der Berliner

As it happens, Union Berlin played Dynamo Kiev in their training camp in Austria on July 18th, winning 3-2. German report ... https://www.fc-union-berlin.de/de/fussball/profis/spielplan/detail/-1-FC-Union-Berlin-Dynamo-Kyiv-19086O/ 1. FC Union Berlin: Stein (46. Klaus) – Trimmel (46. Preu), Jaeckel (46. Doekhi), Vogt (46. Král), Leite (46. Ogbemudia), Gosens (46. Puchacz) – Haberer (46. Khedira), Tousart (46. Kemlein) – Skarke (46. Vertessen), Prtajin (46. Siebatcheu), Hollerbach (46. Bedia) FC Dynamo Kiew: Bushchan (46. Neshcheret) – Karavaiev (79. Shepeliev), Malysh, Popov, Vivcharenko – Brazhko, Pikhalyonok (68. Lonwijk), Kabayev (79. Ceballos), Voloshin Nazar (46. Yarmolenko) – Buyalskyi (68. Shaparenko), Vanat (79. Samba Diallo) Personal: Gegen den ukrainischen Rekordmeister musste Cheftrainer Bo Svensson noch auf einige EM-Fahrer verzichten: Frederik Rönnow, András Schäfer, Josip Juranović sowie Neuzugang László Bénes standen also nicht zur Verfügung. Außerdem fehlten Alexander Schwolow, Jérôme Roussillon und Kevin Volland verletzungsbedingt. Zuschauer: 648 Tore: 1:0 Hollerbach (14.), 1:1 Vanat (34.), 2:1 Bedia (68.), 2:2 Sambia Diallo (83.), 3:2 Siebatcheu (90.) FYI ... Union's pre-match comments on Kiev The opponent check Coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi's team finished the 2023/24 season in second place in the Ukrainian Premier League. In the qualification for the Europa Conference League, Dynamo Kyiv was eliminated in the fourth round by Besiktas Istanbul. Ukrainian international Vladyslav Vanat is particularly dangerous in terms of scoring goals. The center forward scored 24 points (DB: whatever these are) in 27 games in the Premier League and was nominated for the European Championship squad, where he was substituted to play for the last twenty minutes in the third group game against Belgium. Shortly after the duel with 1. FC Union Berlin, the Ukrainians will already have their first competitive games. On July 23rd and July 31st, 2024, the team will face Partizan Belgrade in the UEFA Champions League qualification.

Well, it will sure be good to create 200 pages on FF in a few hours ...

Yep. Sadly enough, we hardly ever get a look in and every year we see people trying their luck in analysing deals, transfers, the annual results and whatnot. While we won but the League Cup last season, the Scum despite their monetary riches, weren't a world apart. More like VARapart. Despite millions of CL money and transfer income - one does not dare to think what they could get if they get 10m+ for people like O'Riley. So we have to pull our punches wisely, and I assume Clement was made aware of that and the situation on the whole when he signed. Even if we don't get multi-million people in, there's still the chance of another Sima-style loan or two. Let's deal with the CL qualifiers when they come our way.

It is pre-season, no more, no less. Hearts won't be Manu or even ManU reserves. We will play rather differently against them and against essentially any other Scottish team bar one. That's our bread and butter, not some fancy European sides.

To quote some of the slanderers of Wright: "To put him in the shop window!" IMHO, Lawrence and Dowell are the sort of players who do well in an English environment, or someplace where people want to play football. The sort of Bentley you have in the car park and drive about on a Sunday. That is: play when Scottish teams are broken, and you can pick their slender attempts at open football up with clever passes sprayed from midfield to marauding attackers. Both are no doubt good footballers, and truth be told, Lawrence did his best yesterday in terms of pressing their defenders, even had the odd shot. That said, much like with us, ManU is not his level. Our front line had little support from midfield, yet still carved up quite a few chances. Obviously, scorn was emptied over Dessers and Wright for missing their shots ... in a pre-season game that was fought out over - like my Union-friend uses to say - a golden pineapple. As for Lawrence, he, Cantwell and Lowry would be my choice for a/the creative slot/s in midfield, yet not front-line attackers. Yesterday, IMHO, it was still all about fitness and checking where everyone is, both in mind and body.

Some amount of doom-mongering ... good that I left the PC alone for the best part of the day.

Hard test for a pre-season game, but that's what needed to see who is up for it. They did not exactly run all over us either, especially 2nd half, but the difference in class, as expected, was obvious. It's not what we will face each week in Scotland, either. It is probably safe to say that Cortes won't be a starter against Birmingham. Dessers and Lawrence put in a good shift up top, always harassing their goalie and defenders. Sometimes it looked as if we played Lawrence as a second striker. Barron and Diomande will probably also be as knackered as themtwo. Sterling and Wright worked well on the right, Jefte came more into the game late on, I would assume that he will have more joy against Scottish defences. Ridvan almost laid on a late (and deserved) consolation goal. Glass is definitely half full.

... if only we had 10 Tavernier clones, right?

ManU did f@ck all 2nd half, and then they hammer this one in ...

Nope. Is simply used Ridvan on the left as he is good at going forward and likes to have a shot. If you want to, you may send Lawrence to that role and keep Cantwell in the middle. Wright is meant to be a right, attack-minded midfielder with the ability to track back, like he does today.

Rather good test to see which of the players is already up for it right now. Our right side looks solid enough, not much coming from the left so far, Cortes will surely get hooked at HT. The front line did not see much of the ball, at least they tried their best to press the Manu back-line. Central-defence steady so far. Player of the half: Sterling (closely followed by Wright) Will be difficult if subs don't hit the ground running. NB: ManU commentary is worse than the Scottish chaps outside RTV.

Some people really do hurt when Wright has a good game ... Amad scores ... he wasn't good enough back in the day for many punters too. 🤪

He was injured? But he does not look up for it today. I reckon we will see Matondo at HT.

What is it? In my 3-4-3 he was right midfield. What's so hard to understand?

He's a right midfielder there and tracks and snipes back more than others. And he starts today ...

Like most of our "wingers", he plays on either side ... Matondo the same, or Wright. https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/glasgow-rangers/kadernachposition/verein/124

4-4-2 equals 4 attackers (2 strikers and 2 wingers) plus at least one midfielder going forward too, plus the fullbacks. 4-2-3-1 / 4-3-3 means 3-5 attackers doing the job of 4-6 or 5-7 against - in Scotland these days (more like last decade) - a packed defence. Thus, year in year out, we spent 75 % of the game with the ball being played about in our or the middle third between our centre-halfs and DM/CMs, but hardly any penetration. It's like watching handball or ice hockey, only in slow-motion. But, but, but the fullbacks go forward too! Essentially filling up the old winger slot! Well, we have/had the god-king of all wingbacks in Tavernier, at least goals/assists-wise. IF ONLY we also had more capable attackers from the "wide-attack areas" who clock up 15+ goals per season too. If not, as we have seen for the best part of a decade now, we are a blunt force. Thus, we need a quantitative and qualitative more potent strike-force where it matters, i.e. in the final third. How shall that look like? E.g. 3-4-3 vs Dundee or Kilmarnock at home ... Butland Sterling - Souttar - Balogun Wright - Diomande - Cantwell/Lawrence - Ridvan Cortes - Dessers - Matondo ... and let them have fun. Europe or vs the Scum is another matter.

... I cannot see that. We've Cortes, McCausland and Wright in that position. And spent this fortune on but one player?

RANGERS ran out 14-1 winners over Hamilton Academical in their first pre-season friendly at the Rangers Training Centre this evening (19/07/24). 1-0 Jodi McLeary (Tessel Middag) 2-0 Liv McLoughlin (-) 3-0 Kirsty Maclean (Laura Berry) 4-0 Laura Berry (Leah Eddie) 5-0 Laura Berry (Kirsty Maclean) 6-0 Laura Berry (Liv McLoughlin) 7-0 Laura Berry (-) HT 8-0 Rio Hardy (Lizzy Arnot) 9-0 Laura Berry (Brogan Hay) 10-1 Kirsty Howat (-) 11-1 Kirsty Howat (Katie Wilkinson) 12-1 Mia McAulay (Katie Wilkinson) 13-1 Kathryn Hill (Lizzy Arnot) 14-1 Katie Wilkinson (Lizzy Arnot)

It is but my expectation and hope. Dunno who addled with the managers' brains so that they cannot see how the one-striker-line-up is of no use in every situation and sure not against teams that park the bus, remove the wheels and dig it in.

Never say never, but had a wee chuckle at the rumour on Morgan Whittaker. Right-winger at Plymouth in the Championship, contract till 2027, who clocked up 20 goals and 9 assists in 50 games last season. He'll most likely cost twice as much as Sima, whom we supposedly cannot afford ...

We shall see. Neither has played that many games last season and we hardly know what the future holds, do we? Ridvan is very much forward-thinking, so I expect him to weigh in with the goals and assists. Same with Jefte. Lawrence has a good shot-from-distance in him, and I assume he takes over from Tav's role as the free-kick "specialist" - with Borna also away. Danilo hardly played regularly last season either, and came in from another style of football altogether. Dessers also needed time to start scoring consistently last season. Danilo should be fit and ready now, same with Cortes. What I expect is that we play Danilo AND Dessers, not either of them. If the latter is the case, the one who makes most impact in the here and now should be first choice.

We essentially need to convert chances created into goals scored. No matter who does it on the park. I expect some decent return in terms of goals and assists by Danilo, Cortes, Lawrence, Jefte, and Ridvan this season. Our "goals conceded per chances created by the opposition" ration must have been one of the worst in the league, too.

As I said above, the Scum didn't exactly run away with the title, more like we blew it, had loads of injuries, and VAR/refs made some ridiculous decisions. Those who have left, didn't exactly weaken us. Going by our 4-2-3-1 horror, we have ... GK (1) - Butland, Kelly RB (1) - Sterling, Devine, Balogun CH (2) - Souttar, Balogun, Davies, Nsiala, King and Goldson LB (1) - Ridvan, Jefte, Fraser DM/CM (2) - Diomande, Raskin, Barron, Dowell (Lowry, Sterling, McKinnon, Fraser, King, Nsiala; Souttar) AM right (1) - Cortes, Wright, McCausland, (Matondo, Lawrence, Lowry, Cantwell, Hagi) AM left (1) - Matondo, Lawrence, (McCausland, Wright, Cortes) AM - middle (1) - Cantwell, Hagi, Dowell, Diomande (Cortes, Wright, Danilo) ST (1) - Danilo, Dessers, Lammers, Igamane ... every position is well covered, IMHO, if we play like we used to do. The system we play requires the "wingers" and the AM to ship in with goals in a similar way like Sima (whom we may still get back), and we have yet to see Cortes and Danilo get going. Perhaps this season Matondo will mature too, Lawrence staying fit and Dowell pinging passes all around the park? My concern remains the system applied against the brickwall teams.

... roughly 2,900 km.