It's just the beginning

So the season is underway and the big teams have held their guts. Bayern has been very convincing, but as the last season shows early rounds do not tell the whole truth. Eintracht Frankfurt has been better than expected and they are in the lead alongside Bayern with six points.

From what I've seen this far I could predict a few relegating teams,although it's early. I'd say Greuter Fürth has got a very difficult season in front of them and it's pretty obvious that they will not stay in the league,although they managed to beat Mainz in the second round. Hoffenheim is a team that will be battling for relegation if they don't pick up their game. One scored goal in two matches doesn't promise very much. It seems Ryan Babel is desperately needed in the squad, and maybe he will be enough to change the course. My personal Black Horse Stuttgart has collected zero points so far and are on the last position. The game against Bayern showed that they are not ready to battle for the top positions. I'm sure they will pick up their game as the season goes on. It just has to happen quickly, before the team loses its faith in itself.

From a Finnish point of view the start of the season has been both good and bad. Pukki hasn't got any playtime and it seems that there is not going to be much time for him if there are no injuries, especially now when Afellay joined the Gelsenkircheners. Pukki still showed some good form in the national friendly against Czech republic when he scored the only goal of the game. And not only did he score, but he was able to find his teammates with accurate passes and won many one on one situations as well. Hopefully Huub Stevens will find some use for him in Schalke's attack. Marica has proved himself useless, so that place is to be filled but probably with Afellay.

Good news for the Finns are that Alex Ring has been playing decent minutes in Mönchengladbach shirt and that Hyypiä and Leverkusen got their first win this season. Ring has showed in the few games that he is ready to fight for his place in the opening eleven and is capable of scoring as well as defending tight against anyone. A pity is that Mönchengladbach is nowhere near the team they were last season. But as I said many times before. It's only the beginning.

Bayern is back.

14 goals in the last two games. Bayern is back. Or is it? The game they are playing reminds of the way they were playing in the beginning of the season. 7-0 against Freiburg on the 5th round, and 7-0 against Basel in the Champions League game. There is a similarity, not only in the results, but the way they are performing. The attacking players are playing with joy, and must be full of confidence. That makes Bayern a very hard team to beat at the moment.

There is still five points difference between the two top teams, but that is not enough for Dortmund to start slacking. Bayern is coming strong now, but are they able to keep on going? Dortmund hasn't been showing too many signs of slowing down, but there is the game between Bayern and Dortmund which will be crucial in the battle for the championship. Mönchengladbach and Schalke aren't too far behind, but both teams performances haven't been too impressive in the last rounds. So it really seems that it's going to be Bayern or Dortmund. And it's going to be tight. The question is, will Bayern play like this until the end.

If Bayern and Dortmund are playing good so are a few other teams as well. Looks like Mainz players have finally started to play as a team and Tuchel can breath a little easier. After the Christmas break only one defeat, and the position in the table is steadily rising. Also Augsburg has climbed up from the bottom and it seems they are getting away from the relegation battle. Of course they are still in the danger zone, but if I had to guess the three last teams would be from these four teams: Kaiserslautern, Hertha, Freiburg, Hamburg.

What is left to be said of the last two rounds in this blog is of course two words: Teemu Pukki. It's great to see him play more than 15 minutes per game again. And to see him play well is even more great. Two goals in the last two games show that Pukki is in Gelsenkirchen to stay, and hopefully will play in an even bigger role next season. Alexander Ring finally made the debut in the Bundesliga. There's not much to be said about his performance, but it's a delight to see two young Finnish players in action.

No good Finland

As I don't remember anything else than Mainz crushing Kaiserslautern last weekend, I'll talk about the Bundesliga players in Austria - Finland friendly. Once again the Finnish national team showed that it doesn't really matter how you play if you make a few mistakes. And if you don't even play good, mistakes just make your game kind of ridiculous.

In the friendly both teams were playing boring football. Austria was trying to hold on to the ball and actually play without really succeeding in it. At least the first half was even, both teams having only a few opportunities. Austria managed to score with help from the Finnish goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky. In the first half Pukki was the only Finnish player who was able to create anything, but he was too alone and tried to create chances from nothing. I think his problem in the national team is that he tries too hard. He has now played 9 caps without scoring and it seems to be pressuring up for him.

I'd say Pukki was the only one from the Finnish starting 11 that deserves even a (4) in kicker marks. Ring was awful throughout the whole game. He wasnt able to pass the ball to his teammates and was a step behind in every challenge. Id rate him with a 5,5 or 6. I'm not surprised he hasn't gotten a chance in the Mönchengladbach team with that kind of performance. Let's hope this was only one game and that he will get his chance in the Galdbach squad soon. But then he really has to improve and show what he really can do on the pitch. The third player in the Finnish team who plays in Germany, in the second Bundesliga, is Timo Furuholm. He was the only Finnish goalscorer in the game,and it was a beautiful goal. He actually came in on the 86th minute and scored immediately. He also had a scoring chance before the actual goal, so he's looking more and more promising, even for the starting eleven. I don't know much about his performances in Fortuna Düsseldorf, but at least he has played in three games. According to the stats he has been playing decently, and  hopefully he will continue in doing so.

Let's talk about the Austrians then. I'd say there were two players who almost dominated in the game against Finland. David Alaba and Julian Baumgartlinger were clearly the two best on the field. Alaba was super in bringing the ball forward and his technique is very good for a defender or defensive midfielder. I think Bayern are going to get a world class player of him, when he gets just a little older and gains experience. Baumgartlinger is a totally different kind of player. He doesn't give up, and I must say he has gotten tougher during the season. I saw him play in Mainz last summer, and I thought he looked promising, but in the game against Finland he was the master of the midfield. I doubt he lost a single challenge during the whole game. He was a big reason for Austria's victory.

Other Austrians didn't impress me at all. Harnik and Ivanschitz both scored one and played ok. They didn't show anything special and at least Harnik's efforts were very weak throughout the game. One of the worst players of the game, if not the worst, was Marco Arnautovic. He has said that he wasn't pleased with his performance, but that he knows that he can do better. I've seen him do better,but that is some time ago. He hasn't been playing good in the Bremen squad for a while now. It has been like in the game against Finland: couldn't pass the ball to the teammates, couldn't win any challenges, technique seemed poor and one free kick that went almost out of the stadium. It certainly is not his season. Maybe the next one. Or maybe he is just too arrogant.

Pukki against Ring

No game like against Bayern have we seen from the Hamburgers this season. I saw Mainz - Hamburg before the Christmas break in Mainz and when i compare that game to the one last weekend I must say i didn't reconize Hamburg as the same team. Ok, Hamburg against Bayern is kind of a classic, but I think Thorsten Fink had done something magical with his team under the game. Hamburg were definitely not the worse team in the tight battle. I'd like to say they were better, but maybe a tie was the fair result.

All in all Hamburg showed character in one to one situations and were able to play great as a team. Drobny made some good saves and the defence held tight nearly all the time. Even the attacks were working decently. Well, don't want to praise them too much. They didn't win, but it was without a doubt the best match I've seen them play in the last two seasons. Of course I haven't seen them all, but anyway. I was totally surprised, because I was more than certain that Bayern will crush them like bugs.

I'm not an expert in team budgets, but I'd reckon that Hamburg isn't one of the poorest clubs. And seeing their material, they finally came even close to the level that they should be playing on. Let's at least hope they won't be as bad as they were against Mainz, because that was just awful. One could say that was hardly football. This weekend Hamburg is facing Köln. Köln can either play great or suck really bad,so this is Hamburgs chance to take a big victory. The other option is a big defeat. At least that's my guess. 1-4 or 4-1.

That's enough for now. Except Gladbach against Schalke will be played on saturday night. Ring against Pukki. Just have to keep my fingers crossed even one of them gets on the pitch. At least Pukki should, because Marica scored twice two weeks ago. He's done for the whole season. And Schalke really messed it up on the last round. So wake up Stevens. Pukki in the starting eleven. Now. And if Pukki plays, then Favre should let Ringgo and try to slow Pukki down. May the best Finn win!

Finns on fire

I just have to praise the Finns on their performances in the friendly games.

First of all it happened: Alexander Ring got loaned to Mönchengladbach, and I'm quite sure he's there to stay. But the weird thing is he has scored three goals in two friendly games even though he isn't supposed to be a goal scorer. As I have stated out earlier he has a good shot and he has scored a few times during the last season, but the goals have come as a surprise - even for himself I'd figure. He has proven that he has joined the team with the right attitude. The attitude makes him such a good player, and that is one crucial thing that is so different about him compared to other finnish players. But the fact is, like he said himself, he is not exactly finnish. The attitude and the way of playing definitely comes from his youth years in Leverkusen's youth teams. He has proved himself useful and we might see him on the pitch quite soon. Maybe even in a week.

Schalke hasn't been performing too good in the friendlies, but then again the games are not so important. The great thing is, that Teemu Pukki has answered for most of Schalkes goals. It's hard to tell without actually having seen the games of how the players actually played, but at least Pukki has scored more than the other strikers, and that can only be a good thing. Pukki has said that he is happy about the first months in Schalke and that it has gone better than expected, but shows a good attitude in saying that he wants to maintain the same level.

There has even come a third finnish player to Germany. Timo Furuholm transferred into Fortuna Düsseldorf from Inter Turku out of the blue and with good luck he will be playing Bundesliga next year, as the Düsseldorfers are leading the 2. Bundesliga for now. In any case the flow of finnish players to Germany is more than amazing, and seeing them perform well makes even a pessimist finnish football fan get excited and dream of better results for the national team too. The greatest thing in all this is that Finland hasn't had good strikers ever (if we don't count Jari Litmanen as one), but now its starting to look better.

Finally I can't ignore Wolfsburg's  actions on the transfer market during the Christmas break. They have bought eight players, and three have left. I've regarded Magath and his actions weird this season, but it seems he is really desperate. I have no clue of the new players, but if he's trying to build a winning team for this season with those players he's more dumb as it has seemed before. I have thought during the fall season that Wolfsburg plays like a team who's gonna drop into the second league. Now I could even bet money on it. Magath seems to have lost it and the first games are going to show how the break has worked for him. If and when it's going to go bad for Wolfsburg I suggest they sack Magath immediately. They have bought so many players that someone else could actually make the best with the new players.

First half done

The christmas is gone and the games are on pause. It's still hectic among the teams and especially inside the tranfer market. Especially Schalke bought an interesting player, Obasi from Hoffenheim. People might think why do they need one more striker, especially when Obasi has only scored three goals this season. After looking at his stats I can say that I understand why he was bought, but I'm quite sure he won't be scoring too many goals. He might prove useful against tougher teams as he is quite strong and wins a lot of his challenges. I'm quite confident that he won't be threatening Pukki's game time as he is a totally different kind of a player. I think that Schalke wants to secure their offensive play and keep their material broad, in case someone else than Farfan gets injured.

Now to the breaking news. It seems another Finnish player is joining a Bundesliga team. Alexander Ring, who has lived in Germany as a youngster is almost certain to transfer to Borussia Mönchengladbach. As I've seen him play and develop this season I can say that if not immediately next season he is going to be an important player and hopefully play a big role in Mönchengladbach's team. Ring is young but exceptionally mature as a player. Of course he makes mistakes, but his attitude on the field is superb. He just doesn't give up and plays every situation until the end. He is the most promising player of Finnish football and together with Pukki they make a great duo that can bring the Finnish national team a long way. Ring has also a great shot and decent passing, so if he will join the Mönchengladbach squad he will be also of use -already this season.

Enough of the Finnish players for now and lets concentrate on the league. The last round proved crucial for a few teams. I think you can say that Leverkusen and Werder Bremen lost their chances to the trophy because of their losses on the last round. Both teams were unable to score any goals. Leverkusen lost to Nürnberg which is one of the worst teams in the league and with 11 points to the top Leverkusen has no chance of reaching Bayern anymore. Werder proved that it just isn't powerful enough to compete with the strong tems in the league. Sure Pizarro can score against the teams in the end of the table but against Schalke he was not even a slight dangerous. So the table shows that there are four teams that still reach for the title, Bayern being the favorite of course in the second half of the season. There are still a lot of matches to be played and as the last matches by the bavarians showed it is not obvious that they will win. Especially the games against Schalke, Mönchengladbach and Dortmund will be crucial when the champion will be decided. Of course the teams in places two, three and four are playing also against each other which all play a big role too. If I would have to put my money on one team I would definately say that Bayern will win the Bundesliga. But I think Dortmund has improved a lot since the start of the league and is my next choice for the first place. Here you can make your own calculations and predict who'll win: http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/spieltag/1-bundesliga/2011-12/18/tabellenrechner.html

At the moment as the league is on a break the most exciting thing is to see if Alex Ring really will be transferred. But one thing is for sure, he will leave from HJK now or at latest next summer. And probably to Germany, since he knows the ways and the language. So I'm sure that we can enjoy his performances in the Bundesliga in the future.

COFACE and Glühwein

Last Saturday was the day to enjoy Mainz at its best. A little below ten degrees with sun 
shining. On the top of that Mainz against Hamburg. Not the top game of the league but 
good entertainment. I have to say that COFACE arena is cosy and full of atmosphere. All 
the 34.000 people were cheering for the 05 to win. They succeeded in being the better 
team for sure, but just couldn't score. I expected a lot more from Hamburg, especially 
having seen their game two weeks back, but anything they can be praised of are their 
fans, who made a lot of noise. Mainz showed a lot of character and only made one big 
mistake this time, which the hamburgers couldn't make use of. The 05'ers were better 
throughout the game though, and should've kept the three points in Mainz.


On this blog you can't have a round without hearing from Teemu Pukki if he scores. The 
fin played a solid game and scored the winning goal. I haven't looked at the stats but 
Pukki was not only good in scoring situations but also able to create chances and most 
importantly in passing the ball to his teammates. He is really finding his place in the 
team and with it his confidence is rising. He has now proven his talent and showed his 
scoring abilities. No doubt he earned to be in the starting eleven and with these kind of performances he is going to start even more matches on the field. Schalke's performance 
wasn't superb, but solid enough to make them climb up to the third place in the table.


Worrying for Schalke supporters is the fact that S04 havent been playing great, at least not against their biggest rivals. On this saturday the top game is Schalke-Bremen and both really want to win to keep a smallest possible distance to the top of the table. I'ts Schalke's home game so they are a slight favorite, but Pizarro in form Bremen will make the best for Schalke not to succeed. It's looking like a very tight game and seems like a draw, but could go either way. I might put my money on the draw, and hope that they will score a lot of goals.


It is the last round before the christmas brake and all the teams will sertainly give all they have at this point and go celebrate christmas after a win. In my book there still are a few games in which the outcome seems certain beforehand. The opening game of the round is Bayern-Köln which, in spite of the odd, almost certainly a home win. Not the betters first choice in games but I'm sure Bayern will crush Solbakken's crew. Köln doesn't simply have a chance in this one. After seeing Hamburg last week, and concidering Augsburgs improving performances I have to say that Augsburg might win this one. In my book it's at least a draw. The most certain result is going to be Leverkusens win against Nürnberg. Derdiyok and the whole Dutt's squad really played under their level against Hannover and now they must win to prevent the top getting too far. The last game is Wolfsburg-Stuttgart that I am curious about is Wolfsburg-Stuttgart. I still don't have any faith in Magath and I'd say they are playing on a level that is on the bottom of the league at the moment. They have been fairly ok at home, but I still have trouble seeing them getting more than one point from this game.