Dalbeider
-
Posts
2,646 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Forums
Articles
FAQs
Online Manual
Support: Blocks
Support: Games
Bug Tracker
SIGames Manual (beta)
Profiles
Posts posted by Dalbeider
-
-
Oct 1st 2027
More international callups to add to Rijkhoff's, with the usual presence in the senior teams by Özcan, Hadzic, Svensson, and Aghajanyan, while Sapmaz and Vuskovic go with the U21s.
Oct 3rd 2027
Hertha BSC (4th) vs. TSV 1860 München (6th) (Bundesliga, 7/34)
Two consecutive wins, yes, but now we face one of the most in-form teams in the league. Hertha seem set on returning to their selves of two or three years ago, rather than the ocean of mediocrity that was their previous season, and so far they've been doing just that. We'd do well to get any points from here, but with our recent performances maybe we can hope for a bit more than that.
* * *
HERTHA (4-2-3-1): Marco Carnesecchi (GK); Guille Rosas (DR), Andrew Omobamidele (DCr), Omar Alderete (DCl), Amar Dedic (DL); Julian Weigl (MCr), Charles De Ketelaere (MCl); Pedro Porro (AMR), Miguel Carvalho (AMC), Fredrik Byorkan (AML), Delyan Atanasov (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1 deep): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Florent Da Silva (DMCr), Thiago (DMCl); Jair Rodríguez (MC); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
Dárdai seems to have benched his 3-3-2-2 and gone back to a more traditional 4-2-3-1, giving us another reason to reuse our new tactic once again. Our defensive midfielders are tired, though, so we have to improvise a bit with Da Silva playing there. Otherwise it's the usual post-midweek game rotation, and also our recently usual fantastic start to the game, only ramped up to eleven: twenty-seven seconds is all it takes for the ball to get to Marcos Paulo and for the winger to cross into the heart of the box, where Rijkhoff hits it first time to score the 0-1, shocking the stands into silence.
Like against Napoli, we don't stop there, and soon Rodríguez tries luck from the edge of the box so Carnesecchi shows his skills with a well-timed dive. Hertha seem to give us a bit more of a challenge, though, and actually contest our ball possession in the early game as they try to recover from the blow. Meanwhile we just keep creating danger, this time through Sánchez's cross and Rijkhoff's header, well held by the keeper. The game does slow down a bit, though, while we take control of the ball back and start pushing Hertha into their own half again. After a long while with only a few minor chances for us and a single shot at goal by Hertha that created no real danger, we reach halftime ahead and looking comfortable.
HALF TIME - 0-1
Things remain extremely soothing in the second half, with possession firmly under control and few threats coming the keepers' way. In the 62nd, though, in our first serious attack in a long while, Marcos Paulo passes the ball back to Sánchez on the left flank then runs ahead looking for the return pass, enters the box, and blasts it in to score his third of the season and second in consecutive games after his injury. Did someone exchange our Marcos Paulo for someone else who looks just the same or what's going on? Not complaining, mind!
As well as he's playing, Marcos Paulo still isn't fit enough to play the whole game, so a bit later he's replaced by Karlsen, while Gerometta and Ulrich come in for Baldé and Thiago, who just had our last chance with a shot from the edge of the box that sailed over the bar. Hertha finally threaten us a bit in a corner kick that Alderete heads a bit too high, but after that is another long period of calm until Weigl tries luck from afar in the 78th, also blasting it well over.
Seven minutes later the ball once again goes over the bar after a header by De Ketelaere, and in the 87th Hertha finally prove why they're fourth on the table with a flat shot from distance by Suat Serdar that surprises Kretzschmar, slotting into the back of the net for the 1-2. Hadzic almost restores our two-goal lead immediately with a header that Carnesecchi struggles to tip over, only for Casas to head the resulting corner kick a bit over the bar. Injury time comes with Hertha pouring forward, a circumstance that Rijkhoff uses to gather a long clearance by Kretzschmar and run at goal, only he blasts it over in the end. Hertha fail to give us any last second scares, and the win is ours in the end.
* * *
Hertha BSC 1 (Suat Serdar 87)
TSV 1860 München 2 (Julian Rijkhoff 1, Marcos Paulo 62)- - -
That almost looked easy. Heck, even when Hertha scored I never felt threatened, we were just that much better today. This tactic is working wonders, turning the pressure against the opposition and giving them a taste of their own medicine, while having almost constant control of the ball thanks to our superior midfield. Better yet, we've seen that even non-specialists like Da Silva and Ulrich can play deep in this formation and still do a fine job, so we have the personnel to use this frequently. We might turn this into our main tactic if it keeps working this well. Up to fourth, and Bayern drop the first points of the season in a home draw against HSV.
0 -
Sep 28th 2027
Casas and Kretzschmar are selected in the Team of the Week.
Sep 30th 2027
Just before our game against Napoli, a pleasant surprise: Rijkhoff gets a call-up to join the Netherlands senior squad for the friendlies against Morocco and Georgia coming in the next window. Nice.
* * *
TSV 1860 München vs. S.S.C. Napoli (Europa League group F, 2/6)
Well, time to know how it feels to be in Europe for real. Napoli are one of the biggest clubs in one of the biggest leagues in the continent, and their squad surely shows that quality. They're currently sixth in the Serie A, just like us, so it's to be expected that they'll give us more than our fair share of pain today. I'm not resigned to defeat, though: if we play like we know, we can have a chance.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1 deep): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Julian Chabot (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DMCr), Darko Vuskovic (DMCl); Matías Miranda (MC); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)
NAPOLI (4-2-3-1): Luis Maximiano (GK); Lutsharel Geertruida (DR), Matteo Lovato (DCr), Mattia Viti (DCl), Giuseppe Pezzella (DL); Nicolas Seiwald (MCr), Ibrahima Diallo (MCl); Otávio (AMR), Piotr Zielinski (AMC), Rodrygo (AML), Andrea Pinamonti (ST)* * *
Time to give our new anti-pressing formation a fair, full-game test. Miranda and Marcos Paulo return to the lineup after their injuries, and we rotate most of the squad otherwise, while Napoli put out a very respectable eleven with the likes of Rodrygo and Zielinski. Things seem to work out fin in the early game, with us holding the ball and starting to put some pressure on Napoli's defense, with a narrowly high header by Özcan as our first serious attempt at goal nine minutes in. Marcos Paulo follows it up with a weak and centered finish that Maximiano has no trouble saving, but in the 16th he can't do much when Miranda finishes a cross by Maldini by shooting into Viti's legs, then the rebound falls to Marcos Paulo with the keeper on the ground and the goal wide open. Even he can't miss this, and the 1-0 is a reality.
Even with the lead we keep putting them under pressure, and soon another shot by Marcos Paulo goes over the bar while Napoli struggle to get past our advanced lines. Even when they finally get close with a corner kick we somehow manage to turn it into a counterattack that Özcan can't finish due to Geertruida's timely tackle, followed by Lang missing the target by mere inches with a good-looking header in a corner kick. Napoli finally get a shot in with a high header by Pinamonti after a good cross by Pezzella, but by now thirty-four minutes have already passed.
In the 40th minute we mount a quick attack down the left flank with Svensson and Marcos Paulo trading passes until the wingback sends a pass into space ahead of Miranda, who breaks through the center and shoots with power past Maximiano to score the 2-0. There's still time for a high header by Özcan in injury time before the first half ends, once again with us clearly ahead.
HALF TIME - 2-0
We don't want to take it easy today despite our lead, and only two minutes into the second half Maldini heads a cross by Marcos Paulo into the crossbar. Soon Miranda breaks through the center unmarked once again, gathering a cross by Gerometta, but this time failing to put his finish past Maximiano. Then we gift a chance to Napoli through a bad pass by Lang, but thankfully Pinamonti looks almost as surprised as we are and can only shoot wide when everyone was expecting a goal. Just in case it happens again Maldini decides to set Özcan up with a precious through ball in the 54th, and the young striker takes the chance to score the 3-0 and put the game well away from Napoli's grasp.
The players still want more, and even Vuskovic joins the goal hunt with a run through the center well assisted by the today excellent Marcos Paulo, although Maximiano denies the defensive midfielder the rare chance to score with a good save. Napoli can only produce a wide header by Lovato in a corner kick before we start bringing in our substitutions, giving Miranda and Marcos Paulo a richly deserved rest and bringing Rodríguez and Da Silva in. Sapmaz also replaces Maldini after a bit as the game enters a lull that works just fine for us.
Time passes with little action on either goal while the fans celebrate in the stands. Napoli still have their pride, though, and in the 83rd produce a good play that ends in a wide header by substitute striker Rafa Mir. We answer six minutes later through Sapmaz, whose shot is deflected over by Maximiano, then Chabot heads the corner kick into the keeper's hands. Then, with the match practically over, Lovato pushes Özcan inside the box and VAR calls for a penalty kick, turned into the final 4-0 by Da Silva. A brilliant game and an even better result.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 4 (Marcos Paulo 16, Matías Miranda 40, Vedat Özcan 54, Florent Da Silva 90+4p)
S.S.C. Napoli 0- - -
It says a lot that with four different players scoring and an absolute stormer of a match for all our attacking half, the man of the match award went to Gerometta. This was a complete performance by the whole team, absolutely erasing a great team like Napoli from the pitch and beating them down until they cried uncle. We can call the tactical experiment a resounding success, I think, and we'll be using this tactic in the future for sure. Kobenhavn and Young Boys draw their game without goals, which clears the path towards the knockout rounds a bit further.
0 -
Sep 21st 2027
Svensson sneaks into the Team of the Week thanks to his goal against Nürnberg.
Sep 25th 2027
TSV 1860 München (9th) vs. 1.FC Köln (15th) (Bundesliga, 6/34)
Been a while since we last were this close to the bottom half of the Bundesliga table, huh. Then again, Köln's position is also a bit of a novelty, flirting with a relegation battle after a very rough start to the season. Which could become our own if we lose today, so let's not do that, hm?
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Florent Da Silva (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Daniel Maldini (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
KÖLN (3-2-2-1-2): Kevin Trapp (GK); Hugo Faria (DCr), Nathan Phillips (DC), Júnior Firpo (DCl); Kevin Mbabu (WBr), Philipp Max (WBl); Anton Stach (MCr), Ethan Ampadu (MCl); Dominik Yankov (AMC); Joao Resende (STr), Jan Thielmann (STl)* * *
A German legend like Lukas Podoslki is in charge at Köln right now, and using a formation we hadn't seen since over two years ago, back when Stuttgart and Fortuna used to play it. Miranda and Marcos Paulo almost made it to the bench today, but in the end I decide to not risk it and save their returns for Napoli's visit this coming Thursday. And it seems that we've finally learned how to attack 3-5-2s: one minute plus some change into the game Baldé and Sapmaz overload the right wing then send the ball towards the center, where Rijkhoff holds it then assists Sapmaz as he runs into the box, faces Trapp, and blasts it in for the 1-0. Nice start.
The young winger almost scores a second immediately after following a diagonal pass by Maldini, but this time he runs out of space before he can get his shot in and Trapp covers the shrinking gap and saves. After that we focus on controlling possession and keeping Köln inside their own half, where they're much less dangerous. Time passes with our game plan working exactly as intended, denying Köln any chances at the cost of renouncing to ours, too.
In the 31st we gift ourselves a bit of freedom once again through Sapmaz, receiving from Rodríguez and shooting into Trapp's confident save. Next one to provide for the winger is Da Silva with a beautiful pass from deep, yet Sapmaz once again finds Trapp in the way of his finish. Casas finally gets our first non-Sapmaz shot at goal in a set piece the center-back heads wide in the 39th, and four minutes later we find a way through Köln's overcrowded center in a quick one-two combination between Rodríguez and Rijkhoff that the striker finishes with a placed shot, scoring the 2-0 and his first of the season. Köln remain inoffensive, and we go into half time very deservedly ahead.
HALF TIME - 2-0
After ten minutes of tranquility Köln finally find a way through with a play through the center that sets Joao Resende up for a very dangerous chance, well deflected over by Kretzschmar. It's still a wake-up call, so we take the chance to make a few changes, bringing Karlsen into the left wing in Maldini's place and Ulrich to give Da Silva a rest. A good block by Casas prevents another chance for Resende, just before Thiago replaces Rodríguez with a bit over twenty minutes left to play.
Sapmaz resumes our attack in the 74th, heading a cross by Baldé into Trapp's block, then it's Thiago who tries luck with a 30-yard-long direct free kick that goes over the bar. It's a very comfortable time for us except for those two earlier chances for Köln, though, and for the most part we just keep the ball and let time do its job while the visitors watch on with dwindling hopes of a comeback. Time eventually runs out, and we secure a very solid win to get us back into the right path.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 2 (Can Sapmaz 2, Julian Rijkhoff 43)
1.FC Köln 0- - -
Much, much better. The first half in particular was basically a monologue, with Rodríguez, Rijkhoff, and Sapmaz doing whatever they wanted with Köln's surprisingly weak defense. We took it easier in the second half, but still managed a clean sheet, the first of the season, and a win that brings us closer to where we want to be. Köln are likely to be in trouble if they don't snap out of this funk, though.
Today in "results no one could see coming": Leipzig 6-1 Dortmund. Bayern remain as the only team that hasn't dropped any points so far, already six points ahead of everyone else.
0 -
Sep 18th 2027
Injuries keep piling up, and now it's a key player like Miranda who'll have to rest for a couple of weeks with a pulled thigh. Looking a bit thin in attacking options right now...
Sep 19th 2027
1.FC Nürnberg (10th) vs. TSV 1860 München (5th) (Bundesliga, 5/34)
Only three days after our trip to Copenhagen and we're already in another high stakes Bundesliga game. This level of play is stressing, I must say... Regardless, Nürnberg are certainly doing better than in the previous season so far, sitting comfortable in the middle of the pack and already with five points to their name. They're still relegation candidates, though, so this is a stadium we should be aiming to get all the points from.
* * *
NÜRNBERG (4-4-2): Jan Olschowsky (GK); Nicholas Mickelson (DR), Armel Bella-Kotchap (DCr), Maksim Paskotsi (DCl), Valentín Barco (DL); Benie Traoré (MR), Mads Bidstrup (MCr), Ilai Madmon (MCl), Omar Campos (ML); Facundo Farías (STr), Manuel Wintzheimer (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Julian Chabot (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DM), Jair Rodríguez (MCr), Martin Karlsen (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Florent Da Silva (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)* * *
Funnily enough, the two games we've won in the league so far have been against 4-4-2s, so this looks promising already. Our rotation swings the other way now, with Da Silva playing on the left today to keep at least one of our natural wingers fresh, and Karlsen being awarded another start in midfield. We start well, with Svensson sending a good pass across the pitch towards Maldini, who tries a surprising first-touch finish but Olschowsky reads him well and deflects it wide. We carry that momentum for the first fifteen minutes of the game, having the ball and pushing Nürnberg back into their own half, although without many real approaches to their goal.
In the 15th minute we finally get through, with Özcan assisting Da Silva on the run and Olschowky doing well once again blocking his finish. But for all the good we're goind, Nürnberg do better where it matters: scoring. Their first approach is a good passing play through the center that reaches Farías inside the box, and the Argentinian places the ball past Kretzschmar to give the home team the lead 23 minutes into the game.
We keep trying and trying, and in the 32nd minute another cross by Svensson gives Maldini another great chance to score, but his downward header hits the root of the post and bounces clear. Another cross, this one by Rodríguez, turns into a very narrowly wide header by Özcan, then Maldini sends over the bar a shot created by a clearance from defense by Hadzic. Nürnberg answer with a soft header by Campos that Kretzschmar catches with ease, but in the end there are no more goals in the first half, much as it hurts us.
HALF TIME - 1-0
Nürnberg start the second half with a two-versus-one down their right wing that Gerometta can't quite contain and which ends with Kretzschmar having to work hard to prevent a goal by Campos. Another run by Campos in the 55th ends in the same way, but it's worrying how difficult we're finding it to get through their pressure, once again putting our center-backs under duress almost constantly. Da Silva, horrid in the wing, soon is replaced by Sapmaz, and Ulrich and Baldé soon join him on the pitch.
It's Sapmaz who finally creates something in attack for us with a run-and-cross very much in his style, headed over by Özcan. It's an isolated chance, though, and it looks like we're back into our previous helplessness when Özcan gathers the ball in midfield, turns around, and passes it ahead of Svensson, allowing the wingback a clean run into the box so he can place the ball into the back of the net and pull level for us with his first goal since his arrival at Munich.
We look really good for a couple of minutes afterwards, but then Madmon sends a long ball into space for Farías to gather, dribble past Kretzschmar, and calmly pass it into the net for the 2-1 with thirteen minutes on the clock. Those thirteen minutes fly by in a heartbeat, and the only attack we bring close to its objective is a pass by Ulrich towards Sapmaz in the 90th minute which ends with the ball flying well over the bar. The winger has another chance in injury time after volleying a cross by Svensson, but this time Olschowsky is there to save, and our last chance to grab a point today disappears in a puff of smoke.
* * *
1.FC Nürnberg 2 (Facundo Farías 21 77)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Daniel Svensson 72)- - -
Nope, not looking good. Although to be fair, today we were unlucky to lose and a draw would've been the "correct" result given the chances both teams had, but still. We should be better than this. I want to blame lack of cohesion with so much forced rotation, injuries, and new players in the squad, so hopefully it should fix itself with time, but I'm still a bit worried.
0 -
Sep 12th 2027
We've been having trouble for a while now against aggressive 4-2-3-1 formations which press us high and basically force us to hoof the ball clear off defense, something that goes counter to our play style and makes us struggle to create any kind of danger. So I think it's time to try and create a counter to that tactic. We're gonna start training a 4-2-3-1 of our own, but with two deep midfielders who both help us get the ball out of the back, and also make us more solid defensively, since usually the teams playing these tactics are the strongest in the league.
Sep 14th 2027
Oh no. Marcos Paulo pulls a hamstring in training and will miss about two weeks. That means our two options on the left are out of contention for at least our two next fixtures, including our Europa League debut in Copenhagen. Wonderful. We have other options there, since the likes of Da Silva and Maldini can play there with little issue, but still. Sucks.
Sep 16th 2027
FC Kobenhavn vs. TSV 1860 München (Europa League group F, 1/6)
Europe! Denmark! Copenhagen! A nice city to start our travels across the continent in, I'd say, and also a game we have a reasonable chance of getting something from. Kobenhavn have been dominating the Danish leagues for a while now, six titles on the trot for them, but obviously the level in that league can't compare to the Bundesliga. If we play our game (and that's a big if considering our last game, grumble grumble) we could get a win here and start dreaming about qualifying from this group.
* * *
KOBENHAVN (4-2-3-1): Lawrence Zigi (GK); Petr Vaclavik (DR), David Khocholava (DCr), Andrea Cistana (DCl), Miguel Gutiérrez (DL); Takuhiro Nakai (MCr), Mateusz Bogusz (MCl); Hayen Palacios (AMR), Pep Biel (AMC), Albert Gronbaek (AML), Taiwo Awoniyi (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Florent Da Silva (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Daniel Maldini (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
Rotation in, rotation out. Maldini takes the problematic left wing while Baldé returns to action after his injury. Kobenhavn also play a 4-2-3-1 like Freiburg did on Saturday, and it's pressure on Vuskovic that gives them the first chance of the game, stealing the ball and setting Awoniyi up for a shot he sends clearly wide. We have a lot of the ball despite that early pressing, though, and we grow more and more comfortable in possession until in the 14th minute Da Silva sees Sapmaz's movement into space and sends a long ball ahead of him so the young winger can beat Zigi in the one-on-one and give us an early lead.
Problem is, our lead lasts exactly one minute, which is what Gutiérrez needs to lose Sapmaz's mark down his left wing and cross into the heart of the box for an easy tap-in by Awoniyi. Pep Biel then tries to turn things around completely with a run through the center, but Kretzschmar does well to save and hold his finish. Another overlap by Vaclavik ends in another cross towards Awoniyi, who this time can only get a weak header in and make it easy for our keeper. Still, we seem to be losing control of the situation by the minute, and soon Kretzschmar has more work to do, tipping wide a shot from the edge of the box by Bogusz.
Ten minutes before half time Khocholava heads into the sidenetting a dangerous set piece, while our attack has not been heard off since our goal. Two more headers follow, one by Awoniyi into the crossbar and an immediate another by Gronbaek, this one easier for Kretzschmar. We finally show up near Zigi's goal in the final minute of regulation with a cross by Sapmaz that Maldini heads wide, but at least it's something. A draw at half time, and we should be happy with that result.
HALF TIME - 1-1
Well, no more reason to be happy then: thirty seconds into the second half we lose the ball in the midfield, Awoniyi controls it and drops towards the left, and his cross is finished by Pep Biel to score the 2-1 for Kobenhavn. So much for concentration. With no improvement in the following minutes, we decide to pull the trigger and try our new tactic, with Thiago replacing a tired Miranda and Rodríguez coming in for Da Silva.
Kobenhavn still have another good chance to score, with Palacios failing to hit the right side of the net after a nod by Gronbaek in a set piece, but then it's finally our turn, starting with two consecutive chances for Sánchez and Vuskovic, one blocked and the other wide by inches. Karlsen also enters the game to replace Maldini, exhausted and not particularly relevant today, but our attack seems to die even before it can get started, and minutes start ticking by without much to show. But in the 79th, after a patient passing play, the ball reaches Rodríguez and the Mexican turns around to assist Karlsen, who breaks into the box and places his finish past Zigi to draw the game once again.
The home team try to regain their lead in a corner kick that Gronbaek heads very narrowly over, then it's Nakai who blasts it over from right beside the penalty spot, and then Pedersen heads a set piece into the outside of the post. We survive them all, though, and steal a point from Copenhagen we most certainly didn't deserve.
* * *
FC Kobenhavn 2 (Taiwo Awoniyi 15, Pep Biel 46)
TSV 1860 München 2 (Can Sapmaz 14, Martin Karlsen 79)- - -
I'll take the point, but our performance was too reminiscent of the Freiburg game for my taste. At least this time we took our (few) chances and got something out of the match regardless, which is good because this point gives us a very good chance at advancing in the competition. The kids saved the day today, first Sapmaz and then Rodríguez and Karlsen off the bench. Napoli got a minimal 1-0 win over Young Boys, so the group is looking more or less like we wanted it to so far. This point is worth €210k, by the way, which is nice.
0 -
Aug 31st 2027
And the transfer window closes down once again. Well, it will in a few hours. Best we can hope for today is that no one decides to unsettle any of our players so we're forced into an unwanted sale and a difficult last-second replacement with little money available. Maybe a youngster or two will leave on loan, but we don't expect any business otherwise.
Hamburg sign Entrena off Köln for about half of what they paid us for him one year ago. He's been pretty average for them, to be fair, but he still has lots of upside, even if so many team changes might have hampered his development a bit.
The big offer for one of our players comes, and honestly, it's not as big as expected: Freiburg want Lomónaco for €3.3M, a few clauses included. Feels more than a bit short, so rejecting for now. If they come back later today with something better we'll talk, he's one of the few players I might actually consider selling today, considering Stjepanovic should be returning in a month or two.
Not a loan out, but one of our youngsters does leave for good: 18yo winger Manfred Hartmann moves to Werder Bremen for €87k upfront, €35k after 20 games, and a 20% of future profits. Not a big deal, but there was a host of 2.Bundesliga teams hounding him and he wanted to leave, so we got the best deal we could.
Here we go: Freiburg return with an improved offer starting at €4.4M. How does €5.5M upfront, €1M in installments, and a 30% of future profits sound? Good? Good. The transfer is concluded after minutes, and the former Benfica player moves to Freiburg leaving behind a pretty decent profit and a quite solid year-and-a-half worth of performances in defense, never as a starter but always there when needed.
To replace him we go for a short-term deal and loan Dortmund's transfer-listed 29yo Julian Chabot. A quality player, don't get me wrong, but he has two problems: one is his age, as I almost never sign players about to turn thirty. Two is his wages, since he's on a €75k weekly deal in Dortmund and expects to earn something similar wherever he moves to. So, we manage to convince Dortmund to accept a deal in which we only pay half his wages with no other fees, giving us the option to make it permanent for €24M (won't happen) and, more importantly, allowing us to terminate the loan whenever we please. The plan is to have him as a rotation/backup for Casas until the winter window and then, with Stjepanovic already healthy, return him to Dortmund. He has the added bonus of being both a German/French national and counting as trained in the nation, which makes him useful for Europa League registration purposes.
There's a couple more bids made for young players we don't want to sell, Wolfsburg make another half-hearted attempt for Manu Sánchez, and Ingolstadt have the gall to ask for Karlsen on loan basically for free. All rejected, of course, and the transfer window slams shut soon after. Not a bad day in the end.
Sep 1st 2027
Good thing we brought Chabot in, too, because he was key to fulfilling the homegrown criteria for the Europa League registration without having to resort to U21 players. Vuskovic still counting as U21 and having been with us for two full years already also helps, since he can be left unregistered with no consequence. In the end no one has to be left out, which is exactly what we wanted.
Sep 3rd 2027
Solid defensive show by Hadzic in his return to Bosnia's national team, helping them along in a 2-0 win over neighbors and rivals Serbia. Özcan, on the other hand, has a torrid time in a 1-3 defeat for Turkey against Belgium and is eventually substituted.
Sep 5th 2027
Jair Rodríguez plays the whole game with Mexico in his senior international debut, setting up a goal in a friendly victory over Morocco. One day later Hadzic plays another full game for Bosnia and does well in an easy 6-2 trouncing of Andorra.
Sep 8th 2027
Our last international in this batch, Svensson, gives a good account of himself in Sweden's 4-1 win over Slovakia.
The best piece of news today comes from the training ground, though: Stjepanovic has started the rehabilitation phase after his cruciate injury, and should be back in full training within two months. Glad to see him getting closer to returning.
Sep 9th 2027
Bad news had to come at some point to balance all the good, I guess: Caraballo suffers from a lower back stress fracture and will be on the sidelines for six to seven weeks, while he sees an specialist to treat it. Time for Marcos Paulo to shine.
Sep 11th 2027
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. Sport-Club Freiburg (10th) (Bundesliga, 4/34)
Back home after two away fixtures, and Freiburg come to give us trouble. That said, their stock seems to have dropped notably since the last season, and most experts predict them to finish in the bottom half of the table, even after taking Lomónaco from us. In other words, we're now considered the favorites in this fixture. Funny how things change, huh.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Julian Chabot (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Jair Rodríguez (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)
FREIBURG (4-2-3-1): Pontus Dahlberg (GK); Felix Passlack (DR), Linus Gechter (DCr), Eric Martel (DCl), Guilherme Montóia (DL); Maximilian Eggstein (MCr), Yangel Herrera (MCl); Akinkunmi Amoo (AMR), Erik Majetschak (AMC), Sead Haksabanovic (AML), Nicolai Skoglund (ST)* * *
We have a trip to Copenhagen in five days, so we need to be conscious of the fact that we'll be playing twice per week more often than not this season. Therefore, rotation, including Chabot's debut and Rodríguez's first start. Lomónaco is on the bench, but two ex-1860 start for Freiburg today, Gechter and Majetschak, and that somehow scares me a bit. The early game is a scramble for possession in which Freiburg seem to come up slightly ahead, leading to a great chance for Amoo that Kretzschmar denies by stretching his arms to the limit. Things soon turn around, though, and by the time twenty minutes have passed we seem to have restored equilibrium to the match.
In the 25th minute Hadzic has to work hard to prevent Majetschak from getting a shot in following a great ball into space by Skoglund, then it's Kretzschmar who stops a header by the striker after a cross from the right. We're struggling mightily to get the ball out of defense today thanks to Freiburg's pressure, and the predictable soon happens: quick combination through the center, Majetschak assists Skoglund, and the striker shoots past Kretzschmar to give the visitors a deserved lead twenty-eight minutes into the game.
We don't react after the goal, and Dahlberg remains untested while Skoglund gets really close to a second with a wide header. An injury time chance for Haksabanovic that Kretzschmar deflects wide is the last action of a very poor first half for us.
HALF TIME - 0-1
My screaming probably wakes the players up, because the first minutes of the second half are our best of the match by far, with quick chances for Özcan (blocked) and Rodríguez (deflected over by Dahlberg). That soon passes, though, and things go back to normal with Freiburg keeping us firmly locked inside our own half. Majetschak even threatens a second in a corner kick he heads narrowly over, just before we decide to make our first substitutions. Too many options today, but we settle with bringing Sapmaz and Rijkhoff in first, then Da Silva in Marcos Paulo's place on the left wing.
In the 70th we finally get another chance through Hadzic, who heads a corner kick into Dahlberg's hands, but that won't be enough if we want to salvage anything from this game. Kretzschmar has it a bit harder to tip over the bar a piledriver by Haksabanovic one minute later, then Rijkhoff runs on the break but gets his finish stopped by Gechter. He gets much closer in the 79th with a narrowly high header to a cross by Gerometta, our best chance of the match so far. In the 90th the striker nods a cross by Rodríguez towards Da Silva, who tries to finish the job but only finds the root of the post, then Dahlberg's hands. Injury time brings another save by Kretzschmar to deny Amoo, and then another to hold a header by Martel in the following corner kick. As for us, we don't get another. Bad game, worse result.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 0
Sport-Club Freiburg 1 (Nicolai Skoglund 28)- - -
Where the heck did this come from? We'd been doing really well until today, and suddenly this? The most limp and toothless we've been since at least one year and a half ago. Kretzschmar was our only player doing what he was supposed to do today, the rest were all failures, with the possible exception of Miranda and Rijkhoff. Hopefully this will be our worst game of the year, because I sure can't imagine how topping this would look.
0 -
Aug 23rd 2027
Obviously, Miranda is selected in the Team of the Week.
Aug 25th 2027
Jair Rodríguez is back in training after his injury and might have some minutes this weekend. To compensate, Svensson is suffering from food poisoning which might keep him out of the Gladbach game.
Aug 26th 2027
International callups for the upcoming window include Özcan with Turkey, Hadzic with Bosnia, and Aghajanyan with Armenia (yes, he's a senior international, somehow). Vuskovic remains out of Croatia's squad for... some reason. A couple days later Rodríguez also gets a call for the Mexico senior team, a chance for the kid to debut straight after his injury, and Svensson gets the customary call from Sweden. Surprising lack of U21 callups this time, huh.
Aug 27th 2027
Time for our first Europa League draw ever! And also for prize money, €3.4M just for entering the group stage. Anyway, we enter the draw as fourth seeds, so we should expect a tough draw, and we get... a pretty reasonable one, actually? Napoli are of course a monster, but the other two teams in the group are Young Boys from Switzerland (featuring former 1860 left back Francisco Moura) and FC Kobenhavn from Denmark. We might actually have a chance here.
Aug 28th 2027
Baldé is out of our next game after sustaining a pulled hamstring in the last training session before travelling to Mönchengladbach. He should be back to action after the international break, although only just.
Aug 29th 2027
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. TSV 1860 München (Bundesliga, 3/34)
Time for serious stuff. Gladbach finished behind us last season, sure, but they're also on a ten game unbeaten run spanning both the end of last season and the beginning of this one, in which they've managed one win (against Leipzig) and one draw (against Fortuna). They'll be much tougher than our previous opponents, that's for sure, but we don't fear no one this year. Well, almost no one...
* * *
GLADBACH (4-2-3-1): David Raya (GK); Brandon Soppy (DR), Cheick Doucouré (DCr), Nico Elvedi (DCl), Luca Netz (DL); Herlan Gomes (MCr), Bali Mumba (MCl); Edgar Santacruz (AMR), Lazar Samardzic (AMC), Raúl Moro (AML), Marcus Thuram (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Florent Da Silva (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
Van Bommel's Gladbach have seen a lot of turnover in their squad this summer, losing the likes of Embolo and Bajrami and replacing them with quality players like Gomes, Soppy, and subs Jonas Wind and Antoni Milambo. We bring back our theoretical best eleven, with Rodríguez and Svensson making the bench, but that's not enough to stop Gladbach who, in their first approach of the game, find Thuram behind the defense with a long ball by Netz and the striker beats Kretzschmar with a placed finish that the keeper gets a touch on, but not enough.
We accept the glove thrown at our face and go looking for a quick draw, with Caraballo being the first to try with a wide shot in the sixth minute. Things slow down soon afterwards, though, with Gladbach pushing the lines forward in order to reduce space in midfield and make our life more difficult. Our next chance doesn't come until the 24th, a shot by Rijkhoff that deflects on a defender and goes behind for a corner kick, and the striker follows it up with a good header in said corner kick that Raya saves with some difficulty. A third chance falls to Rijkhoff, this time after a good pass into space by Caraballo, but this time his aim is much worse and the ball ends up in the stands.
Our insistence finally finds its reward in the 36th when Casas sees Gerometta running into tons of space on the right and sends the ball to him, allowing the wingback an easy path to cross towards the far post so Caraballo can just push it in and draw the game. Both teams seem to decide to declare a truce for what remains of the first half, and the result remains the same when the forty-fifth minute comes.
HALF TIME - 1-1
The truce continues into the early second half, with zero attempts at scoring on both sides of the pitch until Santacruz, another new signing coming off the bench today, tries to curl a shot around Kretzschmar from a tight angle in the 59th minute but finds the keeper not so easy to beat. Our substitutions come soon after, aiming to remove from the pitch three underperforming players in Sánchez, Da Silva, and Maldini and replacing them with Svensson, Rodríguez (who debuts), and Sapmaz.
Kretzschmar then performs a fantastic diving save to prevent Thuram from scoring after the striker gathers a loose ball inside our box. It looks like Gladbach have the upper hand now, and we haven't even tried a single shot at goal since we scored the 1-1. Gladbach keep peppering us with shots that don't generate much danger for a while, but we take them on without any major trouble. With ten minutes remaining on the clock we try to take a step forward, but other than a blocked shot by Sapmaz we don't really gain much from it. Two minutes before the end, though, Sapmaz manages to launch a quick counter that ends in a good cross towards the center, but Rijkhoff can only head it over while tightly marked. Another blocked shot by the winger is the last chance of a tightly contested game that ends in a fair draw.
* * *
Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 (Marcus Thuram 2)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Rodrigo Caraballo 36)- - -
One half for each team, one goal for each team. Balanced as all things should be, and a good result stealing one point away from a very difficult stadium. Caraballo already on two goals in three appearances is good to see, as are Rodríguez's first competitive minutes of the season. We finish the first three fixtures in fourth place, trailing behind three teams who've won all their games so far: Bayern (duh), Dortmund (duh), and Stuttgart (what).
0 -
Aug 15th 2027
We've got our ticket sales for the year and there's a noticeable increase, reaching our new top of 15700 out of 18750 seats in our good ol' stadium. We're really reaching Grünwalder Strasse's ceiling, figuratively and almost literally.
Aug 16th 2027
Özcan earns a place in the Team of the Week in his Bundesliga debut off the bench. Not bad.
Aug 20th 2027
Karlsen signs a new contract to keep him away from the vultures (namely Ajax and Wolfsburg) circling him. He gets a very small wage hike, with the promise of a slightly larger one once he plays twenty more league games for us, and comes with no release clauses other than a by now pointless relegation clause. Hopefully that'll be enough to stop the bid flood coming through our fax machine lately.
Aug 21st 2027
SC Paderborn 07 vs. TSV 1860 München (Bundesliga, 2/34)
New kids on the block Paderborn are widely expected to be among those who go down into the 2.Bundesliga this season, a notion they reinforced last week after a 5-0 loss to Bayern. Which to be fair is what most teams in the Bundesliga usually do when facing Bayern, but still. A game we should be winning with relative ease, although being away from home is always slightly unnerving, no matter the opposition.
* * *
PADERBORN (4-4-2): Leopold Zingerle (GK); Bendegúz Bolla (DR), Jacek Winiarczyk (DCr), Sven Sonnenberg (DCl), Jaouen Hadjam (DL); Jessic Ngankam (MR), Kamil Kula (MCr), Tomer Gannah (MCl), Felix Mambimbi (ML); Marlon Mustapha (STl), Johann Brunnemann (STr)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Martin Karlsen (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)* * *
Heavy rotation today, since there's a bunch of players I want to see in a competitive setting (Thiago, Casas) and a bunch of youngsters who probably won't have many better opportunities than this to start a game in the league. Surprising to see that Paderborn not only keep their flat 4-4-2 from the last time we played them in the 2.Bundesliga, but even retain some players from that starting eleven over three years ago, like Zingerle, Sonnenberg, and Ngankam. And the keeper has work to do immediately, tipping wide a direct free kick by Miranda even before the first whole minute has passed.
We keep putting Paderborn under pressure in the early game, next up with Özcan assisting Marcos Paulo for a difficult finish that Zingerle tips wide, and then with a dribble into the box by Karlsen that Ngankam stops with a clear foul. Marcos Paulo takes the penalty kick and... you all know where this is going, right? Yep, he sends it into the upright. He looks for redemption one minute later with a curling shot that misses the top corner by inches, but then Paderborn start getting a bit more adventurous, with Mustapha having two consecutive shots blocked by Casas and Svensson clearing a header by Ngankam off the line in a corner kick.
The match enters a period of tranquility then, with us holding the ball in Paderborn's half most of the time and the home team defending with all they have, and doing so well enough to deny us any clear chances. A wide attempt from afar by Miranda breaks the deadlock in the 35th, and four minutes later Hadzic almost scores in a corner kick, but Hadjam is well positioned to clear the ball before it crosses the line. In the 40th, finally, we break through with Miranda dropping towards the right wing and crossing towards the far post so Marcos Paulo, finally, can head it into the net almost unopposed.
But of course, this game can't go well for us without the other shoe dropping instantly: one minute later Brunnemann crosses into the box from the left, Casas intercepts, but his header only goes as far as Ngankam, who hits an unstoppable volley from just inside the box to make it a draw once again. The first half is still not over, though: injury time comes and a foul on Özcan turns into a dangerous free kick that Miranda sends straight into the top right corner, restoring our lead just before half time.
HALF TIME - 1-2
The second half starts in style: Miranda sends a pass into space so Sapmaz can run into it and unleash one of those shots he produces every blue moon that hits the underside of the bar and goes in, the winger's first goal in almost a full calendar year. Not much later Özcan, still reeling somewhat from that foul that led to the 1-2, goes to rest and is replaced by Rijkhoff. Meanwhile Mambimbi tries to get Paderborn back into the game with a wide shot from distance, only for Sapmaz and Miranda to combine once again in a quick break down the right flank that the midfielder finalizes with a badly high finish.
Paderborn keep trying, and in the 56th Casas blocks Mustapha for the third time today, only for the rebound falling to Mambimbi, who shoots as badly as he can. Rijkhoff also finds Winiarczyk on the way of his shot one minute later, while Gannah misses the target by inches in a daring 20-yarder that almost surprises Kretzschmar. Manu Sánchez and Ulrich some into the game then, while the excellent Miranda gets a very deserved rest, and we proceed to put the game to sleep for a while.
Time passes without any threats to our lead until Mambimbi tries a weak header in the 81st minute that Kretzschmar saves with ease. Any hopes of a comeback Paderborn could've held disappear when Hadjam sees his second yellow of the day after an unnecessary foul on Sapmaz and gets to enjoy the showers all by himself for a short while. We profit from our superiority immediately, and a passing play down the right wing ends with Gerometta passing into the box towards Ulrich, who takes his time to place his shot far from Zingerle's reach and scores the 1-4. Thiago almost gets a fifth with a direct free kick that the keeper barely keeps away from the net, then a wide finish by Karlsen already in injury time marks the end of another good win for us.
* * *
SC Paderborn 07 1 (Jessic Ngankam 41)
TSV 1860 München 4 (Marcos Paulo 40, Matías Miranda 45+2, Can Sapmaz 49, Laurin Ulrich 86)- - -
That was good. If all our away games against bottom half teams go like this we might be in for a very successful season. I like how many chances and goals we're generating so far, a couple tweaks in the tactic seem to be working just fine. Great performance by Miranda today, one goal and two assists, and a goal by Marcos Paulo! What's not to like?
0 -
Aug 10th 2027
Unrelated to his minor injury during the cup game, but Casas is out of our Bundesliga debut with a bruised thigh sustained in traning. He should be fine for the second game, though.
Aug 11th 2027
Another youngster with no future here leaves for greener pastures: Andy Anheier, 20yo goalkeeper, departs for Paderborn for a small fee of €350k, plus €36k after ten appearances and a 40% of future profits. He technically was our third keeper, so he will need replacing for the Europa League squad, I guess. Let's see if there are any young German or Germany-trained keepers out there with decent potential and that don't cost too much...
Aug 14th 2027
We found one, and he's free. Well, sort of... Braunschweig's 20yo Armenian keeper Harutyun Aghajanyan joins on loan until the end of the season. Yes, I loaned a backup keeper from a 3.Liga squad, why do you ask? Heh. But really, the market for available keepers is well beyond our very limited funds, so this is the best we could do right now. He at least has some promise and should make a decent backup-of-backups keeper for emergencies, and since his contract with Braunschweig ends next June we can even sign him for free if we like what we see this year. We're paying his wages in full, sure, but they're so small they're almost unnoticeable.
Loan in, loan out: 20yo defensive midfielder Riza Gundak moves once again to the Turkish 2.Lig to play for Çörum F.K. until the end of the season. Like most of our youngsters, his long-term chances in 1860 are close to nil, but we'll be keeping an eye on him for any surprising developments.
The draw for the DFB Pokal second round happens just before our league debut, and oh my god it gets worse than last year: Leverkusen away! And there's a Bayern-Dortmund tie in this same round! Madness!
* * *
TSV 1860 München vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf (Bundesliga, 1/34)
And back into the fun stuff. Fortuna have been bordering the abyss for a while now, although always saving themselves well before the end of the season, so in a way they're relegation candidates but at the same time they aren't? Regardless, they're expected thereabouts once again, so this should be a good chance to get off to a good start.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Kevin Lomónaco (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Florent Da Silva (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
DÜSSELDORF (4-4-2): Florian Kastenmeier (GK); Benjamin Henrichs (DR), Christoph Klarer (DCr), Matthias Ginter (DCl), Benno Schmitz (DL); Kevin Munz (MR), Ilay Elmkies (MCr), Dennis Geiger (MCl), Ben Bobzien (ML); Rafael Santos Borré (STr), Elias Havel (STl)* * *
Düsseldorf retain the same core from last year with the exception of Gonçalo Ramos, who left for Porto at the end of the January window. We rotate most of our squad from the cup game and try to dominate from the start, but instead get an early scare when Havel gets to a goal kick ahead of Lang and almost beats Kretzschmar in the first minute of the game, although thankfully the keeper manages to stop his finish. Miranda answers with a direct free kick that Kastenmeier flies to tip wide, then Klarer has to perform some heroics to block a shot by Caraballo with Kastenmeier on the ground after a failed attempt at punching a cross away.
Our good-looking start gets its reward nine minutes in: vertical pass by Da Silva into the heart of the box and Caraballo doesn't hesitate to shoot first time and put it past Kastenmeier to grab his first for 1860. That's already an improvement on Marcos Paulo, I'd say... Five minutes later Rijkhoff shoots inside the box after a low cross by Maldini, the ball hits Klarer, and the bounce almost gives Kastenmeier another scare before going an inch or two over the bar. Seventeen minutes in Maldini is getting ready to head into the net a perfect cross by Sánchez, but Henrichs shoves him into the ground: stonewall penalty, and goal for Da Silva from the spot.
Fortuna have barely started playing and they're already two behind, so they have no option but to try and push a bit farther forward. They only manage to keep us away from their goal for a while, though, and we still return to it past the half hour with a double chance for Rijkhoff and Vuskovic, both shots repelled by the keeper. Fortuna only get near our goal in the 43rd in a corner kick, but that's enough: Geiger whips it in and Ginter gets to it first to head it into the back of the net. A result much closer than the game has been so far.
HALF TIME - 2-1
The break gives us the chance to clear our heads and get back to it refreshed and ready for more goals, and Caraballo soon shows our intentions with a shot that hits a defender and bubbles harmlessly into Kastenmeier's hands. But five minutes in disaster strikes when Baldé misses a header and allows Bobzien an easy cross into the box, where our old nemesis Borré is ready to tap it in and draw the game. Back to the drawing board it is.
Ten minutes pass without any changes, so we make our own: Özcan replaces Rijkhoff and Svensson takes Sánchez's place. Eight minutes later it comes to fruition: Özcan sends a beautiful pass into space for Miranda, the Argentinian shoots into Kastenmeier's body, but Maldini picks up the rebound and scores the 3-2 unopposed. Karlsen for Miranda is our final substitution, and in the 75th minute Maldini takes a corner kick towards the far post and Özcan makes great use of his height to head the ball into the net, once again putting us two goals ahead.
Özcan is having a ball since he came in, playing as the axis around which our attack rotates. He shows his skill with a great ball towards Karlsen, who however can't finish the job and ends shooting into the keeper's hands under heavy pressure from the defense. The young Norwegian then passes towards Caraballo so he can try his luck from the edge of the box, sending the ball well over but with good power. Vuskovic also knows how to send good passes ahead, as he shows five minutes before full time with a ball that Maldini can't put past Kastenmeier. That's our last chance, and Fortuna don't get another, unable to recover for the second time today.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 4 (Rodrigo Caraballo 9, Florent Da Silva 18p, Daniel Maldini 68, Vedat Özcan 75)
Fortuna Düsseldorf 2 (Matthias Ginter 43, Rafael Santos Borré 50)- - -
Well, that was a rollercoaster of emotions. We looked unbeatable for fifteen minutes, then our defense looked frail as a kitten for ten, then we went back to domination and great attacking play and finally got the win we deserved. Growing pains that come from so many changes in the squad, I guess, we'll go back to last year's rock-solid defense eventually. For now, let's enjoy the goal bonanza, knowing our forwards I'm sure it won't last. Özcan had a fantastic game off the bench today, incidentally.
0 -
Aug 1st 2027
Another youngster, Omari Forson, returns to England to join Rotherham in a permanent transfer worth €55k, plus €8.5k after 20 league apperances and a 30% of future profits. Honestly, I expected better from this kid, but just like Franzke his potential never stopped plumetting since his arrival. The only worthwhile part of the transfer fee received is the percentage on future sales, and even that is unlikely to produce any tangible benefits. Oh well, can't win 'em all.
Aug 2nd 2027
And here's our new defensive midfielder, coming on another big money transfer of €11M all the way from Brazil: 20yo Thiago joins from Internacional like his former colleague Jô, although in this case we had to pay his release clause in full. Worth it, though, because Thiago is a fantastic little player with great technique for a defensive-minded player, extremely strong mentally and with notable leadership qualities, and also quick and strong. More attacking-minded than Vuskovic, he can also play in a more advanced position but will be used mainly as a rotation option for the Croatian starlet, which will help him fulfill his great potential. Wouldn't surprise me one bit to see him in the Brazil U21 side soon, he's already been capped at U20 level. His €25k weekly wages are pretty reasonable, as is his €18M release clause for clubs in the Champions League, which we'll do our best to make irrelevant at the end of this season.
Thiago's purchase kills our budget for good, so let's hope there are no more undesired sales, because replacing any of our current players will be a challenge and a half...
Aug 4th 2027
One of the few youngsters in the squad who's on the rise, 19yo forward Harald Schwabl, secures a loan to 2.Bundesliga side Münster, just promoted from the 3.Liga through the playoffs. He'll be an important player for them, which should help him develop nicely.
Aug 6th 2027
Manu Sánchez can't stop attracting offers. First it was PSV, then Feyenoord joined in, and now Hoffenheim are trying to convince me to part with him for a mere two million euros. Granted, his market value isn't that high for some reason, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna lose a player for peanuts, not at this stage.
Aug 8th 2027
SC Wiedenbrück vs. TSV 1860 München (DFB Pokal, 1st round)
And the season starts with the already traditional visit to a lower division club like Wiedenbrück. Last year we had more trouble than expected to get through this first round, though, so I'll be expecting more focus and better finishing this time around, Rung is not around anymore to save our necks. Still, a perfect chance to give our newbies and first-team youngsters a full game to see how they fare.
* * *
WIEDENBRÜCK (4-2-3-1): Jasin Jashari (GK); Pascal Itter (DR), Abdul-Wahid Bancé (DCr), David Hüsing (DCl), Hendrik Lohmar (DL); Lukas Demming (MCr), Bjarne Pudel (MCl); David Sauerland (AMR), Jan-Lukas Liehr (AMC), Benedikt Zahn (AML); Fabian Brosowski (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Arnau Casas (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DM), Laurin Ulrich (MCr), Martin Karlsen (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Rodrigo Caraballo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)* * *
Bayern beat their first round opposition 0-11 yesterday, so I half-jokingly tell the lads that we have to do at least one better. They seem to take it seriously, and seven minutes in Hadzic almost gets our first in a corner kick, but is denied by a great dive by Jashari. We soon start living in Wiedenbrück's half, probing their supposedly weak defense for gaps, but our shots end up either blocked by a defender or stopped by the keeper, like Özcan's floating header in the 17th after a cross by Baldé. A similar play ends in the exact same way a few minutes later, as we forget about breaking goalscoring records and settle in for a long siege.
Caraballo is the next to try his luck, also with a header to a cross from the right, and also well held by the keeper, who seems to be nursing a minor knock but is hanging in there so far. On the topic of knocks, Sapmaz also gets a bit knackered towards the end of the half, but it doesn't look too serious. In fact it's him who has our final chance of the half, finishing a cross by Ulrich with a low effort that Jashari, once again, deflects wide for a corner kick. Halfway through the game already, and still no goals.
HALF TIME - 0-0
Eight minutes into the second half we finally get our break, although in the saddest of ways: a set piece whipped into the box by Thiago ends with Ulrich falling to the ground after a push, and it's a clear penalty that our other young midfielder, Karlsen, turns into the 0-1. After that Maldini comes in to give Sapmaz some rest and recovery from his bruise and we keep going for more, although there aren't any more good chances before Gerometta and Da Silva also enter the game.
A header by Maldini after a cross by Karlsen is our next try, but as always Jashari is there to save. The two players trade roles next, with Maldini passing into the box for Karlsen, who shoots well over the bar. Another minor injury, this one to Casas, gives us something else to worry about beside the very short result, even more now that the home team was starting to believe they had a chance at a historic upset. Casas himself is well enough to try a shot from the edge of the box that goes narrowly wide, and Thiago then gets closer with another attempt from afar, this one straight into the keeper's hands.
Five minutes before the end, finally, Maldini and Karlsen trade passes down the right flank until the midfielder places a beautiful curler past Jashari to score the 0-2 and seal the deal. One minute later the midfielder returns the favor and assists Maldini with a subtle touch into space so the Italian can score the 0-3 unopposed, and that's all she wrote. Not the easiest of first round ties, that's for sure.
* * *
SC Wiedenbrück 0
TSV 1860 München 3 (Martin Karlsen 53p 85, Daniel Maldini 86)- - -
What did I say about bad finishing? Sigh... To be fair, even though we had many shots at goal, most of them weren't exactly clear-cut chances, but still. Good thing Karlsen woke us up in the second half, although we needed a penalty kick to really get going, which is sad all things considered. The debutants had pretty good-looking shows, except for a very irrelevant Özcan.
0 -
Jul 10th 2027
Fifth and final signing of the preseason (I hope) is here: Arnau Casas, Spanish 23yo center-back, joins from Brondby in exchange for €2.1M upfront, €20k for each of his first ten league appearances, and a 20% of future profits. A former Barcelona prospect who didn't make the jump into the first team and had to migrate to Denmark, he comes from an extremely solid season in Brondby to become our new ball-playing defender alongside Lomónaco, and in his place once Stjepanovic recovers from his injury. Very similar to both of them in style, he slots right in the middle in quality and still has potential for improvement given his age. His contract is five years long at €19.75k per week, very reasonable, and comes with an also very reasonable €7.5M release clause for Champions League teams.
* * *
FC Hansa Rostock vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)
Casas comes just in time for our first friendly of the preseason, our traditional short trip to Rostock to play with our 3.Liga affiliates. Rodríguez, Caraballo, and Casas get their first minutes with the team in the first half, although the first goal comes from two veterans: Miranda taking a corner kick and Lang heading it in. Miranda repeats in the assists department a while later with a pass from deep towards Maldini, who scores the second with ease, then makes it an assist hattrick with another set piece that ends with Lang scoring his second. The second half bring Özcan's debut with it, and a penalty on Sapmaz only three minutes in allows Da Silva to score the fourth from the spot. We take it easy for the rest of the game, maybe a bit too easy, and the result stays unchanged until the end.
FC Hansa Rostock 0
TSV 1860 München 4 (Niklas Lang 5 45+1, Daniel Maldini 23, Florent Da Silva 48p)Jul 11th 2027
Youngsters keep leaving on loan, and the next one to try luck outside Munich is defensive midfielder Ramazan Ergül, who moves to Magdeburg in the 3.Liga. Twenty-one already, this might be his final chance to make a real impression.
Jul 12th 2027
Nürnberg come back with a €4.1M offer for Marcos Paulo, and now they're actually offering more than his market value. It's still dangerous to be left with only one option there until we find a cheap replacement (or a loan, that works too), but... We negotiate the offer up to €5M, they accept, and now it's up to the player.
Jul 15th 2027
Marcos Paulo says no to Nürnberg in the end. Not particularly fussed about this, honestly, saves me the trouble of finding a replacement with very limited funds.
Jul 16th 2027
FC Rotenburg vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)
Back to Austria for our training camp, our first friendly there is against semi-pros Rotenburg. Rijkhoff opens up the score with a perfect header to a cross by Baldé, but our following chances don't translate into more goals, and an injury to Rodríguez with a bit over thirty minutes played disrupts our plans somewhat. Lomónaco finally scores the second already in the second half, profiting from a nod by Özcan in a corner kick, and ten minutes before the end a penalty on Ulrich turns into the 0-3, once again transformed by Da Silva, but it's still a short result given the chances we had.
FC Rotenburg 0
TSV 1860 München 3 (Julian Rijkhoff 13, Kevin Lomónaco 64, Florent Da Silva 81p)- - -
The price we pay for this friendly win is big, though: Jair Rodríguez sprains his knee ligaments and will miss six to seven weeks of training, or all the preseason and then some. That's a huge setback for our new midfielder.
Jul 18th 2027
More offers that make me think: Espanyol want to buy Urko and propose a deal worth €6.25M. This is still a bit short of our valuation, so I'm going to reject it, but if they come back with an improved offer it'll be a difficult decision. Urko played quite well last season, but he's not a starter and could probably be replaced with a younger and possibly better option if we get enough for him. We'll see.
Another loan out, this time for striker Carl Brünner, who joins Memmingen, another 3.Liga side. Very much a fringe prospect with a 2.Bundesliga maximum ceiling at this point, he's also on a contract year, so there's a chance he will leave on a free come summer.
Jul 19th 2027
DSG Vienna Falcons F.C. vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)
Our next opposition during our training camp is an amateur side from the Austrian capital which shouldn't give us much trouble. Özcan starts today, and his is the last pass towards Caraballo before the winger curls a beauty into the top corner to open the scoreboard just two minutes in. The Venezuelan youngster then assists Miranda for an easy finish inside the box only four minutes later, then Maldini makes it three in the eighth minute after a good pass by Casas. Miranda scores his second then with another easy finish, and we look like scoring every time we catch sight of Falcons' box, with Svensson joining the party for the fifth goal in just fifteen minutes. Özcan grabs the sixth in a corner kick, and then we finally calm down a bit, letting the locals breathe for a while until Lang scores the seventh in another corner kick in the 28th minute, three minutes before Özcan scores again, this time with a flat shot from outside the box. Maldini still has time to score another before the first half ends with a well-placed header, then the obvious and inevitable complacency and relaxation settles in once the second unit comes into the game. Not that it stops us, though: Marcos Paulo heads into the net a cross by Sapmaz only five minutes into the second half, then Rijkhoff does the same three minutes later. That's eleven if you've lost count, and afterwards Rijkhoff scores two more for a quick hattrick, then assists Da Silva for the fourteenth. Sapmaz twice, Marcos Paulo thrice, and Rijkhoff once again complete an absolutely ridiculous final score.
DSG Vienna Falcons F.C. 0
TSV 1860 München 20 (Rodrigo Caraballo 2, Matías Miranda 6 14, Daniel Maldini 8 41, Daniel Svensson 15, Vedat Özcan 17 31, Niklas Lang 28, Marcos Paulo 50 79 81 82, Julian Rijkhoff 53 54 56 90, Florent Da Silva 66, Can Sapmaz 73 90+1)Jul 20th 2027
Many teams trying lowball offers for some of our young players, like Bourrier and Van Santen. So far none of them have got anywhere near the expected value of the players, but it's likely some of them will eventually get there.
Jul 22nd 2027
Yep, here we go... Freiburg offer, after some negotiating, €2.3M plus 40% of future profits for Bourrier. Not a bad profit for a player who came on a free just one year ago, and if he really develops into a Bundesliga caliber player there's more to come to us in the future. He has no space in the team for the playing time he needs right now, and loaning him is just stalling at this point. Accepted.
And Espanyol return with an improved €7.5M offer for Urko. Just like with Marcos Paulo, this is just enough to get me to negotiate, and after a brief back-and-forth we settle on €8.25M, €6.5M upfront and the rest in two installments. Unlike Marcos Paulo, though, Urko is willing to return to Spain, so it's time to start looking for a replacement. Ideally someone trained in Germany, we really could do with a few more homegrown first team players right now...
* * *
SV Donau vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)
Third and last friendly in Austria, and a small step up from last fixture with Donau, another semi-pro side. We still need only three minutes to score our first of the afternoon, courtesy of Özcan after a good assist from Maldini. The winger then provokes a penalty for Miranda to take and turn into the 0-2, then the midfielder scores from open play following a very nice through ball from Caraballo. Things are already shaping up for another rout, and Maldini piles on another profiting from Ulrich's assist, with the fifth falling to Özcan in the 17th minute after a small mess inside Donau's small box. This time we take a longer breather, though, although Miranda gets close to a hattrick a couple of times before the first half ends. The second half starts with Marcos Paulo blasting another one in with some help from Sánchez, but after that we really take the foot off the gas until Rijkhoff buries a corner kick to make it seven with under fifteen minutes left. The striker scores the eighth in injury time after a cross by Gerometta and signals the end of our stay in Austria in style.
SV Donau 0
TSV 1860 München 8 (Vedat Özcan 3 17, Matías Miranda 9p 14, Daniel Maldini 15, Marcos Paulo 48, Julian Rijkhoff 78 90+1)Jul 23rd 2027
Wolfsburg join the Bourrier hunt with an even better offer: €3M and 40% of future profits. Player's choice now.
Jul 25th 2027
Franzke leaves for his third loan in a row, this time in the 2.Bundesliga with Aue. Hopefully it'll go better than last year with Wiesbaden, they finished dead last and Franzke's performances were bad even for such a team's standards. His perceived potential has been dropping like a rock in these last couple of years, and from being a sure bet for the future he's now the *fourth* best young midfielder in our ranks, and unlikely to ever have a real shot at the first team with us. A shame, those two long injuries really hurt his development.
The first round of the DFB Pokal is drawn today, and pairs us against SC Weidenbrück, from the fifth tier Hessenliga. Should be easy.
Jul 26th 2027
Just after returning from Austria Urko rides another flight to Barcelona to join Espanyol. We get €8.25M for him, of which €1.22M go to Real Sociedad and €825k to the player himself, and €4.2M enter our transfer budget. This means we have around €5M to spend on a replacement now, plus whatever we might get from other minor sales like Bourrier. Let's see what we can find...
Meanwhile, we secure a signing for the winter window: 19yo Brazilian midfielder Jô will join on a free from Internacional. An attacking midfielder with great passing and technique but still very rough around the edges, he's a bet for the future that might turn out good or not, but won't cost us a dime other than his €5k weekly wages. He has three years to develop and turn into the Bundesliga-level player he's expected to become.
Jul 27th 2027
SV Waldhof Mannheim 07 vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)
Back in Germany, we go down memory lane to visit Mannheim, former rivals in our 3.Liga years and who haven't seen the division since a year after our promotion, but for the completely opposite reason. At the very least they put up more of a fight than the previous Austrian teams we faced, and it takes us all the way until the 32nd minute to score the first thanks to Caraballo's low cross and Özcan's subtle finish. Maldini then hits the post twice in under two minutes as we look for a second, but it's not until well into the second half that Da Silva finds Rijkhoff with a pass from deep so the striker can finally double our lead. We have chances for more, but our finishing isn't quite working today, so we have to do with a short win for a change.
SV Waldhof Mannheim 07 0
TSV 1860 München 2 (Vedat Özcan 32, Julian Rijkhoff 58)Jul 30th 2027
Bourrier finally accepts Wolfsburg's offer, which means €3M enter our coffers and we'll get 40% of any future profits for a player that we barely ever saw in Grünwalder Strasse. Not bad. The extra money is more than welcome for our hunt of Urko's replacement.
Jul 31st 2027
TSV 1860 München vs. Cádiz C.F. (Friendly)
For our last friendly of the preseason we decide to challenge ourselves a little, bringing last season's Copa del Rey finalists and tenth-placed in LaLiga Cádiz to Munich. It should be a major step up from our previous matches but no matter, Miranda still scores the opener only five minutes after a nod by Maldini. We keep the pressure up afterwards, scoring two offside goals but no legal ones before the first half ends. The second half is more of the same, including yet another offside goal, yet the score doesn't change at all before the game ends. I really hope we'll have better finishing when the cup comes...
TSV 1860 München 1 (Matías Miranda 5)
Cádiz C.F. 00 -
Jun 6th 2027
Time for taxes, which amount to €5.25M after €35M profits during the last fiscal year. Not bad at all.
More expenses, although this time with something tangible in return, even if it's a something we already had: Julian Rijkhoff signs a permanent deal with us after negotiating a deal worth €10.5M plus €1.5M after scoring 10 league goals and a 30% of future profits. Immediately cheaper than the €16.5M clause we had agreed during his loan, but with the potential of more benefits for Dortmund in the future. We know who Rijkhoff is, and we know he can get even better than he already is. Signing one of Europe's top young strikers for this cheap after already enjoying him for two years is fantastic, and now it's just a matter of seeing if he can turn it up a notch further and become a bona fide star. This leaves us with only €7M in the budget and we still need to sign at least another striker, but we have wage space we can divert to transfers in case of need.
Jun 9th 2027
We're not the only ones wanting to make deals this summer, though: PSV come in with a €1.5M for Manu Sánchez, obviously not enough to even consider parting with him. Fortuna Düsseldorf are also rumored to be interested in Hadzic, another player who'd take a big, big bid for us to sell.
Jun 12th 2027
The U21 Euros start for Vuskovic with a 3-1 defeat against Belgium, in which he played the whole game but contributed little. Rijkhoff has it even worse, losing 4-1 against Norway with the Netherlands and even picking up a pulled groin that'll keep him out of contention for a few days. Sapmaz, on the other hand, had a pretty solid game off the bench with Turkey in a 1-1 draw against Serbia.
Jun 15th 2027
Better luck for Vuskovic in his second fixture, coming off the bench and looking good in a 2-1 win over England. Sapmaz also did well as a starter in a 2-0 against Sweden. Meanwhile, Svensson played well with the senior side of Sweden in a 1-0 win over Moldavia.
Jun 18th 2027
Croatia end their participation in the U21 Euros with a 0-0 draw against Germany, in which Vuskovic played forty-five minutes at a pretty average level. Rijkhoff returns to play the whole game in a 5-1 demolition of Slovakia, but the Netherlands also fall at the first hurdle. Turkey, on the other hand, qualify after a 0-0 draw with France with Sapmaz looking pretty mediocre and being substituted at half time.
Jun 19th 2027
HSV steal the biggest overachievers "award" from us, deservedly so, as the new season rolls into view already.
Jun 20th 2027
Time for new season expectations, and following the five-year plan we agreed to a while ago the goals will be a safe mid-table finish, reaching the group stage in the Europa League (already done), and the usual third round presence in the DFB Pokal. Nothing too fancy, we should be able to do this at a canter. A shame that we don't get the option to promise loftier goals, though, I could do with a few extra million...
We'll have a pretty affordable start in the Bundesliga's fixture list for once, first at home against Fortuna and then travelling to Paderborn, although then it'll take a turn for the difficult with another away game in Mönchengladbach. The final fixture will be another doozy with Leipzig visiting Grünwalder Strasse, while Bayern will come to visit us on the tenth date.
Jun 22nd 2027
Turkey is the protagonist of today's news, particularly their youth. Sapmaz's companions manage a great 1-0 win over Germany to advance to the semifinals in the European Championship, with the winger playing most of the game to a decent but not particularly brilliant level.
That's not the only reason, though: our new striker is here in the shape of 20yo Vedat Özcan, a wonderkid under contract with Inter and who comes to Munich on loan until the end of the season, for which we'll be paying his whole €17.5k weekly wages plus a monthly contribution of €175k, and we also have agreed a €32M optional future fee in case we want to make the move permanent. Which we might if we happen to have the money come next June, because the kid means business: already six times senior international with Turkey, he's scored eight goals in those six appearances, and looks set to be one of the best forwards in European football in the near future. Quick, tall, and technical, he's the whole package of what a complete forward should be. He'll become our second striker and will rotate with Rijkhoff as our starter.
Jun 25th 2027
Sapmaz's and Turkey's adventure in the U21 Euros ends in the semis with a 0-1 defeat against France. The winger had some minutes off the bench but was largely irrelevant.
Jun 27th 2027
With the usual anual turnover in our staff we take the chance to add another legendary name to the team: Jordi Cruijff joins 1860 as a recruitment analyst.
Jul 1st 2027
Transfer window opens, players leave, players arrive, loanees return, and the party gets started once again: Nürnberg make a €3.1M offer for Marcos Paulo. The player isn't particularly interested so we're free to refuse, but honestly, I'm very tempted to negotiate and try and find someone better. In the end the realization that we probably can't find anyone good enough for that amount makes me say no, but it was close. Heidenheim also try to buy Hadzic for around €3M, but that one's much easier to say no to.
Jul 6th 2027
Surprisingly quiet window so far, although to be fair we already made most of our business before it opened. Our first youngster departs on loan today, with Ante Crnac moving to Slaven Belupo. Not expecting much from him at this point.
Jul 9th 2027
We also add a youngster to our (as of late) dwindling list of up-and-comings by signing 18yo winger Holger Bock on a free transfer, following his release by Dortmund. A two-footed left winger who can also do a good job in midfield, he comes as one of our usual bets and is likely to leave on loan soon.
0 -
@EvilDave: yeah, one more step left. Problem is, it's the most difficult step of them all. Not only we have to best Bayern, who at their worst have enough to wipe the floor with the whole league combined, but we also have to beat Leipzig and Dortmund with regularity if we're to have a chance, not to mention any outsiders that pop up out of nowhere like HSV this season. Might take a bit, but we'll get there.
* * *
END OF SEASON 2026/27 - PLAYER SUMMARY
GOALKEEPERS
Name Apps Conceded Clean Sheets PoM Av.Rat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Kretzschmar 34 33 14 1 7.16 Valentino Quintero 3 3 2 0 7.43Kretzschmar's best season since my arrival at Munich, and that's saying something. Third in clean sheets in the Bundesliga behind Ramsdale and Kobel, he was the cornerstone of a defense that wowed the league and finished as the third best behind obvious culprits Bayern and Dortmund. If he doesn't get a callup for Germany after this he never will, honestly, and it'd be a huge shame if that happened. Quintero on the other hand had some great performances in the DFB Pokal, given how we had to face some unexpectedly tough ties, but his run was cut short by Leipzig and he didn't have any chances in the league with Kretzschmar in the for of his life. He's on a contract year and already 24, and it's unlikely he'll ever be good enough to seriously challenge for the starting spot, so there's a decision to be made this summer.
DEFENDERS
Name Apps Goals Assists PoM Y.C R.C Av.Rat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Niklas Lang 24(1) 1 0 3 3 0 7.27 Mateja Stjepanovic 25(2) 0 0 1 3 0 7.18 Thierno Baldé 13(2) 0 1 1 3 0 7.16 Amer Hadzic 14(1) 0 0 1 0 0 7.04 Manu Sánchez 26(2) 1 4 3 3 0 7.02 Francisco Gerometta 13(5) 1 3 1 2 0 6.97 Daniel Svensson 8(1) 0 2 0 2 0 6.96 Kevin Lomónaco 11 0 0 0 1 0 6.93 Josha Vagnoman 12(3) 0 4 2 2 0 7.27 Tjark Rung 2(3) 1 0 1 0 0 7.02Our best line by a huge margin. When the worst of the bunch is Lomónaco with a 6.93 rating, you know our defense was rock solid this year. At the center the starting pair of Lang and Stjepanovic ruled with impunity, even though their fantastic performances also meant that playing Hadzic and Lomónaco became increasingly difficult, since it was hard to justify cutting their great form short. Stjepanovic's season-ending cruciate injury changed that, though, and Lomónaco did fine in the final fixtures as his replacement, although ironically Hadzic had it even harder from then on, since now removing Lang was almost unthinkable. The 24-year-old "veteran" completed a dream-like season, earning himself a new contract in the process and solidifying his claim as a future legend of the club.
The wings did very well, too, with Vagnoman in particular starting the season in the form of his life, racking assists and notable performances like there was no tomorrow. Turns out there was no tomorrow, and here came Leipzig to take him away from us, so we brought in Baldé and Svensson to replace him. Both did really well for their first few months at the club, with Svensson having an excellent start but dropping down a bit later due to injuries and a couple of stinkers, and Baldé starting slower but becoming a shoe-in starter as the season progressed. His arrival (and Vagnoman's departure) meant tough times for Gerometta, who despite having a very decent season saw himself in the fringes more often than not. Manu Sánchez didn't seem to care, though, and completed the most solid season of a left back in this club since Steinhart's first. Young Rung started really well with his cup heroics, but with Svensson's arrival and his unwillingness to sign a new contract he had to be transferred out to Wolfsburg, where he hasn't played since.
MIDFIELDERS
Name Apps Goals Assists PoM Y.C R.C Av.Rat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matías Miranda 29(4) 5 6 2 4 0 7.11 Darko Vuskovic 28(2) 0 0 0 11 0 7.04 Urko 11(5) 1 0 0 1 0 6.99 Martin Karlsen 2(9) 1 0 0 0 0 6.81 Laurin Ulrich 5(9) 0 1 0 0 0 6.79 Florent Da Silva 23(8) 2 3 0 2 0 6.78 Erik Majetschak 10(3) 2 1 0 0 0 6.91 Antonio Entrena 3(1) 1 0 0 0 0 7.20A very mixed line, in which Miranda and Vuskovic stand out as our best performers. The Argentinian was once again our best creative midfielder, although he didn't quite reach last year's levels of productivity, and was our most reliable source of danger throughout the season, while the young Croatian kept improving and becoming our most valuable (money-wise) player thanks to his rock-solid defensive work, although we missed his passes from deep a bit, and his discipline still leaves a bit to be desired. He was well complemented in defensive duties by Urko, who despite being a backup most of the year did really well with the chances he was graned, both in the anchor and further upfield, and improved by leaps and bounds on his hesitant form from last year.
After that, well, not much. The two kids did... fine. Karlsen did particularly well in the half-season he was with us, and the only reason he didn't rack at least a handful of assists is because our forwards were trash all year long, although he still has consistency issues. He's still eighteen, though, so there's time to improve. Ulrich stagnated a lot, though, showing no improvement from last year and even looking like a worse player when playing for higher stakes. Unlike his Norwegian partner, he's already twenty-two and his window for growth is quickly closing down. Another player in a contract year who might be offloaded for a decent profit so we can make space for other, better prospects.
Entrena was supposed to be our star youngster this season, but his untimely departure led us into a bit of a panic buy. Da Silva had a rough start, having serious difficulty finding his place in our midfield, but Majetschak's departure in the winter window after a pretty average first half of the season gave the Frenchman another chance with a more prominent role. He did better then, not exactly up to the standards we expect of our midfield but showing signs of progress. Whether that'll be enough to retain his place in the rotation next season is still to be seen.
ATTACKERS
Name Apps Goals Assists PoM Y.C R.C Av.Rat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel Maldini 22(3) 6 5 2 2 0 6.98 Can Sapmaz 15(11) 5 5 3 3 0 6.95 Julian Rijkhoff 25(8) 14 1 2 4 0 6.88 Nahuel Bustos 22(9) 8 1 1 2 0 6.78 Marcos Paulo 21(12) 1 6 1 2 0 6.74 Shiloh 't Zand 6(7) 1 0 0 2 0 6.52Our attack was pretty bad, all things considered, but some streaks of good form by individual players managed to save our season. Sapmaz started the year like he'd been touched by an angel, turning everything that went through him into gold and goals, and pretty much carried us through the early fixtures and put us in the perfect starting position to challenge for great things, like we did in the end. Then he just... vanished, completely. A badly timed injury didn't help, but even after getting long runs in the team afterwards he never looked like regaining his magic touch. That was when Maldini took over, and although never to the heights of those early Sapmaz performances, he was much more consistent throughout and provided enough goals and assists to keep us trudging along until a successful end. Funny how the player who didn't score for almost nine months turned out to be our best attacker in the end...
Our strikers had similar struggles, with very streaky performances by both Rijkhoff and Bustos, although both managed to drop in production from last season. Our bigger focus on defense probably didn't help them, but still. In the end Rijkhoff ended with an acceptable amount of goals, some of them in absolutely key moments, and has probably earned himself at the very least an attempt at purchasing him from Dortmund. Bustos, not so much. If nine goals weren't enough last year then eight sure aren't now, and his performances in general have looked even less consistent. For someone earning as much as he does this is not acceptable. He'll be transferred out in the next window.
The thing is, he was still not as bad as our left wingers. Marcos Paulo at least provided a good number of assists, tied with Miranda as our best provider, but he was absolutely hopeless when it came to scoring, and we need goals coming from that position if our strikers aren't having a good day. He might have another chance, but it will depend on what funds we have available and what our scouts find. 't Zand just has no excuse, his performances were bad enough to kick him out of the rotation entirely, and he'll most certainly be transferred out this summer. He's twenty-four already, so we can't wait for him to improve any longer.
* * *
May 16th 2027
Our fifth place comes with a prize attached, of course: a bit over 72 million euros. That's more than enough to clear all our stadium-related debts twice over and still have some leftovers, although we probably won't do that and instead keep the cash to deal with the more short-term expenses.
The board are, of course, absolutely delighted with the club's return to Europe after twenty-seven years, as are the fans. Lang sweeps the most important awards in the season review, becoming both the Fan's Player of the Season and the Young Player of the Season (yes, he's still 24). Baldé is lauded as the Signing of the Season, which is absolutely fair considering the competition.
The five-year-plan review sees few changes to our short-term goals, still wanting nothing more than avoiding a relegation battle and more than happy enough with our already guaranteed presence in the Europa League group stage. After that we're supposed to start working towards consistent top-half finishes. Honestly, I'd like a bit more ambition from the board, but the lack of pressure to keep achieving higher and loftier goals is also welcome. The players are on board with the plan, happy with aiming for mid-table in the league, but they want us to at least push to get out of our group in the Europa League. I like to see that.
With that, we go on break, to return on the 2nd of July. Some players might not make it that far, though...
One more piece of good news before going on holiday: the board set the initial budgets for the next season at €700k for weekly wages and €34.5M for transfers. I'm particularly happy to see the latter, since it means we can splash a bit of cash on very needed replacements while also retaining Rijkhoff. We'll be dipping our feet in the market in the coming weeks, that's for sure.
May 17th 2027
No need for a depth chart this year, I think. We know what we need to buy and what we need to get rid of. At the very least 't Zand and Bustos will leave for sure. There's the question on whether we want to sell Quintero and Ulrich, but I'm leaning towards keeping them for different reasons: the keeper would be hard to replace for what little we might receive for him, and the midfielder has the added bonus of fulfilling homegrown requirements for the Europa League registration. Lomónaco might also leave if we receive a good offer, but not before we find someone to replace him, since we're without Stjepanovic until the turn of the year or thereabouts. As for transfers in, easy: a new striker and a new inside forward/inverted winger to replace the two guaranteed sales, a new midfielder to fill the gap left by Majetschak back in January, and possibly a new ball-playing defender to replace Lomónaco with. Oh, and signing Rijkhoff to a permanent deal, ideally.
First of all we need to get rid of the dead weight, starting with Bustos and 't Zand. We get immediate offers for them, with Schalke wanting to buy the latter for €1.7M and RB Salzburg the former for €3.7M. Both offers are accepted.
The last Team of the Week of the season features Lomónaco, Baldé, and Miranda.
May 21st 2027
't Zand is the first to leave, joining Schalke in the 2.Bundesliga for €1.7M, half of it in installments. A young player with lots of promise three seasons ago, he never quite exploded the way we expected him to, but since he came on a free from Feyenoord everything we get for him is pure profit, so in the end it was a decent piece of business if nothing else. He'll be remembered for a handful of good performances, particularly last season, but as a could-have-been otherwise.
May 22nd 2027
And one day later we confirm his replacement, in what becomes the biggest transfer performed by 1860 to date: 19yo Venezuelan international Rodrigo Caraballo joins on a €12M transfer from Athlético Paranaense, no other clauses since our bid triggered his release clause for European clubs. Caraballo is a young star, already a sure starter at his former club despite his young age, and also a full international for Venezuela. He's a straight-up replacement for 't Zand in our left wing, providing fantastic pace and technique, plus a very determined personality which is sure to help him in his development. If anything he lacks a bit of finishing, but it can't be any worse than what we've "enjoyed" this season. He comes with €38.5k weekly wages on a four-year deal, a €24M release clause that expires in January 2030, and an option to extend his contract for one additional year should the club decide to.
Bayern give Gladbach and their own fans some good news with an almost effortless 4-0 thrashing of Wolfsburg in the DFB Pokal final. With this Leverkusen join us in the Europa League, and Gladbach slot into the Conference League, completing the European qualifiers for the Bundesliga.
May 24th 2027
Nürnberg survive the relegation playoff with a nailbiting 4-3 aggregate win over our rivals from Augsburg, who see their return to the Bundesliga delayed by another year. They almost came back from a 3-0 loss in the first leg, but a goal by Larthirigoyen in the 88th minute sealed Nürnberg's survival. So, only two teams will promote this year to replace Hoffenheim and Union Berlin, and both are quite surprising: Paderborn and Heidenheim. Schalke finished 12th, sinking a bit further with each passing year. At least it wasn't as bad as Fürth, who finished just one place above the relegation playoff...
May 25th 2027
Bustos' move to Salzburg is delayed due to work permit issues. If he fails to get it there are other options, since Besiktas seem to be interested in him, too.
Third place in the VDV Fussball-Trainer des Jahres award, aka Manager of the Year only more German-sounding. Leipzig's Manuel Baum got first place for failing once again at the last hurdle, and Hamburg's Frank Schmidt, in my books the most deserving winner, finished second.
May 26th 2027
Oh, that was fast. Bustos' permit is granted by the Austrian authorities and the Argentinian moves to RB Salzburg in exchange for €3.7M, half of it in installments once again, 10% of which go to the player due to a sell-on clause. Probably my biggest failure in the transfer market so far, and one of the few pieces of business in which we actually made a loss even without taking his way overinflated wages into account. Signed from Schalke for €5M as the team's star forward, he barely provided second fiddle numbers in his two years with us before our patience and our willingness to pay €42k a week to a rotation-level player ran out. A return of seventeen goals and four assists in two seasons is most certainly not worth the price. With this sale we recoup part of that fee and, more importantly, free up a huge space in our wage budget we can now use for better contracts and/or for additional transfer funds should we need them.
May 28th 2027
Svensson joins our early summer internationals after another call from Sweden.
May 29th 2027
Here's our second signing, who is not a direct replacement for Bustos, but another South American youngster with tons of upside and already good enough to start for us: 18yo Mexican attacking midfielder Jair Rodríguez joins from Pumas in exchange for €5.5M, an absolute bargain for a very technically gifted player who finished second in this year's NxGn award behind fellow Pumas winger Dante Garza. Lots of vision and flair, a mean long shot, and enough physical strength to perform at the Bundesliga level, he'll become Miranda's new de facto partner in crime and possibly the future leader of our midfield. Even better, he joins on a five-year contract worth only €14.5k per week, another bargain, and a release clause worth €68M that expires in two years. Fantastic signing.
Jun 2nd 2027
Vuskovic, Rijkhoff, and Sapmaz make the final squads of their nations for the U21 European Championship, to be held in two weeks.
* * *
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD
(Yes, I forgot to take a look halfway through the season, sorry about that)
- Premier League: that will be seven in a row for Manchester City, yes. If anything this year was one of the closest in recent memory, with Chelsea and Spurs pushing the champions all the way to the end and only losing out by three and four points. Newcastle completed a somewhat surprising top four, with Leicester performing another minor miracle and sneaking into fifth place ahead of Liverpool and Manchester United, the latter of which will have to do with the Conference League. Wolves finally relegated to the Championship after a couple seasons playing with fire, together with Reading and Sheffield United. The FA Cup went to Newcastle after a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in Wembley, while Man City took the Carabao Cup in an extra time win over surprising finalists Burnley.
- LaLiga: Real Madrid's three-year reign is over, and Barcelona are back at the top with a seven point lead over Los Blancos, led by a fantastic Pedri with fourteen assists. Villarreal almost got ahead of Real in the second place but fell two points short in the end, and Real Sociedad surpassed Athletic, Atlético, and Valencia to claim the last Champions League spot. No surprises at the bottom with Sporting, Las Palmas, and Rayo Vallecano relegating, while Real Madrid got the consolation prize of consecutive Copa del Rey wins in a close-fought final against Cádiz, another surprising cup finalist.
- Serie A: after two years failing to top the Milan duo Juventus are back, scoring 91 points to secure the title precisely ahead of the previous two champions, Milan and Inter. Roma finished well ahead of Napoli in fourth place, then Lazio completed the Europa League places and Udinese took the last European spot. Venezia, Parma, and Monza relegated to Serie B, while Napoli took the Coppa Italia on penalties, defeating Milan in the final.
- Ligue 1: no surprises nor changes in PSG's absolute domination in France, with the millionaires scoring their sixth title on the trot in Neymar's last year as a professional (?) footballer. Their new star duo of Musiala and Vinicius Jr. tore the league apart and put them seven points ahead of Monaco, still the best of the rest. Nice took the third and last Champions League place, Rennes and Lyon will be potential rivals for us in the Europa League, and OM finished sixth to qualify for the Conference League. Auxerre and Montpellier dropped down into the Ligue 2, Lens survived in a playoff against Angers, and Saint-Étienne surprised with a very solid eighth place in their return to the top division. The Coupe also went to Paris in an easy 2-0 win over Nice.
- Champions League: finally. PSG finally lifted the Champions League as a retirement gift for Neymar, with midfielder Vitinha scoring the only goal in a lucky win over Man City (two consecutive finals lost, by the way), who had more and better chances but failed to get the result they probably deserved, most likely because Haaland was unavailable due to a lower leg fracture he'd sustained one month earlier. Juventus and Dortmund were their victims in the semifinals.
- Europa League: in an all-English final of the second European competition, Arsenal managed to overcome Liverpool in extra time to win 3-2, lift the title, and qualify for next year's Champions League despite finishing twelfth in the Premier League. Striker Gabriel Martinelli scored a hattrick for the eventual winners, and the deciding goal three minutes into the second half of extra time. Leipzig and Atlético made it to the semifinals, and the Germans brought Liverpool all the way to the penalty shootout only to lose out in the end. Funny how that keeps happening...
- Conference League: Valencia surprised many with their 1-0 win in extra time over Spurs in the Conference League final, held in Amsterdam and decided by Maxi Gómez only five minutes before the end. Just like PSG in the Champions League, Valencia were extremely lucky to win a game in which they got a grand total of three shots on target for Tottenham's seven. Sassuolo were Valencia's victims in the semis, while Tottenham had to deal with the surprising Panathinaikos.
0 -
May 2nd 2027
For some reason Leipzig play one day later than the rest of the league, aaaand they throw the league away with a 1-1 draw against already relegated Union Berlin. Now they need Bayern to drop points in their last match against Hamburg, something that's very much a possibility given how well HSV have been playing lately, but still, it's Bayern.
May 12th 2027
Once the league is over there'll be a few international fixtures still to be played. Vuskovic, Sapmaz, and Rijkhoff will be travelling with their respective U21 squads.
May 15th 2027
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (5th) vs. TSV 1860 München (6th) (Bundesliga, 34/34)
It's time. Today only has three possible outcomes: either we win and we finish fifth, or we don't and we finish sixth as long as Gladbach don't win their game. If they do, we're seventh and we'll need to rely on Bayern winning the DFB Pokal to qualify for the Conference League. Simeone's Leverkusen come into this match from three consecutive draws, but are still a strong team that'll give us many headaches. Let's see if we're up to the task.
* * *
LEVERKUSEN (4-2-3-1 deep): Maarten Vandevoordt (GK); Jeremie Frimpong (DR), William Saliba (DCr), Jonathan Tah (DCl), Mitchel Bakker (DL); Adama Diallo (DMCr), Devyne Rensch (DMCl); Fábio Vieira (AMR), Florian Wirtz (AMC), Luis Sinisterra (AML), Marcos Leonardo (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Kevin Lomónaco (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Florent Da Silva (MCr), Urko (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
Simeone's got Leverkusen playing with a much deeper midfield and a more counterattacking style, reminiscent of his time in Atlético de Madrid. That works fine for us, though, as we struggle the most against teams that press us high. For us, Svensson returns to the lineup together with Miranda, and a rainy evening welcomes us to our most important fixture in a long, long time. Leverkusen start on the offensive, somewhat surprisingly given a draw is good enough for them and, well, Simeone, but we cope with their early attacks well and soon hit them back with a dangerous cross from Svensson towards Maldini, who tries to surprise Vandevoordt through the near post but finds the keeper ready for that.
Svensson isn't having any luck with injuries in his first few months with us, and now he suffers another minor knock after a clash with Vieira. He keeps playing for now, so he has a priviledged sight of our attack in the 18th minute that ends with Miranda assisting Rijkhoff on the run so the striker can hit it low and with power from the edge of the box, surprising Vandevoordt to score the 0-1. Leverkusen seem to take it hard, and only three minutes later a cross by Maldini towards Rijkhoff ends with the play stopped as Tah pushes the striker in the air when he was about to head the ball in. Penalty kick for Bustos, who buries it from the spot and doubles our lead.
The game is not over quite yet, though, and Saliba gives us a grim reminder with a header in a corner kick that misses the crossbar by a couple of inches. Svensson's injury worsens after a while, and Manu Sánchez replaces the Swede with a bit over thirty minutes gone. After that both teams split possession, but our defense holds strong against Leverkusen's few attacks except for a great ball from deep towards Marcos Leonardo which leaves him unmarked inside the box, but which Kretzschmar fixes going down on the pitch at the right moment to hold his finish. Injury time comes, and a steal by Miranda launches a quick attack that the Argentinian himself ends with a beautiful through ball to Rijkhoff, who calmly chips it over Vandevoordt to score the 0-3 just before the break. Looking good.
HALF TIME - 0-3
Leverkusen need goals fast, and it's only a few seconds of the second half before Vieira tries his luck with a left-footed finish that goes nowhere near the target. We calm things down quickly, though, keeping them away from our goal first, and then with a set piece Miranda takes in the 56th into the box so Bustos, who suddenly remembers how to score goals, can volley it into the post and in, scoring an outrageous 0-4. The home team keep trying through Vieira, this time with a soft header that Kretzschmar holds effortlessly, just before we bring Hadzic and Karlsen into the game so they too can enjoy this historic moment.
The home team seems to surrender then, apparently more worried about Gladbach's result (still 0-0 in Mainz) than about fixing their own mistakes. Lomónaco denies Marcos Leonardo in one of their very few approaches with a timely tackle inside the box, while we decide to play it easy and let the clock do the rest. Another block by Lomónaco prevents another finish by Marcos Leonardo already in the 90th minute, then the striker tries luck from distance but blasts it miles over. A bit later the referee signals the end, and we go collect our tickets for a trip across Europe come next season.
* * *
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0
TSV 1860 München 4 (Julian Rijkhoff 18 45+2, Nahuel Bustos 21p 55)- - -
Fifth! And what a way to achieve it, most likely our best performance of the season at the exactly right moment. Rijkhoff and Bustos were clinical in front of goal for a change, and the former might've earned a permanent stay with us with this. Bustos... We'll see. Regardless, a wonderful performance in both defense and attack despite Leverkusen having most of the ball and a decent number of chances themselves. Another achievement to add to the pile. Next up, winning an actual trophy! Maybe!
On the topic of trophies, Bayern didn't miss and put five past HSV to secure the Bundesliga title and restore normalcy after last year's oddity. Moukoko scored four of those five, by the way. Leipzig won by the exact same result against Wolfsburg but it didn't matter in the end. Leverkusen kept the sixth place in the end thanks to Gladbach being unable to score in Mainz, and both teams will have to see what Bayern does next weekend in the cup final to know their European destination. At the bottom, Nürnberg almost got themselves in serious trouble with a 0-2 defeat against Köln, but Hoffenheim couldn't score in Frankfurt and failed to capitalize, relegating to the 2.Bundesliga after an epic almost-comeback. Nürnberg will, of course, be in the playoffs.
***
| Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | Form | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | FC Bayern | 34 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 82 | 22 | 60 | 77 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | CL | RB Leipzig | 34 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 78 | 36 | 42 | 76 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | CL | Borussia Dortmund | 34 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 60 | 24 | 36 | 69 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | CL | Hamburg | 34 | 20 | 3 | 11 | 52 | 33 | 19 | 63 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | EL | 1860 München | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 48 | 33 | 15 | 59 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | ECL | Bayer Leverkusen | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 51 | 41 | 10 | 56 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Borussia M'gladbach | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 51 | 39 | 12 | 55 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Stuttgart | 34 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 48 | 49 | -1 | 54 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Köln | 34 | 15 | 6 | 13 | 52 | 41 | 11 | 51 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Freiburg | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 56 | 51 | 5 | 49 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Frankfurt | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 43 | 53 | -10 | 41 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Mainz | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 41 | 56 | -15 | 40 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Hertha BSC | 34 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 25 | 42 | -17 | 36 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Wolfsburg | 34 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 27 | 54 | -27 | 31 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 34 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 47 | 79 | -32 | 30 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | Pl | Nürnberg | 34 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 35 | 67 | -32 | 26 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | R | Hoffenheim | 34 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 38 | 63 | -25 | 24 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | R | Union Berlin | 34 | 1 | 10 | 23 | 27 | 78 | -51 | 13 | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|0 -
Apr 27th 2027
Maldini finds himself in the Team of the Week once again. Decent run of form for the winger in the second half of the season.
Apr 29th 2027
Injury for Ulrich, the classic among classics that is pulled ankle ligaments. He's out for the Münchner Derby for sure and in serious doubt for the trip to Leverkusen.
Our other young midfielder, Karlsen, also goes down with food poisoning. With some luck he'll be available against Bayern, otherwise our midfield suddenly looks extremely thin.
May 1st 2027
TSV 1860 München (5th) vs. FC Bayern München (2nd) (Bundesliga, 33/34)
Imagine beating Bayern, killing their title chances, and at the same time keeping our Champions League hopes alive in one swift go. Imagine... Looking back at reality, though, we know our chances are slim, but we'll still give it our best effort. We can afford to go all out today since there's a two-week break before the last fixture, so let's go a give them a scare.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Kevin Lomónaco (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Florent Da Silva (MCr), Urko (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
BAYERN (4-2-3-1): Aaron Ramsdale (GK); Joshua Kimmich (DR), Dayot Upamecano (DCr), Janderson (DCl), Alphonso Davies (DL); Sandro Tonali (MCr), Leon Goretzka (MCl); Youssoufa Moukoko (AMR), Kai Havertz (AMC), Serge Gnabry (AML); Robert Lewandowski (ST)* * *
Karlsen finally makes the bench today together with the recovered Svensson, but our lineup remains unchanged from last week except for Urko replacing Miranda to give our midfield a bit more muscle, and to protect the Argentinian from suspension. Bayern's lineup looks as scary as always, and as expected they don't pull any punches: nine minutes in Davies passes into the box for Gnabry, the winger turns and prolongs the cross past Kretzschmar and the defense, and new guy Moukoko appears to tap it over the line and score the 0-1. Must be nice.
It looks like we want to make things easier for them, too, as Baldé almost scores an own goal with a reckless backwards header that Kretzschmar has to scramble to stop from getting into the net, then Lomónaco and Vuskovic disturb each other when trying to get the ball out and gift it to Lewandowski, who shoots into another emergency save by the keeper. Bayern soon return the favor, though, when Rijkhoff gets in between Janderson and Upamecano and steals the ball, facing Ramsdale one-on-one but failing to turn it into a goal thanks to the keeper's good reaction. Gnabry responds with a direct free kick that goes very narrowly over, then Vuskovic smashes a shot from the edge of the box into Upamecano's back. The game is open and fun, but Bayern still look most likely to score again.
Things become a bit calmer afterwards, though, as Bayern turn their possession into control to avoid our random outbursts of attacking intention. Five minutes before halftime Bustos, who'd been struggling a bit since he twisted his knee in a tackle on the first minute, finally needs to come off and is replaced by Marcos Paulo. Bayern's best chance for a second comes in the 45th, when Gorezka heads a corner kick point-blank but Kretzschmar somehow manages to produce a miraculous hand to block it, then Baldé clears the ball from danger. The first half ends with Bayern dominating clearly, but with a very fixable score.
HALF TIME - 0-1
Lewandowski starts the second half heading a cross by Davies into Kretzschmar's hands, a warning of what's very likely to come. The keeper soon has more work to do, tipping a powerful effort by Tonali over the bar in the 54th minute, then Lewandowski sends wide a great chance on the break in which he somehow manages to outspeed both of our center-backs despite his age. It's about time for us to go for broke, and youngsters Sapmaz and Karlsen enter the fray replacing a very invisible Maldini and Urko, solid but not particularly involved.
A cross by Davies in the 63rd allows Lewandowski another chance to score his customary goal against us, but this time it's the post that gets in the way of the eternal Pole and we're safe for a bit longer. They're not as sharp going forward as before, though, and we take the chance to try and start being a bit more attacking ourselves. Time passes without any action on either goal until the 79th, when Gnabry gathers a great pass inside the box and dribbles past Kretzschmar's desperate rush, but runs out of space and ends up shooting into the post. Lewandowski wastes another chance with a high header in a corner kick, and we enter the final ten minutes with a chance of stealing something from this match.
We pour forward with all we have, which isn't much, but obviously that risks Bayern hitting us on the break. Werner has one of those in the 87th, but takes too long to finish the job and Lang gets there with a last-ditch tackle to keep us alive. Kretzschmar saves another finish by Lewandowski already in injury time, but we can't hit them back before time runs out on us. An expected defeat, but we're getting closer.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 0
FC Bayern München 1 (Yousouffa Moukoko 9)- - -
No surprises here, Bayern are still much better than us. Still, we defended really well today, Kretzschmar was his usual excellent self, and we made them sweat until the last second for a change. We only lacked some chances in the second half to really put the fear in their hearts, but we can't have it all, I guess.
Gladbach beat Hertha and Leverkusen steal a draw from Dortmund, who have completely imploded in these final few fixtures. Heck, Hamburg even have a chance of catching up to them in the third place after their 4-0 win over Eintracht! Won't be able to take it because there's a +12 goal differential in Dortmund's favor, not to mention HSV play in the Allianz with Bayern needing a win, but still. We drop down to 6th on goal difference and, with Gladbach now only two points behind us and Leverkusen, we'll need to win our last fixture to secure the Europa League for real. HSV have already secured the fourth place with their win, of course. At the bottom, Hoffenheim are somehow still holding on, and a draw against Freiburg puts them three points behind Nürnberg with favorable goal difference.
Bustos' injury is, as expected, a twisted knee. Thanks to the two week break we face now, he'll be ready to play in our final fixture.
0 -
Apr 21st 2027
Lang gets a very deserved new contract with a healthy raise in wages, up to €36k per week. He's been the leader of our defense through the divisions, and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future unless Hadzic explodes into the potential he's supposed to have. Lang's well on his way to become one of the brightest legends in 1860's long history, and he's still only 24!
Gerometta will be out for what remains of the season after sustaining knee tendinitis. Normally he'd miss four to five weeks, but there's only three of them left in the league, so it's curtains for him. Baldé will remain as our only right back for these final fixtures.
Bayern give their fans (and us, somewhat) a very nasty scare in the DFB Pokal semis, needing penalties to get past Hoffenheim. They'll face Wolfsburg in the final after they got rid of Nürnberg with much more ease, 3-1.
While we're here, let's take a look at how this season's final fixtures are shaping up for the teams we're fighting against.
Hamburg (57): Hoffenheim (H), Eintracht (H), Bayern (A) 1860 München (55): Eintracht (A), Bayern (H), Leverkusen (A) Leverkusen (54): Gladbach (H), Dortmund (A), 1860 München (H) Gladbach (50): Leverkusen (A), Hertha (H), Mainz (A)Of the four Gladbach have by far the easiest fixtures, but also the most ground to recover. They'll need to steal a win from Leverkusen next week if they're to progress any further, otherwise I think they're stuck in seventh place because either Leverkusen or us will get at least some points in what remains, given we play each other. We're the other team who plays away twice, which hurts, but Eintracht are relatively winnable and if we get that one then we know we're sixth at the very least. HSV are just behind us in the schedule so they get an easy win from Hoffenheim, a somewhat tricky game against Eintracht, and a nightmare trip to the Allianz to close it up, possibly with Bayern playing for the title. And Leverkusen have two direct duels (both at home, lucky bastards) and a trip to Dortmund. Wide open, but my prediction is that HSV and Gladbach won't change positions and we'll play against Leverkusen for the fifth place.
Apr 23rd 2027
No books for me on St. George's day, but I still got a nice gift: Gladbach and Leverkusen draw without goals, probably the best result we could've hoped for. Now Leverkusen have to travel to Dortmund before hosting us in the final fixture, and Gladbach remain four points behind us, meaning a win in two days guarantees the sixth place for us and puts us three points ahead of Leverkusen looking into that final game against them.
Apr 24th 2027
Hamburg do their job and score a 1-0 win against Hoffenheim, which guarantees European football for them next season and makes them almost a shoe-in for the fourth place. Stuttgart and Freiburg win and put some pressure on Gladbach's seventh place, and in today's title decider Bayern win against Dortmund with a single goal by, who else, Moukoko and kicks the current champion out of the Bundesliga race for good, leaving them six points behind with twenty goals less, and with Leipzig still to play.
Apr 25th 2027
Eintracht Frankfurt (11th) vs. TSV 1860 München (5th) (Bundesliga, 32/34)
Eintracht have been languishing in no man's land for almost the whole season, never making a push for the top half but also never in danger of falling into the relegation scuffle. They've only got a single win (and against Union, so it doesn't count) since January, too, so their form isn't exactly ideal, but last week they stole a draw and most of their title chances from Dortmund, so there's that. If we're to get a win in these final fixtures it'll be here, and I'd rather not have to rely on beating Leverkusen on the last game. Or Bayern next week, gods forbid.
* * *
EINTRACHT (4-2-3-1): Timo Horn (GK); Almamy Touré (DR), Marvin Friedrich (DCr), Jackson Porozo (DCl), Matthew Sorinola (DL); Lewis Cook (MCr), Djibril Sow (MCl); Datro Fofana (AMR), André Franco (AMC), Talles Magno (AML); Joe Gelhardt (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Kevin Lomónaco (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Florent Da Silva (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
Bustos starts on the left as our only change from last week, while we're forced to call up fringe youth prospect Jens Hagemann just to have someone capable of playing full back in the bench. Eintracht also look almost the same as the last time we met them, with the notable presence of loanee Talles Magno on their left wing, a player we've been following for a while. We start the game just like we finished the last one: through ball from Da Silva to Bustos, who tries to score a quick 0-1 but can't get past Horn. Rijkhoff comes next, shooting as he turns after controlling a pass from Miranda and finding Horn's fists in the way. It's still a very nice start, bottling Eintracht inside their own half and constantly threatening danger.
Another shot by Maldini finds its way into Horn's hands in the 16th minute, but by now the home team are starting to stretch themselves out a bit further, and soon Magno forces Kretzschmar into a good dive after gathering a through ball from Franco. Things calm down for a while until Vuskovic sends a great pass into space from deep and enables Maldini for another chance, once again parried by the keeper. Sow answers on the other goal, also gathering a pass from deep and also failing to get past Kretzschmar, who also deflects wide a weak but bouncy finish by Magno in the 32nd. The match looks very much up in the air at this point.
Kretzschmar goes on to save a header by Magno after a cross by Touré, then Lomónaco goes down to block a dangerous looking finish by Franco. Eintracht seem to be taking control in the final stretch, but thankfully we manage to hold on and retreat into the dressing room to regroup and rethink our strategy.
HALF TIME - 0-0
We get off to another good start after halftime, creating an early chance through the left with Bustos assisting and Manu Sánchez shooting into Fofana's legs. The same fate awaits a finish by Miranda in the 53rd, but this time Maldini is there to gather the rebound, look up, and assist Rijkhoff so the striker can score the 0-1, with some help from Sorinola's lack of attention. After the goal we take a step back while Eintracht fail to mount a quick comeback, and minutes pass with the keepers as mere spectators.
Maldini brings a certain degree of danger back into the game with a very badly taken direct free kick, both high and wide off the target. He soon leaves his place to Sapmaz to rest after a good job today, as does Bustos with Marcos Paulo. Both substitutes connect in the 66th with a cross by the Turk and a header by the Portuguese, easy for Horn. However, two minutes later Eintracht finally find a gap and substitute Basic assists Magno on the run, so the winger can beat Kretzschmar to the punch and score the 1-1.
Karlsen's turn comes then, replacing Da Silva, and the game enters a very volatile stage, with neither team capable of creating danger but both looking like they could find a way through at any point. A wide header by Magno in the 81st shows Eintracht still want more, as does Karlsen with a fantastic diagonal pass towards Sapmaz, who still hasn't remembered how to score goals and miskicks his finish straight into Horn's hands. The Norwegian then decides to do it himself, forcing the keeper into a much more difficult save on his near post, but time runs out on us before we can find a way to convert our chances into the lead we deserve. Only a draw, but it might be enough in the end.
* * *
Eintracht Frankfurt 1 (Talles Magno 68)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Julian Rijkhoff 53)- - -
Again with the finishing, sigh. Oh well, an away draw to Eintracht is never a bad thing, even if we probably deserved the win a bit more than them today. Karlsen is having very good performances in midfield off the bench as of late, looks like we made the right decision holding onto him. Meanwhile there's no trace of Sapmaz's early season magic anymore, the kid's back to his previous season's self for real now and that's not exactly promising for his future. We maintain our five-point lead over Gladbach and keep Leverkusen behind us by one, even though the fourth place would now require a win against Bayern next week... Oh well, an Europa League is fine, too.
Leipzig win easily against Köln and retain the top spot of the table, condeming Dortmund to the third place and setting up a repeat of the head-to-head duel against Bayern from two years ago. Should be fun, particularly considering Bayern have two potentially tricky fixtures against us and Hamburg, while Leipzig have an easy trip to Berlin to play Union, then host Wolfsburg for the closing game.
0 -
Apr 12th 2027
Oof, this one hurts, and not just me: Stjepanovic damages his cruciate ligaments in training and will be recovering for the next seven to nine months. Losing one of our key players at this stage of the season is painful, but knowing that we probably won't have him around and fit until 2028 is even worse. With Lomónaco as his natural replacement, we'll probably be forced to spend big this summer to find him a more reliable and high-quality backup. Silver lining is that at least there won't be anyone interested in signing him this coming transfer window, I guess...
Apr 13th 2027
Lang, Manu Sánchez, and Maldini all find their way into the Team of the Week.
Apr 15th 2027
More injuries, although this one isn't as serious, thankfully: Svensson will miss two to three weeks with a pulled hamstring. Given Manu Sánchez's recent form, this might not be too bad a thing.
Apr 17th 2027
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. Hamburger SV (5th) (Bundesliga, 31/34)
Absolute banger of a game, this one. As the other surprise package of the Bundesliga season, HSV have been keeping pace with us throughout the year and pushing us to the limit in order to keep our fourth place. Their win against Dortmund last week proves they're the real deal, and a win against them would go a long way towards securing our place in Europe next season.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Kevin Lomónaco (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Florent Da Silva (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
HSV (4-2-3-1): Yoshiaki Ichikawa (GK); Lukas Klostermann (DR), Joel Agyekum (DCr), Ron Schallenberg (DCl), Andrii Buleza (DL); Bledian Krasniqi (MCr), Ludovit Reis (MCl); Farine Alidou (AMR), Ömer Beyaz (AMC), Xavier Amaechi (AML); Kevin Schade (ST)* * *
Lomónaco starts in Stjepanovic's place, as he will most likely do for what remains of this season. Hamburg start the game pressing high and making trouble for us, but we still manage to create danger in a set piece that Lang heads towards goal but Ichikawa parries spectacularly. HSV's high press bears fruit in the 11th minute when Beyaz steals the ball from Vuskovic, but thankfully he rushes his finish too much and misses the target clearly. Then, in the 22nd minute, a cross from the left by Buleza reaches Alidou, who nods it forward so Schade can outrun and outjump Lang and easily head it into the net. Not the best of starts for sure.
It's time to react, and Da Silva provides Rijkhoff with the perfect chance for that with a beautiful through ball, but the striker tries to dribble his way through Ichikawa and finds himself losing the ball to the keeper. Not much later Schade returns the favor to Amaechi and sets him up for an easy finish that Kretzschmar touches barely enough to send it wide for a corner kick, which Alidou then heads into the sidenetting. Rijkhoff tries again from the edge of the box in the 35th, but once again finds the flying Japanese keeper tipping his shot wide.
Hamburg answer with another corner kick, this one headed into the upside of the crossbar by Schallenberg. Then, in the 41st, a quick passing play ends with Miranda assisting Maldini and the Italian scoring with his trademark placed finish towards the far post, but VAR disallows the goal due to a very marginal offside position by the winger. One last high header by Alidou in injury time leads into half time, with many things to fix.
HALF TIME - 0-1
Things look grim in the second half after fifteen minutes in which we fail to produce any worthy attacks, but then Da Silva whips in a surprise cross towards the far post and Maldini jumps high to head it into the back of the net, and we're back in the fight. Bustos replaces Marcos Paulo to give us more punch upfront, then Urko replaces Miranda to keep our midfield fresh. We get into dangerous positions with frequency, but most of our attacks end up short due to offsides, while HSV keep hitting us with dangerous counters, including one that ends with Alidou heading a cross from the left into Kretzschmar's hands.
Karlsen replaces Vuskovic as our last resort, pushing Urko back into the anchor, but our attacks keep running into walls at the very last moment. Then, eight minutes before the end, substitute Schmitz receives the ball in the corner of our box and curls an absolute beauty into the top left corner to make it 1-2, just as Baldé is coming out of the pitch due to a knock. Bustos should've fixed that two minutes later after a fantastic long ball into space by Urko, but he fails to put the ball past Ichikawa in the one-on-one. In the 88th Karlsen sets the Argentinian up once again, and once again Ichikawa denies him with a great dive down. Injury time comes and Karlsen tries again, this time sending a ball into space for Rijkhoff, but yet again it's Ichikawa who wins the duel, tipping the ball wide. That's our last, and we stumble into a very painful defeat we most certainly didn't deserve.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 1 (Daniel Maldini 61)
Hamburger SV 2 (Kevin Schade 22, Laurent Schmitz 82)- - -
That one hurt. Not just for how it happened, we absolutely deserved at the very least a draw after a very good first half and only Ichikawa's god-like performance kept us from getting it, but also because it means we lose our place in the Champions League just as the really hard fixtures arrive. Now we're basically forced to get points away to Eintracht and Leverkusen or to steal something from Bayern at home, and neither of those will be easy.
At least Leverkusen fail to win, which means we don't drop any farther than fifth. Even more important is Gladbach's home draw against Bayern, not just for the title chances of our neighbors, but also because the all-important seventh place remains five points behind us, and Gladbach have to travel to Leverkusen next week in a match we'll be following with special interest. Dortmund fail to capitalize on Bayern's mistake and concede a goalless draw against Eintracht, and Leipzig do the same in Stuttgart. Good news, though: Köln's home defeat against Mainz means we can't go any lower than seventh, meaning if Bayern do their job in the cup we're already in Europe. Let's not celebrate just yet, though...
0 -
Apr 6th 2027
New youth players come into the U18 squad, and it's probably the worst intake we've had so far. No one stands out in an ocean of mediocrity. We'll probably keep a few because the squad does need the numbers, but I don't expect any of them to make it to any Bundesliga team, let alone ours.
Apr 10th 2027
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (17th) (Bundesliga, 30/34)
Five to go, and probably the last "easy" game we'll have this season, considering what's coming next. And even Hoffenheim can't be called easy anymore, since they've managed four wins since the turn of the year and actually claimed a few famous scalps along the way. Problem is, they're still seven points away from salvation, and even the playoff position looks out of reach. Regardless of their improved form, this is a game we should be winning.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Urko (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Florent Da Silva (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
HOFFENHEIM (4-3-2-1): Vladan Kovacevic (GK); Brandon Soppy (DR), Stefan Posch (DCr), Marco Friedl (DCl), Gianluca Frabotta (DL); Yacine Adli (MCr), Nadiem Amiri (MC), Elvis Rexhbecaj (MCl); Roland Sallai (AMCr), Kevin Volland (AMCl); Andi Zeqiri (ST)* * *
Hoffenheim's 4-3-2-1 makes its triumphant (not really) return today, while we're missing Vuskovic due to suspension after he picked his ninth yellow against Dortmund, so Urko returns to the anchor and Da Silva to the advanced midfield. We start dominating possession clearly and focusing on their weak wings, and soon Lang sends narrowly over the bar a powerful header in a corner kick as our first warning shot. Hoffenheim play the long game, hiding in their own half and clearly hoping to steal a goal on some counter or another. As a result, the game plods along with little danger on either goal.
In the 23rd minute Maldini gets a clear shot at goal from outside the box, but Kovacevic covers the space well and holds the ball with ease. Nine minutes later Hoffenheim get their counterattack, finished by Rexhbecaj from distance so Kretzschmar dives and deflects the ball to a corner kick, which Rexhbecaj himself heads narrowly wide. Another header by Sallai goes straight into the keeper's hands, which we answer through Marcos Paulo's long pass across the pitch towards Miranda, who hits it low first time into Kovacevic's comfortable save.
Our best chance comes next, a low cross by Maldini towards Marcos Paulo across the heart of the box which would've been an easy tap-in for the inside forward if it weren't for Soppy's timely tackle. Sadly, that's also our last chance of the half, meaning we're still tied when the referee whistles for half time.
HALF TIME - 0-0
We take a bit to get going in the second half, only managing a 25-yarder by Rijkhoff that Kovacevic has to work hard to turn over the bar in the 54th minute. One minute later, with Hoffenheim's defense trying to reorganize after clearing a set piece, Manu Sánchez decides he won't give them the time and crosses it into the box for Maldini who, unmarked, scores the 1-0 with a placed finish. Baldé replaces a very weak Gerometta soon after, and we go on to dominate the following minutes with ease until Da Silva sees space in front of Rijkhoff and sends the ball through, allowing the striker to score the 2-0 with a quality touch. Problems solved.
Hoffenheim try to react and Waldschmidt has a very decent chance after dribbling his way into the box from the right, but his finish is terrible and sails away into the stands behind Kretzschmar's goal. Karlsen gets more minutes in midfield, as does Bustos in Marcos Paulo's place, and soon we launch another attack through the left for Manu Sánchez to cross and Rijkhoff to head, leading to another good save by Kovacevic.
Afterwards we play a more cautious game, holding the ball and protecting a great result for our goals until Karlsen runs into space after Maldini's pass and has a double chance to beat Kovacevic and score the third, but the keeper responds admirably to both and the ball is cleared to safety in the end. The young Norwegian turns provider then, sending a good ball ahead of Da Silva, but once again the keeper is there to save the finish. One minute before fulltime their luck runs out when a seemingly harmless cross by Bustos flies over Friedl's head and into Maldini's feet, allowing the winger a very easy tap-in for the 3-0, which rounds up a comfortable victory for us.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 3 (Daniel Maldini 55 89, Julian Rijkhoff 64)
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 0- - -
Just what the doctor ordered. Very one-sided game, other than a couple of isolated chances in the first half Hoffenheim offered very little in attack and weren't solid enough in defense to hold on until the end. It took a bit of patience and luck, but Maldini's brace was more than enough to see us through. Great team performance overall, and hopefully will be enough to keep our spirits high through what comes next.
Most teams involved in the important battles at the top win today, with the exception of Stuttgart, who can only draw in Köln, Freiburg, who lose away to leaders Leipzig, and Dortmund, who practically drop out of the title race with a defeat in Hamburg. Köln are now eighth, ten points behind us with only twelve to play, meaning we only need a win next week against HSV and Bayern to win the cup to guarantee European football next season. In less happy news, Union Berlin confirm their mathematical relegation to the 2.Bundesliga. Hoffenheim will probably follow suit soon.
0 -
Mar 23rd 2027
Manu Sánchez earns a place in the Team of the Week just before the international break.
Meanwhile, Quintero suffers from a pulled calf muscle in training that'll keep him out of the squad for the next two or three weeks. Not particularly hurtful for our starting eleven, but Kretzschmar better not catch a cold any time soon...
Mar 27th 2027
Two goals in two games with the Netherlands U21 for Rijkhoff, while Svensson plays the whole game with Sweden only to see Spain put six past them. Ow. Two good performances for Vuskovic, too, and Sapmaz had some minutes off the bench. Stjepanovic was replaced in a 1-1 draw against Bosnia, who by the way completely forgot about Hadzic this time.
Mar 31st 2027
Better for Stjepanovic in his second appearance for Serbia, completing a solid performance in a 4-0 win over Armenia.
The winners list for this year's NxGn award is announced today, and wow, the top three all play in the Mexican league, with the top two being homegrown in the nation and the third being Paraguayan. None of our players make the list, but it does bring a lot of work for our scouts, with some of these kids looking both first-team worthy and within our striking range.
Apr 3rd 2027
Borussia Dortmund (3rd) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (Bundesliga, 29/34)
Six to go, and now for the first doozy of the bunch with a trip to Dortmund. Klopp's boys have been a bit inconsistent as of late, dropping points against Gladbach and barely managing to get past Hoffenheim, but they're still the champions, and even after losing Moukoko to Bayern they're still one of the scariest teams going forward in the league. We won at home, yes, but I don't expect lightning to strike twice on the same spot. Any points we get today will be a huge bonus in our race for Europe.
* * *
DORTMUND (4-3-3): Gregor Kobel (GK); Mohamed Simakan (DR), Niklas Süle (DCr), Arthur Theate (DCl), Tyrell Malacia (DL); Angelo Steeler (DM), Joey Veerman (MCr), Kacper Kozlowski (MCl); Samuel Chukwueze (AMR), Adam Hlozek (AML), Luka Jovic (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Urko (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
Quintero makes the bench in the end today, although he's still reeling a bit from his injury so he'd better not be needed. Otherwise we go with a somewhat more defensive midfield with Urko replacing Da Silva as our biggest change from the usual. Chukwueze replaces Moukoko in Dortmund's attack, which allows Jovic to return to the position where he's most dangerous, but it's surprising not to see Reyna anywhere in their lineup.
The first ten minutes go by with no action on either goal, which suits us just fine. Hlozek has the first for Dortmund after a good combination through the left with Kozlowski, but Kretzschmar is well positioned to parry his shot and then clear the loose ball before it gets dangerous. The keeper soon has more work to do after Jovic steals the ball from Hadzic and tries luck from the edge of the box, and then he has to hold a not too powerful attempt from distance by Simakan, but we aren't feeling too overwhelmed just yet.
That changes in the 20th minute, when Stiller gathers a cleared ball and sends it right back into the box for Hlozek who, barely onside, unleashes a beautiful volley that leaves Kretzschmar watching as the ball hits the back of the net. We try to hit back quickly through Sapmaz, who runs on the break through the center but is closed down quickly and has to shoot too early, well over the bar. Hlozek almost adds a comical goal to his count when a clearance by Kretzschmar hits him on the back and the ball bounces towards our goal, but the keeper reacts quickly and swats it away just as it was about to cross over the goal line.
Hlozek keeps finding Baldé's back with worrying ease, almost always running after diagonal passes from the right as he does in the 27th before hitting the sidenetting with his finish. We manage to plug the hole afterwards, though, and after a few minutes with little action we almost get an unlikely draw in a corner kick that Rijkhoff heads into the crossbar. Not much else happens afterwards, and the result remains within reach at halftime.
HALF TIME - 1-0
Things remain calm in the second half until the 55th minute, when a corner kick taken into our box is stopped short when Hadzic pushes Stiller and VAR catches him in the act. Veerman doesn't miss from the spot, and now things look much harder for us. We're forced to make offensive substitutions now, bringing Da Silva and Marcos Paulo into the game and moving Urko to defense, since Stjepanovic is tired after his midweek fixture with Serbia and needs a rest. This seems to have an immediate effect, with Marcos Paulo providing an early chance for Miranda that the midfielder sends straight into Kobel's hands.
Our reaction is soon cut short, however, when Hlozek once again breaks free from Baldé and gathers a diagonal assist by Chukwueze, then faces Kretzschmar and bends his finish around him and into the back of the net to score the 3-0. Game over with thirty minutes still left to play, and now all we have to play for is our honor. We take the chance to give Karlsen some minutes in a high-stakes match in Miranda's place, and then in the 70th minute there's the biggest shock of the game so far: Svensson assists Marcos Paulo along the right wing, the inside forward cuts in, enters the box, and places his shot into the far post and in, scoring the 3-1 and, finally, his first goal for 1860. Miracles happen sometimes.
Dortmund don't take too kindly to our desperate resistance, though, and three minutes later Stiller runs into the box unopposed, shoots into the gap between Kretzschmar and the near post, and makes it 4-1 just in case we were hoping about an impossible comeback. With order finally restored, both teams agree to an armistice until injury time, when Samuel Lino heads over the bar a clear-cut chance to make it five after a cross by Simakan. Not much else happens, and Dortmund score an easy win to keep them in the title run, while we get more or less what we expected to get today.
* * *
Borussia Dortmund 4 (Adam Hlozek 20 60, Joey Veerman 55p, Angelo Stiller 73)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Marcos Paulo 70)- - -
Believe it or not, we've witnessed two miracles against Dortmund this season. Too bad this time it was "just" Marcos Paulo scoring, heh. No contest today, really, Dortmund were better, although not that much better, particularly in the first half in which we held our own acceptably well. The penalty just made us crumble, and from then on it was all Dortmund, miracles aside.
Remarkably, though, this result doesn't hurt our European chances in any way, because literally everyone involved in the fight lost today. Well, not Gladbach, because they beat Hamburg, but still. Freiburg somehow lost at home to Mainz, Stuttgart did the same to Hertha, and even Leverkusen were defeated in their trip to Köln. So the only thing that changes is that Gladbach are now 6 points behind instead of nine, but that's it. Oh, and Leipzig drop points in an away draw to Nürnberg, so the title race is once again as tight as can be.
0 -
Mar 17th 2027
Been a while since the last international window. This time it's Stjepanovic and Svensson with the senior squads of Serbia and Sweden respectively, while Vuskovic remains demoted to the Croatian U21s and Sapmaz gets another chance to shine with Turkey U21.
Mar 20th 2027
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach (7th) (Bundesliga, 28/34)
One down, seven to go, and we continue with one of the direct duels against a Gladbach side that come into this match after four games without a win, including a shock home defeat against Hoffenheim, but also after stealing one point from Dortmund. Their form has been sketchy all year long, but they remain a quality side that can give us worlds of trouble.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Florent Da Silva (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)
GLADBACH (4-2-3-1): David Raya (GK); Bali Mumba (DR), Igor Diveev (DCr), Lukas Mai (DCl), Luca Netz (DL); Breel Embolo (MCr), Lazar Samardzic (MCl); Raúl Moro (AMR), Nedim Bajrami (AMC), Yeferson Soteldo (AML), Suphanat Mueanta (ST)* * *
Rijkhoff makes the bench today after recovering from that pesky virus, but we rely on the core that managed our first away win in forever just last week to deliver today, and once again they respond in kind with a first minute chance courtesy of a steal by Da Silva and a finish by Bustos that only Raya's great work in goal prevents from becoming a very quick 1-0. Even the corner kick that follows almost goes in after Manu Sánchez shoots into the crowd inside the box and the mad bounces bring the ball everywhere but inside the net. We keep pushing, and soon Marcos Paulo blasts it over following a nice assist by Da Silva, who's looking really good today.
We keep the momentum going with a long distance shot by Da Silva that Raya holds without too much trouble, but after a bit things finally start slowing down as Gladbach manage to get out of their own half from time to time. Once again we're losing possession but still looking dominant, and we return to action with a shot by Marcos Paulo in the 25th that Mai deflects wide for a corner kick. Seven minutes later Gladbach finally show up near our box with a high try from the edge of the box by Moro, and we answer with another high ball of our own, once again courtesy of Marcos Paulo. One of these days he'll manage a shot on target... Maldini joins the trend with another finish over the bar in the last minute of an entertaining but goalless first half.
HALF TIME - 0-0
We go right back at it after the rest, and in our first try we strike gold: Marcos Paulo penetrates through the left flank, then turns around and passes it back towards Miranda, who just touches it slightly so Manu Sánchez can shoot from the edge of the box and surprise Raya, scoring the 1-0 through the keeper's near post and his first goal for 1860. Gladbach take offense to that and try to rectify it instantly, but Kretzschmar flies and punches away a dangerous attempt from outside the box by Samardzic.
Things become quite even afterwards, until a knock on Miranda forces us to replace him, bringing Urko into the game. Another shot by Marcos Paulo that for once was going in the right direction is cleared out by Mai, but other than his finishing he's doing a good job today. Instead it's Maldini who leaves his place to Sapmaz, while a solid Bustos is replaced by Rijkhoff. The game loses all momentum then, with neither team managing to break through in any significant way until the 78th minute, when Rijkhoff tries a placed shot from the edge of the box that Raya barely manages to swat away.
Our next chance is a counterattack that also falls to Rijkhoff, and his finish is as bad as we've seen from him this season, which is saying something. Bajrami then gives us an unexpected scare in a corner kick, rifling in a deflected ball from just inside the box into one of Kretzschmar's trademark saves. That's their last approach of the game, and we coast through what little remains to score a vital win.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 1 (Manu Sánchez 50)
Borussia Mönchengladbach 0- - -
Grinding those points out. To be fair, short result or not, today we were clearly the superior team even if possession was split at best. We had many chances we once again failed to put in, but at least the all-important first goal came and the defense did the rest, in another show of strength that's become the norm this season.
This result is great because it almost takes Gladbach out of the run for the Champions League, which is the position we're defending. They're now nine points behind us, and Freiburg have it even worse after a 2-2 draw against Hertha, dropping ten points behind. Stuttgart also lose to Leverkusen in today's other direct duel while Hamburg still keep the pace. This means the seventh place is still Gladbach's, so we have a comfortable cushion within the European places, even if the Champions League is very much still up in the air and will heavily depend on our result against HSV in a couple of weeks. That's good to see just before travelling to Dortmund.
0 -
Mar 9th 2027
Kretzschmar and Hadzic make the Team of the Week.
Mar 12th 2027
Bad timing: Rijkhoff catches a serious virus and is likely to be out of our next two fixtures. Lomónaco also goes down in training with a twisted knee that will keep him out of our next game and make him a serious doubt for the next.
Mar 13th 2027
VfL Wolfsburg (13th) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (Bundesliga, 27/34)
Time for the decisive part of the season. In these last eight fixtures we have two extremely likely losses (Dortmund and Bayern), three direct duels against European candidates (Gladbach, HSV, Leverkusen), and three games against bottom half teams (Wolfsburg, Eintracht, Hoffenheim). We can't afford to drop any points in the last three if we want to have a chance, so hey, no pressure. Wolfsburg also come from an unbeaten February, but that comes after only one win between November and January. They did lose to Dortmund last week, though, so that's something.
* * *
WOLFSBURG (4-3-3): Nico Mantl (GK); Pascal Stenzl (DR), Ozan Tabak (DCr), Moritz Jenz (DCl), Guilherme Montóia (DL); Diego Demme (DM), Dani Ceballos (MCr), Maximilian Arnold (MCl); Luka Ivanusec (AMR), Jovane Cabral (AML), Randal Kolo Muani (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Florent Da Silva (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)* * *
No punches pulled in our lineup today, we need to be at our best to get something out of here, even more without Rijkhoff available. And the players respond to that idea admirably: five minutes in a long play down the right flank ends with Maldini receiving the ball inside the box and passing it back towards the center, where Miranda gathers it and blasts it with power to inaugurate the scoreboard. The midfielder wants more, and four minutes later sends a long-range attempt slightly wide to the left. Wolfsburg look overwhelmed at first, but soon react and in the 16th Arnold whips in a cross towards Ivanusec, who hits it first time unmarked but only manages to hit the outside of the post before the ball goes wide.
Possession rates favor Wolfsburg after twenty minutes, but we still look dangerous when we do have the ball, as Maldini demonstrates with a shot from the edge of the box that Mantl dives to save. Things slow down after that for a while, until Maldini wakes everyone up once again in the 34th after Stjepanovic nods the ball towards him near the penalty spot, his shot parried by the keeper. Ivanusec keeps monopolizing Wolfsburg's danger with a good run through the center and a wide shot in the 40th, which Marcos Paulo answers four minutes later with a similar play and an equally inaccurate finish. Shortly afterwards it's shower time for the players.
HALF TIME - 0-1
Once again we come out of the dressing rooms looking hungry, and not even two minutes into the second half Svensson is already sending a dangerous cross towards Maldini, who heads it over from a difficult position. We keep pushing Wolfsburg back despite not having too much possession, forcing them to keep passing it among themselves in non-dangerous positions. 't Zand replaces the ever disappointing Marcos Paulo after fifteen minutes, then Urko does the same with Da Silva. The Dutch winger goes on to send a fantastic long pass towards Maldini on the opposite side of the pitch, allowing the Italian a clean run to Mantl who nonetheless manages to prevent the 0-2 with a great intervention.
Sapmaz replaces Maldini with twenty minutes left to play, and eight minutes later 't Zand has a fantastic chance to score the 0-2 when he controls a nod by Bustos inside the small box, but his finish is blocked by Jenz and then caught by Mantl before anyone can pounce on the rebound. He then goes on to repeat the same play he tried earlier with Maldini, only with Sapmaz as his target, but with the exact same result: great save by Mantl. Wolfsburg can't even give us a serious scare in the whole second half, and we score a richly deserved win in the end.
* * *
VfL Wolfsburg 0
TSV 1860 München 1 (Matías Miranda 5)- - -
That'll do. A match full of suspiciously poor performances by some players, a completely useless Bustos in particular, but in which we dominated without having the ball, denied Wolfsburg any serious chances for most of the game, and made our one goal count. This win means we're officially safe from relegation, not that there ever was any doubt about that, and that the board now consider the goal of becoming an established Bundesliga team accomplished one year ahead of schedule. Nice.
Gladbach drop points in a 1-1 home draw against Dortmund, as do Stuttgart after a predictable loss to Bayern. HSV win in Berlin against Union, Leverkusen beat Freiburg in their own stadium, and Leipzig regain a three-point lead at the top with their win in Hoffenheim (okay, technically in Steinsfurt, but you know what I mean).
0 -
Mar 6th 2027
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. 1.FC Union Berlin (18th) (Bundesliga, 26/34)
No excuses today, if we don't win against last-place Union Berlin then we don't deserve to be in this division, let alone in Europe. Even Hoffenheim, woeful as they've been, are ahead of them on the table now after picking a couple of wins, but Cambiasso's Union keep finding new ways to sink further down. Eleven points off twenty-five games should be grounds for automatic relegation, although they're doing their best to get there even without that.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Kevin Lomónaco (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Urko (DM), Florent Da Silva (MCr), Martin Karlsen (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
UNION BERLIN (4-2-3-1): Frederik Ronnow (GK); Lukas Klünter (DR), Jesper Daland (DCr), Dominique Heintz (DCl), Jarrad Branthwaite (DL); Rani Khedira (MCr), Max Meyer (MCl); Abdallah Sima (AMR), Aymen Barkok (AMC), Hannes Lippold (AML), Janis Antiste (ST)* * *
We won't find a better opportunity to get Bustos and Rijkhoff back into a goalscoring mood, so both start today, together with most of the squad that didn't feature from the start against Köln. We get off to a relatively slow start, with Union even having more possession than us in the first ten minutes, but the first chance still falls to us, with Bustos cutting in and shooting into Daland's legs, the deflection missing the post by a few inches. Union are playing a very compact shape, with an advanced defense but with their forwards holding back, so moving the ball around in midfield is difficult today. The rain doesn't help either, what's with the weather in this city...
Minutes pass with neither team threatening the opposing goal in any serious matter, at least until Branthwaite breaks the offside trap and enters the box unmarked in the 33rd, thankfully denied by Kretzschmar like almost always. A high header by Heintz in a corner kick follows while we struggle to even get anywhere near Ronnow's goal, and only another corner kick allows Rijkhoff the chance to get a header in that the keeper saves well. Sima sends yet another header over the bar after a nice run-and-cross by Lippold, and it almost looks like they're the best team in the pitch today. No goals at half time.
HALF TIME - 0-0
A few minor tactical tweaks and a lot of screaming later, we look like a completely different team. Only five minutes into the second half Baldé intercepts the ball in midfield and sends it past the defensive line for Rijkhoff to gather, round the keeper, and pass it into the back of the net. Finally. The striker isn't quite there yet, though, as his wide volley to Manu Sánchez's cross three minutes later shows. Bustos, on the other hand, decides to join the party after receiving from Da Silva, turning around, and curling one of those beautiful shots from the edge of the box he does from time to time. 2-0 in eleven minutes, and the match looks solved already.
Of course it won't be that easy, and Lippold reminds us why with a header that Kretzschmar has to stretch to save and hold. On the other end Karlsen penetrates deep into the right flank and passes back towards Maldini, who shoots into Ronnow's arms, then Lippold tries again with a bicycle kick that licks the outside of the post before going wide. After that we decide to be a bit more conservative and replace Karlsen with Vuskovic, pushing Urko into a more advanced role, while Sapmaz takes Maldini's place in the right wing.
That proves to be a good decision when a steal by Urko allows us to mount a good attack that ends with Sapmaz crossing and Bustos heading narrowly over from a tight angle. Ulrich replaces Da Silva as our final substitution as we keep our attack going, our next chance finished by Sánchez with a good-looking shot that Ronnow has to tip wide. The keeper soon has more work, deflecting over the bar another dangerous finish by Rijkhoff generated by Sapmaz with a pass into space. Union's attempts at a comeback lack confidence, and their only credible chance is a header by Barkok that Kretzschmar grabs without much trouble. Ulrich also tries his luck with a shot that Ronnow's fingertips turn into a corner kick in what eventually becomes the last goalscoring opportunity of the game. Clear win, but not as easy as we expected.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 2 (Julian Rijkhoff 50, Nahuel Bustos 56)
1.FC Union Berlin 0---
Yeah, we got somewhat lucky here. The game overall was quite even, and Union deserved to score at the very least once today, but we made good use of our few actually good minutes to turn them into goals, with Rijkhoff and Bustos achieving their (cough) goal of getting back into the scoreboard and, hopefully, recovering a bit of morale. Baldé is turning up every night after a couple of hesitant performances right after his arrival, which is nice to see, as is Hadzic doing fine once again in defense. Lomónaco was a mess today, though, so not everything is good news.
* * *
| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | Form | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | RB Leipzig | 26 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 59 | 32 | 27 | 58 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Borussia Dortmund | 26 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 52 | 19 | 33 | 57 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | FC Bayern | 26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 63 | 18 | 45 | 55 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | 1860 München | 26 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 36 | 25 | 11 | 46 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Hamburg | 26 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 35 | 23 | 12 | 45 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Bayer Leverkusen | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 40 | 32 | 8 | 44 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | Stuttgart | 26 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 34 | 36 | -2 | 43 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | Borussia M'gladbach | 26 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 43 | 34 | 9 | 42 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | Freiburg | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 43 | 37 | 6 | 41 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th| Köln | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 35 | 33 | 2 | 36 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th| Frankfurt | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 34 | 38 | -4 | 35 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th| Hertha BSC | 26 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 32 | -13 | 28 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th| Wolfsburg | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 22 | 35 | -13 | 27 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 37 | 60 | -23 | 23 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th| Mainz | 26 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 26 | 47 | -21 | 22 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th| Nürnberg | 26 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 27 | 49 | -22 | 22 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th| Hoffenheim | 26 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 32 | 51 | -19 | 16 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th| Union Berlin | 26 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 21 | 57 | -36 | 11 | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|Looks like this season is heading into another fun ending, at all levels. The title race is still completely open, with Leipzig throwing away chances to run with it (they just lost 2-1 to Mainz) and Dortmund and Bayern trying to get back on top but neither looking consistent enough. Then there's us, leading the six Europe hopefuls with a very minor lead ahead of the also surprising Hamburg, who seem set on following in our footsteps all the way from the 2.Bundesliga into the Champions League. The worst two (or three, depending on how the cup goes) will be left without any kind of reward.
Köln and Eintracht are probably the only teams with nothing realistic to play for, while the five teams behind them should be very worried about avoiding the playoff position. At the bottom Union look hopeless, they need as many points in eight games as they've scored in twenty-six just to have a minor chance of survival, but Hoffenheim seem to have found a way to actually win matchs and still could manage to hold on. The Bundesliga never fails to be entertaining until the very last second, really.
* * *
PLAYER STATS ============ Average rating (min. 9 games played): Niklas Lang 7.26 (17(1) apps) Mateja Stjepanovic 7.19 (21(2) apps) Tom Kretzschmar 7.16 (26 apps) Amer Hadzic 7.11 (13 apps) Urko 7.09 (8(2) apps) Special mention for Thierno Baldé, with a 7.23 average after 6(1) appearances. Goals: Julian Rijkhoff 10 goals Nahuel Bustos 6 Can Sapmaz 5 Matías Miranda 4 Daniel Maldini 3 Assists: Marcos Paulo 6 assists Can Sapmaz 5 Matías Miranda 3 Manu Sánchez 3 Francisco Gerometta 30 -
Feb 24th 2027
Team of the Week slots for Stjepanovic and Kretzschmar.
Feb 27th 2027
On the topic of Kretzschmar, guess who pulled his groin in training today? Quintero will have to play against Köln, it seems...
Feb 28th 2027
The transfer window is still open in Poland, and Lech use it to sign one of our fringe youngsters, 18yo winger Milosz Smolinski, for €100k upfront, €75k in installments, €50k after 10 league apperances, and a 40% of future profits. Small return for a player with no future at our club, and with the potential for greater gains in the future if he explodes back in his home country.
Mar 1st 2027
1.FC Köln (11th) vs. TSV 1860 München (4th) (Bundesliga, 25/34)
Well, this was supposed to be the third consecutive direct duel for the European places, but instead we find Köln in the bottom half of the table and with André Pawlak as caretaker manager after Steffan Baumgart saw his six-year-long reign end in a sack. They've lost their last three league games, somehow knocking Napoli out of the Europa League in between. Sounds like a perfect chance to take the three points today.
* * *
KÖLN (4-1-4-1): Kevin Trapp (GK); Nathan Phillips (DR), Hugo Faria (DCr), Dejan Ljubicic (DCl), Stephan Ambrosius (DL); Anton Stach (DM); Jan Thielmann (MR), Dominik Yankov (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl), Julian Draxler (ML); Janni Serra (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Laurin Ulrich (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)* * *
We hadn't come across a flat 4-1-4-1 since the last time we played Darmstadt in the 2.Liga, huh. Somewhat surprisingly Kretzschmar manages to overcome the worst of his injury and is available for selection today without issues. We rotate the squad around a bit otherwise, since our next game comes in only five days and we'll need fresh legs then, while Entrena starts in midfield for Köln, something I'm glad to see. I also like to see Köln playing relatively deep, something that always helps us with our game plan.
We use our possession to create danger from the start, beginning with Marcos Paulo assisting Rijkhoff so the striker can do the usual as of late and shoot wide. The striker continues his "amazing" run of finishing with a rugby transformation on the run following a nice nod into space by Ulrich. After those two chances, though, our attack runs dry and minutes pass with neither team threatening the opposing goal. Serra brings some excitement into the game profiting from a bad pass by Stjepanovic, but as his fellow striker on the other end, he can't find the target either and sends the ball wide.
Not much afterwards, only a couple of long-range attempts by Köln that Kretzschmar deals with, and a couple similar tries by our attackers that don't even go past the defender's legs. Rijkhoff gets another good chance in the 43rd blocked by Stach after a good steal by Sapmaz, then Lang gets closer with a header in the resulting corner kick that licks the upside of the crossbar before going over. A shot from distance by Svensson two minutes later, easy for Trapp, signals the end of the hostilities for the first forty-five minutes.
HALF TIME - 0-0
We try giving Vuskovic a more attacking role after the break, since he doesn't have to keep track of any attacking midfielders today. We remain in control and looking forward, but still with very little precision when it comes to the last steps of the buildup. Maldini comes in to try and help with that, as does Da Silva. What happens, though, is that Yankov sends a diagonal pass over the defense, Lang fails to intercept it, and Draxler collects it and calmly beats Kretzschmar to score the 1-0 against the flow of the game.
Thankfully their lead lasts only a couple of minutes, which is what Svensson needs to run the left flank, send a cross towards the far post, and find Maldini ready to give the ball the push it needs to hit the back of the net. Still almost thirty minutes left to look for the winner, although we also have to work hard in defense to prevent a goal from Serra in the 65th, well blocked by Vuskovic in the end.
Bustos replaces a solid but tired Marcos Paulo with twenty left on the clock, but ten minutes later it's Köln who strike again: Yankov curls a cross from the right side and Serra towers above his marker to head it into the underside of the bar and in. 2-1, and once again we need a quick response. We don't have it, and it takes us until the 90th to generate a good chance for Rijkhoff, who instead of shooting tries to dribble his way into a better position and ends up running out of space and angle to finish the job. We don't get another.
* * *
1.FC Köln 2 (Julian Draxler 60, Janni Serra 80)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Daniel Maldini 63)- - -
You know, I'm actually glad I didn't purchase Rijkhoff last year. If I'd spent all that money on him only for him to flounder like he's been doing for the last couple of months I'd be very angry, and now I'm just sad because he's losing his chance to stay here in the long term with his absolute lack of finishing. With a half-working forward we would've won this at a canter, but we gave away two chances in two individual mistakes by Lang and Kretzschmar (he really should've saved that header) and we lost a game we should've won. We're still fourth, but now the fight for Europe tightens immensely, with only two points separating fourth and ninth place.
0 -
Feb 18th 2027
Leverkusen sacked Jess Thorup a couple of weeks ago, and they've just hired Diego Simeone as their new manager. Welp, they're scary now.
Feb 20th 2027
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. VfB Stuttgart (8th) (Bundesliga, 24/34)
The streak of key matches continues with Stuttgart coming to Grünwalder Strasse, and not as tourists. Despite their home loss to Dortmund last week they're still deep in the fight for Europe, only four points behind us, and just like Freiburg last time, more than willing to slow us down while speeding themselves up. A must-win game.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Urko (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Florent Da Silva (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)
STUTTGART (4-2-3-1): Bartlomiej Dragowski (GK); Chris Richards (DR), Elias Machuca (DCr), Waldemar Anton (DCl), Hrvoje Smolcic (DL); Filip Ronningen Jorgensen (MCr), Orel Mangala (MCl); M'Bala Nzola (AMR), Ismaël Gharbi (AMC), Konrad de la Fuente (AML); Borja Mayoral (ST)* * *
Maldini is back in action today, as are some of our rotation players like Urko and Hadzic. Stuttgart look good in the first minutes, with Mayoral assisting Konrad for a dangerous finish that Kretzschmar manages to deflect wide. We don't stay idle either, immediately hitting back through the center so Miranda can shoot and be denied by Dragowski. Things calm down for a while after those early scrambles, although Mayoral gives us another scare after a great ball from Konrad that Kretzschmar once again has to fix with a nice save.
Both teams trade minor blows for a short while before the game enters another lull, this one longer than the previous one. A high ball from distance by Nzola in the 35th finally breaks the boredom, but our attack has to wait until injury time to appear in the highlight reel again, courtesy of a cross from deep by Baldé that Bustos half-volleys over the bar. With that, a pretty uneventful first half ends as it started.
HALF TIME - 0-0
Not much changes after the break, although we do look a bit sharper in attack, still without any clear chances to add to our count until the 53rd, when Maldini launches a quick counter with a long pass towards Bustos, who is once again denied by Dragowski and not particularly good finishing. Ulrich replaces Da Silva after a while, together with Rijkhoff in Marcos Paulo's place after another disappointing performance by the Portuguese. Next up is Sapmaz, giving Maldini some rest after his return to action. Not a single shot on either goal otherwise.
In the 72nd we finally find a way through with a quick passing play through the center that Miranda ends with an assist towards Sapmaz, who tries to place his finish but misses the far post by inches. The winger then runs down the right and passes back towards Miranda, returning the favor, and with the same end result: goal kick after a bad finish sends the ball over. Our best chance comes in the 78th, though, when Hadzic heads a corner kick into the crossbar and the ball bounces down mere inches from the goal line, with no one managing to push it over.
We're pouring forward looking for the winner now, and that leaves us vulnerable at the back. Thankfully Kretzschmar is there to prevent Djénépo from scoring after a great run and pass by Mayoral, because that would've been very unfair. After that both teams fail to create any further danger, though, and the game peters out into a goalless draw that helps neither team.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 0
VfB Stuttgart 0- - -
Tough luck. We did good in the second half, at least in the final twenty minutes or so, and probably deserved a goal just a bit more than Stuttgart, but our finishing once again failed us. We've been struggling to score for a while now, Bustos and Rijkhoff keep missing chances and the midfielders and wingers aren't filling in the gaps anymore. Oh well, it's not a defeat, and the point is enough for us to keep our place in the table, for now.
0
Einmal Löwe, immer Löwe - a(nother) 1860 story
in FM Stories
Posted
Oct 5th 2027
Marcos Paulo in the Team of the Week. Who'd have thought...
Oct 7th 2027
Senior international debut for Rijkhoff! Just seventeen minutes off the bench in a 2-0 win over Morocco, but still, it counts. Just with that his value is sure to skyrocket. Otherwise Vuskovic is the standout of the rest with a solid performance in Croatia U21's win over Northern Ireland, while the two Turks did fine but nothing fancy.
Oct 12th 2027
More good performances in the second round of international fixtures, once again with Vuskovic as the standout with an assist in a 5-0 win over ther Faroe Islands. Hadzic also did well in defense in Bosnia's 3-0 win over Latvia, while Sapmaz had a cameo appearance for Turkey U21.
Oct 16th 2027
TSV 1860 München (4th) vs. Borussia Dortmund (3rd) (Bundesliga, 8/34)
Trial by fire, as they say. Our new formation has done really well against tough teams like Napoli and Hertha, but now comes the real test of seeing how it does against top teams like Dortmund, or Bayern in a few weeks, or Leverkusen in the cup. We're in for some fun fixtures this month, and if we're to keep pushing upwards we'll have to give it our best, starting today.
* * *
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1 deep): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Thierno Baldé (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Julian Chabot (DCl), Daniel Svensson (DL); Thiago (DMCr), Darko Vuskovic (DMCl); Matías Miranda (MC); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Marcos Paulo (AML), Vedat Özcan (ST)
DORTMUND (4-3-3): Gregor Kobel (GK); Mohamed Simakan (DR), Manuel Akanji (DCr), Niklas Süle (DCl), Arthur Theate (DL); Angelo Stiller (DM), Kacper Kozlowski (MCr), Giovanni Reyna (MCl); Samuel Chukwueze (AMR), Adam Hlozek (AML), Luka Jovic (ST)
* * *
This is also a chance to see how this formation does against a 4-3-3, since so far we've only used it against 4-2-3-1s. And judging by the first minute, it works just fine: quick pass into space towards the left that Svensson gathers, then runs at Kobel before trying a lob that goes over the keeper, but also ever so slightly over the bar. Two minutes later Özcan nods the ball back towards Maldini, who finds a highway between Süle and Theate to run into then shoots low and near the post to score the 1-0. Perfection.
Dortmund doesn't scare us anymore, and we keep pushing for a second through Svensson and Marcos Paulo, who shoots well but finds Kobel's hand in the way. Soon the keeper has more work to do with a direct free kick by Miranda he pushes around the post, as we continue with our early domination. Dortmund are still Dortmund, though, and when in the 18th minute Chabot commits our first serious mistake with a bad pass in a dangerous area Hlozek is there to gather the ball, run into the box, and blast it in to draw the game.
The goal gives them a lift, and soon Kretzschmar needs to go down to block a dangerous shot from distance by Stiller, then Theate heads a set piece over the bar. We soon start pushing back, though, and in the 23rd Özcan gets terribly close after a great pass by Vuskovic, hitting the wrong side of the post with his placed finish. Both teams trade blows for a while before settling into a midfield battle with no clear winner, during which Chabot redeems his previous mistake with a great last-ditch tackle that denies Jovic a chance to score. Miranda responds with a high ball from the edge of the box, but in the 42nd Chukwueze sneaks past Svensson with a silky run down the right wing and into the box, then curls it low around Kretzschmar to make it 1-2 for Dortmund. The first half ends shortly after.
HALF TIME - 1-2
Dortmund seem to have won the possession war in the early second half, pushing us back and creating danger in a set piece that Süle heads over. Meanwhile Maldini picks up an injury and, despite still seeming able to play, we decide to bring Sapmaz in his place to avoid unnecessary risks. Kretzschmar soon saves a centered shot by Simakan, who then goes on to block a dangerous shot by Marcos Paulo on the other side of the pitch. A high direct free kick by Miranda comes next as we try to regain control, and soon it's time to bring Da Silva in for Marcos Paulo, who's had one of those days today.
A real chance falls to Miranda after Sapmaz runs into the box from the right and passes it back for the midfielder, but he can't find the target and shoots over. Rodríguez replaces him a few minutes later, and in the 76th a corner kick almost turns into the 2-2 when Chabot reaches the ball and heads it, only to see how Kobel somehow manages to both block it and then gather the rebound Lang was nodding back into the danger zone. After that, though, Dortmund manage to close up shop and deny us any further chances, and time slips away before we can do anything to counter that.
* * *
TSV 1860 München 1 (Daniel Maldini 3)
Borussia Dortmund 2 (Adam Hlozek 18, Samuel Chukwueze 42)
- - -
A real shame, this game smelled like a draw all over. Dortmund are obviously too good to contain completely, but our chances deserved better than this. I'm still satisfied with how the tactic turned out, particularly at the beginning of the game when we practically rolled them over. Shame it couldn't last... Oh well, a match we could probably expect to lose in most circumstances, so not too hard to swallow. Worst part is that Marcos Paulo returned to his former self today, let's hope it's just a blip.
Maldini's injury is nothing too serious, just a pulled thigh which will keep him out of contention for a week or so. Caraballo should be close to returning, so our wings will be back at full strength soon.