Recent Bundesliga Champions (Since '92)
92/93 Werder Bremen
93/94 Bayern Munich
94/95 Borussia Dortmund
95/96 Borussia Dortmund
96/97 Bayern Munich
97/98 1. FC Kaiserslautern
98/99 Bayern Munich
99/00 Bayern Munich
00/01 Bayern Munich
01/02 Borussia Dortmund
02/03 Bayern Munich
03/04 Werder Bremen
04/05 Bayern Munich
05/06 Bayern Munich
06/07 VfB Stuttgart
07/08 Bayern Munich
08/09 VfL Wolfsburg
09/10 Bayern Munich
10/11 Borussia Dortmund
11/12 Borussia Dortmund

Should be an interesting season ahead of us.

About time for Gladbach to win the league again.

You think it's possible? As I said earlier, I think last seasons success was the teams maximum. Loosing Reus and Dante doesn't help either.

Dortmund/Bayern to run away as the top 2 again.

I'd say Bayern. They've gotta win it now, or else big changes should/could be introduced.

Nah.

Last season was not their maximum though, or at least they could do similar this season. I expect they will. Gladbach haven't become weaker. Luuk de Jong, Alvaro Dominguez and Granit Xhaka are quality players, making up for the three quality players that left. Most starters who are still here are very young and will only do better now, like Patrick Herrmann. 3rd or 4th should be very possible, Schalke may get 3rd again. The other teams are not better than Gladbach. Anything less than European football, and I'm hugely disappointed.


Most likely, yes. Both should finish top 2. They are the obvious two best sides currently.


If Schweinsteiger gets back to his former self, Bayern are favourites. Bayern really missed him last season.

Should be close between Bayern and Dortmund, though you never know what will happen, a team like Schalke can at least stick with them for most of the season, or one side can dominate like Dortmund has done two years back, and Bayern obviously can do the same. As long as the champions have Borussia in their name, I'm happy.

Don't know why, but I expect Dortmund to disappoint this season. Somehow I don't see them winning 3 strait titles, even if it is a really good team.

And for once I hope they'll present a thread in Europe as well. Last season it was just laughable how they got eliminated.

Who knows, I don't rule out Schalke coming in 2nd, but I would be shocked if Dortmund will really disappoint.

Shinji Kagawa was Dortmund's key player last season, and even though Marco Reus and Mario Götze are quality players as well, we have to see first how that will go. Last season Dortmund used to struggle first (bar the first match), because of missing former key player Nuri Sahin, which is why they ruined the Champions League, and also lost many points in the league. I don't expect Dortmund to have another (early) period that's that horrible, so they should do better in Champions League now.

Also the season where Sahin was the key player, Kagawa has been important as well. Last season Kagawa became even more important. So Dortmund will be a different Dortmund, so that'd be interesting.

Well, against Bayern Dortmund actually did disappoint.

I would not look too much into it though. The starting midfield was a joke. Kehl and Bender were injured, and they were very well missed, same goes for Götze who only subbed in. It is up to Götze to shine this season, because if he doesn't, Dortmund will miss former key player Kagawa a lot. Götze should be Dortmund's attacking midfielder, not Reus, while Götze comes closer to offering that what Kagawa (and also Sahin) has been doing in Dortmund's midfield than Reus does. Since Kuba is a good right-winger, Reus position should be left-wing.

This will probably be Bayern's season though. They only have become stronger, and Dortmund weaker. Also keep in mind how Bayern's key player Schweinsteiger was mostly injured and later off form last season.

Why do you put so much emphasis on Kagawa? I don't think he was the crucial part; when he went out injured the season before, almost nothing changed - Dortmund still dominated. Don't get me wrong, he's an important player and was excellent in many departments, but I wouldn't say he was or is their key player.

Because CHU loves Japanese people.

Well, in my opinion he was. I can't name one player who was more important for Dortmund when it comes to creating attacks, and holding possession, than him. He's that kind of player that made it all much more easier.


I don't love Kagawa. His girlfriend I could though.

I'm not so sure. He's managed an overall of 9 assists in the Bundesliga over 2 seasons which isn't that impressive. I'd say Lewandowski was much more crucial, but Klopp managed to build a real team, not just a group of individuals.

It's not about the assists. Kagawa has played an important role at many attacks. An usual good thing about Kagawa was giving a very good ball to a winger who then brings the ball to someone in goalscoring position. Obviously Dortmund's strength is being a real team, true. You have to be when playing football like Dortmund does. And then unlike with a group of individuals many players will play an important role during attacks.

How is the guy they got from Moenchengladbach, Reus is it? Is he anywhere near the player that Kagawa is?

Yep he was important, on that we agree. Still, not sure Dortmund will miss him as much. They did fine when he was out for months.


He's good, has potential. Dortmund should bring him to the next level. But he's different - more of a constant menace and not a wing player.

When Kagawa was out for months, that was when Dortmund also had Sahin. With (both Götze and) Sahin you can survive much easier without Kagawa. Since Sahin has left, Kagawa only became more important, and even better. Now it is up to Götze and Gündogan to make up for the loss of both Sahin and Kagawa. That is a lot of playmaking that has left with those two. Without Kagawa, Götze finally can play as #10, unless Klopp puts Reus there instead. Let's see if Reus can make Dortmund more clinical. Dortmund has been very good, yet quite wasteful.

Well, Reus was very good today in the opener. Scored and made the assist.

Dortmund win against Werder 2-1 at home.

So, Bayern win comfortable, even though they didn't convince me. I have a feeling Guardiola is coming.

Already miss of the season by Ibisevic - click

Shaqiri looked good.

That's so bad.

Even worse when you see the clock says it's the 88th minute, 0-0 and they go on to lose. Ouch.

Indeed. We'll see where he'll play when Schweini comes back.

How much did Shaqiri cost Bayern again? I don't understand how Milan can't at least pull some deal like this.


Yep, he ruined it completely.

First hick-up by Dortmund. Bayern-Stuttgart today, should be interesting.

Juan Arango is one of the best players in the world ignoring the obvious ones at the big teams.

If it wasn't for him, Gladbach would have scored no single goal so far.

Arango is good, yet he is at times too lazy. Luuk de Jong really is a big mistake though.

Arango is not lazy at all. He tracks back all the time, is always there to make the play, and so far pretty much every goal either gave the assist or made the goal.

And if you expect him to be even more active, well, keep in mind he's old.

I know. Not lazy in that matter, but almost every match he has periods of complete blackout/shutdown. He just stops.

Anyway, Bayern demolishing Stuttgart. 3-1 at half time.

And Madžukić makes it 4.

My God, 3 minutes pass and it's already 6-1. Disastrous Stuttgart defense. This could get ugly.

Anyone watched Bayern-Dortmund?

I did. Not a bad match at all. Kroos and Götze are top class, just another proof.

Aye. And Javi Martinez really turned out a great signing for Bayern.

I had beer with Martinez's girlfriend in the Oktoberfest. She's Persian, an architect and quite a looker!

Gotze, yeah. Never been impressed with Kroos.

Kroos is cerebral man! Think of a working man's Fabregas. If someone told me to go out there and find the next Seedorf, I would have to pause when I came to this dude.

Then you saw the Kroos of some seasons ago. This season he really stepped up. And the fact that he can be a more classic "10" then most of the other WC creative players also counts with my book.

Sahin back to Dortmund on an 18-month loan.

Don't know why we didn't even try to go for him

There have been some quality players on the market.

Had we been smart we could have boosted this average side into a really good one.

Sneijder, Sahin, Drogba. They would have taken us to the next level

Agreed. Though I imagine Drogba/Sneider would've been a wage issue. Sneidjer's having this problem because of $$$ and Drogba is only in China because of $$$, not sure how much of a cut they would take to come here, but it would be unrealistic I think.

I think top players like Drogba and Sneijder only go to these teams if they're able to get a big pay day out of them. I'm sure that they would reduce their demands at bigger clubs where they have better opportunities (top league, CL football). They'd still earn good money, but not at the levels they would be earning in lesser teams that play in less popular leagues.

Like Eto'o for example. He was earning good money at Inter and I think he would have been ok with staying. The only reason he accepted Anzhi (sp?) while still at a relatively early stage in his career is because of the huge wages. Same for Ibra with PSG. I think if he had a choice, he'd have rather stayed at Milan for a slightly lower wage, or gone to the EPL. But given the offer PSG made in wages, and the fact that Milan wanted to sell, it made the move acceptable for him

You really can't tell that for sure. I think money matters much more then you think for them. They've won all there is to win, and now with a few years of playing left, they wanna cash in.

+1

But this depends on the age as well. Drogba maybe, but Sneijder is still in his 20s. He still has time to go to another big club AND move to a lesser club for a big pay day as well

Well, he seems pretty unmotivated to me (also with Holland) and injuries did their thing as well. Don't know, but don't you think United would have knocked on Inter's door if Wesley wanted a big team?

Aye, it's pretty obvious Sneijder is going after the money, otherwise he wouldn't even consider signing for Galatasaray.

Guardiola has signed with Bayern starting next season, according to FI.

That was unexpected, good for them. Will be interesting to see him outside of the Barca comfort zone.

Yeah, and especially in Germany.

Shame it's another easy job though.