JoelMatipNo1

Schürrle played as a left winger in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Brilliant performance, best I've ever seen from him for the Mannschaft. If he keeps going like this the race between Reus and him for that spot is a close one. Reus is still ahead of him though.

No, he isn't. According to Uefa CL/EL regulations KPB is eligible to play for Schalke in the first round of Uefa Champions League. . They've changed that in the last 2 years or so (don't know when exactly). Don't worry though. We're in poor form and our manager is hopeless. It should be easy for Chelsea to top the group.

I guess he'll need some time. New club, new manager, different pace in the prem and defenders that look like oak trees. I've got my doubts about him though. A pacy striker who yet has to prove that he's more than a player suited for counter attacking style. I remember his first season at Bayer. A new manager came in and Schürrle had some problems to get going and just couldn't deliver. He had a few good games but mostly couldn't live up to the huge expectations. Most Bayer supporters considered him a big disappointment after his first season. The manager was sacked and Sami Hyypia anounced as head coach. Hyypia changed the style of play using the pace of Bayers attacking players in a 4-3-2-1 formation. Basically they just sat back and waited for the moment to break. Counter attacking at its best. He's a good player - no doubt about it. It's just, I don't know, I think you've got so many good players in the team, I can't really see Schürrle making it. I'd love to be wrong and see Schürrle doing well at Chelsea but this a big club and he needs to perform right away or at least after a short time.

That's not exactly what I had in mind. But interesting ... It could be worse if the team decided to make a competetion out of it. Tossing Marko the little fella not his little fella.

Yap, that could slightly change Marin's mind about the transfer. I'm just imagining Terry saying: oh c'mon Marko, just one more time.

Marko Marin has been in Munich at the Allianz and supported Chelsea there. According to Bild he had a nice chat with Roman Abramovitch, John Terry and Ivanovic who later invited him to the after party. Marin refused the offer, rightly so in my opinion. The party was for the team only. I think it's a good sign and shows he's really into it. Hopefully Marins's acceptance ritual won't be about how far someone from the team can tosse the little fellow.

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Your three part story is really worth reading. Had a good laugh and I am glad you had a good time in Germany.

I fully agree with you that Bayern were vulnerable at the back and Chelsea should've taken more advantage of it (especially considering the weakened midfield with an unfit Schweinsteiger and a not very defensive minded Kroos). I actually was quite surprised that Chelsea just sat back and focussed only on defending. And I also agree with you that Dortmund played much better in terms of attacking. But I doubt that DI Matteo's match plan was only about sitting back and defending. I think he instructed his players to attack from time to time but based on a solid defense. I can't really imagine a manager telling his players only to kick the ball high and run for it like in a pure kick & rush style. Bayern built up a lot of pressure so sometimes it doesn't really work out what you planned. But maybe I am wrong and RDM was only concerned about the defense. As for Capello, you're right. It helps a lot if the team captain is behind the manager and vice versa. Capello supported Terry when he was accused of racially abusing Ferdinand. But how did they get along before? I mean Capello took away his captaincy before the wc. And England didn't really have a decent wc campaign. And I know there was tensions between the players and Capello so I don't really know if the likes of Terry and Lampard really welcomed the great Italian who still hasn't managed to speak the English language properly. But I'm just spit balling here. On a scale from 1 to 10 for behaviour/attitude and 1 is very co-operative and 10 is very authoritarian, I'd give RDM a low figure and Capello would definitely get a 10. Well, I just think there must be something inbetween. When he was at Real Madrid (06/07) he "only" won La Liga and had feuds with some of the big stars in the team. Therefore he was sacked immediately when the season was over. He wasn't successful with England either. I'm sure he was a great manager in the past but can he still handle big star players with an enormous ego? I'm not so sure about that. Someone said on here Chelsea need a boss. And that's exactly what Capello is. He does it his way and only knows his way. But Chelsea have both young and very experienced players. Young players today demand more to be involved in decision making (why am I not playing, etc) and Terry, Lampard and Cole (the big egos in the team - just an example) have their own ideas too. So I think a manager that rarely speaks to his players is not good enough anymore. You just need to take along all of your players on your way. Huub Stevens (current manager at Schalke) well said that times have changed dramatically and you really need to talk to the players and make them understand your decisions (especially to the big ones - well, not fat, you know what I mean). And I honestly prefer this kind of manager. btw. Good statement in the other thread (the man on the pitch). I was gonna write you a pm but found out that I haven't got enough posts to do so. Your statement there represents the opinion of so many Germans (so mine too). Just wanted to say that.

Don't get me wrong, I rate Bielsa highly. I've seen Athletic Bilbao play at Schalke and I was quite impressed by his system. But his attitude and behaviour in front of the camera hinders him to get a job at a big club like Chelsea. That's basically what I meant. According to Pep Guardiola he's the best manager in the world. As for Capello, I must have misread your post. I thought you like him to stay long-term. One question: Has Terry such a strong position at the club to be involved in the decision? I'm just curious. If Capello stays only for a couple of saisons, he'll most likely be successful. But if the management of the club is looking for a real long-term solution he's not an option, I'd say. His age is not a problem. What I know about him, he's football crazy (same type of guy as SAF: it's the football that keeps them "young"). I just started watching Chelsea games when AVB got fired. And I don't really think he (RDM) made big mistakes. If Robben had converted the penalty, Chelsea would've lost. Yes, but that's only a hypothetical question. I really think If Chelsea had played a more open game, Bayern would've won easily in 90 minutes. Their midfield and wingers are just incredible but only if you give them enough space. Robben and Ribéry can rip you apart If you let them play. For me the only chance to win it was exactly the way Di Matteo let the team play. He was in Berlin for the German cup final and was watching closely how Dortmund managed to close Robben and Ribéry down (again). If you close them down and put up a wall in front of them Bayern struggled all season long to cope with it. So RDM figured we can't beat them if we play football with them, so let's park the bus. But I am probably not the best source to tell since I didn't watch all Chelsea games under RDM.

Bielsa needs time to implement his style of play. I don't think he will get that at Chelsea. The results for Bilbao in the beginning of the season were far away from good. In the first 6 matches Bilbao only made it to get 2 points. They were almost kicked out of the Europa League qualification but were lucky when their opponent was promoted to CL (some Turkish club). They got a goalless draw at home and were facing a knock out in Turkey. Bielsa is a great manager when he's given the time to implement his high-pressing, attacking style of play. Unfortunately Bielsa is not made for a big club cos he's a bit of a weirdo. Can't imagine him sitting in a press conference at Chelsea and not looking at the journalists once. Those of you who have seen him know what I mean. Plus he always kinda whispers when talking to the press and he doesn't speak English. I don't think Di Matteo is risky at all. He knows the players, the club and he already had great success (the greatest possible) with Chelsea. He developed a bond with the players and looks very accepted in the team. From an outside view I can't think of anyone better suited for the job. The way Chelsea played wasn't surely the most beautiful but he got the results he needed. Capello may have a great reputation and he'll have success in short term but in long term he'll struggle (at least that's what I'm thinking). I think his whole personality doesn't fit anymore into today's football. He's very strict and his dictatorial style of dealing with the players is out of fashion. That was one of the reasons he was laid off in Madrid. Today's players are so different from the ones in the past. It can work for short term but not for years. So why not keeping Di Matteo?

Yeah, I hope so too. I really like Baseball and I always compare Schalke with Boston. The Red Sox fans had to wait over 80 years to finally celebrate the world series again. So I guess we still have some time to have our hand's on the German title trophy (54 years and counting, oh that's awful). I can't stand it any longer just being runners-up. Neuer who? Well, that's a sensitive topic for Schalke fans. I am over it but I know many people who wouldn't even dare to speak his name anymore (they just call him the goalkeeper). I find that childish since we got tons of money for him. Plus we really needed that money (huge debts). There's this saying amongst Schalke fans: Keine Schale in der Hand und der Torwart weggerannt, Scheiß egal, wir haben Raúl. Meaning: no dish (German title trophy looks like a dish) in the hand and the goalie ran away , who cares we've got Raúl. And now we don't even have that any longer since Raúl's leaving for Qatar.

Me too tbh. Was checking this thread all day long for his part 2. I like the stories on here. Keep 'em coming guys. Oh, and of course congratulations for the win, deservedly so. Bayern were just too stupid to go all the way and Chelsea played smarter, not better but smarter. And at the end it doesn't matter how you win it. I'm not surprised that most of you guys had a really good time in Munich and not just because of the win. Bayern fans and German fans in general are very friendly to English football supporters. I remember when Arsenal played Dortmund in the CL this/last season the Dortmund fans even created a welcoming youtube video to the gunners. I found that classy. When Man Utd. played against my club, Schalke 04, in Gelsenkirchen (semi final CL) and they completely trashed us, we still celebrated after the game with Utd. supporters and just enjoyed the getting together. My English friends and I discussed that a lot lately and they think German football fans wouldn't get such a warm welcome in England. I don't know about that but I just know that Germans are very anglophil. I think we do admire the English/british culture a lot. Especially your attitude of not giving a damn about what others might think of you. I like that since Germans come with a minor inferiority complex (you know why) and we're still looking for getting recognised. Hope that was not too much off topic.

Well, Dad's Army wasn't on German TV so I would assume No. We just don't share the same humour when it comes to WW II (which leads to the false interpretation that Germans don't have a sense of humour at all). @Zippy: thank you so much for your informations. That really helped a lot. A friend of mine and his mates are coming over from London. Unfortunately they all don't have tickets for the game. And I can't be there either to be his "german guide" (I'm not from Munich so I didn't know Munich's best locations but then there was help coming from you). The boys will be travelling by car. Gas prices in Germany are pretty high at the moment. Super E10 in Munich costs around 1,55 - 1,59 €/lt (95 RON - premium unleaded; 1,24 - 1,27 GBP; Diesel at 1,40 €/lt - 1,12 GBP). According to the official website of Munich many beergardens will put up big screens for both Bayern and Chelsea fans (I guess all of them will do). I quite like it when the 2 fan groups can watch the game together and have a beer. As far as I found out there's no fan park or location for Chelsea fans only. So you have to watch it with Bayern fans. (http://www.muenchen....ic-viewing.html - here Augustinerkeller, Aumeister, Chinesischer Turm, etc.) Meeting point for Chelsea fans is Odeonsplatz I thought the best locations for watching the game is Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) since the English Garden should be a beautiful place and Augustinerkeller. But there are plenty of beergardens in walking distance according to this site: http://www.biergarten.com/cgi-tdb/biergarten/basics/biergaerten/basics.prg?session=53a7a9aa4fb3cede_638385&a_no=4&r_index=1. (map at the bottom). But make sure to be there early (not too early of course). 250.000 Chelsea fans are expected to be in town and much more Bayern supporters from all over Germany. So it should be a bit crouted. If you travel by car and your accommodation isn't near down town Munich you have to most likely take either the S-Bahn (normal city train), the U-Bahn (subway) or the bus (bus, Ha Ha). For those of you having a ticket, the ticket includes free public transport within Munich on match day. Here you can find a map of Munich's transport system (http://efa.mvv-muenc...n/netzplan.html). If you're having any trouble to find something, don't hesitate to ask a German. We're usually a friendly folk and if you ask in a polite manner (and don't laugh about our accent straight in the face) you'll get help (also from german police). Especially young people usually would enjoy a nice chat with a Brit. I hope you all have a good time and enjoy the game. P.S. One thing I've almost forgotten and Poley72 did remind me of that. Goosestepping or any motions referring to the Third Reich aren't accepted in Germany. We're a bit sensitive about that. So if you feel like to do a Hitler Salute (just for fun of course) you better think twice. It's actually forbidden by law and you might get punished.

Totally agree with you. The game took place as you said last season in Franfurt (8/4/2011). After Özil left, Thomas Schaaf had the idea of filling the spot with Marin as a playmaker (in 09/10 Marin played on the left hand side in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Özil behind the striker and Pizarro up front). But he's not a playmaker. He lacks reading a game. One of my best mates is a supporter of Werder Bremen and he constantly complains about Schaaf's stubborness when it comes to formations. Truth is Schaaf wants to keep playing his 4-4-2 (diamond shape) and there's no spot for Marin in such formation. That's actually the main reason why Werder sold Marin (well, this and the fact that they need money). Plus Schaaf used to be good in handling young players and bringing the best out of them. But that's gone. Marin needs to play on the wings not in the middle. That's where he can be very useful. I wouldn't read much into the stats of last and this year's season. I really think he can flourish at the Bridge and help your team.

Just read the article. It's a bit bitter but the author does have a point actually. In Germany no one really expects him to shine at Chelsea. He did have a terrible season with Werder due to injuries and a Werder team that got weakened by Bremen's management. They lost Mertesacker, Özil, Almeida in the previous season/in the beginning of this season and never really brought in quality players as replacements. Plus they had lots of injury trouble in the past 2 years. Nevertheless I think the deal can work out well for both Marin and Chelsea. Thomas Schaaf (Manager of Werder) played him mostly as an OM (#10) in a diamond shape 442. That's definetely not his best position. He's a classy winger on the left side. Well, Klaus Allofs (sporting director Werder) admitted that Marin didn't quite go the way everyone expected him to do at the club. But how could he when you sell your best players and don't replace them properly. When Marin and Özil were paired up in 2009/10 he was brilliant. Assisting goals and nice link up play with "el buho". German newspaper Bild reported the transfer fee is only 6 mill pounds. That's quite a bargain for a quality player like Marin. So there's almost no financial risk for Chelsea. Plus now he's got way better team mates around him. He should be doing fine alongside with Mata (who is not better than Özil but as a german I am biased of course) and Torres. He's not a goal scorer per se since his style is more to feed the striker in the middle. I think he'll find his form again and bring some creativity to the Bridge. I'll definitely follow his development at Chelsea next season. I quite like to see more german players in England since I am big fan of the EPL. Unfortunately Marin has gotten a reputation as a show pony in the Bundesliga and even worse he takes a dive quite often (due to being rather a little guy). But I am convinced Di Matteo (hopefully he'll be Chelsea's manager next season) can bring the best out of him. Good luck against the "mighty" Bayern (as a Schalke supporter it's easy who to support in the final - of course the team in blue colors).