This seemingly inscrutable graphic actually details how my preseason picks (scroll down to the comments) have turned out thus far. We’ve reached the winter break in the Bundesliga and things haven’t quite turned out as I expected. Those of you kind enough to point out that there’s still a lot of football left to be played, I appreciate the thought. But there’s no getting around the fact that I drastically underestimated the top third of the table. Hoffenheim and Hertha are my two worst offenders, underestimating them by 15 and 10 spots respectively. My one shining bit of spot-on prognostication was tabbing Bochum at 17th.
Over the next few weeks I’ll do my best to bring you up to speed with a mid-season review of every squad, finishing just in time for the league’s resumption on January 30th. I’ll begin with Borussia Mönchengladbach and work my way up the table. Along the way I also will hazard a guess as to every side’s final table position. although as you’ve seen it’s certainly a shot in the dark.
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diana
January 6, 2009 at 12:40 am
horhay, if Hoffenheim reaches the Champions League, that will be an even greater story for European football. It will give hope other football clubs that they can also do it, with the right structure, and a good coach.
We had already seen three new debutants in the Champions League this season, though the three had all being eliminated from the competition. People complain about what is the point of having the group stages but this season in the Champions League had shown that at the end of the day, anything is possible in football. Who would have thought Romania's CFR Cluj, playing in the Champions League for the first time, beat Italy's AS Roma in the opening group stages? I did not see it coming myself, for sure. But that makes football for what it is.
'Although to replicate Hoffenheim's success would require a large investment in both money and patience, which is difficult combination to find these days.'
True, Mark. One of those things which fascinated me about Hoffenheim is other than how they play, is that they do not spend for the sake of spending even with someone like Dietmar Hopp as their patron.
But then one can also argue Hoffenheim is playing in the Bundesliga for the very first time and so they have no European distractions. But still, they are a real breath of fresh air in the league. At least now we know Bayern Munich cannot have the assumption they can walk away with the league title easily.
Mark
January 5, 2009 at 9:44 pm
If anyone is going to do it in the various European leagues then I think Hoffenheim provides a great model to follow. The anti-Man City or anti-Tottenham, if you will. Although to replicate Hoffenheim's success would require a large investment in both money and patience, which is difficult combination to find these days.
horhay
January 5, 2009 at 8:18 pm
It would be a great story for European football if Hoffenheim hold off Bayern Munich. We need more smaller clubs to win championships. Just to break the monotony of the Real Madrids, Manchester Uniteds, Inters, and Lyons of the continent. Go Hoffenheim
Mark
January 5, 2009 at 9:24 am
I guess I was thinking if Hoffenheim can't even win the 2. Bundesliga how will they be a factor in a better league. But, well, there's nothing more to be said on that account. I'm actually most proud of my Cologne prediction, for what it's worth.
As for Bremen, you know, I thought this might be the year they'd end up being a bit more competitive in Europe. I'm rooting for all German teams (so they can boost the UEFA coefficient) yet I'm continually disappointed. I guess it's good (for everyone else) Nuremberg was relegated or you'd be hearing me complain about 1) how they're not going to get into Europe and 2) how there'll be no direct spots for the CL left because of how poorly German teams play.
diana
January 5, 2009 at 1:08 am
Maybe I am slightly better than you. 🙂 My prediction for Hoffenheim was slightly more bolder – around the mid-table spot. But then again, my prediction was just simply plucked from the sky.
Hoffenheim had really surprised us all. In the second-half of the season, they will be playing in their new stadium in Sinsheim and that will be something interesting to see whether they can still keep up the momentum when they were playing at 'home' in Mannheim.
I actually had high hopes for Werder Bremen this season. But ended up the Green and Whites disappointed me coming into the halfway mark of the current season.