Frankfurt and Mochengladbach, two of the more fun teams in Germany (unlike, say, Schalke), kick off at 930 PST. Let us congregate in this thread and watch together. Feel free to get the chat going before then, too. See ya soon!
That was fun. Turns out I did NOT overestimate your Bundesliga excitement. Enjoyed watching with you all, as always. I'll keep these going, and we'll probably do another one for the Bayern game tomorrow. Have a great day, all.
Going down 2-0 within seven minutes is always bad, but it's gotta be especially crushing after two months off. Gotta be so hard to bounce back mentally and have to chase the game physically.
Andre Silva is currently my clubhouse leader for a player who appears to be about 4 inches shorter than his listed height. After watching this match, there’s no way that guy’s 6’1”, right?
For the people currently watching Fox Sports and listening to Mark Schwarzer drone on about how Frankfurt are in danger of relegation: FiveThirtyEight currently gives them a less-than-one-percent chance of getting relegated.
Whew! Well, there was definitely some rust to shake off, but it was nice to drink some coffee and have some live sports back on the television. Thanks for hosting the chat!
As much as I love fan culture, I also enjoy hearing the sounds of the game. When it's like this I kind of wish there were no announcers and I could just listen to the competition. I recognize this is an extremely weird opinion!
I think it's totally fine to say that fans are great but this "pure" reprieve is also enjoyable, too. If there won't be fans, I'd like to see the games played somewhere more conducive to that. Play the games at any of these fields https://www.instagram.com/whereisfootball/?hl=en
german tv actually offered a secondary sound option with crowd noise from a past revierderby today. but you heard loud schalke chants when they were down 4 goals and the noise didn't increase with goal scoring opportunities. so not a huge success.
And I can't wait to see what it looks like when Gladbach play at home, with all those cutouts in the stands. But it has been interesting to hear how much chatter there is on the pitch. (I'll just have to brush up on my German...)
I wrote about Frankfurt in the Tuesday newsletter, but here's a note about Gladbach's style: They take the best shots in the league (0.16 xG per shot; league average is 0.12), and the concede the worst shots in the league (0.097; league average is "see: above").
So is there not gonna be any regulation regarding crowding the ref? I don't see why there's a policy regarding goal celebrations but not that -- it'd also be nothing but a net positive to get rid of it.
After one day of matches, my biggest takeaway is generally being impressed by how quickly these guys have gotten back to normal football shithousery. There’s something reassuring about seeing Andre Silva totally MF a ref after clearly fouling somebody, the disputes over the penalties, etc.
I'm watching on a channel in Canada called sportsnet. I don't know if we have the same announcers, but mine earlier in the game said that Frankfurt were hurt by having no friendlies in the lead up to the restart because they were in bad form. The only way to stop a run of bad form, he said, was to play more games!
I would say his dribbling and runs disrupt the opposition's ability to keep their shape. He tends to open up more chances for other players and draws attention away from players like Plea. But that's only what I notice.
When I've watched Gladbach this year, it's seemed to me like his pretty high athleticism allowed him to range from box to box, which I thought allowed him to be impactful in both halves, including defensively. But I don't have the defensive stats, so you might have evidence to the contrary.
Interesting. I don't think the D stats tell you everything, especially for midfielders. But he's really low on the "pressures" chart despite his position, and his defensive rating on Smarterscout (think of it like a FIFA rating connected to how much a player helps his team prevent goals) is 4. That's ... out of 100. Rose and Co. know what they're doing, though, and he could easily be having more intangible effects on their performance.
I’m late to the party and not even in the right thread, but I’m finishing up a 30-hour call cycle in the hospital and deliriously tired and having my Bundesliga team assigned is suddenly the most important thing in the world to me.
- three days ago, because I’ve been working so much lately hadn’t seen my kids at all and just missed them (I promise I’m not usually this melancholy in public)
- Gonna go with recency bias and say Rise of Skywalker, and I was relatively pro-Last Jedi!
- The Texas Rangers losing Game 6. I now have a more recent time I cried after typing that out.
Honorable mentions to the Saints losing to the 49ers in NFC Championship 2011 and Pelicans blowing a huge lead in 2015.
That was fun. Turns out I did NOT overestimate your Bundesliga excitement. Enjoyed watching with you all, as always. I'll keep these going, and we'll probably do another one for the Bayern game tomorrow. Have a great day, all.
LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO
It seems like often when I watch Gladbach Hoffman is making a poor choice, but that takes the cake! What?!!
That was absolutely incredible
First thought I had after that save was that I was thankful you didn’t assign me Gladbach.
This has suddenly devolved into chippy-Sunday-league territory. Everyone forgot how to pass.
The drop in passing quality was the first thing I really noticed when I started watching the games this morning. It’s pretty rough out there
Going down 2-0 within seven minutes is always bad, but it's gotta be especially crushing after two months off. Gotta be so hard to bounce back mentally and have to chase the game physically.
Andre Silva just punched Ginter in the kidneys. Feels like he's violating multiple protocols there.
Andre Silva is currently my clubhouse leader for a player who appears to be about 4 inches shorter than his listed height. After watching this match, there’s no way that guy’s 6’1”, right?
And all Ginter wanted to do was hold his hand... 😔 (Also in violation of multiple protocols)
For the people currently watching Fox Sports and listening to Mark Schwarzer drone on about how Frankfurt are in danger of relegation: FiveThirtyEight currently gives them a less-than-one-percent chance of getting relegated.
(Leipzig's title odds are down to 3 percent now. Weeeeee.)
does the 538 model expect the season to end after matchday 34 or do the calculations include risks of an early ending?
Totally an overreaction based on their seventh-place, Europa-qualifying position last season. Not sure what he expected.
the Patrick O? What is up!
Play on, Plea. (Sorry.)
I was on my feet and then held my head in agony. The Bundesliga is back!
what are we calling these goal celebrations? social distdancing?
Perfect! I loved that socially distant celebration by Thuram.
I'm definitely going to do the forearm tap thing now, since handshakes are a thing of the past.
Whew! Well, there was definitely some rust to shake off, but it was nice to drink some coffee and have some live sports back on the television. Thanks for hosting the chat!
Managers are adjusting. There have been halftime subs in five of the six games today.
Anyone else more thrown off by the terrible haircuts than the lack of fans?
The haircuts are tough for the comeback games
As much as I love fan culture, I also enjoy hearing the sounds of the game. When it's like this I kind of wish there were no announcers and I could just listen to the competition. I recognize this is an extremely weird opinion!
I think it's totally fine to say that fans are great but this "pure" reprieve is also enjoyable, too. If there won't be fans, I'd like to see the games played somewhere more conducive to that. Play the games at any of these fields https://www.instagram.com/whereisfootball/?hl=en
Could always be like the NFL and use artificial fan noise... https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/05/14/joe-buck-nfl-games-crowd-noise-virtual-fans-coronavirus-fox
german tv actually offered a secondary sound option with crowd noise from a past revierderby today. but you heard loud schalke chants when they were down 4 goals and the noise didn't increase with goal scoring opportunities. so not a huge success.
Interesting! Yeah, I have a hard time seeing how the crowd-noise could be pumped in in any authentic-ish-sounding way.
An app where you just yell at your phone for 90 minutes and it plays all of them at once in the stadium
And I can't wait to see what it looks like when Gladbach play at home, with all those cutouts in the stands. But it has been interesting to hear how much chatter there is on the pitch. (I'll just have to brush up on my German...)
https://twitter.com/GFFN/status/1261660219177828354
My mom LITERALLY was discussing footballers' haircuts just now.
See what I mean about high-quality shots!
Did I, uh, overestimate the excitement for the Bundesliga? I think I may have overestimated the excitement for the Bundesliga.
My mom has been texting me during the Bundesliga restart, having never watched the league before. I think she's digging it so far.
You didn't oversell the goal scoring though
It's me and the two Patricks -- the only real Bundesliga fans.
Gang gang
I wrote about Frankfurt in the Tuesday newsletter, but here's a note about Gladbach's style: They take the best shots in the league (0.16 xG per shot; league average is 0.12), and the concede the worst shots in the league (0.097; league average is "see: above").
What. Was. That.
So is there not gonna be any regulation regarding crowding the ref? I don't see why there's a policy regarding goal celebrations but not that -- it'd also be nothing but a net positive to get rid of it.
Refs aren't people
After one day of matches, my biggest takeaway is generally being impressed by how quickly these guys have gotten back to normal football shithousery. There’s something reassuring about seeing Andre Silva totally MF a ref after clearly fouling somebody, the disputes over the penalties, etc.
Great point. Shithousing never sleeps.
I have to say, it's pretty nice to watch a Bundesliga match and not have Alexi Lalas disrupt my viewing pleasure.
I'm watching on a channel in Canada called sportsnet. I don't know if we have the same announcers, but mine earlier in the game said that Frankfurt were hurt by having no friendlies in the lead up to the restart because they were in bad form. The only way to stop a run of bad form, he said, was to play more games!
We *do* have to deal with commercials for all of FS1's other terrible programming, though.
You really notice Zakaria's absence at the back and in the build-up play for Gladbach I think.
I wonder who's going to buy him this summer. (There's just no way he sticks around, sadly)
He's a really strange player, imo. Doesn't do much passing or defending. He dribbles a lot, but what else am I missing, you guys?
I would say his dribbling and runs disrupt the opposition's ability to keep their shape. He tends to open up more chances for other players and draws attention away from players like Plea. But that's only what I notice.
When I've watched Gladbach this year, it's seemed to me like his pretty high athleticism allowed him to range from box to box, which I thought allowed him to be impactful in both halves, including defensively. But I don't have the defensive stats, so you might have evidence to the contrary.
Interesting. I don't think the D stats tell you everything, especially for midfielders. But he's really low on the "pressures" chart despite his position, and his defensive rating on Smarterscout (think of it like a FIFA rating connected to how much a player helps his team prevent goals) is 4. That's ... out of 100. Rose and Co. know what they're doing, though, and he could easily be having more intangible effects on their performance.
Ha, that's pretty interesting. Maybe he's got all those intangibles that tv pundits love to talk about.
After yesterday's result, on a scale of 1-10 how excellent was my supporter pick of Wolsfburg and why is it 12?
That was some getting-passed-while-celebrating-on-your-way-to-the-finish-line kind of shit
I’m late to the party and not even in the right thread, but I’m finishing up a 30-hour call cycle in the hospital and deliriously tired and having my Bundesliga team assigned is suddenly the most important thing in the world to me.
- three days ago, because I’ve been working so much lately hadn’t seen my kids at all and just missed them (I promise I’m not usually this melancholy in public)
- Gonna go with recency bias and say Rise of Skywalker, and I was relatively pro-Last Jedi!
- The Texas Rangers losing Game 6. I now have a more recent time I cried after typing that out.
Honorable mentions to the Saints losing to the 49ers in NFC Championship 2011 and Pelicans blowing a huge lead in 2015.
Easy. You're a Bayer Leverkusen fan now, Hud.
Perfect thank you
Gladbach’s defense paying homage to the maginot line on that goal 😂😂😂
Man, the celebratory fight song after that goal with no crowd to chant along feels very apropos for the 3-1 scoreline.
I was very nervous about having the guy who tightened up from a play moments earlier taking the PK, but that'll do.
Strikers never get yellows for those kind of challenges on us defenders.
The Embolo one.
So do we think the break benefited the more talented teams or the better managers to knock off the rust easier?
The "Jobs Finden" tagline for Indeed is elite kit advertisement
"Hey bro, you bouncing back after that furlough?" "Indeed, jobs finden!"
Thank goodness for Yann Sommer
After 2 months reading about Rose’s system and French strikers, they have not disappointed
AND ANOTHER ONE!!! Man, welcome back, Borussia! 😊
Not me! THIRTY-FIVE SECONDS!!! (Just had to post the celebration on IG 😛)
As a Gladbach fan, I'm stoked to get to watch my team again!