Freiburg faces a bittersweet moment as Christian Streich, the heart and soul of the club, announces his departure at the end of the season. Streich, who has been synonymous with Freiburg for decades, leaves behind a legacy of remarkable achievements, from relegation heartbreak to European competition multiple times. His Klopp-esque resignation video encapsulates the emotions of fans as they bid farewell to a coach who not only brought success on the pitch but also served as a beacon of social consciousness in the league. This weekend, they took on record-breaking Bayern Leverkusen, who maintain their 10-point gap to an improving Bayern Munich side after goals from the likes of Wirtz and Schick.
Meanwhile, Wolfsburg undergoes a dramatic upheaval with the dismissal of manager Niko Kovač after a dismal run of form. Ralph Hasenhüttl steps into the fray, aiming to secure the club’s top-flight status amidst a precarious battle against relegation. Markus (@markusfjortoft) and Jan Aage Fjortoft (@janaagefjortoft) reflect on all this and more in the latest episode.
0:00 Intro
02:06 Unstoppable Leverkusen vs. Improving Bayern
11:18 The Battle for Europe
14:29 Kovac fired by Wolfsburg, Hasenhüttl IN
19:50 Where has it gone wrong with Kovac?
22:07 Streich Resigns! Why it Matters
28:29 Bayern’s Technical Director Quits
30:23 Rest of the Round – Results
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And the funny thing is now that if uh that if if by now were looking for a new coach th to would be a Candidate hi and welcome to the German fball podcast I’m your host Marcus fof and as always joined by Yan fof at the airort dad so mind you we have a little schedule to uphold but nonetheless welcome for another Bundesliga summary a day later I ran a marathon so I’m trying
To recover physically and and mentally um but here we are and there’s a lot that’s happened in the Bundesliga over the last week There’s Been Germany selections which will’ll do a special for over the international break there’s been obviously byon and El but there’s been a few managerial departures a few
New arrivals as such a lot to dissect but first of all how are you done I’m fine and first of all a compliment to you and your fiance running the Roma marathon and wow 3:38 that is a great time uh fit fit fitter than your dad uh I’m on my way
Why I’m on an airport I’m on my way to Frankfurt I’m going to stay there for less than 24 hours but it’s because and Frankford uh got their 125 fth birthday not not today but they are celebrating it today and I look forward to see my old teammates see the
Leaders of Ang fun I do look forward to that and just before I came in Marcus H we got a sad news in terms of sport as pavlovich the the young Starlet at Bayern who has now in the German Squad instead of goreta his mentor so to say
Which is a good story in itself he can’t be there because he got a bit more cold than me uh a bit more serious so he he won’t be there uh for his uh first starter um potentially for for Germany but Marcus yes it was a great it was a
Great weekend again because it’s it will always be a great weekend for neutrals when you can see that lusen don’t fall under the pressure a club that never want to lose so we saw that kabak they were two nil down coming back that game in in the dying seconds and um Dad by
Damad One n up and you thought wow this is is this going to be the round Bayern will lose against against damad but then again Bayern look like Bayern no Mar because and I know people say it’s only Lazio it’s only mines at home it’s only
Damat away but Bayern look play and talk like Bayern again so uh so they put pressure on the on on on lusen but lusen did I just I’m not saying like a machine because that is to underestimate them because it’s a human beings that have to cooperate to understand the strategy of
Alonso but wow are they impressive yeah it’s it’s it’s two relatively good points one being the Machinery of Leverkusen which they certainly are but at the same time the nature by which they accumulate these winds shows to overcoming sort of a inevitably there will be a bit of fatigue but there’s
Also a lot of rotations from the kabak game now to the fror game seven changes made you’re two nil down to kabak by no means an impressive performance as such carak got man sent off they’re up 2-0 then they get back and win it not only
Win it but they win it in in in in regular time after being down for so much so many parts of the game Patrick schik picking up a bit of form you see the sort of the importance of that um him getting his first Bundesliga goal of
The calendar year Believe It or Not despite his his excellent form in in the Europa League and they go to fryborg there verz there as well I mean you mentioned musala imagine Veron muala there and and who who wouldn’t make them the center of of of Germany’s Ambitions
At at the Euros um just for context as well by Leverkusen have now 70 points that’s the second best tally ever at this point of the Bundesliga only bettered by surprise surprise Pep Guardiola in the 20 um 13 2014 season there had 74 points didn’t lose until
Round 28 leveren now at Round 26 for bayern’s sake that we we also have to mention it was a poor Bundesliga season last year in terms of points accumulated but Bayern have five more points than they had at this point last season they ended the season they won
This season on goal difference against Dortmund at 71 points Leverkusen now have 70 points right so obviously last season was poor but even still to whether you call it unlucky or whatnot are just up against an incre historically good by Lin as well because you would have thought under any other
Circumstances Bay would have won this and the funny thing is now that if uh that if if by and now were looking for a new coach Thomas tler would be a candidate and it’s interesting that the friend friend of our podcast Christian falky was involved in a in a discussion
Through on Contra they have in the sport Bild that should they talk to into stay for another season and he was against it and his argument was he has got it right now but it took him too long time what he is his main thing about that Bayern
Has more or less found himself now is of course that they have the central line now he means that Deli should be the the boss in defense anyway from from day one to will say he’ll be injured but D has also been on the bench when he’s been
Fit we got Thomas Müller there in in inside a team he’s always running around doing his stuff producing goals being a coach on the pitch you got Kim Mitch on the right back which is probably the best place for him now and we’re talking about pavlovich pavic finding his place
There with goreta in the middle and then you have muala of course so Bayern finding himself Bayern a draw in the Champions League against Arsenal I think that both teams would be happy with that draw I’m saying that because Arsenal need to show that they take the next
Step in terms of European Triumph I mean Arsenal on on a brink of so much great now but as a lot of clubs have understand over the years to take that next step is the hardest and I think Arsenal I’m I’m coming back to Bayern but Arsenal showed that uh last season
When they were leading the Premier League table and Manchester City just took the TP as they used to be same with Bayern last year same with with with teams like inter Real Madrid Juventus the big teams and then you have the other teams that need to take that next step like Napoli
L did in in the Sera that Liverpool has done on occasions but Liverpool when klopp came they hadn’t won the the the Premier League for ages you always have to take that next step and that’s why I I guess it’s so impressed with lusen this season because l now need to take
The next step eight games to go that is 24 points they have a 10 point lead I guess the goal difference will be very it’s it’s equal now but it will even be I think the Bayern maybe Bayern when they are on this run uh will will take it but the game in
In fryberg Marcus there was a a fryberg team who needed a bit Revenge after they were hammered by West Ham so there could come a reaction on that there was the rumor that turn in to be true that stri the coach TOA for reg Generations he
Will leave we talk more about that later but still there was something about lusen that they got all in control I I saw as you saw that game they scoring 884 seconds that is Flor beards that is the perfect start of course for any team but especially for lus who have the
Ability to kind of punish people when they open up their spaces and yes Le Leverkusen they conceded 32 I think 11 minutes at 79th minute yeah good goal from F and absolutely but but still I was nervous on behalf of them but for me the moment of the game was frong cross
To to shiks uh with his left foot in the far Corner man that is a brilliant finish but that’s what we love to see though that because Patrick schik was the goal scorer the goal getter in Bundesliga I’d say up until Harry Kane come but we remember how good Patrick
Schik was it’s it must be delightful to see him sort of regaining that that form being out for a for a long time with injury then they got Bonnie face in and he’s out with injury the last thing we hear from from Germany now is that
Bonace could be back at the end of this month so that will give them an an extra option again but I’m also impressed the way alono uh you were talking about that a bit uh how he’s mixing his team how he keeps everybody fit uh how he gets player in what’s his
Name yes Lo the scoring a goal and and he hasn’t been a lot involved but still he feels he’s a part of the project and I think that is the the main thing for any coach because you need your squad you need your squad uh the whole season
And you can see that now on on lusen the they pay dividend on that kind of uh philosophy and strategy absolutely the earliest considering Bayern R in the form they are in so realistically say Bayern are flawless in their in their sort of EX conclusion of
The season the earliest by lusen can win the league is in Match Day 31 with three games remaining uh just and yeah yeah so sorry next our next round is the the classica it’s Bayern against dormund uh and leverkus playing hoffenheim at home you you feel that both teams will get
Three points there uh so I think that uh I don’t think they will get the league that early I think well they got to be there got to be a point when this team will lose lose the game H or will they go the whole way to like the invincibles
But even added to the Invincible the Arsenal Fantastic Team back in the days they could go through Europa League they could go through the cup and they could go through the league without losing I mean that is uh yeah it’s too good it’s too good to be it’s too good to be true
Really um but Bay lusen keep on steamrolling it is um impressive also worth mentioning Dortmund play Bayern in the classer for Dortmund who won 3-1 against our dear in frankf for Dad Maro GZA went back to Dortmund scored muted celebration if if any um irru being where they where they kind of deserved
To be they’re not playing really well they’re still in the European spots they have alburg mind you chasing them back after they made four wins in a row but Dortmund have in the next six games or five games I guess in the Bundesliga they have the top six right so it will
Be pretty um definitive in terms of where their season goes depending on that run in they also have Atletico Madrid in the champions leagues which will be a tough task for a Dortmund team that have yet to really convince this season no and on the other hand that is
Impressive as well that you’re still up there and I think that to win against Frankfurt was very vital for them as you were saying now the the the program coming up now and liy has found to their form a lot of potential match winners in that team I saw that game of course
Between Dortmund Ein Ein I will say I will have my Ein glasses on but they at least level them uh then there was the penalty a great goal from maxas he uh he he they they mixed up the goal guts to got I mean there was a big misunderstanding and there wasn’t a
Defense line that even post kogo would have getting into orgasmic Heights of his of his line standing but so GS a one nil and and then there were a great great goal from humel I will ask how you can defend uh the way Frankfurt did but don’t take away anything from Max’s
Great goal and then you had a the penalty where where gens I guess was fouled and then he realized a minute later that he got a kick and then he fell over but I think that you you you can give a penalty there and Emir Chan
Uh standing up doing his stuff so it was a bit nostalgic U goal scorers for for for Dortmund I think an Frankford would love to have that position they have now that is a great place in Europe there should be enough games to do that but
They they have to get those those vitals win and now hopefully at home they they they can sort it out alburg very impressive coming up there being the main Challenger to inra Frankford for that position but I still think that inra Frankford will manage to hold on to
This there should brief one on alburg there as well four wins in a row bear in mind yes torup the former FC Copenhagen coach when he took over alburg were terrible under enrio Mass they had one win in seven games I believe they were one point above the relegation spot um
And now they find themselves sort of an outsider and and in eth I believe or seventh um and why not why not uh see where that could could bear fruits um should we do then Kovach first that or St first in terms of uh departures because two very
Much end of the Spectrum in terms of how they go out of a club yes uh Kovach uh I known Kovach for many many years played against him he was the coach at um at inra Frankfurt uh I interviewed him in his role at Bayern Munich but he had he was
Successfully both as a player as a as a manager took then over walsburg wur being the kind of well got resources they got the the big Volkswagen uh company behind him started the season not so bad but it just getting getting worse and worse and we’ve just been
Waiting now for a couple of weeks that this will will be the end and now he he was fired with his brother by the way uh Robert who is his assistant coach which is a kind cool story has always been stay they stay they stick together so
Niik Kovach he knows the this part of the business he knows that you need results and they haven’t got it lately so that was eventually quite of uh expected that Nik Kovach will will get it I think they got enough points I got five or six points
Ahead yeah they 25 points I mean they’re still could you say they’re involved in it to some extent I reckon they just need a couple yeah they’re involved they’re involved but I think that and the funny thing now another old mate of mine uh Ral Hassen hle who hasn’t have
Had a job for a couple of years last thing he did was at Southampton in England he’s back in business the funny thing is when I played in by rapid Vienna from 89 to 93 in that period there were three teams that was batting it out that was rapid Vienna Austria
Vienna and Troll inbrook and our rival was Austra Vienna the first two seasons and number nine in that team or or the striker in that team was Ralph has so I played against him many times know that no and we ending up winning the derbies and he ended up winning the the trophy
So uh but he’s he’s a great lad he has he’s gone through the Red Bull he was at liy he knows the German Football uh done really well withad obviously took them up from the buliga established them absolutely and and at the time I visited him in in engos we had our goalkeeper
Aran nean was there was was his goalkeeper by the way oan Nila now seems to extend his contract with Sevilla playing very well in La Liga and it’s good to see from from from our area at Sun as well which is extra credit for him yeah so I think they they’ve done it
I think that every manager sport director should always have a plan B it comes to coaches and it seems that Ralph asler was always destined if Nik kovage didn’t get the result that was needed and this was the time and I think that Nik kovage although you will be very
Disappointed losing your job of course he would probably think that he can turn it around but I think for for WBUR now they need some fresh blood in there and Ral has is not only a a good lad he is always a guy that had his philosophy I
Always like to watch his team play although they had some hammering was in 9 nil a couple of times for for Southampton H and but I think that is a it’s a good signing for wburg yeah for wburg as well it was clear following that um lost alburg in
Which they were unlucky I think there is it’s not the most Sensational of squad compositions um but there it’s been a lot of almost for niiko Kovach you’ll think well we were one nil up through Wimer and then they gets he gets sent off which controversially is such
Whether he was last man or not then off that subsequent free kick there’s a deflection 1-1 and Kovach will find himself thinking a bit unlucky but I think as you pointed to it was inevitable I think volur would have liked to have kept I think they had an
Idea that they would depart at the summer and I think looking based off kovach’s reaction in the postmatch conference and stuff he was visibly emotional as such I think for them to to to conclude it that that not that rapidly as they did like after yesterday I think I think did
Affect him but the facts remain that it was 11 winless competitive games it was two wins in 20 Bundesliga games I mean it’s just it’s just not good enough really um and someone for Nik Kovach just to conclude on the Kovach question I mean Kovach has this profile right in
Which he took Frankfurt to a first to a first trophy I think since 88 was it with the with the with the German cup um and then he goes to Bayern he wins a double at Bayern which now they would have taken they would have embraced fully wins the double there the first
Since Felix muger to get two consecutive cup triumphs everything looks good uh win in a record fashion I remember against Tottenham in the Champions League and then he gets sacked after losing 5-1 to his former inra he goes to Monaco does all right Monaco has another shot at Bundesliga I guess where I’m
Going is Kovach he’s a you know he’s it’s a guy with Integrity he’s a cool looking dude he’s a modern manager but at some point it seemed as if it was going a bit astray and I’m wondering why that why that is I think you have to be in the dress room you
Have to follow them very closely to see where where where it gone I guess you will always say that when you see lus now being on a flow doing a great job you you feel every decision goes for you like now against fryberg use them as
An example scoring it 89 84 seconds Fook equalizing and then the goalkeeper of fbook just give a goal and you feel when you’re down there when you’re into that flow of bad results you feel that everything goes against you and then is a Murphy’s Law it just getting worse and
Worse so I think that Kovach is there as you’re saying is a modern coach uh in terms of modern being one who thinks of new ideas but on the other hand he’s very disciplined he he wants everything from his players uh which is and it’s always how the players you take in
What’s the balance in the team how many of them took the next step and so on so I think that inevitable you will be fired in our branch and we’ll see how how how quick Kovach um bounce back there are there are coaches yes you can
Say there’s a lot of coaches who are going the mergo round and they just end up in new clubs but is also managing to disappear I don’t think kovage will do that he was also the coach of the Croatian national team that’s what I got to know him better after our
Post um retirement of both of us because I was the manager of the Norwegian National coach with Coach hermo uh and so I think that he got enough credit to bounce back quite quickly yeah it will be um yeah hopefully F cross for him that that all goes well I think hust
Will it will be an interesting Challenge and I think yeah wolf will obviously stay up and I think they will be able to I think he’s able to muster together some some results from this team now on the other end of the spectrum we have Christian sad who after 12 years in
Charge having been involved with the club for 29 years since 1995 in a sort of clop esque manner you could say that with that departure video in which he just says that I am resigning um and similar vein and we have to acknowledge this in terms of the
Manager IAL profession it takes a lot out of you and it seemed and it had been brewing for some time Dad it was just a matter of when but Christen St then finally announced his his reg resignation at the end of the summer that how do we how do we describe a man
Like chrisan sh not only for fryberg but for for German football and who how he carried himself as a as a manager as a as a and as a person first time I was at uh fror doing fror the top spe with Sky Germany I was
Uh we were sitting we had the the table on the the chairs in the corner so we were very very close to everything they they the players used to hit us with balls when we sitting there and U then I uh I looked at the warmup and I saw this
Guy suddenly running forward and back with the team in his jeans and a training jacket and I thought first I mean for two seconds I thought that was a fan who were over the fence and doing the warmup with them I said who in the whole mother of world is that man and
They said that that is coach stri that was a coach who was actually running with them forward and back doing the warm up he was not doing warm up he was just running and running in his jeans doing so stretches and everything and and I’m not saying that from that moment
I loved him but I think every footballer will or every football fan will love him because the thing thing with Chris stri is that he’s different he’s different not only in the terms of the years that he stayed there Marcus there is a tradition at fryborg to stay for a long
Time before him was folf but stri stayed also I started as a junior coach knew all the players managed to take them into the club I I was always when coaches were arriving in Porsche and big BMWs or Mercedes he was cycling to co to training he was
Different he’s been different thank God that kind of manager type can still be around uh he is also very generous you saw that with the way he complimented Archie our friend from from ESPN and he he just told him the last home game you’re just a good guy I I like you and
I think that that is so cool to see in our tough tough business doing things like that that is right everybody loved to play him I saw um I saw an Instagram post from nil petson who played there of course who retired and he just say
Something I I bow myself in respect for for for you and what you have done so Chris St there’s always been a a discussion because based on his success should he do the same thing in other clubs which is an interesting discussion because Friberg has been St St has been fryberg
So the trend now that the shavi klopp St now they take they tell us early that they’re going to end they they will probably take some time out I guess r at the moment now the rest of the season the last eight games of the season will
Be a will be he will be honored by his opposition he will be honored by his home crowd but the funny thing is that at some stage you will miss yourself you will love to go back you will love to have that thing I mean yes you could
Have a great family you could have a great house and it’s great to have your spare time but imagine when you been doing that job for so many years as right has done that is not only a part of your life it is your life so it’s going to be interesting to
See if he comes back where he comes back I see some speculations that strich could be the new bundus trainer and the national coach I’m not sure that that will be his stuff because I think Str is is the go guy that need to be on a
Training rout every day and I’m I also doubt a bit that his uh International pedigree is on the level that you need maybe you need more experience on that in terms of the European Cup and everything but I mean he’s a he’s a great man he not only is a great coach
As a human being always stand up for for for great values he he he his philosophy of his coaching philosophy is based on values and U so one of the greatest in in German football right now has has announced his retirement Monday yeah and like you say he was a um
He was he embodied very much fryborg A lot of people cannot remember fryborg without chrisan stri but as well in terms of what I guess from an outsider point of view we tend to associate with German Football is that German Football is one that is more socially oriented
Perhaps um than than other leagues and and he was a an outspoken sort of um critic of whether it relates to far right uh issues whether was more inclusivity for for for Women Within the top positions it was just a a a man that that sort of in many ways um stayed
Consistent with his integrity and his goodness throughout and I think that is uh such value in in sort of the modern football and the criticism that we have um I mean the fact that you say that we you had fol there before as well he’d been
There for a while bear in mind he’d taken fryborg to Europe but he also got relegated with them stayed there for a season got promoted back and then they’ve been to Europe four times and now obviously went out to West Ham but for some for a club like fryborg he sort
Of redefined the expectations of of of what to ask for them um just a a brief um also another departure which hasn’t taken too much of the news but Marco nepad the the former technical director of Bayern he also is uh leaving which sort of you had predicted in the sense
That where would H’s role be with Max Abel and and fr coming in so he will be out as well I don’t know if there’s any worth saying for on that for you I’m just saying that I think Max eel has said the right things he has put the right
Values the Bayern philosophy remember he’s in Bayan so he is from the area he knows how Bayan ticks he has I think he’s got one official game for for Bayern he played in the youth theme under tiger Gand the legendary assistant coach you gotta say say the right things
He sound and Max able I know him a bit he’s a great human being he he will understand how to fit in just a small thing Markus the big thing in SE is where Bayern train is to have the office with a window out to the training field
So you can watch the training field and when Max able arrived now he gonna be the boss of Christoph FR who came from salsburg of course he got that off his FR and of course Max will say I don’t care I’m I’m the other one that doesn’t
Matter and I think that the combination between him and fr will will work but as we’ve learned over the years it’s all about winning football games and bu and do that at the moment I think that they will up they will have a chance against Arsenal based on their history at
Champions League not the two last seasons but before that and we’ll see if they can get under the skin of your team Arsenal Marcus so I think when we know start talking about champions league is is time to end and I can get on the plane to Frankfurt yes you I will let
You go we just concluded real quick leig beat col away 5-1 convincing of that un Berlin very important three points against ver de Breman at home separated them from the bunch at the at the back there Min spe bom big big win hi I’m Drew glab 1-1 uh and then you had
Stutgart really cemented their Champions League spots two assists from unav go from gersi procedure as usual 3-0 away to hoffenheim uh and then the other games we’ve gone through and in the figh Bundesliga all the top three four five teams won Hamburg won but so did
Holstein Keel and sound poy so we will see where this all ends as we get to the very tail end D of the Bundesliga season I can feel it it’s going to be a good one um but I’ll leave you to frankurt Dad uh all the best on the birthday
Celebrations for in Frankfurt and then we will catch up um during this International break to go through a bit of Germany and what this nagos man Revolution looks like I think that we can do that in the weekend Marcus because it’s a it’s a it’s a on Friday I
Go into the game Norway against Czech Czech Republic uh the the big debate now in Norway is is the new shirt good or bad I love it I think it’s perfect very different I respect it yeah very very different so maybe in the next uh uh
Podcast I will have that shirt on just to show you how that that is I would love that get cup an extra one for me I will so absolutely I mean I’m been looking for shirts for you all my life so I will keep on doing that even when
You turn 30 so marus Al is in al is in
1 Comment
Great episode as always