, but Cádiz and Valladolid could escape from there at a moment's notice.
- Serie A: the most interesting big league in Europe bar none, with four different winners in the last five seasons, and looking like they might have another change at the top this season with Milan leading champions Juventus by two points and neighbors Inter by three. Napoli are a distant fourth, and there's a surprising face in the European places with Genoa. The biggest surprise by far, though, is seeing Fiorentina second to last, only better than dead-last Lecce, particularly considering they were expected to be fighting for Europe instead of for survival. Verona are third from the bottom, and both them and Fiore need only a couple of wins to escape that predicament.
- Ligue 1: okay, I take it back, the Ligue 1 is still worse than the Premier. Nine points is PSG's lead this time, matching Barça's almost perfect season in Spain with also one single draw (at home against Brest of all teams) and leaving the likes of Nice, Monaco and Lille fighting to be the best of the rest. Surprisingly terrible seasons for the two classics of French football, OM and OL, both mired in midtable with surprise packages like Strasbourg, Brest, and Saint-Étienne taking their places in the European scuffle. Another classic in the league, Reims, is the only winless team and looking like a certainty for relegation after ten consecutive years in the top tier. Troyes, Bourdeaux, Nimes, and Lorient will try to avoid going along with them towards the Ligue 2.
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Einmal Löwe, immer Löwe - a(nother) 1860 story
in FM Stories
Posted
Aug 2nd 2028
Mexico's run in the Olympics ended in the semifinals, where Brazil made short work out of them. Magaña couldn't cope with the quality of the Brazilian side, and now will have to play for the bronze medal in the consolation final.
Aug 3rd 2028
After being granted a work permit, Darko Vuskovic agrees a €33.5M move to Manchester City, shattering our previous record for biggest fee received. Hajduk get a huge payday out of this deal with over €8.5M going their way, while our transfer budget will increase in €17.5M, which should be enough to find a proper replacement. Vuskovic has most likely been our best purchase to date, a player who despite his young age ruled our midfield from behind in our best years in the Bundesliga, performing to a high level and multiplying his value until the best teams in the continent came knocking to bring him to the top of the game. The 30% of future profits clause we included in the deal is very likely to return to us in the future, assuming City don't just make him a household item and keep him forever. A huge loss, but also a huge return of investment. His replacement should be on his way soon...
Aug 5th 2028
Bronze medal for Mexico and Magaña in the end. The left back had a solid game before being substituted 61 minutes into a complete destruction of Argentina, who were on the wrong end of a 4-0 drubbing. Great tournament for Mexico and Magaña in general.
Aug 6th 2028
Freiburg have finally reached the point where we are willing to listen to their offers for Marcos Paulo, and after some give and take we settle on a €7.5M deal for the Portuguese winger, who seems to be keen on the move. Another player we need to replace, joy...
At least Vuskovic's place has already been filled: we sign 22yo French midfielder Aymeric Meunier from Standard Liège for €22.5M in cash, which trigger his release clause. A perfect replacement for the departed Croatian, Meunier is a (very slightly) cheaper alternative with similar characteristics: hard-working, good passer and defender, lots of creativity from the back, and very strong physically and mentally. Multiple times U21 international, Meunier still has some room for improvement and will share the starting place at the anchor of our midfield with Thiago, earning €37.5k per week and expecting a progressive increase in playing time as years pass. Our most expensive purchase to date if we don't count Özcan's loan fee as part of his transfer, let's hope it turns out half as well as Vuskovic did.
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SC Hessen Dreieich vs. TSV 1860 München (DFB Pokal 1st round)
It's been two years in a row now that we've had more trouble than expected to get past the mandatory minnows in the first round of the cup, always struggling to score the goals we deserved. Hopefully we've learned our lesson already and we won't encounter that same problem today...
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DREIEICH (4-4-2): Patrick Sander (GK); Kolja Herrmann (DR), Maximilian Faller (DCr), Lamar Yarbrough (DCl), Marc Wachs (DL); Shawn Blum (MR), Nico Reiger (MCr), Issaka Mouhaman (MCl), Eric Onos (ML); Enis Bunjaki (STr), Leon Burggraf (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Kevin Rexhepi (GK); Tomislav Javorcic (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Thiago (DM), Jair Rodríguez (MCr), Martin Karlsen (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)
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Meunier arrives just in time for today's game, but he's exhausted after a recent game with Standard and sits this one out. Same thing for Magaña, just landed from Los Angeles, who also rests today while Rexhepi and Javorcic get their debuts. We start the game attacking, of course, and just one look at Dreieich's defense already tells us this won't be like our previous first round matchups. Caraballo soon confirms this gut feeling when he curls a low shot from the edge of the box to beat Sander and score the 0-1 just four minutes into the game, assisted by Rodríguez and following some shambolic attempts at clearing the ball out by Dreieich's defenders.
With the lead achieved we now can take our time and look for the best chances, and it isn't long before Thiago decides that's boring and finds the top left corner of Dreieich's goal from 20 yards away, scoring a beautiful 0-2 and gifting Rodríguez another coincidental assist. In the 21st the attacking midfielder tries to join the goalscorers' ranks, but sends his finish over the bar after a good run by Caraballo. Özcan also fails to score the third eight minutes later after a long clearance by Thiago leaves him on the run ahead of the defense, his finish deflected over the bar by the keeper. Thiago also sends another 25-yarder over the bar seconds later, then Sander blocks another attempt by Özcan from the edge of the box, powerful and well-placed but not enough to get through.
In the 40th minute a play by Özcan and Caraballo down the left ends with Rodríguez in control, and the midfielder completes his assist hattrick with a beautiful cross into the box so Sapmaz can get ahead of his marker and volley it into the net. A knock to Casas and a weak header by Caraballo saved by Sander later, the first half ends with us clearly ahead.
HALF TIME - 0-3
Stjepanovic replaces Casas as a precaution in half time, and we go right back at it, although without the same intensity we had in the first half. We spend twenty minutes being a bit too conservative for my tastes, with only a curler by Karlsen that misses the target by half a meter or so to break the boredom. The young midfielder soon leaves his place to Jô, who gets his first team debut, while Baldé comes in Javorcic's place after a solid debut.
Our relaxation becomes such that Dreieich even start attacking, and in one of their first real chances Blum gathers the ball in the right wing, leaves Sánchez behind, and crosses into the box so Bunjaki can get ahead of our half-asleep defenders and tap the ball past Rexhepi and score the 1-3. Bunjaki even scores a second after yet another cross by Blum, but this time he's meters offside and the goal never makes it to the board. That one finally wakes us up, and in a spark of genius Caraballo sends a ball ahead of Özcan so the striker can drive his way into the box, face Sander, and score the 1-4 with a placed finish. Crisis averted.
In the final ten minutes we seem to recover our spirit, and soon Sapmaz is tripped inside the box by Wachs for a clear penalty that Manu Sánchez tries to turn into our fifth, but which Sander deflects wide with a remarkable save. The keeper also does well to hold a header by Hadzic in a corner kick not even one minute later, and thus makes sure that the final score remains a reasonable one. Easy win, and onto the next round.
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SC Hessen Dreieich 1 (Enis Bunjaki 70)
TSV 1860 München 4 (Rodrigo Caraballo 4, Thiago 12, Can Sapmaz 40, Vedat Özcan 80)
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Easy as expected, and no struggles to score this time, although our show of overconfidence in the second half wasn't particularly nice to see. Thankfully we fixed it in the end and got ourselves a pretty respectable result, with Rodríguez as our best performer tonight with three assists in the first half. Rexhepi and Javorcic looked solid in their debuts, although neither had much work to do for the most part.