Bundesliga Preview 2011-12

Written by Kinshuk Biswas on August 14, 2011

The football league with the largest attendance figures is started again on August 5 with Borussia Dortmund clashing against Hamburger SV. Bundesliga has always been very successful with the clubs and the national federation, all very satisfied with the system in place without the threat of player strikes and complaints of clubs with regards to television and advertising revenues.
This season the competition will be fierce and there are quite a few teams which are going to be contenders and a keenly contested race for spots in Europe.

	FC Augsberg Location: Augsberg Manager: Jos Luhukay Ground: SGL Arena renamed from Impuls Arena Club Captain: Uwe Möhrle Verdict: Relegation Contender
	Arrivals				Departure
	Ioannis Gelios (FC Augsburg U19) , Marco Thiede (FC Augsburg U19) , Edmond Kapllani (SC Paderborn, Loan), Dominic Peitz (Union Berlin, free transfer), Akaki Gogia (VfL Wolfsburg, free transfer) , Patrick Mayer (1.FC Heidenheim, free transfer), Lorenzo Davids (NEC, free transfer), Sebastian Langkamp (Karlsruher SC, 100,000 €), Sascha Mölders (FSV Frankfurt, 175,000 €), Akaki Gogia (VfL Wolfsburg, free transfer), Patrick Mayer (1.FC Heidenheim, free transfer), Lorenzo Davids (NEC, free transfer), Sebastian Langkamp (Karlsruher SC, 100,000 €), Sascha Mölders (FSV Frankfurt, 175,000 €).				Sören Bertram (Hamburger SV, Loan), Moritz Leitner (Bor. Dortmund, Loan Return), Ibrahima Traoré (VfB Stuttgart, free transfer), Daniel Framberger (TSV Neusäß, free transfer), Kees Kwakman (FC Groningen, free transfer), Lukas Sinkiewicz (VfL Bochum, free transfer), Thomas Rudolph (TSV Gersthofen, free transfer), Benjamin Woltmann (TSV Aindling, free transfer).
	Season’s predictions:The Bundesliga 2 champions are the 51st team to play in Bundesliga. They have managed to retain the services of their main scorers Nando Rafael and Stephen Hain. Amongst their new signings are Lorenzo				Davids, the nephew of Edgar Davids from NEC in the Dutch Eredivisie and Dominic Peitz from Union Berlin to bolster their defence. This team will have to play exceedingly well to survive in the top flight of German football.

	Bayer Leverkusen Location: Leverkusen Manager: Robin Dutt Ground: Bay Arena Club Captain:Simon Rolfes Verdict: Favourites
	Arrivals				Departure
	Bastian Oczipka (FC St. Pauli, Loan Return), Karim Bellarabi (E. Braunschweig, free transfer), Ömer Toprak (SC Freiburg, 3,000,000 €), André Schürrle (Mainz 05, 8,000,000 €), David Yelldell (MSV Duisburg, 260,000 €), Danny da Costa (Leverkusen U19), Bernd Leno (VfB Stuttgart, Loan Return).				Bernd Leno (VfB Stuttgart, Loan), Arturo Vidal (Juventus, 10,480,000 €), Kevin Kampl (VfL Osnabrück, free transfer), Richard Sukuta-Pasu (1.FC K´lautern, 280,000 €), Domagoj Vida (Dinamo Zagreb, 1,300,000 €), Burak Kaplan (Besiktas, 650,000 €), Zvonko Pamic (MSV Duisburg, loan to permanent), Marcel Risse (Mainz 05, 800,000 €), Benedikt Fernandez (Unknown, free transfer), Sami Hyypiä (End of career), Tomasz Bobel (Leverkusen II), Constant Djakpa (E. Frankfurt, 500,000 €)
	Season’s predictions:Last year, Leverkusen narrowly edged out Bayern for second place and an automatic berth in the Champions League, with the return of the club to the competition since 2004-2005. They have lost quite a few of the stars from last year. Arturo Vidal is the player that they will miss the most. There was a long running saga regarding his transfer, as Leverkusen refused to send him to archrivals Bayern and finally agreeing to a transfer to Juventus. Sammy Hyppia, who was outstanding last year has retired and the charismatic manager Jupp Heynckes has left for Bayern.				The major buy of the club this season has been André Schürrle who was brilliant for Mainz 05 last year scoring 15 goals and 5 assists. He should add some edge to the Leverkusen attack. This will also be the final year in the contract of Michael Ballack. The talismanic player has got to be at his best if the team wishes to repeat last year’s performance. Knowing the big player he is, he just might deliver. The major issue with Leverkusen is the absence of their first choice keeper, Rene Adler with a serious knee injury till October. His replacement, David Yelldell will be the key to the hopes of the team.

	Bayern Munchen FC Location: Munich Manager: Jupp Heynckes Ground: Allianz Arena Club Captain: Phillip Lahm Verdict: Favourites
	Arrivals				Departure
	David Alaba (1899 Hoffenheim, Loan), Nils Petersen (E. Cottbus, 2,800,000 €), Rafinha (Genoa, 5,500,000 €), Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04, 21,980,000 €), Takashi Usami (Gamba, Loan 300,000 €), Maximilian Riedmüller (Bayern Munich II), Jérôme Boateng (Man City, 13,500,000 €)				Thomas Kraft (Hertha BSC, free transfer), Hamit Altintop (Real Madrid CF, free transfer), Andreas Ottl (Hertha BSC, free transfer), Mehmet Ekici (Werder Bremen, 5,000,000 €), Miroslav Klose (Lazio Roma, free transfer)
	Season’s predictions:Bayern Munich is synonymous with the Bundesliga being the 21 times champions. Last year they had one of their uncharacteristically bad seasons finishing outside the automatic Champions League positions. How Bayern will do this season is dependent on the health of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, their main players for last 2 years. An unfit Robben scored 12 goals and had 8 assists last season. The development of Thomas Muller has also been impressive in his role behind the main striker Mario Gomez who scored 39 goals in all competitions last season. Bayern tried their best to acquire Arturo Vidal last season but were thwarted by Leverkusen who eventually sold him to Juventus. The question remains who will partner Bastian Schweinsteiger in the middle of the park? Luiz Gustavo and Anatoly Tymoshchuk are the two players who can fit the role. The manager Heynckes is leaning towards Gustavo if				the pre-season matches are to be taken as an indicator. The main Achilles heel of this team for the last two years has been their defence. The captain, Phillip Lahm has been outstanding as right back. The purchase of Rafinha from Genoa will enable Lahm to play in his natural left back position. Another big buy has been Jerome Boateng from Manchester City who will partner Holger Badstuber in the centre of defence which looks a stronger pairing than Daniel Van Buyten and Martin Demichlis. The biggest signing of Bayern and very much in the news is Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from Schalke. Bayern supporters are divided about this new signing. While many are claiming that he will become the next Olivier Kahn, others claim that he is too expensive and better goalkeepers are available at much lesser costs. A few good performances will see these critics quickly behind him in support.

	Borussia Mönchengladbach Location: Mönchengladbach Manager: Lucien Favre Ground: Borussia Park Club Captain: Filip Daems Verdict: Relagation Contenders
	Arrivals				Departure
	Frederic Löhe (SV Sandhausen, Loan Return), Yuki Otsu (Reysol, 400,000 €), Elias Kachunga (M’gladbach II), Lukas Rupp (Karlsruher SC, 600,000 €), Matthias Zimmermann (Karlsruher SC, 1,000,000 €), Janis Jonathan Blaswich (M’gladbach II), Oscar Wendt (Copenhagen, free transfer), Julian Korb (M’gladbach II), Mathew Leckie (Adelaide United, free transfer), Michael Bradley (Aston Villa, Loan), Raúl Bobadilla (Aris Saloniki, Loan), Joshua King (Man Utd, Loan 100,000 €).				Anderson (E. Frankfurt, Loan 100,000 €), Karim Matmour (E. Frankfurt, 500,000 €), Logan Bailly (Neuchâtel Xamax, Loan 400,000 €), Christian Dorda (Greuther Fürth, free transfer), Jens Wissing (SC Paderborn, free transfer), Bernhard Janeczek (M’gladbach II), Sebastian Schachten (FC St. Pauli, free transfer), Paul Stalteri (Unknown, free transfer), Fabian Bäcker (Alem. Aachen, free transfer), Jean-Sébastien Jaurès (End of career), Michael Fink (Besiktas, Loan), Marcel Meeuwis (VVV-Venlo, free transfer)
	Season’s predictions:Mönchengladbach survived the relegation playoff last season. This year they are expected to be in another scrap at the bottom of the table. They have made a very good buy in Oscar Wendt from Kobenhavn. The defence looks compact with Wendt, Dante, Roel Brouwers and Filip Daems patrolling in front of Marc-André ter Stegen.				It will be difficult for them to hold on to midfielder Marco Reus for too long, with a lot of interest from different clubs. Goals will be difficult to come by with major reliance on Igor de Camargo and Mohammadou Idrissou. The club is hoping that Joshua King, on loan from Manchester United, bring some of their luck to Mönchengladbach.

	Borussia Dortmund Location: Dortmund Manager: Jürgen Klopp Ground: Signal Iduna Park Club Captain: Sebastian Kehl Verdict: Favourites
	Arrivals				Departure
	Julian Koch (MSV Duisburg, Loan Return), Moritz Leitner (FC Augsburg, Loan return), Ilkay Gündogan (1.FC Nuremberg, 4,000,000 €), Chris Löwe (Chemnitzer FC, 200,000 €), Ivan Perisic (Club Brugge KV, 5,500,000 €), Marvin Bakalorz (B. Dortmund II), Mustafa Amini (Central Coast Mariners, 300,000 €)				JDedê (Eskisehirspor, free transfer), Tamás Hajnal (VfB Stuttgart, 1,000,000 €), Nuri Sahin (Real Madrid CF, 10,000,000 €), Marco Stiepermann (Alem. Aachen, Loan 100,000 €), Lasse Sobiech (FC St. Pauli, Loan 100,000 €), Markus Feulner (1.FC Nuremberg, 150,000 €), Daniel Ginczek (VfL Bochum, Loan 100,000 €), Dimitar Rangelov (E. Cottbus, Loan 200,000 €), Mustafa Amini (Central Coast Mariners, Loan)
	Season’s predictions:Defending champions Dortmund were a joy to watch last season. It was a wonder that they managed to retain most of their side from the temptations of the big clubs. They lost their key component (if not the main key) in the mid-field in Nuri Sahin to Real Madrid and brought in Ilkay Gündogan from Nuremberg as his replacement. His performances will be key to their campaign; with Captain Sebastian Kehl and Sven Bender he could form a trio of very competent attacking mid-fielders. Dortmund had the most solid defence in the Bundesliga last year and have retained the same combination.				Chris Löwe, Mats Hummels, Neven Subotic and Lukasz Piszczek form one of the most elite backlines in Europe. With the excellent Roman Weidenfeller in goal and the German ‘Messi’, Mario Goetze playing in the hole, they look good. Their depth at front line will be tested at the beginning of the season with Lucas Barrios out for a month with injury. Robert Lewandowski and probably Mohamed Zidan should be running the show up top. The manager, Klopp’s ability to hang on to almost the entire team throughout the summer is a spectacular effort. Those who will underestimate this talented Dortmund will do so at their own peril.

	Freiburg FC Location: Freiburg Manager: Marcus Sorg Ground: Badenova Stadion Club Captain: Heiko Butscher Verdict: Relegation Contender
	Arrivals				Departure
	Beg Ferati (FC Basel, free transfer), Daniel Batz (1.FC Nuremberg, free transfer), Simon Brandstetter (SC Freiburg II), Garra Dembélé (Levski Sofia, 2,200,000 €), Christian Bickel (SC Freiburg II),				Jonathan Jäger (Unknown, free transfer), Tommy Bechmann (SönderjyskE, free transfer), Ömer Toprak (Bay. Leverkusen, 3,000,000 €), Simon Pouplin (Unknown, free transfer), Nicolas Höfler (Erzgebirge Aue, Loan free transfer), Ivica Banovic (E. Cottbus, free transfer)
	Season’s predictions:Last year, Freiburg finished 9th in the Bundesliga – their best finish since the 2000-2001 season. The main reason behind this high finish was the form of their front man Papiss Cissé of Senegal.				He finished second to Mario Gomez as the highest goal scorer in the league. After watching him in action last year, the teams will have worked out methods to stop him. If you stop Cissé you will stop Freiburg.

	Hamburger SV Location: Hamburg Manager: Michael Oenning Ground: Imtech Arena Club Captain: Heiko Westermann Verdict: European Contender
	Arrivals				Departure
	Kevin Ingreso (Hamburg U19), Dániel Nagy (Hamburger SV II), Jeffrey Bruma (Chelsea, Loan 500,000 €), Janek Sternberg (Hamburg U19), Gökhan Töre (Chelsea Res., 1,300,000 €), Jacopo Sala (Chelsea Res., 100,000 €), Michael Mancienne (Chelsea, 2,500,000 €), Mickaël Tavares (Middlesboro, Loan), Wolfgang Hesl (SV Ried, Loan), Sören Bertram (FC Augsburg, Loan), Marcus Berg (PSV, Loan), Tolgay Arslan (Alem. Aachen, Loan), Tom Mickel (Hamburger SV II), Per Ciljan Skjelbred (Rosenborg BK, 500,000 €)				Tunay Torun (Hertha BSC, free transfer), Jonathan Pitroipa (Rennes, 3,500,000 €), David Rozehnal (Lille, 500,000 €), Collin Benjamin (1860 Munich, free transfer), Joris Mathijsen (Málaga CF, 2,500,000 €), Kai-Fabian Schulz (Carl Zeiss Jena, free transfer), Macauley Chrisantus (FSV Frankfurt, Loan free transfer), Zé Roberto (Al Gharafa, free transfer), Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Mainz 05, free transfer), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Málaga CF, free transfer), Frank Rost (NY Red Bulls, free transfer), Piotr Trochowski (Sevilla FC, free transfer), Alex Silva (Flamengo, 2,000,000 €)
	Season’s predictions:Hamburg saw the arrival and departure of a large number of players this year. The major departures were Ruud van Nistelrooy and Joris Mathijsen to Malaga, Piotr Trochowski to Seville and Frank Rost to New York Red Bulls. Frank Arnesen becoming the Technical Director of the club has started a transition towards youth with arrival Michael Mancienne and Jeffry Bruma from Chelsea. They will join a settled defence of Westermann, Aogo and Deikmar. Hamurg has the players to employ a rapid counter-attack style in the midfield with				Elia, Hatira and Son Heung Min, all of whom are very pacy.The addition of Per Ciljan Skj elbred from Rosenborg will give them added depth in the mid-field. In the front, they have Mladen Petric who will be out of contract next year and will be eager to prove his worth to the club and other prospective buyers. He will be partnered by the Peruvian Paolo Guerrero who had an outstanding Copa America finishing as the top scorer. This Hamburg side is young and talented and has a lot of ability and can defeat any of the favourites.

	Hannover 96 Location: Hannover Manager: Mirko Slomka Ground: AWD Arena Club Captain: Steve Cherundolo Verdict: Mid-Table (Upper)
	Arrivals				Departure
	Erdal Akdari (Hannover 96 U19), Deniz Aycicek (Hannover 96 II), Jannis Pläschke (Hannover 96 U19),Christian Pander (Schalke 04, free transfer), Samuel Radlinger (SV Ried, 250,000 €), Artur Sobiech (Pol. Warsaw, 1,100,000 €), Henning Hauger (Stabaek IF, 450,000 €)				Florian Fromlowitz (MSV Duisburg, free transfer), Tim Hofmann (Unknown, free transfer), Mikael Forssell (Unknown, free transfer), Felix Burmeister (Arm. Bielefeld, free transfer), Willi Evseev (Wiener Neustadt, Loan free transfer), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla, free transfer)
	Season’s predictions:For the first time in the history of the club, Hannover will be participating in a European competition – the Europa League. This dual challenge with the addition of the league will test the depth of the squad severely. The most impressive signing has been left back Christian Pander from Schalke. But Pander’s problems with fitness are well documented.				If he remains fit then both the full backs are world class, with the club captain, American right back Steve Cherundolo also highly rated. The problem with this team is however that only two players seem to be capable of scoring goals, Mohammed Abdellaoue and Didier Konan Ya. A lot will be depending on this two as the rest of the squad do not seem to have too many goals in them.

	Hertha Berlin Location: Berlin Manager: Markus Babbel Ground: Olympiastadion Club Captain: Andre Mihatovic Verdict: Mid-Table (lower)
	Arrivals				Departure
	Tunay Torun (Hamburger SV, free transfer), Kaká (Sporting Braga, Loan ), Peter Niemeyer (Werder Bremen, 700,000 €), Thomas Kraft (Bayern Munich, free transfer), Andreas Ottl (Bayern Munich, free transfer), John Anthony Brooks (Hertha BSC II), Maik Franz (E. Frankfurt, free transfer), Abu Bakarr Kargbo (Hertha BSC II)				Marco Sejna (Hertha BSC II), Lennart Hartmann (Alem. Aachen, free transfer), Daniel Beichler (MSV Duisburg, Loan 50,000 €), Valeri Domovchiyski (MSV Duisburg, 450,000 €), Marvin Knoll (Dynamo Dresden, Loan free transfer), Sascha Bigalke (Unterhaching, free transfer)
	Season’s predictions:Hertha Berlin is one of the two promoted clubs. They seem to be better equipped to survive in the top flight of German football. They have made very good signings over the summer with Andreas Otll, who is a talented mid-fielder and will form a good pairing with				Raffael.Kraft will be their number one goalkeeper. Gustavo Ramos was scoring for fun in the second division, and if he continues his exploits in the top flight, the club is likely to remain in the elite division.

	Hoffenheim Location: Shinseim Manager: Holger Stanislawski Ground: Rhine-Necker Arena Club Captain: Andreas Beck Verdict: European Contender (I am putting out my neck with this one)
	Arrivals				Departure
	Knowledge Musona (Kaizer Chiefs) 1,500,000 €, Koen Casteels (KRC Genk) 780,000 €, Denis Thomalla (Hoffenheim II), Jannik Vestergaard (Hoffenheim II), Fabian Johnson (VfL Wolfsburg) 700,000 €, Dominik Kaiser (Hoffenheim II), Sven Schipplock (VfB Stuttgart II)free transfer, Franco Zuculini Racing Club)Loan, Prince Tagoe (Partizan) Loan, Michael Gregoritsch (SV Kapfenberg) 200,000 €, Wellington (Figueirense) -Loan				David Alaba (Bayern Munich) Loan return, Ramazan Özcan (FC Ingolstadt) free transfer, Jens Grahl (SC Paderborn) -Loan, Jukka Raitala (CA Osasuna) Loan, Michael Gregoritsch (SV Kapfenberg) Loan.
	Season’s predictions:Hoffenheim had that amazing season in 2008-2009 where they punched far above their weight. The next two seasons have been relatively mediocre. This club definitely has a lot of good things happening for them. They have managed to hang on to their best player and captain Andreas Beck despite a lot of rumours with big name clubs.				They have acquired Fabian Johnson from Wolfsburg after two forgettable seasons. If Johnson regains his form from his 1860 Munich days he will form a formidable partnership at the back with Beck. Zimbabwean forward Musona appears to be a solid buy as well. Above all, Stanislawski brings his great work ethic and good football philosophy to the club. They could surprise a lot of people.

	Kaiserslautern Location: Kaiserslautern Manager: Marco Kurz Ground: Fritz Walter Stadion Club Captain: Christian Tiffert Verdict: Relegation Contenders
	Arrivals				Departure
	Julian-Maurice Derstroff (K´lautern U19), Willi Orban (K´lautern U19), Olcay Sahan (MSV Duisburg) free transfer, Gil Vermouth (Hapoel Tel Aviv)700,000 €, Richard Sukuta-Pasu (Bay. Leverkusen) 320,000 €, Konstantinos Fortounis (Ast. Tripolis) 250,000 €, Dorge Kouemaha (Club Brugge KV) Loan 100,000 €, Itay Shechter (Hapoel Tel Aviv) 2,500,000 €				Jan Morávek (Schalke 04) Loan, Srdjan Lakic (VfL Wolfsburg) free transfer, Danny Fuchs (End of career), Alan Stulin (K´lautern II).
	Season’s predictions:Kaiserslauten sold Srdan Lakic their main goal scorer to Wolfsburg in the summer. He scored 16 goals and the next highest player scored 5. Losing one third of the goals scored by the sides will be difficult to make up within a single transfer window.Christian Tiffert, the club captain is a very good				orchestrator from the mid-field but they will struggle to score. They have bought the prolific scorer of the Israeli league Itay Schehter who has a goal average of more than one per game. However he is un-tested against the major European defences. If he cannot reproduce similar form, they will have to struggle.

	F.C. Koln Location: Cologne Manager: Ståle Solbakken Ground: RhineEnergie Stadion Club Captain: Pedro Geromel Verdict: Mid-Table (lower)
	Arrivals				Departure
	Mark Uth (1.FC Köln II), Timo Horn (1.FC Köln II), Manasseh Ishiaku (VV St. Truiden) Loan , Simon Terodde (1.FC Köln II), Thiemo-Jérôme Kialka (1.FC Köln II), Odise Roshi (Flamurtari) free transfer Daniel Schwabke (1.FC Köln II), Mato Jajalo (AC Siena) 2,000,000 €, Sascha Riether (VfL Wolfsburg) 2,000,000 €.				Konstantinos Giannoulis (Atromitos) Loan , Michael Gardawski (VfL Osnabrück) free transfer, Taner Yalcin (Istanbul BB ) Loan 150,000 €, Alexander Vaaßen (1.FC Köln II), José Pierre Vunguidica (Preußen Münster) Loan free transfer, Stephan Salger (VfL Osnabrück) Loan, Fabrice Ehret (Évian) free transfer, Thomas Kessler (E. Frankfurt) Loan 132,000 €, Reinhold Yabo (Alem. Aachen) Loan, Bienvenue Basala-Mazana (SV Ried) Loan, Simon Terodde (Union Berlin) Loan 50,000 €, Manasseh Ishiaku (Unemployed)
	Season’s predictions:Koln or Cologne finished 10th in the Bundesliga last year their best finish since 2000-2001. This prompted the club to bring in the F.C. Copenhagen manager Ståle Solbakken at the helm. He has named the Brazilian Pedro Geromel as captain replacing the club icon and star Lukas Podolski.				There is a fear that this may affect Podolski’s performance. He had 13 goals and 7 assists last year. His striking partner Milivoje Novakovic scored 17 goals. Addition of Sascha Riether from Schalke will bolster the defence. It will be difficult for them to repeat last year’s performance.

	Mainz Location: Mainz Manager: Thomas Tuchel Ground: Coface Arena Club Captain: Nikolce Noveski Verdict: Mid-Table (lower)
	Arrivals				Departure
	Zdenek Pospech (Copenhagen) free transfer, Julian Baumgartlinger (Austria Vienna) 1,100,000 €, Anthony Ujah (Lillestrøm SK) 2,300,000€, Fabian Schönheim (SV Wehen Wiesb.) 400,000 €, Christian Fuchs (VfL Bochum) 1,800,000€, Marcel Risse (Bay. Leverkusen) 800,000€, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Hamburger SV) free transfer, Zoltán Stieber (Alem. Aachen) 1,500,000 €, Deniz Yilmaz (Bay. Munich II) free transfer, Nicolai Müller (Greuther Fürth) 1,800,000€, Andreas Ivanschitz (Panathinaikos) 200,000€, Yunus Malli (M’gladbach U19) free transfer, Malik Fathi (Spartak Moscow) 1,000,000 €				Lewis Holtby (Schalke 04) Loan return, Miroslav Karhan (Trnava) free transfer, André Schürrle (Bay. Leverkusen) 8,000,000 €, Martin Pieckenhagen (Unknown) free transfer, Zsolt Löw (End of career), Stefan Bell (E. Frankfurt) Loan 100,000 €, Jan Simak (Carl Zeiss Jena)free transfer, Filip Trojan (Dynamo Dresden)free transfer, Christian Fuchs (Schalke 04)3,800,000 €,
	Season’s predictions:Mainz had a brilliant start to the season last year, tallying 24 points from their first 9 matches. They faded as the season progressed, however they managed to put together a good string of results to earn the final Europa league position. They will be losing two of their best players André Schürrle to Leverkusen and Lewis Holtby returning to Schalke as he was				on loan. Schürrle had an exceptional season scoring 15 goals last year. He had an able partner up front in Sami Allagui. Mainz will be hoping that new signing Anthony Ujah from Lillestrøm will be able to form a similar partnership. However it will be difficult for Mainz to recreate the form of last season.

	Nuremberg Location: Nuremberg Manager: Dieter Hecking Ground: Easy-Credit Stadion Club Captain: Raphael Schäfer Verdict: Mid-Table (upper)
	Arrivals				Departure
	Timm Klose (Thun) 400,000 €, Patrick Rakovsky (Schalke 04 U19) 100,000 €, Markus Feulner (Bor. Dortmund) 150,000 €, Philipp Klement (K´lautern II) free transfer, Wilson Kamavuaka (Hoffenheim II) free transfer, Tomas Pekhart (FK Jablonec) 2,000,000 €, Manuel Zeitz (Saarbrücken) free transfer, Marvin Plattenhardt (Nürnberg II), Julian Wießmeier (Nürnberg U19), Alexander Esswein (Dynamo Dresden) 200,000 €, Daniel Didavi (VfB Stuttgart) Loan 300,000 €				Julian Schieber (VfB Stuttgart) Loan return, Christoph Sauter (VfR Aalen) –Loan, Marek Mintál (Hansa Rostock) free transfer, Andreas Wolf (Werder Bremen) free transfer, Daniel Batz (SC Freiburg) free transfer, Pascal Bieler (SV Wehen Wiesb.) free transfer, Ilkay Gündogan (Bor. Dortmund) 4,000,000 € Timo Ochs (1860 Munich) free transfer, Daniel Klewer (End of career), Dario Vidosic (Adelaide United) free transfer, Felicio Brown Forbes (RW Oberhausen) -Loan
	Season’s predictions:Nuremburg lost the last Europa league position to Mainz last year by fading at the end of the year. They have lost a lot of their key players and it has to be seen how they will be replaced. Mehmet Ekici, the creative mid-fielder who was on loan from Bayern has moved to Werder Bremen with Andreas Wolf.				Ilkay Gündogan has gone to Dortmund. The club has brought in defender Timm Klose, holding mid-fielder Manuel Zeitz, Alexander Esswein and Tomáš Pekhart in the forward line. Pekhart is a great prospect and should develop into a good player and do well for the club.

	Schalke 04 Location: Gelsenkirchen Manager: Ralf Rangnick Ground: Veltins Arena Club Captain: Benedikt Höwedes Verdict: European Contender
	Arrivals				Departure
	Lewis Holtby (Mainz 05) Loan return, Jan Morávek (1.FC K´lautern) Loan return, Jermaine Jones (Blackburn) Loan, Andreas Wiegel (Schalke 04 II),Ralf Fährmann (E. Frankfurt) free transfer, Marco Höger (Alem. Aachen) 1,500,000 €, Ciprian Marica (VfB Stuttgart) free transfer, Christian Fuchs (Mainz 05) 3,800,000 €.				Ali Karimi (Persepolis) free transfer, Nicolas Plestan (Unknown) free transfer, Gerald Asamoah (Unemployed), Christian Pander (Hannover 96) free transfer, Lukas Schmitz (Werder Bremen) 900,000 €, Tore Reginiussen (Odense BK) 250,000 €, Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich ) 21,980,000 €, Vasileios Pliatsikas (MSV Duisburg) Loan 100,000 €, Ciprian Deac (Rapid Bukarest) Loan 300,000 €, Angelos Charisteas (Panetolikos) free transfer, Danilo Avelar (Karpaty) Loan , Junmin Hao (Shandong) 1,100,000 €
	Season’s predictions:Last year was a complete disaster for Schalke in the league. They finished just 4 points above relegation. Their fortunes were completely different in Europe as they made it to the last 4 of the Champions League. They put together a decent run to win the German Cup which has allowed them a place in the Europa League. The roulette with the transfer of Manuel Neuer to Bayern was the main feature in the transfer market for Schalke. They have used the money from that transfer to				bring in some quality players. Goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann from Eintracht Frankfurt was outstanding last year for a very poor team. Christian Fuchs is a good buy who will add depth and solidity to the defence. Jefferson Farfán got injured in the Copa America and will be missing. Dutch striker Klaas Jan-Huntelaar seems to be Rangnick’s favourite choice. The status of Raul who has expressed a desire to go back to Spain is also a key consideration. This club is an enigma that can beat the best and lose to the worst.

	VfB Stuttgart Location: Stuttgart Manager: Bruno Labbadia Ground: Mercedez-Benz Arena Club Captain: Matthieu Delpierre Verdict: Mid-Table (upper)
	Arrivals				Departure
	Bernd Leno (Bay. Leverkusen) Loan, Julian Schieber (1.FC Nuremberg) Loan return, Tamás Hajnal (Bor. Dortmund) 1,000,000 €, Ibrahima Traoré (FC Augsburg) free transfer, Bernd Leno (VfB Stuttg. II), William Kvist (Copenhagen) 3,500,000 €, Ermin Bicakcic (VfB Stuttg. II), Maza (PSV) 1,800,000 €.				Philipp Degen (Liverpool) Loan Return, Élson (FK Rostov) free transfer, Patrick Funk (FC St. Pauli) Loan 200,000 €, Daniel Didavi (1.FC Nuremberg) Loan 300,000 €, Ciprian Marica (Schalke 04) free transfer, Christian Träsch (VfL Wolfsburg) 9,000,000 €, Bernd Leno (Bay. Leverkusen) –Loan
	Season’s predictions:The initial part of this season will be difficult for Stuttgart, especially in defence with injuries to defenders Ermin Bicakcic and Georg Niedermeier along with the departure of Christian Träsch to Wolfsburg. They have bought Francisco Rodriguez Maza from PSV Eindhoven who will have to stabilise the defence.				This team has a lot of good players like Julian Schieber returning from his loan spell at FC Nürnberg. They have a rotation policy with the forward line having Cacau, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Martin Harnik. Two players to watch out for are midfielders Zdravko Kuzmanovic and William Kvist who have joined from Copenhagen.

	Werder Bremen Location: Bremen Manager: Thomas Schaaf Ground: Westerstadion Club Captain: Pert Mertesacker Verdict: 9th
	Arrivals				Departure
	Márkó Futács (FC Ingolstadt) Loan return, Aleksandar Stevanovic (Schalke 04 U19) free transfer, Özkan Yildirim (W. Bremen U19), Lukas Schmitz (Schalke 04) 900,000 €, Tom Trybull (Hansa Rostock) 200,000 €, Andreas Wolf (1.FC Nuremberg) free transfer, Mehmet Ekici (Bayern Munich )5,000,000 € Markus Rosenberg (Rac. Santander) Loan, Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Genoa) Loan 500,000 €, Aleksandar Ignjovski (OFK Beograd) 440,000 €				Dominik Schmidt (E. Frankfurt) free transfer, Felix Wiedwald (MSV Duisburg) 100,000 €, Timo Perthel (Hansa Rostock) free transfer, Pascal Testroet (K. Offenbach) 50,000 €, Niklas Andersen (Unknown) free transfer, Torsten Frings (Toronto FC) free transfer, Samuel (RSC Anderlecht) free transfer, Peter Niemeyer (Hertha BSC) 700,000 €, John Jairo Mosquera (Union Berlin) 150,000 €, Daniel Jensen (Unknown) free transfer, Petri Pasanen (RB Salzburg) free transfer, Jurica Vranjes (Unknown) free transfer, Said Husejinovic (Unknown) free transfer.
	Season’s predictions:Werder Bremen has good players going forward with the arrival of creative midfielder Mehmet Ekici from Bayern. His arrival will give more freedom up front to Marko Marin and Aaron Hunt. Claudio Pizzaro will be missing in the early part of the season and they will have				to rotate Sandro Wagner and Marko Arnautovic. The problem with them is the lack of a leader in the mid-field as they did not renew the contract of Torsten Frings who was an inspirational leader at the club. It is to be seen how they will replace his steadying influence in the midfield.

	Wolfsburg Location: Wolfsburg Manager: Felix Magath Ground: Volkswagen Arena Club Captain: Christian Träsch Verdict: Mid-Table (upper)
	Arrivals				Departure
	Srdjan Lakic (1.FC K´lautern) free transfer, Marco Russ (E. Frankfurt) 3,000,000 €, Bjarne Thoelke (Wolfsburg II), Sebastian Polter (Wolfsburg II), Mateusz Klich (MKS Cracovia) 1,500,000 €, Robin Knoche (Wolfsburg U19), Kevin Scheidhauer (Wolfsburg U19), Patrick Ochs (E. Frankfurt) 3,000,000 € Michael Schulze (Wolfsburg II), Hasan Salihamidzic (Juventus) free transfer, Christian Träsch (VfB Stuttgart) 9,000,000 €				Akaki Gogia (FC Augsburg) Loan, Fabian Johnson (1899 Hoffenheim) 700,000 €, Grafite (Al-Ahli Dubai) 3,000,000 €, Karim Ziani (Al-Jaish) free transfer, Nassim Ben Khalifa (Young Boys Bern) Loan, Sascha Riether (Cologne) 2,000,000 €
	Season’s predictions:A lot of people think that Wolfsburg will be competing with the favourites this season. The last season was a total disaster and they were just above the drop zone. This year Felix Magath has gone out and made some good buys. Christian Träsch, Marco Russ and Patrick Ochs will add to the good players already at the				club, like Arne Friedrich and Marcel Schäfer. Bringing Hasan Salihamidžic back to the Bundesliga with his vast experience and winning mentality is a great move. Croatian forward, Srdan Lakic looks to be a great buy and should score more than ten goals this season. Overall the team looks solid, if not outstanding.

About Kinshuk Biswas

Kinshuk Biswas is an architect by education, a consultant by profession, a quizzer, writer and an absolute football fanatic by choice. Follow him at http://confessionsofastonedmind.blogspot.com

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2 responses on “Bundesliga Preview 2011-12”

Aritra Biswas says:

November 3, 2011 at 12:36 pm

The article’s good. However, one mistake i would like to point out. You have swapped the logos of Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen.

Reply
1. Goalden Times says:
  
  November 3, 2011 at 1:36 pm
  
  Thanks for reading our article and pointing out the error. It has been corrected.
  
  Reply

Bundesliga Preview 2011-12

FC Augsberg

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Bayer Leverkusen

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Bayern Munchen FC

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Borussia Mönchengladbach

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Borussia Dortmund

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Freiburg FC

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Hamburger SV

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Hannover 96

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Hertha Berlin

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Hoffenheim

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Kaiserslautern

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F.C. Koln

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Mainz

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Nuremberg

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Schalke 04

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VfB Stuttgart

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Werder Bremen

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Wolfsburg

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About Kinshuk Biswas

2 responses on “Bundesliga Preview 2011-12”

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