Kaiser Sweeper
Thomas Schaaf leaves Bremen | SV Werder Bremen - Bundesliga - official website
SV Werder Bremen and long-serving head coach Thomas Schaaf have mutually agreed to part ways as a result of lengthy discussions that took place on Tuesday.Schaaf, who had been in charge of the Bundesliga side on the Weser for the last 14 years, bid farewell to the players and his fellow coaches on Wednesday morning. As per his own wishes, the 52-year-old will therefore not sit on the bench in Bremen’s final game of the current campaign against 1. FC Nuremberg. Instead, assistant coaches Wolfgang Rolff and Matthias Hönerbach will assume control of first-team duties during the final two weeks of the season.
Ryu Voelkel has some great shots up from Germany vs. Kazakhstan. Check them out now!
Bundesliga Transfers, Week 1
Augsburg
- Ji Dong-won. Sunderland → Augsburg on loan until the end of the season.
- Michael Parkhurst. Nordsjælland → Augsburg on a two-and-a-half year contract.
Bayer Leverkusen
- Renato Augusto. Bayer Leverkusen → Corinthians. Fee reported as €3.5m.
- Arkadiusz Milik. Gornik Zabrze → Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year contract. Fee reported as €3.5m.
- Marian Sarr. Bayer Leverkusen → Dortmund. Undisclosed fee.
Bayern Munich
- Jan Kirchhoff. Mainz → Bayern Munich this summer on a free transfer, although Kicker reports he may make the move this month for €1.5m.
- Mitchell Weiser. Bayern Munich → Kaiserslautern on loan for the rest of the season.
Borussia Dortmund
- Ivan Perisic. Dortmund → Wolfsburg on a four-and-a-half year contract. Fee reported as €8m.
- Marian Sarr. Bayer Leverkusen → Dortmund. Undisclosed fee.
Bundesliga Half-Term Reports
Believe it or not, the German clubs are already starting their training camps to prepare for the second half of the 2012-13 season. But before we begin play, Bundesliga.com has conveniently put together detailed reports on all 18 clubs and their first half performances. Read about the teams here.
The Bundesliga at Winter Break
It’s been a long first half of the 2012-13 season. We’ve seen league-wide protests, European glory, Bayern dominate at the top, the on-field collapse of clubs, managers sacked, major upsets, and underdogs proving their worth. With a month to reflect on these past 17 matchdays, it’s clear the next 17 have something great in store for us. See you in 2013, Bundesliga!
Goal of the Day: Arango’s Lob
Borussia Mönchengladbach won 2-0 against Mainz today to move up in the table, but all the talk was about the second goal, Juan Arango’s lob from 40 meters. Watch it before it gets pulled!
Update: New video added, since the last one got taken down.
Klopp’s Tactical Gamble Backfires
Borussia Dortmund’s Jürgen Klopp has been regarded as one of the most respected managers in Europe after his back-to-back Bundesliga title wins in the last two seasons. But the honeymoon seems to be over, at least for this week, after a 2-1 home loss to fierce rivals Schalke in which Klopp used three at the back instead of his usual positioning. It didn’t work, but possibly more noteworthy are Lukasz Piszczek’s comments to bundesliga.com about how this tactic was not even tested in practice before the match.
bundesliga.com: And did you practice playing with just three back in training?
Piszczek: No.
bundesliga.com: So Dortmund were trying out this variation for the first time against Schalke?
Piszczek: That’s right.
Bizarre. Schalke had not beaten Dortmund since 2009 in this league fixture and Dortmund were favorites to get points again at home, but the tactical change only served to make Dortmund look unorganized and lethargic. Furthermore, this is Germany’s biggest derby and Schalke were then (and still are) above Dortmund in the table. It’s much too early to presume Klopp’s gamble has lost them the title, but it is true that it’s a daunting task as they’re currently 12 points behind Bayern, who have set a record in winning all eight games this season.
![WCQ: Germany 4-4 Sweden [Photo Credit: Getty]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc0ba1Rq2o1rwlvdqo1_1280.jpg)
![WCQ: Germany 4-4 Sweden [Photo Credit: Getty]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc0ba1Rq2o1rwlvdqo2_1280.jpg)
WCQ: Germany 4-4 Sweden [Photo Credit: Getty]
