Großbritannien


Die Honigsteinkolumne beschäftigt sich diesmal mit Werder Bremen:

Bremen have always had a self-destructive streak, to be sure. But in a league that has become more competitive in terms of the European places, the margins for error have become much smaller. Werder need to be involved internationally to keep their stars; a second successive year without the Champions League millions would seriously hurt.

Guardian

Wie der englische Fußball den Verstand verloren hat

Last weekend I attended a game between Hertha Berlin and Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Despite the minus 10C temperatures, some 46,000 fans turned out. German teams might be going through a fallow period in the Champions League at the moment, but is it really the case that we have nothing to learn from them?

Independent

Der Observer lässt Fußball- und Finanzexperten zum Thema Schulden im englischen Fußball zu Wort kommen:

The Observer

Interview mit Vincent Kompany:

What's a daily training session like and how does it compare to other clubs you have played for?'

'You've got more options to do your own stuff here. When I was in Germany for example, it was hard work as a group all the time and here you manage a bit more your own time as there are a lot more games.

vitalfootball.co.uk

Die Fans der Blackburn Rovers freuen sich über Neuzugang Yildiray Bastürk:



Roverstalk

Now is the time for The Neverkusen

The season is still far from over yet. Bayern Munich are breathing down their neck with Louis van Gaal's men having forgotten their early season problems and rattled off seven successive wins to leave them only two points adrift of Bayer.

Nevertheless, I have a feeling that Bayer fans might soon be able to stop using their self-mockingly nickname of 'The Neverkusen'.

BBC


Kanada


Honigstein: Van Nistelrooy might not be quite the superstar he once was but his capture can be seen as part of a wider positive trend for German club football: after years in the shadow of glitzier, wealthier leagues (England, Spain, Italy) it is slowly but surely coming to the forefront again.

CBC

Ein Kanadier hat sich das Spiel Bayern gegen Mainz angeschaut und berichtet von seinen Erlebnissen in der Allianzarena:

Once inside, the atmosphere is simply amazing – from the rabid "Rot und Weiss" fanatics at the south end with drums, smoke canisters and flags to the near constant chanting and singing – "hey hey bayern" – the entire crowd including noobs like me were soon involved.

Juniorannex


Katar


Interview mit Wolfgang Matthies, der zwischen 1971 und 1989 im Tor von Eisern Union stand.

Al Jazeera English


Südafrika


Thomas Cichon über die Ziele seines Vereins Moroka Swallows in der laufenden Spielzeit der Premier Soccer League.

football365.co.za


USA


Mesut Özil im Portrait: Budding Germany Star Borrows Qualities From His Two Cultures

New York Times Blog

"Where Would The USA Be Without...Germany?"
Fußballkolumnist und Ex-Nationalspieler Greg Lalas beschreibt den Einfluss deutscher Fußballer, Trainer und Einwanderer auf die Entwicklung des amerikanischen Fußballs.

goal.com

Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger über die Banalität von Interviews mit Fußballern:

The notorious Philipp Lahm interview in November, the one that caused all the furore and earned the player a hefty fine, proves that point - if proof is needed - by virtue of being an exception. Actually, the interview is illuminating rather than controversial, but the few critical remarks Lahm made (...) were blown out of all proportion precisely because it is so rare that a footballer says anything you don't expect him to say.

ESPN

Clark Whitney fasst den 20.Spieltag zusammen und stellt dabei den Sinn von Werders Abseitsfalle in Frage:

the high offside trap was a Dutch creation meant to make the playing field smaller and give the Netherlands a fighting chance against technically superior teams like Argentina and Brazil circa 1970. Schaaf`s midfield could play most Bundesliga teams off the pitch - not to mention, destroy defenses on the counterattack - so why does he feel the need to shorten the playing field?

goal.com

Interview mit dem niederländischen Nationaltrainer Bert van Marwijk:

Where I grew up, Schalke 04 and Borussia are almost more important that – say – AZ or FC Groningen. So, Borussia Dortmund was as huge for me as Feyenoord when they signed me the first time.

World Cup Blog

Chris Wright, a former Jesuit High School standout and academic All-American at New Mexico, has signed a contract to play professional soccer with German club FC Energie Cottbus of Bundesliga 2.

The Sacramento Bee


Vereinigte Arabische Emirate


Gabriele Marcotti über Schalkes Ivan Rakitic:

Rakitic was not a striker and, in the Bundesliga, he would struggle to find space in that role. But, play him a little further back, give him a few extra yards, and he could do wonderful things. Which is precisely what happened.

The National