Einmal Löwe, immer Löwe - a(nother) 1860 story

Dalbeider · November 25, 2022

Jan 19th 2025

Oh, that went faster than expected: partnership with Hansa Rostock confirmed. We'll be able to send players on loan to them for free, and they'll have the option to arrange a friendly match every year. Costs us a paltry yearly amount of around €60k, and it guarantees we can give our youngsters some playing time in a high quality environment. There's a good chance we'll make use of this link before the end of the month.

The same day we add another player to the squad, this one in a permanent deal: 25yo Portuguese left back Francisco Moura joins from Sporting Braga in exchange for €1M upfront, €150k after 50 league apperances, and 20% of future profits. We've been needing a quality left back for a while now, what with Steinhart getting older and starting to look out of his depth defensively speaking (he's still amazing going forward and setting up goals from set pieces), and so far Pereira has been largely disappointing, to the point that I'd seriously consider cutting short his loan if I had the option (I don't). Enter Moura, who was transfer listed in Braga and gives us what we need: an offensive minded wing back who can also defend, and who is not a project but a certainty, having already played multiple seasons in Portugal's top tier with good results. He also offers extra flexibility, since he's able to play as an advanced winger on either side and even as an attacking midfielder behind the strikers. The price is extremely fair for a player of his level, and his wages are a bit on the high side (€18k per week) but still reasonable. His market value is already above what we've paid for him, and if someone ends up triggering his €7.5M release clause I'll be more than happy with the business we've made.

With Moura's purchase our budget has been almost completely depleted, leaving us with €200k to spend and about €18k available in wages, so it's unlikely we'll make any more signings unless someone departs first. I'd really want a quality striker, but we'd have to sell Sene first and right now there's no interest in him, and I don't want to try and force him out without guarantee that it's gonna work out in the end, so we'll probably have to wait until June for that. Or another loan, but it'll be hard to find someone that's both better than Camello and on cheap enough wages. Maybe on the last day of the window...

Jan 21st 2025

Majetschak makes the Team of the Week thanks to his two goals against Hertha, useless as they were.

Jan 22nd 2025

Oh, that explains it then... Turns out we can't move Sapmaz to Rostock because that'd be his third club in a season, which is kinda illegal. Derp. Guess we're stuck with him until June, then... Same goes for Ulrich, too, so I guess we'll be using the link mostly for Kabadayi and Kvistgaarden. Neither have a guaranteed place in their starting eleven, though, so they'll have to battle it out for playing time even there.

Jan 23rd 2025

Welp, problems. Wouters catches the flu and is sent home to recover, so he'll miss the next two weeks. Just as Bobsin is also out injured. Time to improvise...

Kvistgaarden is the first of our kids to move to Hansa Rostock on loan. Well, "kid" in his case, he's already 22 and basically at the same point of his developement he was when he arrived. We'll see how he does. Kabadayi joins him 24 hours later, with the same outlook only he's two years younger and still has time ahead of him.

Jan 25th 2025

TSV 1860 München (14th) vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach (12th) (Bundesliga, 20/34)

Back to bottom half teams, although in Gladbach's case they really, really shouldn't be here. Heck, they've just had a €24M offer for a right back accepted by Sporting in Portugal, with that kind of financial muscle they should be competing for the European places, but here we are. Their form is about as bad as ours, with just one draw in their last five games, so if there's someone we might be able to steal points from it'll be them. Not to go out there and deserve it.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Armel Zohouri (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Dennis Dressel (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Lorenzo Guzzo (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
GLADBACH (4-2-3-1): Vladan Kovacevic (GK); Nico Elvedi (DR), Joao Basso (DCr), Igor Diveev (DCl), Luca Netz (DL); Gianluca Busio (MCr), Manu Koné (MCl); Raúl Moro (AMR), Nedim Bajrami (AMC), Yeferson Soteldo (AML), Luca Waldschmidt (ST)

* * *

Lots of changes today, some forced (Zohouri, Dressel as our anchor), some not. Debut for Moura and first start for Guzzo, who'll hopefully bring some fresh ideas to our attack. It's another rainy night in Munich as the ball starts rolling, and seven minutes later we're already behind: Waldschmidt runs past Lang before assisting Bajrami, who finishes calmly to score the 0-1. Very soft defending there.

Possession is split for the most part after the goal, and minutes go by with the ball mired in midfield without progress in either direction. A blocked shot by Miranda is the best we can offer in the first half hour, while on the other half Kretzschmar does have some work to deflect over a dangerous shot by Raúl Moro, then stops two consecutive headers by Diveev in successive corner kicks. Our defense keeps losing Bajrami, and the attacking midfielder has another great chance to score in the 35th minute that Kretzschmar manages to tip wide. The final minutes of the half bring no changes, and yet again we go to the dressing room behind.

HALF TIME - 0-1

The second half almost starts with Gladbach scoring like the first did, but thankfully Diveev once again fails to beat Kretzschmar on a set piece, then Lang is there to clear in time before anyone else can finish the job. After ten more minutes without any kind of progress we pull the trigger and remove Guzzo, Majetschak, and Camello from the picture, all three of them disappointing. In come Sene, Svetlin, and, surprise, Can Sapmaz, who debuts in the league with the senior team.

It takes a while, but Miranda at least manages to test Kovacevic's reflexes with a good-looking left-footed finish on the 65th after a good pass from Dressel. Another pass by the incidental deep midfielder ends in a wide shot by 't Zand, and it looks like we're finally getting into decent positions. It doesn't last, though, and the next fifteen minutes pass by without any further chances. Then, on the 80th, Sapmaz launches a counterattack after a corner kick is cleared from our box, drops towards the left wing instead of his natural right, and sends a perfect cross towards the far post so Svetlin can volley it in and score the 1-1. Instant impact by the kid.

Three minutes later Sapmaz almost grabs himself a second assist with a low cross towards 't Zand, who sends his finish narrowly wide. The final minutes of the game are frantic, with both teams running up and down the pitch while looking dangerous but with the defenses always managing last second saves to prevent actual chances. Dressel has a final one in injury time with a powerful effort that Kovacevic tips over, but in the end the game ends in a draw.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Tamar Svetlin 80)
Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 (Nedim Bajrami 7)

- - -

Well, that went a bit better than I thought it'd go. Wasn't expecting Sapmaz to be the missing link today, but hey, it worked, and he and the other subs provided the spark we needed to turn an even game into an actually even result. Good league debut for the kid, while Moura was... standard for our left backs, which isn't saying much good. Still, passable result and another point into the board, which is never a bad thing.

Dalbeider · November 27, 2022

Jan 28th 2025

Sapmaz makes a surprise appearance in the Team of the Week.

Majetschak goes down with a twisted knee, a pretty mild injury which will keep him out for only five or six days, but enough to rule him out for this week's Bundesliga match against Stuttgart and to make him a serious doubt for next week's cup tie against Mainz.

Jan 29th 2025

Reserve keeper Andy Anheier has been attracting bids from various teams throughout the window, all of them quite lower than his market value and which I've been systematically rejecting. The player finally snapped and asked to be let go, and I managed to negotiate a compromise: any bids of €400k or higher will be accepted. The kid has some promise, but with Kretzschmar and Quintero his way to the first team is barred for the time being, so it's probably a good moment to let him go, but not for nothing.

Jan 31st 2025

End of the transfer window! We only have until 6PM to make deals today, so if anything happens it'll have to be fast. I don't expect much movement unless we get some unexpected offers, though.

And here's the unexpected offer we were, uh, expecting? Norwich come with a bid worth €1.4M for Sene, precisely the position I want to reinforce the most and the player most likely to make space for any improvements. The problem is, well, there isn't much available in the market right now for the prices we can afford to pay. Sene wants us to accept the offer anyway, so I try and negotiate for a better deal and end up accepting a €2M upfront, €500k in installments, 30% of future profits offer for the striker. Now to hunt for a replacement, and quickly.

Sene's deal is quickly completed once the forward is granted a work permit, and €850k enter our transfer budget while €800k go to Basel due to sell-on clauses. We have about a million left, which is obviously not enough to sign any starter-level forward on a permanent deal. Loans, on the other hand...

Gladbach spend over €35M on two players in transfer day. I want that kind of financial muscle, too... Then again they've also lost their starter goalkeeper, Kovacevic, to Hoffenheim, so I guess the rich have their problems, too.

In the last hour of the transfer window we finally complete our loan signing: 24yo Georgian/French forward Georges Mikautadze joins until the end of season in exchange for his full €10.25k weekly wages and an extra €62k monthly fee. We also get the right to purchase him for €5.25M at any time during the loan, but considering how little money we have available it's unlikely we'll have the chance to do so. Mikautadze is another small forward with good pace, dribbling, and technique, who can connect well with the midfielders to create chances for other players, and who's probably the best pure goalscorer we have in the squad right now. Seventeen times capped for Georgia with three goals scored, he'll provide some quality minutes for us as Camello's rotation option. Can also play on the right as a raumdeuter or winger, or even as a deeper, second striker. Should be good value for the money, and hopefully he'll provide more goals than Sene ever did.

There are no other last-minute movements, despite Svetlin attracting some attention from Levante, so in the end our striker is the only thing that changes today. Could've been worse.

Feb 1st 2025

VfB Stuttgart (11th) vs. TSV 1860 München (14th) (Bundesliga, 21/34)

With the market closed until July it's time to focus on things that matter, like our survival. Stuttgart are in a situation similar to Gladbach's, having lost their two last league games following two consecutive draws, but at least they're more or less where they were expected to be. We have an off-chance of getting something from here, and we should take it.

* * *

STUTTGART (4-3-3): Bartlomiej Dragowski (GK); Marnon Busch (DR), Konstantinos Mavropanos (DCr), Hrvoje Smolcic (DCl), Tim Leibold (DL); Pascal Stenzel (DM), Wataru Endou (MCr), Omer Beyaz (MCl); Darko Churlinov (AMR), Andreas Schjelderup (AML), Tanguy Coulibaly (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Dennis Dressel (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Georges Mikautadze (ST)

* * *

Stuttgart are one of the few teams playing 3-5-2 with regularity in the Bundesliga, although the last time we met they could only steal a 2-2 draw from Grünwalder Strasse, so I guess they wanted to try something different today. Mikautadze debuts and Gerometta returns after his suspension, with Dressel still having to play defensive midfielder and Majetschak out of the team altogether, although he should be fine for the DFB Pokal.

It takes both teams about ten minutes to figure out how the game's supposed to be played, but we seem to find our place on the pitch first, and Forson has a good chance to take an early lead following a nice passing play through the center and the right, sadly finished with a centered shot that Dragowski saves easily. An injury to Leibold gives Stuttgart some extra problems to deal with, and they only get their first chance to shoot on the 21st because Dressel gifts the ball to Beyaz, who tries luck from distance but finds only Kretzschmar.

The game remains very even and with very few chances, so seeing Forson waste a good assist by new guy Mikautadze with another weak finish hurts double today. The striker then gets a close-range finish blocked by Mavropanos, showing involvement and looking like he's been with us for much longer than a few hours. We have our own injury problems, too, with Gerometta picking up a knock in his thigh in the final minutes of the half, but otherwise we can be quite satisfied with our performance. Good draw at the break.

HALF TIME - 0-0

Zohouri comes in for Gerometta after half time, just in case his injury turns out to be something serious. Stuttgart try to increase the pressure on our back line from the start of the half, giving us some early troubles, and Smolcic gets dangerously close with a header on a set piece that goes narrowly over the bar. Mavropanos joins his companion on Stuttgart's defense with another high header in a corner kick, and it looks like we're starting to lose control of the situation. Even better is Coulibaly's chance on the 56th after a ball lost by Forson leads to an attack down the left wing, but thankfully Kretzschmar is still there to block the shot and deflect it wide.

It's time for the young'uns to try and change things, and Guzzo and Ulrich come into the fray, the latter enjoying his first minutes with the senior team as Svetlin's replacement, taking the anchor from Dressel and allowing him to move back to his usual position. Stuttgart keep attacking, though, and substitute Tapia has a clear chance when Coulibaly wins the jump against Lang and nods a goal kick towards him, once again denied by Kretzschmar. They then change formation to a 4-3-1-2, which funnily enough seems to help us more than them, as their attacks suddenly seem to dry up.

Time passes without much happening now for a long while, and only a shot from a narrow angle by Stenzel that Kretzschmar easily deflects over breaks the trend a bit. We have our own minor chance two minutes before full time, a corner kick headed by Guzzo that Dragowski has no problem grabbing with both hands. Harit tries luck from distance in injury time, but Kretzschmar dives well to save and hold the ball, and then once again denies Mavropanos in a corner kick one minute later. That is the last chance, and the game ends in a draw after a good defensive performance.

* * *

VfB Stuttgart 0
TSV 1860 München 0

---

Good work today, and a quite good result for us. Kretzschmar and our central defenders were excellent, as were Dressel and, during the first half, new guy Mikautadze, who faded away a bit in the second half like the rest of our attack. We were a bit better in the first half, but Stuttgart really stopped pulling punches after half time and we had to work hard to keep our proverbial sheets clean. I'll take it happily.

Dalbeider · November 29, 2022

Feb 5th 2025

1.FSV Mainz vs. TSV 1860 München (DFB Pokal 3rd round)

Back to the cup, where we're pitted against one of the few teams we've managed to beat this year in the Bundesliga. Mainz are currently 16th and three points behind us, but they've managed a few decent results lately which came to a screeching end last week when Dortmund thumped them 5-1. With our current form seeming to be picking up slightly, we're in with a decent chance of progressing, although our main focus will remain in the league.

* * *

MAINZ (3-2-2-1-2): Finn Dahmen (GK); Stefan Bell (DCr), David Nemeth (DC), Moussa Niakhaté (DCl); Anton Stach (WBr), Ridvan Yilmaz (WBl); Leandro Barreiro (MCr), Finn Ole Becker (MCl); Lincoln (AMC); Jonathan Burkardt (STr), Yuri Alberto (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Armel Zohouri (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Matheus Pereira (DL); Dennis Dressel (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)

* * *

Mainz don't do like Stuttgart and stick to their 3-5-2 guns, while we rotate a good portion of the squad with our mind in the key match against HSV coming in only three days. Sapmaz gets his first start and Ulrich is likely to play minutes off the bench to give Dressel or Svetlin some rest. Mainz start pushing from the get go, and soon Niakhaté gives us a first scare with a narrowly high header in a corner kick. Then we do something stupid: Lincoln tries a spectacular bicycle kick from the edge of the box after a cross from the left and the ball hits the crossbar, falling to Pereira. Instead of clearing, though, the left back decides to pass it back to Kretzschmar, allowing Burkardt an easy interception and an even easier finish for the 1-0. Guess who's not coming back next season...

Mainz keep pushing their lines up and making life difficult for us after the goal, but we slowly start pushing back and regaining some of the lost ground, although with little danger created in exchange. After a few blocked attempts Majetschak finally finds the keeper with a short from the edge of the box, although it's for an easy save and by then there's only three minutes remaining in the half. More than enough time for Burkardt to create another chance on the break, although this time Quintero is there to tip it wide. That's all for the first half.

HALF TIME - 1-0

Once again Mainz start the half pushing, and soon Quintero has to save a header by Lincoln after a long throw-in by Niakhaté. A clearly offside goal by Yuri Alberto follows, correctly disallowed by VAR, then Lincoln hits the woodwork again, this time with a direct free kick. After a nod by Burkardt towards Lincoln the ball reaches Yuri Alberto completely unmarked, but once again the post gets in the way and saves us.

It's obviously time to bring some fresh blood in, and Guzzo and Ulrich replace Nmecha and Dressel. Meanwhile Mainz keep missing chances, this time with another high header by Niakhaté after a corner kick. Mikautadze comes in as our last resort, and his intervention is key to keep a long play down the left going long enough for Majetschak to try again from distance, forcing a difficult fingertip save from Dahmen. Then, on the 72nd minute, another corner kick ends with Niakhaté heading it, Quintero saves well, but the rebound hits Gechter on the back and the ball ends up rolling into our net for the 2-0.

Our defense isn't having the best of days today, and it shows again when an innocent long goal kick turns into an assist towards Lincoln when no one even tries to head the ball away. Thankfully Quintero saves the one-on-one, but that was terrible defending. We can't really offer anything in attack either, and after another good save by Quintero to tip over a finish by Yuri Alberto in injury time we're officially out of the cup.

* * *

1.FSV Mainz 2 (Jonathan Burkardt 6, Linus Gechter 72og)
TSV 1860 München 0

- - -

Pretty bad, but considering the team we put out there it's somewhat, somewhat, understandable. The cup was little more than a distraction at this point, though, so no harm done other than whatever impact it might have on the team's morale. Terrible game by Pereira once again, and I just hope Moura will be able to settle in quickly so we can put the loanee in the bench forever and forget about him. At least we got €732k today, which is nice.

Dalbeider · November 30, 2022

Feb 8th 2025

TSV 1860 München (14th) vs. Hamburger SV (17th) (Bundesliga, 22/34)

Okay, time to get serious once and for all. HSV at home is a game we absolutely must win if we don't want to fall back into the relegation zone, and no, this time a draw is not a passable alternative. Their form was about as bad as their position suggests... until they beat Bayern last week. Yep, just their third win of the season and it had to be against Bayern... Let's not give them the chance to escape from the red zone.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Dennis Dressel (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Georges Mikautadze (ST)
HSV (4-2-3-1): Daniel Heuer Fernandes (GK); Jan Gyamerah (DR), Jamie Lawrence (DCr), Sebastian Schonlau (DCl), Steffen Tigges (DL); Filip Ronningen Jorgensen (MCr), Ludovit Reis (MCl); Faride Alidou (AMR), Anssi Suhonen (AMC), Xavier Amaechi (AML); Kevin Schade (ST)

* * *

HSV have changed formation from their initial 4-4-2, mostly thanks to Frank Schmidt taking over as their manager back in December. Since his appointment they've won two and drawn one out of five, so he's doing well enough with that 4-2-3-1 it seems. For us, Bobsin is still out of contention but Wouters returns, while Majetschak and Svetlin both need a rest. And believe it or not, we start the game pushing forward and two minutes in Wouters finds Gerometta running down the right so the wing back can cross into the small box and Mikautadze can head it in to grab the 1-0 and his first goal for 1860. Perfect start.

The goal gives us the breather that we need, and we soon start dominating possession while HSV try some counterattacks, one of them ending in a decent chance for Schade that Kretzschmar saves. Of course it couldn't last, because that's not how we work this season: eleven minutes, Gyamerah tears Moura apart with a dribble then crosses towards the far post so Alidou can head it in and draw the game. We try to pick ourselves back up and get back ahead, with Wouters being the first to try with a wide shot from distance, not something he does frequently. The game soon stops giving the fans much excitement, though, as both teams seem to be too cautious of a counter to push too far forward.

Suhonen breaks the deadlock with a poor finish after a break down the right side, easy for Kretzschmar, and Dressel answers with a narrowly wide tap in after a great cross by 't Zand, a great chance that goes begging. That's all both teams can manage, though, and the first half ends in a tense draw.

HALF TIME - 1-1

The match remains very tightly contested in the first minutes of the second half, although Alidou has another great chance to head in a cross by Gyamerah but sends the ball over this time, thankfully. Another high header by Suhonen follows, this one in a long throw-in by Tigges, while we fail to create anything of substance in attack. Guzzo and Nmecha come in as our solutions, since both Forson and 't Zand have been mostly missing in action today.

The young Italian winger soon starts providing some game from the wing, crossing low so Dressel can shoot wide from just inside the box. Another run down the right ends with Gerometta crossing towards the far post where Nmecha pops up to head it into the post and clear. Still, the improvement is clear, and Majetschak comes off the bench in Dressel's place to try and give us the final push we need. Guzzo keeps the pressure up with a left-footed finish that Fernandes saves with ease, then delivers another cross to Nmecha that the inside forward heads over. We're almost there.

HSV are not dead just yet, and Schade gives us a reminder with a good header that sails over the bar after another cross by Gyamerah, who's ruling his wing with ease today. Suhonen follows up by gathering a goal kick and running alone against Kretzschmar, shooting wide in the end. Majetschak answers running into space to gather Wouters' pass, then curling it past Fernandes and into the woodwork, our second hit today. Gyamerah does his thing again, this time into a high header by Opoku, and in injury time Moura justifies his signing by clearing off the goal line a header by Tigges in a dangerous free kick. With that the game ends in a disappointing result, once again.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Georges Mikautadze 2)
Hamburger SV 1 (Faride Alidou 11)

- - -

Not ideal, but a lesser evil and a fair result in a very even match. We won't be going anywhere with just draws, though, and eventually we're gonna end up falling down into the pit once again unless we start winning the games we should be winning. Good goal by Mikautadze, who once again disappeared in the second half, and another disappointment by Miranda, who still can't seem to work in our midfield. He probably needs more time to settle, but I'm not sure if we have it...

Dalbeider · December 2, 2022

Feb 12th 2025

More injuries in our midfield, this time Dressel will be out for 3-4 weeks with a thigh strain.

Dortmund, Leipzig, Mainz, and Dynamo Dresden in the DFB Pokal semifinals. One of those is not like the others... Another disappointment for Bayern after flaming out against Dortmund in the previous round, too. Looks like it's not going to be their year.

Feb 15th 2025

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (13th) vs. TSV 1860 München (14th) (Bundesliga, 23/34)

Of the teams not currently threatened directly by relegation Hoffenheim are the closest to us, only five points and one place ahead. A disappointing position for them to be sure, and it doesn't make them an easy target in the slightest, but it does give us some hope of grabbing something profitable here. We're on three consecutive draws in the league, so it's about time we take the next step and win a game for a change.

* * *

HOFFENHEIM (4-4-2): Vladan Kovacevic (GK); Melayro Bogarde (DR), Stefan Posch (DCr), Marco Friedl (DCl), Paulo Otávio (DL); Roland Sallai (MR), Dennis Geiger (MCr), Angelo Stiller (MCl), Samuel Lino (ML); Georginio Rutter (STr), Andi Zeqiri (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Georges Mikautadze (ST)

* * *

Dressel and 't Zand are out today due to injury and suspension respectively, so Majetschak and Nmecha take their places while Bobsin returns to the lineup after his injury. Starting minutes for Svetlin, too, given Miranda's low return so far. Hoffenheim stick to their trusty 4-4-2 and start on the offensive, with Sallai being the first to test Kretzschmar with a centered shot from the edge of the box that the keeper saves and holds without issue. Our answer is the usual: Nmecha controls with his back to the goal and throws a pass through the lines towards Majetschak's run, although this time the midfielder can't get past Kovacevic.

Hoffenheim seem to have most of the ball in the early game, and Sallai keep running ahead of Moura on his wing and creating danger, once again finishing a dangerous play with a decent shot that Kretzschmar saves. The keeper also holds a header by Zeqiri after a cross from Bogarde a bit later, while Nmecha keeps being the focus of our danger creation today, getting a good-looking chance blocked by Posch on the 28th minute. Five minutes later Zeqiri shoots wide from the penalty spot following a nod by Lino, probably the best chance so far. Georginio does one better near the end of the half, breaking the offside trap and collecting a good pass by Lino, but failing to beat Kretzschmar in the one-on-one. The first half ends shortly after, still goalless.

HALF TIME - 0-0

Not much seems to change after the break, with Hoffenheim in control but our defense still holding on. After almost fifteen minutes we bring Guzzo into the game replacing a once again completely invisible Forson, who seems to be in the worst streak of form we've seen of him since his arrival last season. His entrance seems to give us a bit of a spark, and an interception by the Italian ends up in a high ball from distance by Bobsin, still our first approach of the half.

Miranda and Steinhart come in a bit later, the former taking Nmecha's place on the left side of our attack as a bit of an experiment. Hoffenheim seem to have lost their spark from earlier, and only a badly wide header by Zeqiri on a corner kick brings some danger to our goal. A shot by Amiri that Kretzschmar tips over comes next, but by now there's only fifteen minutes on the clock and we look like we could hold on until the end.

We do one better: two minutes before full time, and after a long time without getting anywhere near Kovacevic's goal, Miranda whips into the box a free kick from the right wing and Lang outjumps everyone to head it into the net. And then we fail to capitalize on it completely, allowing Jatta an easy cross from the right towards the near post where Zeqiri shows up to tap it in and draw the game in the 90th minute. There's still time for Gecther to pick his fifth yellow of the season in injury time and little else, and we go home with a point that could have been three.

* * *

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 1 (Andi Zeqiri 90)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Niklas Lang 88)

- - -

Gaaaaah, we had it won! Such a shame, but I can't be too angry, we got a point away from home and that's always a positive for a team in our situation. It's just, ugh, the one time we take the lead and we give it away in two minutes. Why is our left wing such a black hole in defense lately, no matter who plays there? Sigh... First good performance by Miranda off the bench, if only for that assist.

Heh, I've been linked with the Mainz job, now that Svensson has been sacked after four years there and with the team still stuck in the relegation zone (and in the cup semifinals). No thank you.

Dalbeider · December 4, 2022

Feb 22nd 2025

TSV 1860 München (14th) vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 (11th) (Bundesliga, 24/34)

Fortuna have been doing really well in the league so far, even flirting with European qualification at some point, but with the tightness of the middle of the table they got into a bad run of four straight defeats and suddenly they're bottom half. Granted, they're seven points ahead of us and nine over the playoff position, so they're not exactly in danger, but still. A chance we should take. That said, last time we met they absolutely destroyed us, so it's a small chance at best.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Albian Hajdari (DCl), Phillipp Steinhart (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Lorenzo Guzzo (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Sergio Camello (ST)
DÜSSELDORF (3-3-2-2): Amir Saipi (GK); Christoph Klarer (DCr), André Hoffmann (DC), Kostas Stafylidis (DCl); Felix Agu (WBr), Jesús Vallejo (DM), Pietro Beruatto (WBl); Ilay Elmkies (MCr), Steven Alzate (MCl); Gonçalo Ramos (STr), Dawid Kownacki (STl)

* * *

3-5-2 once again, and hopefully this time we'll be able to profit from their weak wings with Guzzo starting and keeping our attack wide. They've tweaked it somewhat, though, removing their attacking midfielder for an anchor in front of the back three, which will make our wing play all the more important. Steinhart also starts for the injured Moura, while Hajdari replaces Gechter due to his suspension and Camello starts upfront, looking for his first goal in forever.

The first chance falls from heaven, almost literally, when a clearance by Kretzschmar finds its way over the defense and into Camello's feet ahead of them. Too bad the striker can't seem to find a way past Saipi, and in the end it comes to nothing. It's a good sign, though, and not much later Guzzo gets a chance to head a cross by Steinhart, although the ball goes wide. Fortuna answer in similar fashion, with Agu running the right wing and crossing towards Ramos, who cushions his header into Kretzschmar's hands.

The chances come to a stop after that, though, as Fortuna assert their midfield dominance and stop us from making any other advances. Not like they do any better in attack, though. It's not until the 41st minute that something else happens, that something being a high header by Klarer on a set piece, and other than a couple of irrelevant long-range attempts nothing else happens until half time.

HALF TIME - 0-0

Fortuna try to push a bit further up in the second half, restarting the with a wide volley by Agu. Their attacks end there, though, and after ten minutes it's our turn with a double chance featuring a blocked shot by Camello and a high header by Guzzo. Another header, this one wide and courtesy of Hoffmann, follows in our goal, just before we bring Zohouri and Svetlin into the game, followed a few minutes later by Sapmaz.

Elmkies has a great chance for the visitors come the 67th minute, running past our defensive line and into the box but failing to produce a credible finish, sending the ball straight to Kretzschmar. Another run by the midfielder eight minutes later meets the same fate, although this time his shot was much better and Kretzschmar had to deflect it wide. Our reply comes in the 83rd, a cross from the left by Svetlin that Camello volleys, but once again finds Saipi in the way. The corner kick that results from that save ends in a clearance towards Kownacki, who sneaks past Zohouri and runs into the box only to shoot wide. One minute before full time another corner kick gives Lang the chance to score another key goal, but this time his header sails over the bar, and with that end the chances in a match that no one deserved to win.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 0
Fortuna Düsseldorf 0

- - -

I swear, we're gonna end up relegating by one point at this rate. The defenses were solid today, sure, but both attacks had a torrid day when it came to finishing. Camello's goalless streak is now longer than ten playing hours, and the wings and the midfield aren't helping much as of late either. Still, another point, that's something I guess. Next week we're gonna need more than that... Also, Augsburg beat Hamburg and catch up in points with us, although still remain behind on goal difference.

Dalbeider · December 6, 2022

Feb 26th 2025

Ahaha, the Mainz board ring me to offer me an interview! We're playing them this Sunday! They're dead last! No thank you!

Feb 28th 2025

Camello completes a fantastic couple of months with a pulled hamstring sustained in training which will keep him out of the team for at least ten days, at most three weeks. Great.

Mar 2nd 2025

1.FSV Mainz (18th) vs. TSV 1860 München (14th) (Bundesliga, 25/36)

The Game, part one of three. If we're to survive this season we must get results against Mainz, Union Berlin, and Augsburg at the very least. Losing to any of them would be the same as letting them get ahead of us, and at least two of them should be kept well behind in order to keep our heads afloat. Worst part is, they'll all be away fixtures. Best part is, if we're to win any games this second half of the season, it's gonna be against them.

* * *

MAINZ (4-3-2-1): Finn Dahmen (GK); Lukas Klünter (DR), Stefan Bell (DCr), William Bianda (DCl), Moussa Niakhaté (DL); Eniss Shabani (MCr), Anton Stach (MC), Leandro Barreiro (MCl); Enzo Millot (AMCr), André Franco (AMCl); Jonathan Burkardt (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Georges Mikautadze (ST)

* * *

Hajdari is suspended today, replaced by the returning Gechter, while Camello is obviously out of the picture. Mainz's team looks nothing like what we came across in the cup, having just appointed Marcel Rapp as their new manager and moved to a funny-looking Christmas tree formation. Surprisingly, given their midfield overload, we have most of the ball in the first minutes, although with little penetration.

Our first chance takes eighteen minutes to come, and it's a low cross by Moura towards Majetschak that the midfielder sends straight into Dahmen's hands. Mainz seem happy defending. Two minutes later it's Mikautadze who finishes a good passing play into Nmecha's cross, but he also miskicks the ball and it's easy for the keeper. Mainz finally get inside our box with a corner kick that Bianda heads over, which we answer with a cross by Forson that Nmecha heads into Dahmen's hands. Then Forson has a fantastic chance to score when the keeper rushes out of position but fails to clear the ball away, but somehow he sends it into the post when the whole goal was wide open for him.

Our domination continues regardless of our forwads' inability to convert it into goals. Nmecha heads over a cross by Gerometta in the 33rd minute, and nine minutes later, finally, a great passing play involving practically the whole team ends with the ball on the left wing, where Nmecha runs into space to gather Moura's pass then puts the ball into the back of the net with a subtle touch around Dahmen. With that, our best forty-five minutes of football since the turn of the year end in our momentary victory.

HALF TIME - 0-1

No reason to change anything after such a comprehensive domination, so we try and keep doing the same thing we've done so far after the break. We get an early scare, though, when Franco runs alongside the goal line unopposed and tries to beat Kretzschmar from a very tight angle, unsuccessfully. They are trying, at least, and they seem to have plugged the holes in their defense, because now we can't create anything worthwile in attack.

Svetlin and Bobsin bring fresh legs into our midfield, somewhat tired after running around so much. That does the trick, and soon we send a ball towards Mikautadze in the heart of the box, although it turns out to be disallowed for offside before he even has a chance to miss the finish. Then, on the 68th, a cross from the left by Franco finds Burkardt, the striker sends his shot into the crossbar, then gathers the rebound and scores with Kretzschmar still on the ground. 1-1, and back to where we started.

Guzzo comes in for Forson and we go right back at it. Things are different now, though, and Mainz seem to have turned things completely around. Six minutes after the draw Shabani sends a deep ball past the defense so Barreiro can control and shoot with power, scoring the 2-1. Nmecha answers with another header to a cross from Guzzo, but it lacks power to surprise Dahmen. Mikautadze is the next to try with a low shot from the edge of the box that the keeper also saves, as he does with our last gasp, a curling shot by Miranda that Dahmen palms away before watching how Nmecha's header at the end of the play goes over. Somehow, we end up losing our best match in ages.

* * *

1.FSC Mainz 2 (Jonathan Burkardt 68, Leandro Barreiro 73)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Felix Nmecha 42)

- - -

Remember those games in the 3.Liga where we'd have lots of chances but our forwards would just keep missing and missing, and then we'd draw or lose a game we should've won easily? Been a while, hasn't it? And it had to come in the worst possible moment, gifting Mainz a lifeline when we should've sunk them forever today. We're in trouble now, even more after Augsburg win in Hoffenheim and leapfrog us. Hamburg are 16th tied with us, Mainz are now three points behind, and Union Berlin dead last and five points behind us. And we still haven't won a game in 2025.

Dalbeider · December 8, 2022

Mar 8th 2025

TSV 1860 München (15th) vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen (5th) (Bundesliga, 26/34)

Can we do it again? Well, if Leverkusen get another player sent off and we actually take our chances instead of missing and missing, maybe we'll have a shot. Otherwise? I'll be happy with a draw, really.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Erik Majetschak (MCr), Victor Bobsin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Matías Miranda (AMC), Tamar Svetlin (AML); Georges Mikautadze (ST)
LEVERKUSEN (4-3-3): Altay Bayindir (GK); William Saliba (DR), Adama Diallo (DCr), Kaiky (DCl), Mitchel Bakker (DL); Devyne Rensch (DM), Florian Wirtz (MCr), Eljif Elmas (MCl); Fabio Vieira (AMR), Moussa Diaby (AML), Patrik Schick (ST)

* * *

Time to try new things. Or old things we haven't used in a while, I guess. Back to the almost forgotten 4-2-3-1, mostly as a test to see if we can use it against Union in the actually important match next week. Camello makes the bench, but is still not fit enough to start. No Calafiori to get himself sent off today for Leverkusen, though, shame, and Schick starts upfront so we're in for some pain.

Diaby starts the hostilities five minutes in with a shot from a narrow angle that Kretzschmar blocks well, and five minutes later it's our turn to strike back through Mikautadze, who receives from Svetlin but gets his shot stopped by a defender. It's a surprisingly even start of the game, even though Leverkusen have most of the ball, and Forson has another great chance a bit later after a great passing play, but Kaiky tackles him from behind just as he was getting ready to shoot and the ball rolls harmlessly into Bayindir's hands.

Our good play comes to nothing in a set piece, though: Wirtz whips a free kick towards the far post and Schick stands tall to head it into the net. Majetschak tries to hit back from distance and Bayindir actually has some trouble keeping the ball away from his net, but in the end it's cleared out of danger. Elmas hits back on the counter after the ball goes all over the box and back like three times, his shot going straight at Kretzschmar's hands. Then on the 33rd the keeper performs a terrible goal kick, the ball is intercepted back to Schick, and the striker shoots over the out of position keeper to score the 0-2. Crashing down.

Nothing much else happens in the first half other than a direct free kick taken by Miranda that goes over the bar, and another shot by the midfielder that hits a defender and goes nowhere. That's it, and Leverkusen go to the dressing room with a clear lead they haven't really had to work too much to get.

HALF TIME - 0-2

Slow start to the second half, with only Schick creating danger again by a run into space but a weak finish that Kretzschmar saves well. We make some substitutions looking for something that clicks, and somehow we find a way: Gerometta crosses the field to find Moura open and alone on the left, and the left back crosses low for a first touch finish by Mikautadze, who scores the 1-2 and gives us some hope on the 63rd minute.

Problem is, after that there is nothing for a long, long while. Like twenty minutes of nothing, on either goal. I'm almost ready to give up when another passing play ends with the ball on the left, and Moura looks up and sends another perfect cross, this time towards the far post so substitute Nmecha can tap it in and draw the game with only six minutes remaining. Leverkusen don't have an answer in that time, and we're more than happy to let the clock run and grab ourselves a point we didn't expect.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Georges Mikautadze 63, Felix Nmecha 84)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2 (Patrick Schick 26 33)

- - -

Would you look at that, a good performance with a good result to match. Considering the goals we conceded came from a set piece and an individual mistake and that we actually outplayed Leverkusen for most of the game, I'm gonna call the 4-2-3-1 experiment a success. Also very happy for Moura, who's already on his third assist and seems to be picking up the pace now. Good match by Miranda in the hole, too. Leverkusen must hate us a lot this season, huh.

* * *

| Pos | Inf   | Team                | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | GD    | Pts   | Form  |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st |       | RB Leipzig          | 26    | 19    | 5     | 2     | 55    | 17    | 38    | 62    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd |       | FC Bayern           | 26    | 19    | 3     | 4     | 66    | 25    | 41    | 60    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd |       | Frankfurt           | 26    | 16    | 4     | 6     | 49    | 23    | 26    | 52    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th |       | Borussia Dortmund   | 26    | 14    | 6     | 6     | 48    | 31    | 17    | 48    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th |       | Bayer Leverkusen    | 26    | 13    | 6     | 7     | 41    | 28    | 13    | 45    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th |       | Köln                | 26    | 10    | 9     | 7     | 40    | 40    | 0     | 39    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th |       | Stuttgart           | 26    | 11    | 5     | 10    | 43    | 39    | 4     | 38    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th |       | Freiburg            | 26    | 9     | 8     | 9     | 34    | 36    | -2    | 35    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th |       | Borussia M'gladbach | 26    | 9     | 7     | 10    | 33    | 34    | -1    | 34    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th|       | Hertha BSC          | 26    | 9     | 7     | 10    | 30    | 32    | -2    | 34    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th|       | Fortuna Düsseldorf  | 26    | 7     | 9     | 10    | 25    | 32    | -7    | 30    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th|       | Wolfsburg           | 26    | 6     | 10    | 10    | 28    | 30    | -2    | 28    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th|       | Augsburg            | 26    | 8     | 4     | 14    | 25    | 47    | -22   | 28    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th|       | Hoffenheim          | 26    | 6     | 9     | 11    | 22    | 34    | -12   | 27    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th|       | 1860 München        | 26    | 4     | 11    | 11    | 31    | 39    | -8    | 23    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th|       | Hamburg             | 26    | 5     | 7     | 14    | 29    | 52    | -23   | 22    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th|       | Mainz               | 26    | 6     | 4     | 16    | 30    | 54    | -24   | 22    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th|       | Union Berlin        | 26    | 5     | 2     | 19    | 21    | 57    | -36   | 17    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Six draws and three defeats. That's the haul from the part of the season in which we were supposed to stockpile points and get as far away from the drop zone as possible. That didn't quite work out, did it? We're on eleven draws already, which is the most in the whole league, and which explains why we're almost in the Bad Place despite having only a -8 goal difference. We're not dead yet, but considering how everyone around us but Union is now winning games, we're gonna need to improve our results a lot if we want to survive in the end. Also watch Augsburg escaping like a bat out of hell with that goal difference, wow.

At the top things have got interesting lately. Three weeks ago the distance between Leipzig and Bayern was nine points, and since then the leaders have got one defeat and two draws while Bayern keep winning everything. Don't throw this away, guys, you won't have another chance. Eintracht are still surprisingly close to the title race and have a foot and a half in Europe for the next season, and the battle for the sixth place (what's Köln doing there, they were right next to us nine weeks ago!) is gonna be interesting.

* * *

PLAYER STATS
============

Average rating (min. 9 games played):

Niklas Lang                 7.08 (20 apps)
Albian Hajdari              6.98 (15(4) apps)
Dennis Dressel              6.96 (10(5) apps)
Phillipp Steinhart          6.95 (11(6) apps)
Linus Gechter               6.94 (23 apps)
Tom Kretzschmar             6.94 (26 apps)

Goals:

Erik Majetschak             7 goals
Sergio Camello              5
Amankwah Forson             4
Tamar Svetlin               4
Shiloh 't Zand              4

Assists:

Phillipp Steinhart          5 assists
Amankwah Forson             3
Erik Majetschak             3
Francisco Moura             3
Felix Nmecha                3

Dalbeider · December 13, 2022

Mar 15th 2025

1.FC Union Berlin (18th) vs. TSV 1860 München (15th) (Bundesliga, 27/34)

Alright, I've said it a few times before, but today is the day we either win or go down. We can't afford to drop any points against a team below us in the table right now, and we can't afford anything other than a win or the teams around us will leave us in the dust. Time to get that damn win once and for all.

* * *

UNION BERLIN (4-2-3-1): Frederik Ronnow (GK); Julian Ryerson (DR), Paul Jaeckel (DCr), Dominique Heintz (DCl), Marvin Plattenhardt (DL); Reece Oxford (MCr), Batista Mendy (MCl); Levin Öztunali (AMR), Aymen Barkok (AMC), Jakub Kaminski (AML), Lucas Höler (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Erik Majetschak (MCr), Victor Bobsin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Matías Miranda (AMC), Felix Nmecha (AML); Georges Mikautadze (ST)

* * *

We repeat the 4-2-3-1 experiment in a mirror match, hoping for at least the same level of performance we showed against Leverkusen, and with almost exactly the same lineup, Nmecha for Svetlin being the only real change. Both Dressel and Camello make the bench today while Quintero misses out with a minor injury, but otherwise we don't touch something that worked (more or less) last time.

Union have the upper hand territorially speaking in the first minutes, but we hit first when it comes to actually shooting at goal, with Forson trying luck right-footed from a tight angle but only finding Ronnow's secure save. Lang follows up with a wide header in a corner kick, as we slowly but surely regain possession and start attacking for real. Funnily enough, that's exactly when Union hits us on the break with a long ball Barkok gathers and sends forwards to Kaminski, who dribbles calmly past Kretzschmar's rush and scores the 1-0.

The left winger tries to go for a second with a header a few minutes later and thankfully is denied by Kretzschmar, and on the 23rd it's our turn to strike: dangerous free kick just a few feet outside the box, and Miranda curls it around the fence and into the net to draw the game with his first goal for 1860. After the goal the back-and-forth stops for a while, both teams almost tied for possession and neither managing to break through clearly. A couple long shots is all that happens until the first half ends.

HALF TIME - 1-1

With the team's morale boosted by the performance and the result we go back at it in the second half, although the match remains a slog for the first fifteen minutes, with zero chances on either goal. Svetlin and 't Zand replace our two wing players, both irrelevant today, but progress remains slow until the 66th, when both substitutes connect through a cross by 't Zand that Svetlin heads into the crossbar. Carmelo comes in a couple of minutes later.

A blocked shot by Majetschak is our next warning, and Union seem unable to cope with us right now. Our attack soon slows back down, though, probably not helped by Union switching to a 5-2-3 formation. They still give us a real good scare two minutes before full time when Mendy towers above the whole defense to head in a corner kick, but Kretzschmar performs a miracle save and the defense clears the ball away before it can bring more trouble. Then Carmelo collects the clearance and runs on the break before assisting Svetlin, who runs unmarked into the box but fails to put the ball past Ronnow in the clearest chance we've had so far. That's it, though, and in the end neither team gets the win they need so desperately.

* * *

1.FC Union Berlin 1 (Jakub Kaminski 15)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Matías Miranda 23)

- - -

Goddammit. We should've won this easily, but once again one isolated chance broke us down, and then we failed to capitalize on our domination in the second half. That chance for Svetlin, uuugh. Ten league games without a win, eleven in all competitions. Still, it's a good sign that we've started dominating games again with the new tactic. The goals will come eventually. Problem is, the schedule won't let us take our time. Dortmund is coming...

Augsburg win at Mainz today and solidify their escape from the pit, while Hoffenheim match our result with a home draw against Hertha and Hamburg beat Gladbach 1-0, overtaking us and leaving the playoff place for us. Oh, and Dortmund beat Bayern. Welp.

Dalbeider · December 19, 2022

Mar 18th 2025

Miranda makes the Team of the Week for the first time since his arrival.

Mar 19th 2025

International callups, and we hit a new record of ten. The most relevant for the novelty factor are Mikautadze going with Georgia and Hajdari getting his first senior callup for Switzerland.

Mar 22nd 2025

TSV 1860 München (16th) vs. Borussia Dortmund (4th) (Bundesliga, 28/34)

Dortmund might not be having the best year in recent times, what with Eintracht having surpassed them as the third best team in the nation currently, but they're still a terrifying opponent, as Bayern themselves suffered last week. Not the best target for our first win in a century, that's for sure, but we still have to try. Time is running out.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Erik Majetschak (MCr), Victor Bobsin (MCl); Lorenzo Guzzo (AMR), Matías Miranda (AMC), Shiloh 't Zand (AML); Sergio Camello (ST)
DORTMUND (4-3-1-2 narrow): Gregor Kobel (GK); Pablo Maffeo (DR), Niklas Süle (DCr), Manuel Akanji (DCl), Sergio Gómez (DL); Joey Veerman (MCr), Emre Can (MC), Jude Bellingham (MCl); Giovanni Reyna (AMC); Luka Jovic (STr), Youssoufa Moukoko (STl)

* * *

A few tweaks in the lineup today, keeping Lang on the bench to prevent him from being suspended for more relevant games. We also make a couple of tweaks in our tactics trying to find the right roles for the players. Dortmund don't hold anything back, and within the first minute they've already found Moukoko with lots of space so the striker can shoot and hit the post. One minute later Jovic tries his luck from the edge of the box and forces Kretzschmar to a fingertip save, and then Süle heads the corner kick over the bar. It's already looking grim for us.

The Dortmund onslaught continues in the following minutes, and Bellingham has another good chance with another high header, followed by Kretzschmar once again flying to tip wide a beautiful free kick by Gómez. We survive, though, and in our first serious approach of the game Gerometta whips in a cross towards the far post and Majetschak appears unmarked to head it into the back of the net, giving us a very surprising lead against the flow of the game.

Dortmund go right back at it, hitting the woodwork for the second time through Jovic in a corner kick. Their chances don't come in such a quick succession now, and we can even enjoy a few minutes of calm from time to time, holding onto the ball and trying to make our lead last as long as possible. Reyna has the best chance in this period, running through the center and trying a lob over Kretzschmar that goes wide in the end. We instruct Bobsin to keep an eye on him at all times, because our formation is weak against attacking midfielders by default. We manage to hold on until the 45th minute, when Sergio Gómez cuts in from the left and tests Kretzschmar, who can only deflect the ball as far as Jovic, allowing the striker an easy finish for the 1-1. Still, not too bad of a first half.

HALF TIME - 1-1

We start the second hand with another surprise for Dortmund's defense, a long clearance by Kretzschmar turned into assist for Camello, who runs into the box and is only stopped by Kobel's good save. Dortmund take it easy at first, but soon go right back at it with another run by Reyna, this time ending in a nice one-on-one save by Kretzschmar. A while later we replace our whole forward line, bringing Forson, Svetlin, and Mikautadze in. The former has our next chance right out the gates, volleying a good pass from deep by Majetschak into Kobel's hands.

Our substitutions prove once again prophetic in the 67th minute, when a long play ends with the ball on the left so Svetlin can cut in and cross towards the center, where Mikautadze breaks the offside trap and hits it first time with quality to score the 2-1. It's short-lived, though, and four minutes later Veerman enters the box only to be slightly tripped by Moura for a VAR penalty. Gómez sends Kretzschmar the wrong way, and we're back to square one.

Dortmund keep the pressure up after the draw, creating a couple minor chances for Moukoko that don't really make us sweat that much. Akanji also tries luck from distance but the ball sails high and wide, and by now there's only seven minutes in the clock. The only need two: pass into space by Guerreiro towards Moukoko, who loses Hajdari and sidesteps Kretzschmar to find the angle to score the 2-3.

We pour forward now, and soon Majetschak sends a header just a few inches wide, and on the 90th minute Forson sends a cross by Majetschak himself into the back of the net, but from an offside position. That's when Dortmund profit from the spaces we've left behind and Bellingham assists Moukoko with a pass into space so the young starlet can score the 2-4 and seal the game for good. Too harsh of a result for how well we fought today.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Erik Majetschak 17, Georges Mikautadze 67)
Borussia Dortmund 4 (Luka Jovic 45, Sergio Gómez 71p, Youssoufa Moukoko 85 90+1)

- - -

Expected result, but it hurts more when we had a draw so close at hand. It was bound to happen, though, Dortmund had missed too many chances and we could only hope for so many miracles today. Still, happy with the performance in general, and loving the impact of Svetlin coming off the bench to play on the wing. Now, if we could have some points with all these good signs...

Hamburg squeeze a point off their visit to Stuttgart, while Mainz, Union, and Hoffenheim lose, so things remain roughly the same as they were. Meanwhile Eintracht put three past Leipzig's formerly impregnable defense and the leaders' lead goes back to the two points they had two weeks ago, while Eintracht put themselves only seven points away from the top. Imagine...

Dalbeider · December 26, 2022

Mar 23rd 2025

The new youth intake is here, and just like this season in general, it sucks. Exactly none of the kids in this class have any chance whatsoever of ever making the first team. There might be a couple that will be offered contracts just to keep the numbers of the U19 side high enough, but otherwise I don't think we'll hear much about any of them in the future.

Mainz lose one of their key players to Palmeiras, who pay €14M for Yuri Alberto. Sure, money is nice, but not when you can't spend it to help your chances of survival. Good for us, though.

Mar 28th 2025

Mikautadze grabs himself an international goal with Georgia in a 3-1 defeat against Poland.

Kvistgaarden asks to be recalled from Hansa Rostock after having played exactly zero minutes so far. It was to be expected, but still, sucks.

Mar 31st 2025

And another goal for Mikautadze, this one off the bench in a 4-4 draw at home against Romania.

Apr 5th 2025

Sport-Club Freiburg (10th) vs. TSV 1860 München (16th) (Bundesliga, 29/34)

Six games to go, and this might our last realistic chance of scoring points until the last two, because Eintracht, Bayern, and Leipzig come next in quick succession. Freiburg are midtable and with an outside chance at making it into Europe, which makes them one of the positive surprises of the season. Still, we must keep looking for wins, and we won't have any easier targets than this.

* * *

FREIBURG (4-2-3-1): Benjamin Uphoff (GK); Hugo Siquet (DR), Dario Maresic (DCr), Kevin Vogt (DCl), Felix Passlack (DL); Tom Krauss (MCr), Maximilian Eggestein (MCl); Gil Dias (AMR), Matías Palacios (AMC), Daley Sinkgraven (AML), Ermedin Demirovic (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Dries Wouters (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Erik Majetschak (MCr), Victor Bobsin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Matías Miranda (AMC), Tamar Svetlin (AML); Georges Mikautadze (ST)

* * *

Time for another mirror game, and since it sorta-kinda worked against Union I guess we should be somewhat confident today. Wouters gets to play on defense since he's been a bit left out after the formation change, while Lang returns since now we don't mind him getting suspended for what's coming, we want him available for the last two fixtures. Freiburg's eleven is almost completely different from the one we faced back in November, but still take the initiative in the early game with good passing and lots of possession.

Sinkgraven has the first chance after a long pass into space, but he wastes it with a high ball under pressure by Lang and Gerometta. He does much better with his second, though, volleying into the net a cross from the right by Siquet to score the 1-0 with only seven minutes played. Six minutes later a long pass by Krauss flies all over Wouters' head and finds Siquet with all the space in the world to enter the box and rifle it in for the second. Not looking good.

We finally manage to patch the wound and stop the bleeding, and slowly we start trying to attack, with Mikautadze having our first chance 24 minutes in after a great assist by Svetlin, but finding his finish tipped wide by Uphoff. A wide header by Lang in a set piece taken by Miranda follows, but nothing else comes from our attacking stance for the rest of the first half. Freiburg defend their lead and keep it intact until the break.

HALF TIME - 2-0

Our goal comes three minutes into the first half, and with uncommon protagonists: a botched set piece ends with the ball in Lang's feet inside the box, and the defender holds it until he sees Forson unmarked, sends the ball to him, and the winger scores his first goal in who knows how long with a placed finish past Uphoff. Ten minutes pass until something else happens on either goal, and it's a wide header by Sinkgraven, who seems to be nursing a minor injury since the end of the first half.

Camello and Nmecha join the game shortly after, but we still struggle to create any kind of danger, while Freiburg defend with the ball and try occasional long shots that go nowhere. Dressel takes Miranda's place as our last resort, trading places with Majetschak to get our best goalscoring threat closer to the goal. Then everything goes to hell when Nmecha gets himself sent off for a professional and unnecessary foul in midfield. Freiburg dominate the final minutes without pushing too hard for a third, only Krauss trying luck from distance and finding Kretzschmar's hands on the way, as he does with Zhegrova's direct free kick a bit later. The result doesn't change and another defeat joins the pile.

* * *

Sport-Club Freiburg 2 (Daley Sinkgraven 7, Hugo Siquet 13)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Amankwah Forson 48, Felix Nmecha sent off 73)

- - -

Yeah, not quite there. Even before the sending off we'd barely done enough to deserve one goal, let alone two. Our defending in the early game was shocking, really. One more disappointing game to add to the evergrowing list, and now comes the actual nightmarish part of the fixtures. We're so dead...

To make matters worse, Mainz win their first game in forever against Hertha and pull themselves ahead of us, consigning us to the relegation zone. Even Union win today against Augsburg, but at least they stay three points behind us. Hoffenheim and Hamburg still lose, so there's that hope remaining, but now we definitely need to get wins and fast. Which to be fair has been true for most of 2025, but still. At the top Eintracht beat Bayern before coming to Grünwalder Strasse and put themselves two points behind the second place, incidentally giving Leipzig back their five-point lead.

Dalbeider · December 28, 2022

Apr 12th 2025

TSV 1860 München (17th) vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (3rd) (Bundesliga, 30/34)

So our task today is to get something against the team that comes from back-to-back wins against Leipzig and Bayern, huh? I mean, I'll back my players to do well against anyone and against all evidence, but still... Miracles still happen sometimes, I guess?

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Armel Zohouri (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Erik Majetschak (MCr), Victor Bobsin (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Matías Miranda (AMC), Shiloh 't Zand (AML); Georges Mikautadze (ST)
EINTRACHT (4-3-3): Kevin Trapp (GK); Jordan Lotomba (DR), Marvin Friedrich (DCr), Martin Hinteregger (DCl), Matthew Sorinola (DL); Lewis Cook (DM), Daichi Kamada (MCr), Djibril Sow (MCl); Randal Kolo Muani (AMR), Bryan Mbeumo (AML), Maurits Kjaergaard (ST)

* * *

Lang still hasn't picked his fifth yellow, but Gerometta did, so him and Nmecha sit out today's match. Sapmaz gets another start on the right because hey, desperate situations, and Forson has been an absolute waste of space lately, even with his goal last week. Things start as you would expect, with Eintracht attacking and Sow heading a cross by Kjaergaard over the bar. Next up is Kolo Muani with a powerful effort that Kretzschmar deflects over with his fingertips, then another strong shot by Cook which meets the same fate, all within the first four minutes of the game. We're in for a long ride.

Possession is split, though, and in one of our long passing plays we bring the ball to the right wing to Sapmaz, and the youngster beats Sorinola with a burst of speed to find space for a cross and sends a perfect ball to the far post so Mikautadze can smash it in. 1-0, and this is starting to remind me of the Dortmund game. Soon Eintracht start increasing their pressure on our back line, and Kjaergaard has a great chance to pull level immediately but Kretzschmar denies him. We still have our chances, though, although Mikautadze's shot in the 16th is anything but dangerous, centered and easy for Trapp.

By the 20th minute we're ahead in the score, number of chances, and possession. Somehow. Ten minutes later things remain the same, Eintracht haven't tested Kretzschmar in a long while, and Sapmaz adds another approach to our count with a cushioned header into Trapp's comfortable save. Minutes keep ticking off the clock while nothing changes and we remain comfortable, and besides a couple blocked shots by Kjaergaard and Mbeumo in the final minutes, we keep it so until half time. Shock and horror, we're winning.

HALF TIME - 1-0

The second half starts not like you would expect: it's actually us who hit first, with Sapmaz controlling inside the box and shooting into a defender's legs, then Trapp swatting the deflected ball wide. That's all that happens in the first fifteen minutes, though, which is all fine for us. We bring Svetlin in for 't Zand, the only weak link today. In the 66th minute another chance falls to Sapmaz after a great pass by Svetlin, but once again it's Trapp who wins the duel with a well-timed dive. Eintracht can only try luck with set pieces, and when Kostic seems to find the target with a direct free kick Kretzschmar is there to save us like almost always. Half of the second forty-five minutes are gone by now.

We decide against making any more substitutions, just in case we break the precarious balance the game is in right now. It works, and we reach the final five minutes still leading, a fact we celebrate with a curling shot from distance by Bobsin that misses the target by a foot or two. Eintracht are completely incapable of stealing the ball from us, and only a weak volley by Friedrich in another set piece in injury time gives Kretzschmar some work to do, which he deals with flawlessly. That's the end of the game, and we score our first win in thirteen games against the most unlikely opposition.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Georges Mikautadze 10)
Eintracht Frankfurt 0

- - -

Now that felt good. Fantastic team performance, complete domination of possession, and an early goal thanks to young Sapmaz, who's starting to deserve a place in the rotation more than either of our two loanees in that position. A richly deserved and very overdue win which will allow us to face the final four fixtures with a more optimistic outlook.

The Bundesliga title is still up in the air after Bayern destroyed Leipzig 5-2 today. For more important news for us, though, Union Berlin lost and now we have six points over them, while Hamburg defeated Hoffenheim and overtook them, leaving them only one point ahead of us. Augsburg's defeat against Dortmund means they're still not completely safe, too, and the same applies to Fortuna Düsseldorf, who are having a second half of the season almost as bad as ours. Wolfsburg also lose to Freiburg and Gladbach destroy Mainz, which allows us to regain the 16th place and escape the red zone.

Dalbeider · January 2, 2023

Apr 14th 2025

It might be a bit early considering we still don't know where we'll be playing next season, but Lang is a key player for us and keeping him happy is paramount. His contract may have been good while in the 2.Bundesliga, but many new players with better deals have arrived since and he needs an update, mostly because his deal ended next season anyway. He accepts a €25k weekly wage until the summer of 2030 with a hefty €16.5M release clause for Champions League teams happily. Quintero also gets a new contract worth €2k per week with a €2M release clause, pretty cheap given his potential, and we get to keep him as our backup keeper until 2028 at the very least.

Apr 19th 2025

FC Bayern München (2nd) vs. TSV 1860 München (16th) (Bundesliga, 31/34)

And we're back to the Allianz! This might be our first visit since 1860 stopped sharing Bayern's stadium, and it'll sure bring some memories of... I want to say better times, but most of those years were spent in the 2.Bundesliga so not really? Anyway, we're here to put a dent in Bayern's title aspirations and to pull ourselves out of the relegation zone. We'll only need a lot of luck and a perfect game. Easy!

* * *

BAYERN (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer (GK); Joshua Kimmich (DR), Dayot Upamecano (DCr), Edmond Tapsoba (DCl), Alphonso Davies (DL); Sandro Tonali (MCr), Leon Goretzka (MCl); Gabriel Jesus (AMR), Jamal Musiala (AMC), Serge Gnabry (AML); Robert Lewandowski (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Georges Mikautadze (ST)

* * *

Back to the 4-3-3 for today, since Bobsin is suspended and our only other defensive-minded midfielder is Wouters, who's uncomfortable playing that far upfield. Otherwise, and with the exception of Gerometta's return to the right back, we repeat the same lineup from our win against Eintracht. Bayern, of course, start with the intention of making this as miserable as our last meeting, and soon Lang loses a ball under Lewandowski's pressure and allows a shot that Kretzschmar has to save. We can also press, though, and a bad horizontal pass by Kimmich allows Sapmaz to intercept, run into the box, and shoot into Neuer's flipping save.

A header by Gabriel Jesus that Kretzschmar saves with ease is Bayern's next approach nineteen minutes in, not exactly the onslaught we'd been expecting. Meanwhile their players seem to be getting carried away with their fouling, and twenty minutes in they've already seen four yellow cards. Another header by Gabriel Jesus breaks a twenty-minute-long dry spell for Bayern, but meets the same end as his previous attempt. They do have the ball most of the time, but we're managing to keep them away from our goal. We go all the way until the 44th minute, when a cross into the box finds Lewandowski, the veteran striker shoots into the post, and Gnabry gets to the ball first to smash it in and finally score the 1-0. Shame. A high ball by Kimmich in injury time marks the end of the first half

HALF TIME - 1-0

Ten minutes of gentle Bayern domination end when a cross by Davies towards Lewandowski in the near post almost turns into the 2-0, thankfully stopped by a timely tackle by Gechter. Nmecha and Camello are our first attempts at changing the tide, just before a header by Musiala clips the top of the crossbar on its way over. On the 64th, though, our first approach in a while brings the ball to Sapmaz, who attracts the defenders' attention then sends a perfect ball into the space he himself created, allowing Majetschak to run into the box and beat Neuer with a placed shot.

Svetlin replaces Miranda as we try to hold on to this point by any means necessary. But in the 70th minute substitue Coman is apparently pushed by our goalscorer Majetschak inside the box when the ball was nowhere near him and VAR awards Bayern the penalty. Lewandowski blasts it in from the spot, and Bayern are once again ahead. Thirty-two goals already for the Pole, by the way, more than our whole squad combined.

The morale hit is serious, and it gets worse when six minutes later Bayern combine and combine until Coman runs into space and gathers a pass from Gabriel Jesus to score the 3-1 with a placed finish. And then Coman does it again one minute later, this time assisted by Musiala with another through ball. Nmecha almost gets one back in a corner kick a bit later but Neuer saves well, Bayern take the foot of the gas, and we fall to another heavy defeat against our archrivals.

* * *

FC Bayern München 4 (Serge Gnabry 45, Robert Lewandowski 71p, Kingsley Coman 77 78)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Erik Majetschak 64)

- - -

A much more credible performance than last time, honestly. We did really well to contain them in the first half, and scored in one of our few chances. The penalty was key, though, and from then on we didn't have a chance. We're still far from being able to compete with Bayern, but we'll get there. Eventually.

The results elsewhere don't help, though. Mainz win against Stuttgart and leapfrog us once again, Union draw their game against Hertha, Hamburg defeat Fortuna at their own stadium, and Hoffenheim fall to Leipzig. We're back in the red zone, but only one point away from salvation with both Mainz and Hoffenheim on 28 points while we stay on 27. Wolfsburg also lost heavily to Eintracht, so they remain at 31 two weeks before visiting Grünwalder Strasse, and Fortuna are in between with 30 points and looking flaky. Still alive.

Dalbeider · January 10, 2023

Apr 23rd 2025

No surprises in the DFB Pokal semis, with Dortmund beating Dynamo and Leipzig barely squeezing past Mainz for a quite high-powered final.

Apr 24th 2025

Ouch. Miranda twists an ankle in training and will be out for 4-5 weeks, i.e. the rest of the season. We'll have to rely on Majetschak for the attacking midfielder role and use someone else in midfield, probably Dressel or Svetlin.

Apr 26th 2025

We play last this week, so we know the results of our rivals beforehand. Hoffenheim beat Fortuna yesterday, and today Wolfsburg lost at home to Bayern, HSV beat Mainz, and Union Berlin lost to Gladbach. A win puts us level with Fortuna and ahead of Mainz. Of course we're playing Leipzig, so haha.

Meanwhile, our U19 kids repeat win in the Süd/Südwest group of the A-Junioren-Bundesliga, four points ahead of Bayern's boys with one game left to play. We'll see if they do better in the playoff for the title than last year, when they lost to Dortmund.

Apr 27th 2025

TSV 1860 München (17th) vs. RasenBallsport Leipzig (1st) (Bundesliga, 32/34)

So a win against the leaders takes us out of the relegation zone, huh. Simple as that. It'd also gift the first position to Bayern, which makes it a bit of a bitter pill to swallow, but that won't stop us from doing all we can today. We'll see if it's enough or not.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Albian Hajdari (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Georges Mikautadze (ST)
RB LEIPZIG (4-4-2 diamond narrow): Alexander Nübel (GK); Alejandro Francés (DR), Matthias Ginter (DCr), Felix Uduokhai (DCl), Angeliño (DL); Moisés Caicedo (DM), Paulo Bernardo (MCr), Jakub Moder (MCl), Dani Olmo (AMC); Musa Barrow (STr), Fabio Carvalho (STl)

* * *

Still 4-3-3, we can't really go 4-2-3-1 against a formation with two forwards and an attacking midfielder, at least not when they're so much better than us. Svetlin takes Miranda's place, Bobsin returns, and Lang rests once again to protect him from yellow cards for the all-important game against Wolfsburg next week. Things start surprisingly even, and we even win possession in the early game and get a first shot in, although Mikautadze's attempt ends up blocked by Uduokhai. Francés has an answer for Leipzig, dribbling into the box and shooting low into Kretzschmar's save.

Things continue relatively relaxed for our defense in the following minutes, and only a wide shot by Paulo Bernardo already past the half hour mark gives us any trouble. We don't really create much on attack, though, but that's not the main focus for now. The one time we go forward, though, it's for real: Moura sends a ball into space ahead of Nmecha, and the winger hits it first time past a somewhat unaware Nübel to score the 1-0.

We've found an absolute highway on the left wing, since Francés tends to push far forward and Nmecha keeps the other defenders in the area busy, so Moura has all the space to himself. Another cross by the left back is headed wide by Nmecha with six minutes on the clock while Leipzig still try to find a way to react. One minute later, though, Barrow breaks the offside trap and collects a long pass by Moder to face and beat Kretzschmar one-on-one, and we're back where we started.

Moder almost makes it two himself immediately after, but this time Kretzschmar does save and tip the ball wide. And in the 42nd Svetlin trips Barrow inside the box and it's a penalty, no discussion possible. Barrow himself scores from the spot, turning the game around in an instant. But the surprises don't end there: right after kick off the ball finds the way to our left wing where Nmecha collects it, cuts in, and assists Mikautadze so the striker passes the ball past Nübel and scores the 2-2. There's no time for more shenanigans, thankfully, and the first half ends like that.

HALF TIME - 2-2

The match goes back to its earlier, calmer mood after the break, but eleven minutes in Paulo Bernardo restarts the hostilities suddenly with a long pass towards Carvalho, who once again breaks the offside line and circles around Kretzschmar to score the 2-3. Dressel and Wouters come in afterwards to try and reinforce our midfield, but Leipzig are dominant now, and soon Olmo has a good chance to score the fourth that Kretzschmar dives to save and hold.

Forson returns to action after a long time in the bench then, replacing Sapmaz and putting both of our wing backs in full attack mode. It's through the right wing that our first chance comes, with Gerometta assisting and Forson finishing with a shot straight into Nübel's body. On the 70th we try through the opposite side, once again with Moura assisting Nmecha on the run, and this time the inside forward doesn't miss and puts the ball into the back of the net to put both teams on level terms once again.

Leipzing change formation slightly, moving to a 4-3-1-2, but we remain in control of possession for the final part of the game. Leipzig keep trying through Olmo, who this time shoots with power from the edge of the box but sends the ball into orbit, and already in injury time Abada runs into space and collects the ball from Paulo Bernardo, but his shot ends up weak and centered and Kretzschmar grabs it with ease. We hide the ball away for what little remains and score an unlikely point that might prove vital.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 3 (Felix Nmecha 36 70, Georges Mikautadze 44)
RasenBallsport Leipzig 3 (Musa Barrow 40 43p, Fábio Carvalho 56)

- - -

Fantastic. We couldn't get a win because even when playing this well against Leipzig that's asking too much, but this point is actually enough to bring us into the playoff position and ahead of Mainz on goal difference. That's good enough for me, at least for now, and now we have two games we have a realistic chance of winning. If we repeat today's performance we have a real shot at surviving the season in the end. Of course this draw also has the side effect of putting Bayern first on goal difference, but hey, I'll take it. Great game by Nmecha and Moura, two players who've had it rough for most of their time with us but who seem to be finding their feet lately, particularly the wing back.

Have I mentioned how much I hate opportunistic agents, though? Nmecha's agent came knocking right after the game asking for a new contract, and not just that, but his demands were outrageous: regular starter status, more than double his current wages, and lots of annoying clauses. I heard him make his pitch, then I told him to stuff it and come back next year. Hopefully the player won't mind terribly much, and if he does he still has two years remaining in his current deal. He can get over it.

Dalbeider · January 12, 2023

Apr 29th 2025

Of course Nmecha made the Team of the Week, I'm more surprised about Moura not being in it. Oh well.

May 2nd 2025

Oh, it's that time again: there'll be elections at the club come June. Current president Sebastian Dippel still has to announce whether he'll run for a second three-year term or not.

May 3rd 2025

It's time for the final stretch, with all the Bundesliga matches being played at the same time both today and for the final fixture two weeks from now. There are some things already decided (Bayern, Leipzig, Eintracht, and Dortmund have already secured the four Champions League places, for example), but lots left to play for. At the top Bayern and Leipzig are currently tied on 72 points with our dear neighbors ahead by seven goals on goal difference. Both play at home this week against Augsburg and Fortuna respectively, both games they should win easily on paper.

At the bottom, things stand like this: Union Berlin is dead last with 23 points, Mainz follow with 28(-30), then there's us in the playoff place with 28(-13). Currently safe are Fortuna with 30(-21), Hoffenheim with 31(-20), and Wolfsburg with 31(-13). HSV and Augsburg are both on 35 points and mathematically safe from relegation, both thanks to a fantastic final third of the season. The relegation-relevant fixtures for today are:

1860 München-Wolfsburg
Mainz-Hoffenheim
RB Leipzig-Fortuna Düsseldorf
Union Berlin-Stuttgart

Two direct duels mean at least two teams will drop points today, so whoever wins will have a huge advantage for the final fixture. Union need to win and that neither Mainz nor us do the same to have any hopes of survival. Mainz also need to win, and ideally by a big margin so they can improve their abysmal goal difference, because even if they catch up with Hoffenheim on points with a win they'll still be behind. Meanwhile we can put Wolfsburg behind us on goal difference with any win, which would automatically put us in a safe position regardless of other results, unless outrageous stuff like a 13-0 Mainz win happens. Fortuna have a very tough fixture in Leipzig, and a defeat could see them drop into the relegation zone depending on what Mainz and us do. Both Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg can mathematically save themselves with a win, and even a draw could be enough to at least dodge direct relegation. In short: what a mess.

Our ideal situation for today: we win against Wolfsburg (duh), Hoffenheim win at Mainz, Leipzig beat Fortuna, and we don't care what Union do because they're toast if we win anyway. With that we'd leave Mainz 3 points and at least 19 goals behind, which is as good as saying that we can't relegate directly anymore, and we'd also put both Wolfsburg (on minimal goal difference) and Fortuna (1 point plus goals) behind us, meaning we could afford to just match either of their results in the final fixture to be safe for good. A man can dream...

* * *

TSV 1860 München (16th) vs. VfL Wolfsburg (13th) (Bundesliga, 33/34)

All this just to say that we have to win this game no matter what, because otherwise we'd be putting our fate in Mainz's hands and I'd honestly really rather not. The Volkswagen folks have had a second half of the season on par with ours: just one win (1-0 at home against Union), four draws, and a whole lot of defeats. Funnily enough they made the quarterfinals of the Conference League in the meantime, eventually losing to Utrecht. They've lost their last four league fixtures, the last one narrowly at home against Bayern, and their morale must be in the pits. If we don't win this game we don't deserve to stay up, plain and simple.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-2-3-1): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (MCr), Erik Majetschak (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Amankwah Forson (AMC), Felix Nmecha (AML); Georges Mikautadze (ST)
WOLFSBURG (4-3-3): Koen Casteels (GK); Ridle Baku (DR), Kelvin Amian (DCr), Sebastián Cáceres (DCl), Rico Henry (DL); Luca Kilian (DM), Aster Vranckx (MCr), Elvis Rehxbecaj (MCl); Thorgan Hazard (AMR), Rubén Vargas (AML), Ali Akman (ST)

* * *

Same lineup we used against Leipzig, except for Lang and Forson returning and us switching back to the 4-2-3-1 formation, placing the Ghanaian behind Mikautadze. Slow start, with Wolfsburg keeping a defensive stand and holding the ball in safe areas, which quickly prompt us to start pressing them earlier and harder. Eleven minutes in Bobsin finds Nmecha on the left side of the box with a long pass, and the inside forward passes back towards the rampaging Majetschak so the midfielder can do his thing, shoot with power, and score the 1-0.

Wolfsburg now have to get out of their own half, which makes possession much more equally split as they have to take more risks. Akman has their first chance with a powerful 20-yarder that flies not too far over the bar, then follows it up with a header after a lobbed pass from Vranckx, easy to catch by Kretzschmar. Their attacks are few and far in between, though, as are ours, and minutes tick off the clock rapidly all the way until half time, with our lead still unthreatened.

HALF TIME - 1-0

The second half starts with a steal by Moura prompting a quick attack down the left, finished by Nmecha with a curling shot that Casteels barely manages to tip wide. We seem to have the upper hand now, pusshing Wolfsburg back like in the first minutes of the game, and their first attack doesn't come until the 60th minute, a run by Henry assisted by Rehxbecaj that ends in a corner kick after Kretzschmar's good flipping save.

't Zand comes in for Sapmaz a bit later, moving Nmecha to the middle and Forson to the right, and Camello also replaces Mikautadze. Another good, long attacking play on the 67th ends with Moura shooting over the bar from distance, and Baku answers for Wolfsburg with a finish from closer range, this one well caught by Kretzschmar. Our last substitution brings Svetlin in for Forson, moving us back to a 4-3-3 to secure our lead a bit better. Vranckx still catches us napping a bit later and collects a long pass from the left, but thankfully his finish is poor and wide. Much more dangerous is the midfielder's next approach, a header into the crossbar to finish a cross by Henry.

Things slow down afterwards, though, as our more patient approach starts paying dividends and we keep the ball away from them, letting time pass without any chances threatening our lead. Ivanusec tries luck from distance with a wide direct free kick in what is Wolfsburg's first shot in almost fifteen minutes, and by now there's only three minutes left before full time. It's Ivanusec himself again who has the next chance, a quick break in injury time very badly defended by our left wing players and which allows him to collect a cross from Hazard and shoot unopposed, but Kretzschmar is there to tip the ball wide and make sure the three points stay at home. The keeper then cements his position as TSV hero with a miracle save in the corner kick that follows, stopping Vranckx's point-blank finish. Time runs out soon after, and our win is finally confirmed.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Erik Majetschak 11)
VfL Wolfsburg 0

- - -

I'll take some good luck for a change, thank you very much. Wolfsburg certainly did more than enough to deserve a goal in the second half, but thankfully Kretzschmar had one of his days and denied them time and time again. We were superior for most of the game, though, although our chances weren't as clear-cut as theirs by any stretch. Regardless, extremely important win, and one step closer to salvation.

We're not done yet, though, not even close. Our dream scenario almost came true, but one key element went wrong: Mainz beat Hoffenheim. As a result things have become even more messy for the final fixture: Union relegate after drawing against Stuttgart, Fortuna are now 19th with 30 points and -24 goal difference, and then there's four teams tied on 31 points: Mainz with -28 goal difference, Hoffenheim with -22, Wolfsburg with -14, and us with -12. If that's not a disaster waiting to happen I don't know what is. At the top both title candidates won their matches by the exact same result, 3-0, so everything is still up in the air. Now everyone gets two weeks to rest, relax, and prepare for the mass heart attack that's gonna be the last day of the season.

Dalbeider · January 13, 2023

May 8th 2025

We couldn't have a break without bad news, could we? Victor Bobsin will miss the final game of the season and a few more weeks afterwards with a calf strain sustained in training. Should take him around one full month to recover, so he's out even if we end up in the playoff. Sucks.

May 10th 2025

The kids are in the A-Junioren-Meisterschaft final! They absolutely trounced Bochum U19s 7-3 on aggregate, and will be facing Leipzig's kids in the final after they got rid of Bayern on away goals with a 2-2 draw on aggregate.

May 11th 2025

Turns out Herr Dippel will run for a second term. We'll see if his competitors bring something new to the table or it's just a bunch of continuists like last time.

May 14th 2025

Dressel joins the injured brigade with a badly-timed bruised shoulder. Nothing major, but this close to the Augsburg game it's very unlikely he'll be able to make the eleven, which is a problem considering Bobsin is already out of contention.

May 17th 2025

Well, here we are. Last matchday of the season, and everything still undecided. Let's start with the title fight because it concerns us the least: Bayern travel to Köln, who need one point to secure European football, but can probably rely on Stuttgart not winning against Dortmund to keep their place even in defeat. Meanwhile Leipzig play in Wolfsburg, with the home team needing points to avoid relegation, just like us. Neither is an easy fixture, so any of them could be dropping points. I'll be cheering for Leipzig for obvious reasons, and also because them winning in Wolfsburg is enough to guarantee our salvation.

Now, the relegation fight, aka our fight. The matches will be:

Wolfsburg - RB Leipzig
Augsburg - 1860 München
Fortuna Düsseldorf - Mainz
Hoffenheim - Bayer Leverkusen

We already know about Wolfsburg's fixture, and they probably have the most difficult one out of everyone involved, but they also have a certain leeway in that they're currently two places above the playoff. Same for us, with a trip to our dear rivals Augsburg, who have nothing to play for but still will want to send us packing to the 2.Bundesliga after the 4-0 thumping we gave them back in December. Hoffenheim also have it tough with Leverkusen, but with their foes already qualified for the Europa League and no reason to go full strength they might get a lucky break. The key fixture, though, is the direct duel between Fortuna and Mainz, the two teams in relegation places right now. The winner of that game is safe, period, and Fortuna can't rely on a draw because they lose on goal difference even if everyone else lose their games. It's gonna be a fun and stressing evening, that's for sure...

* * *

FC Augsburg (12th) vs. TSV 1860 München (13th) (Bundesliga, 34/34)

But again, all that matters is that we only need to rely on ourselves. A win saves us, and that's that. It'd also be a win against Augsburg, which always has a special taste for the 1860 faithful, although it also means there'll be extra nerves piled upon an already difficult fixture to manage mentally. Many things need to go wrong for direct relegation today, but that's exactly the kind of situation in which those things will happen, one-in-a-million chances and all that. So let's not, shall we?

* * *

AUGSBURG (4-4-2): Roman Bürki (GK); Matthias Zimmermann (DR), Leonidas Stergiou (DCr), Jordan Torunarigha (DCl), Omar Campos (DL); Pascal Gross (MR), Sebastian Vasiliadis (MCr), Torben Rhein (MCl), Roberto Alvarado (ML); Jonas Wind (STr), Munas Dabbur (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Linus Gechter (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Dries Wouters (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Tamar Svetlin (MCl); Amankwah Forson (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Georges Mikautadze (ST)

* * *

The absence of both Bobsin and Dressel forces us back into the 4-3-3 once again. Not that I mind, a draw here would probably be good enough given the circumstances. Dressel is actually on the bench finally, and could feature if we need him to. Augsburg have changed from 4-4-1-1 to 4-4-2 as their favored formation, something which seems to sit well with us, as we start the game with a quick run down the right by Mikautadze and a cross into Nmecha's narrowly high header. Things quickly become much more equal, though, and both teams split possession almost equally in the first ten minutes, with neither getting close to the opposing goal.

Ten minutes later things remain under control, with only an isolated header by Wind that Kretzschmar saves with ease to break the midfield play monotony. Gross also tries luck from distance in a direct free kick, sending the ball well over, then Nmecha's pressing steals a ball from Campos, but the inside forward wastes the chance with a badly wide finish. Thirty minutes gone now.

Our best chance comes two minutes later, a dribble and cross by Forson towards Mikautadze who shoots first-time and almost beats Bürki, who tips the ball around the post with his fingertips. Majetschak heads the corner kick over the bar, then Dabbur breaks the offside trap on the other end of the pitch and tries to lob Kretzschmar with an eventually wide parabola. On the 37th bad news arrive in the form of a game-ending thigh injury for Mikautadze, forcing us to bring Camello in his place. Then it gets worse: VAR awards Augsburg a penalty kick for a very mild push by Wouters on Dabbur, and Wind scores the 1-0 from the spot just as the first half reaches its end.

HALF TIME - 1-0. Other scores: Fortuna 2-0 Mainz, Hoffenheim 3-0 Leverkusen, Wolfsburg 0-0 Lepzig, Köln 1-2 Bayern.

We need a goal, and we go out trying to find it quickly. A set piece taken by Svetlin ends in another high header by Nmecha, who keeps getting close but still no cigar. It's still our only chance in the first fifteen minutes, but we're playing well and slowly pushing Augsburg back, so I still my hand for substitutions for a bit longer. Augsburg try a cross from the right into Pléa's header, but that one's very easy for Kretzschmar. In the 64th minute, though, Pléa escapes our defenders attention and catches a long ball by Campos, faces Kretzschmar one-on-one, and beats him with a cute little chip to make it 2-0. Now we really need goals, and fast.

Dressel replaces Wouters and we move to a 4-2-3-1, trying to get more chances. It doesn't quite work, so it's time to bring Sapmaz in for Forson and hope for the best. Another header by Nmecha follows, this one easy for the keeper, but at least it's something. Another attempt by the inside forward, this one with his right foot from the edge of the box, finds the same destination between Bürki's gloves. Ten minutes to go and things don't look good at all.

We're going full attacking by now, and that leaves gaps that Gross tries to profit from, although thankfully Kretzschmar prevents a third with a great save. On the 82nd our best chance arrives, a pass back from the goal line by Nmecha towards Camello, who still can't score today and sends it straight at the keeper. By now most of the bench is awaiting news from Wolfsburg, where Leipzig have taken the lead, a result which could save us if nothing else changes.

The players are still focused on the job at hand, though, and in the 89th minute a steal by Majetschak spawns an attack down the right wing which ends in a low cross from Sapmaz to Camello. The striker says to hell with goalless streaks and blasts it in with all his strength to score the 2-1. There's still hope, even more when news of Leipzig's second goal reach the stands. Camello has a chance to draw the game and seal our survival after another cross by the youngster in injury time, but this time a defender gets in the way and the ball is cleared. That's our last one and we end up losing, but there's a rare sight in the stands afterwards: fans of two rival teams both celebrating in unison, the local faithful happy for the win, and die Löwen diehards ecstatic for another season in the top flight.

* * *

FC Augsburg 2 (Jonas Wind 45p, Alassane Pléa 64)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Sergio Camello 89)

- - -

| Pos | Inf   | Team                | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | GD    | Pts   | Form  |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | C     | FC Bayern           | 34    | 25    | 3     | 6     | 87    | 36    | 51    | 78    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | CL    | RB Leipzig          | 34    | 24    | 6     | 4     | 77    | 32    | 45    | 78    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | CL    | Frankfurt           | 34    | 23    | 4     | 7     | 66    | 27    | 39    | 73    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | CL    | Borussia Dortmund   | 34    | 19    | 9     | 6     | 67    | 41    | 26    | 66    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | EL    | Bayer Leverkusen    | 34    | 16    | 10    | 8     | 57    | 40    | 17    | 58    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | EL    | Borussia M'gladbach | 34    | 14    | 9     | 11    | 50    | 41    | 9     | 51    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | ECL   | Köln                | 34    | 13    | 11    | 10    | 54    | 49    | 5     | 50    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th |       | Stuttgart           | 34    | 13    | 8     | 13    | 60    | 53    | 7     | 47    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th |       | Hertha BSC          | 34    | 11    | 11    | 12    | 37    | 38    | -1    | 44    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th|       | Freiburg            | 34    | 11    | 8     | 15    | 41    | 50    | -9    | 41    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th|       | Hamburg             | 34    | 10    | 8     | 16    | 40    | 60    | -20   | 38    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th|       | Augsburg            | 34    | 11    | 5     | 18    | 35    | 63    | -28   | 38    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th|       | Hoffenheim          | 34    | 8     | 10    | 16    | 32    | 52    | -20   | 34    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th|       | Fortuna Düsseldorf  | 34    | 8     | 9     | 17    | 34    | 54    | -20   | 33    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th|       | 1860 München        | 34    | 6     | 13    | 15    | 42    | 55    | -13   | 31    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th| Pl    | Wolfsburg           | 34    | 7     | 10    | 17    | 31    | 47    | -16   | 31    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th| R     | Mainz               | 34    | 9     | 4     | 21    | 35    | 67    | -32   | 31    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th| R     | Union Berlin        | 34    | 6     | 6     | 22    | 26    | 66    | -40   | 24    |       |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Yep, that was about as heart-stopping as I thought it'd be. We were in the playoff for most of the evening, since results weren't going our way and Wolfsburg kept resisting Leipzig, but once the Red Bull guys took the lead it was all over. Our defeat was absolutely unfair, of course, we were the better team throughout and should've got at least a draw out of it, but hey, it hurts less like this. Really happy for Camello's goal, another assist for Sapmaz, and... way, way too many penalties conceded in this last handful of fixtures. Need to do better in that.

As for the rest, Mainz relegated deservedly after being absolutely trounced by Fortuna four-nil, and Wolfsburg's defeat coupled with Hoffenheim and Fortuna winning meant they were bound to the relegation playoff no matter what we did. They could've hoped for a four-goal defeat, I guess, but that wasn't going to happen. At the top Bayern kept their lead against Köln and ended up winning 2-3, just enough to secure yet another Bundesliga title, sigh. I'd be sadder about this if the point we stole from Leipzig, and which prevented them from winning the league, wasn't exactly the point we needed to survive today.

Our final 15th place means money, and lots of it: €37.87M to be precise. If the new post-election board don't see fit to increase our budgets by a lot next year there's gonna be riots.

Our win also means we now have to buy Gerometta, something I don't mind at all. €1.4M will be paid to Sao Paulo and we'll keep our starting right back permanently, with a somewhat ridiculous wage of €22k per week and a €5M release clause for Champions League teams.

Oh, and on completely unrelated news, we complete another signing today! 21yo Croatian winger Ante Crnac will join on a free come July. An extremely promising left winger who can play on the right too, he was spotted by our scouts when looking for young players on expiring contracts in Europe. NK Osijek will be losing him for nothing, and we'll get to see if he can develop into a good player for the first team. He has the potential, at the very least.

The U19 kids couldn't beat Leipzig's and join the party, as they fell 2-0 in the final. Still, another great showing for our future stars. Both them and the seniors depart on holiday after the end of term celebrations are over, expected back in training on the 7th of July.

Dalbeider · January 17, 2023

END OF SEASON 2023/24 - PLAYER SUMMARY

GOALKEEPERS

Name               Apps    Conceded  Clean Sheets  PoM  Av.Rat.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Kretzschmar      34          55             6    2     6.93
Valentino Quintero    3           3             1    0     7.00

Good season for both our keepers, with highs and lows in Kretzschmar's case. He had a handful of games in which he was just unbeatable, and a few others in which he couldn't get a touch in. Still, overall he finished with acceptable numbers for a starting keeper in a relegation-threatened team that doesn't play particularly defensive-minded football, no matter what the board say. There were four teams with worse conceded goals numbers than us, and that's saying something. Quintero also did quite well in his first season with us as the cup keeper, not really looking out of his depth in the squad and showing some promising improvement. I'd have wanted to give him more league minutes if we secured survival earlier than we did, but alas, that's something for next year. Don't expect changes in this line.

DEFENDERS

Name                   Apps     Goals    Assists    PoM    Y.C   R.C  Av.Rat.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Niklas Lang              26         1          1      0      4     0     7.05
Albian Hajdari        17(4)         1          0      1      5     0     6.97
Linus Gechter            28         0          0      0      8     0     6.96
Phillipp Steinhart    11(6)         1          5      1      4     0     6.95
Francisco Gerometta   27(1)         0          3      0     10     0     6.77
Armel Zohouri          7(4)         0          1      0      3     0     6.72
Francisco Moura          14         0          5      0      4     0     6.66
Matheus Pereira       12(2)         0          2      0      7     0     6.62
Tim Warner                1         0          0      0      0     0     6.00

The ratings tell a very simple story about our defense this year: center good, wings bad. Lang and Gechter took to the Bundesliga like fish to water, as though it was their natural environment from the start. Lang ended the season as our best overall player rating-wise, kept a very low number or cautions despite playing a lot, and was generally very solid at the back, if with some problems when it came to get the ball our of there. Same for Gechter, who was a bit more irregular but still our best bet to play the ball from the back. Hajdari was once again a very solid alternative for both our starters, and actually outperformed Gechter on average. Sadly he won't be returning for a third year, since he's signing for Utrecht when his current deal ends in June.

The full backs were a problem all year long, and no, don't be fooled by Steinhart's average rating, he was bad too, at least in defense. He got that rating thanks to being his usual solid self on set pieces and assisting, but whenever he was up against a mid-level winger he melted on the spot. It's obvious now that he can't play consistently at this level, and his future depends on whether he wants to be an emergency backup, like he's been for the latter half of the season, or he wants to move on and keep playing somewhere else. Pereira was supposed to be our alternative in that position but he started badly and never really improved, so we brough Moura in mid-season. He also started horribly, but when we started playing 4-2-3-1 and using more overlaps he turned it around, managed a few notable performances, and scored a bunch of key assists which in the end meant our salvation. He'll stay next season, most likely as a starter.

The right side had similar problems but less turnover, with Gerometta holding the starting place and being mostly consistent, although with the occasional blackout. He also improved in the latter part with the tactical tweaks. Zohouri was his backup and did fine as such, but he's likely to be moved somewhere else this coming summer and replaced with someone more suited to this level. His window for improving has passed, and now we have to try and maximize profits. Warner played one game due to an injury crisis, showed he isn't cut for this level at all, and will be released this June.

MIDFIELDERS

Name                   Apps     Goals    Assists    PoM    Y.C   R.C  Av.Rat.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dennis Dressel        10(8)         3          1      0      1     0     6.94
Erik Majetschak       32(3)        10          3      1      4     0     6.91
Dries Wouters         14(3)         0          0      0      3     0     6.87
Victor Bobsin         21(3)         0          0      0      9     0     6.81
Tamar Svetlin        16(12)         4          1      0      2     0     6.72
Matías Miranda        13(1)         1          1      1      2     0     6.71
Laurin Ulrich          0(2)         0          0      0      0     0     6.70

Ratings lie, part the second. If you look at this table without context you might think Dressel and Wouters were better all season long than Majetschak and Bobsin, and that's absurd. Majetschak was our best offensive player, period. Top goalscorer with ten goals, he tended to disappear from games in which he didn't get involved early, but that's something to work on. Dressel tried to do the same as his main rotation option early on, but despite a couple of early goals he soon showed that the Bundesliga was one step too far for him. He'll be sold this summer in all likelihood, and sent off as what he is: one of our most important players on the way up from the 3.Liga.

Wouters and Bobsin were much closer in performance, with both looking quite solid as our most defensive midfielder and doing an acceptable work countering opposing attacking midfielders, although sometimes they looked a bit hesitant when facing the actual stars of the division. Bobsin benefitted from our tactical shift in the last third of the season, though, as he's much more fit for the midfielder role in a 4-2-3-1 than Wouters, who likes playing deeper than that. Bobsin is set to repeat his role next year, while Wouters might have to move to the defense full time depending on how our tactical choices pan out. More on that later.

As for the playmaker slot, once again our two options there are at the bottom of the ratings, but there's some glimmers of hope here. Miranda came into his own when moved into the hole behind the striker in the 4-2-3-1, while Svetlin had a few very good games when played on either wing rather than on the center. With us most likely moving in a new tactical direction next season, there's a good chance that both will be used more frequently in those roles rather than as the usual playmaker in central midfield, which could benefit both them and us. That said, this is Svetlin's last chance to actually improve and show he deserves a regular starting place. As for Ulrich, he came as a bet for the future and in his two appearances he didn't disappoint. He might get more regular minutes next year if he isn't loaned out.

ATTACKERS

Name                   Apps     Goals    Assists    PoM    Y.C   R.C  Av.Rat.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Felix Nmecha         16(10)         4          5      1      2     1     6.84
Sergio Camello        22(7)         6          2      0      1     0     6.78
Alessio Tribuzzi       5(4)         1          1      0      0     0     6.77
Georges Mikautadze    12(2)         5          0      0      0     0     6.75
Amankwah Forson       24(5)         5          3      1      2     0     6.70
Shiloh 't Zand       16(10)         4          2      1      5     0     6.65
Mamadou Kaly Sene      6(7)         1          0      0      2     0     6.55
Lorenzo Guzzo          3(6)         0          0      0      1     0     6.53
Can Sapmaz             5(4)         0          4      1      1     0     6.99
Yusuf Kabadayi         1(2)         1          2      1      1     0     7.50

Our most problematic line all year long, which shows in the amount of players we tried there at some point. Pereira's departure hurt us, and we struggled to replace his goals with the new strikers we signed. Neither Camello nor Mikautadze set the world alight, but the former had a decent start before slipping into a depressingly long goalless streak, and the second was consistent in the half-season he was with us at the very least, although his performance overall wasn't all that great. Neither will be returning next season, and we'll be looking in a different direction for our strikers from now on. Sene also played here in the first half of the season before being sold to Norwich, and he was disastrous, only scoring one goal in total and only in his last game with us.

The wings had similar problems, although for once our left was our most consistent side. 't Zand was our default choice there in the early season and he did well, but eventually lost his place to Nmecha, who had a fantastic streak of games in the final stretch and could be considered the main culprit behind our survival. Both will return next year, with 't Zand now signed to a permanent deal, and will start the season on equal ground, so their performances will define who gets to play more.

The right was a disaster all year long. Forson returned after a good season in the 2.Bundesliga but couldn't repeat his performance in the top level, and particularly in the second half of the season was a shadow of himself and a black hole for goalscoring chances. Tribuzzi started as his backup but was sold to Lecce due to being found surplus to requirements, even though he ended up having the second best average rating of everyone used in that position. Guzzo came on loan as his replacement and was a mistake, plain and simple. We already had his replacement at home, and his name was Can Sapmaz. The youngster took over in the latter part of the season, delivered assists with his passes and crosses, and overall showed that he's ready to make the jump to the first team, if probably not quite as a sure starter yet. Another youngster, Kabadayi, featured intermittently in the first half of the season, doing well in the cup against amateurs but otherwise looking as green as ever.

* * *

Looking into the next season, I think a change in the tactical paradigm is in order. Until now we've been using a possession-based style, with wing players that tend to cut inside and assist with through balls rather than crosses, technical midfielders, and small strikers who can both score and assist. This worked fine when we were one of the better teams in the division, but now we're the small fish among sharks and we just can't make this style work anymore. The bad ratings of our wing players are most likely related to that, since getting them involved in the game was a challenge most of the time.

I'm thinking of using a more direct, fast-paced style next season. High-pressing and short passes will still be the focus, but now we'll have at least one traditional wing player at all times, the wing backs will constantly look for overlaps, and we'll try to capitalize on having many options rushing into the box from deep to score. It's not a huge departure from our actual style, just a nudge in a more gegenpress-like direction, but we still need to change our personnel to make it work. For starters we need wing players, ideally on the right side so Sapmaz can naturally slot into that role as backup/rotation and keep developing. Svetlin is a decent option, but not exactly starter caliber in the Bundesliga right now, so we'll probably try and find someone new. More importantly, though, we need at least one striker with an actual aerial game, not just to finish the crosses our wings will provide, but also to give us an alternative to playing from the back when opposing pressure makes that unfeasible. Our recruiting this summer will be headed in that direction, with a secondary focus on improving our current pieces in other positions.

* * *

May 18th 2025

Our newfound riches mean we can now retain more of the money received in transfer fees, up to 60%. It also means that the board can be much more generous with the initial budgets for the next season: €11.25M for transfers and €425k per week for wages. Wow. Looks like the makeover we want to give the squad will be easier to do than expected.

We need to put some of that prize money into improving our facilities, too. First order of business will be the training facilities, which just got downgraded due to technological advancements and will need a €1.1M investment. After that I'll try to convince the new board to invest in youth, it's something I've been neglecting so far due to lack of funds, but now it'll become a priority.

May 19th 2025

Ah yes, this was coming sooner or later: Gechter wants to move to a bigger club. He might be our best player right now ability-wise, so losing him would be a blow, but his high value means if he does leave it will bring in a lot of funds. We're still nowhere near the point where we can start aiming for the trophies he craves, so I promise him to let him go if someone comes and pays €13.5M for him. Which is his release clause, by the way. He seems happy with that, so let's see what happens.

May 21st 2025

Time to start looking at the market and see what we need to purchase for the next season. Let's take a look at Ye Olde Depthe Charte:

GK: Kretzschmar/Quintero

DR: Gerometta/???/Zohouri?
DCx2: Lang/Gechter/Wouters/???
DL: Moura/???/Steinhart?

DM: Wouters/Bobsin/Ulrich?
AP: Miranda/Svetlin/Ulrich?/Wicht?
CM: Majetschak/???/Dressel?/Ulrich?/Franzke?
AMC: Miranda/(Majetschak)/(Nmecha)/('t Zand)

AMR: ???/Sapmaz/(Svetlin)/(Nmecha)
AML: Nmecha/'t Zand/(Svetlin)
ST: ???/???

Yep, we need two strikers. That's gonna cost a pretty penny, so it's likely one of them will be a loan. Besides that we're gonna need one starting wing player, one midfielder to replace Dressel in the rotation, either a playmaker or a box-to-box type, backups for the right back and center-back position, and maybe also a rotation/backup left back if Steinhart decides to leave. This also assumes that Gechter finally doesn't leave, but considering that talk from a couple of days ago, well... We might need to find a starting center-back soon, too. Ideally I'd want to rely on loans as little as possible this year and start building the core of a team that can keep us in the Bundesliga and keep growing from there. Some positions might be filled by young players from the reserves, particularly in midfield with Wicht, Ulrich, and Franzke hungry for a real chance in the first team. The former might have run out of chances already, though, given his age and lack of development, and might be transferred out if a good bid comes.

Dressel and Zohouri are both transfer listed and offered around. There's interest in the right back at the very least, but the only offer we receive for Dressel is from Trabzonspor and very much below his market value. We'll wait.

May 24th 2025

RB Leipzig forget about the disappointment of losing the Bundesliga by lifting the DFB Pokal after defeating Dortmund 2-0 in the final. Barrow scored both goals.

May 25th 2025

Wolfsburg lose to Arminia Bielefeld in the relegation playoff and will go down into the 2.Bundesliga for the first time in almost thirty years, and only one season after qualifying for the Europa League. They join Mainz and Union Berlin, and the other two new teams in the Bundesliga will be Nürnberg and Hannover 96. In case anyone is keeping track, Schalke finished 10th.

Those relegations also mean a lot of players are going to be unhappy and/or activating relegation clauses in the coming weeks. We'll see if there's anything worth fishing in there.

May 26th 2025

The squad get their bonus, which amounts to €1.5M this time. Not bad considering we almost relegated, huh.

May 27th 2025

Somewhat surprisingly, one of our players shows up in the end of season Bundesliga awards: Lang ends up in third place in the Newcomer Der Saison award, behind Leipzig's Alejandro Francés and Gladbach's Raúl Moro.

May 29th 2025

Zohouri's transfer to Alanyaspor is confirmed. They'll pay €425k upfront with no other clauses attached, of which the board allow us to keep €400k for our transfer budget. Considering he costed us €60k back in the day, it's been a good business, even if he never quite reached first team level. Now to find a new backup right back...

May 31st 2025

One month left in most contracts. Our players were sorted out early for a change, so we can focus on the staff. Lots of our analysts and scouts are on expiring contracts, so it's a good chance to see if we can improve on some of those areas with new people. Our status as a Bundesliga team and our bigger budget should allow us to sign better quality, so we'll be doing a bit of a cleanup this summer.

* * *

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Premier League: no fun battle in the end in the Premiership, since Manchester City won their fifth consecutive title at a canter with a healthy nine-point lead over Liverpool and twenty over third-placed United, with Chelsea just one point behind. Spurs climbed all the way back into Europe in the end, too, dislodging Leeds and relegating Aston Villa to the Conference League, with Arsenal the other team to make the Europa League. No surprises at the bottom either, with Norwich, Fulham, and Stoke relegating while West Ham survived in the end. Bad season for Newcastle, who finished ninth and lost the FA Cup final two-one to Chelsea. The Carabao Cup went to Manchester United, who beat Leicester 1-0 at Wembley.
LaLiga: one hundred points. That's the amount Real Madrid achieved to win their second title in a row with a nineteen point lead over second-place Barcelona, who in turn were ten points ahead of the rest of the pack, commanded by Real Sociedad and Sevilla. Athletic and Atlético would have to do with the Europa League, and Celta snuck surprisingly into the Conference League place. Granada managed to climb their way back out of the relegation zone and dragged an awful Las Palmas into it, while Getafe and Mallorca remained there from the half-season report and also relegated. For once the Copa del Rey final wasn't another rematch between Barça and Real, and instead Atlético managed to lift their first title in a while with an extra time win over Villarreal.
Serie A: Italy also had a clear winner in Inter, although their six-point lead over Napoli was the narrowest of all the major leagues not called Bundesliga. Milan and a disappointing Juventus completed the top four, with Roma and Atalanta making the Europa League and a surprising Fiorentina returning to past times of splendor and sneaking ahead of Lazio into the Conference League. Relegations for Frosinone, Venezia, and Lecce (poor Tribuzzi) while Benevento once again finished just above the drop. That's one blessed team. Inter did a double, too, winning the Coppa Italia with a narrow 1-0 win over Napoli.
Ligue 1: seven-point lead for PSG, because yes, they won again. The fun part was seeing Nice in second place ahead of Monaco, with the old guard of OL and OM finishing fourth and fifth. Marseille didn't get to go to the Europa League, though, because 16th-placed Stade Brestois shocked Nice in the Coupe de France final and lifted the trophy after a 3-2 win, then they rounded a great if lopsided season by beating Saint-Ettiene in the relegation playoff and retaining their place among the French elite, and keeping les verts down for another year at least. Paris FC (aw) and, more surprisingly although not really given their recent form, Girondins relegate to the Ligue 2.
Champions League: Bayern with three consecutive Champions League finals, and also with back-to-back defeats. Allow us Löwen fans to gloat a bit, we don't really get many chances to do so. In any case, this time Bayern's demise came at the hands of Liverpool, and in a final held in the Allianz-Arena for extra hilarity. It was a weird final with Zinchenko scoring the only goal early in the second half, one player sent off for each team afterwards, lots of yellow cards, and Bayern probably deserving a better result than they got. Previously Bayern had got their revenge for last year's final by defeating Real Madrid in the semis, while Liverpool also got through an emotional tie with a resounding 4-1 aggregate win over Manchester City.
Europa League: notice how I said Spurs got into Europe, but not into the Europa League that their fifth place finish in the Premier would award? Well, guess the new Europa League champions! Tottenham Hotspurs got their win with a 3-2 extra time victory in beautiful San Mamés over somewhat surprising finalists Nice, who had a great year overall but finished second in every single competition they took part in. Regulation ended 1-1, and then club legend Harry Kane scored one and assisted Hlozek for another to make it impossible for Nice to come back. A very entertaining final which came on the back of two hard-fought semifinals, with Nice beating Lazio 6-5 on aggregate and Spurs needing penalties to get past Shakhtar.
Conference League: in the lesser European trophy the victory was for a German team: Borussia Mönchengladbach beat FC Utrecht in De Kuip (what's with local and local-ish teams losing finals this season) two goals to one, with Nedim Bajrami scoring both of Gladbach's goals in a final they dominated clearly. Before getting there they had to deal with a difficult semifinal tie against Leicester, who made them sweat, while Utrecht made the final host curse even stronger by sending Feyenoord packing on penalties.

Dalbeider · January 19, 2023

Jun 4th 2025

Gechter, Hajdari, and Wicht will be taking part in the U21 European Championship with Germany and Switzerland.

Jun 5th 2025

Haven't talked much about the elections because all the candidates that have introduced themselves to the media so far have been continuists with nary an original idea about how to run the club. The elections will be held on the 30th, by the way. Don't expect them to have much of an impact on anything relevant to my job, all things considered.

Jun 8th 2025

The board decide to use our cash to clear what remained of our gift loan. Now we're completely debt-free for the first time in the club's recent history, and long may it last.

€3.4M paid in taxes over more than €22M of benefits in the fiscal year. Prize money sure is nice to have. We also receive €570k in club membership fees, while every other income metric goes up by a lot and two new sponsors worth €1M per year join us.

Jun 14th 2025

Wicht gets his debut with Switzerland in the U21 Euros, playing half the game against Austria in a 4-2 win, but being largely irrelevant to the result. Hajdari does much better, but he's less relevant for us now. Gechter also debuts with Germany against Italy in a 0-0 draw in which he's pretty poor.

Jun 15th 2025

Finally some transfer news: Adana Demirspor come with an offer for Dressel which we negotiate up to €3.2M, a pretty good amount for him. AA Gent are also interested and might join the bidding later on.

Funnily enough, that's exactly what we spend in his replacement, and it's a signing I'm tremendously excited about: 19yo German midfielder Alberto Entrena (fantastic name for any Spanish speakers by the way) joins from Nürnberg in exchange for €3.2M plus a 30% of future profits. Already three times U21 international at his young age, Entrena looks ready to become one of Germany's best midfielders in a not so distant future. Also able to play as a defensive midfielder and as a central defender, Entrena is physically strong, quick, solid in the air, has vision and passing ability, and can hustle for possession, on top of having a very credible long distance shot. He's the complete box-to-box package, and he's still expected to get much better. His versatility is also a huge asset, and although his main role will be as an all-purpose rotation option in midfield, he can also give us coverage for defense in case we need it. An absolute steal of a player for the price, and although he might not be here for long thanks to his €6.5M release clause for teams in continental competitions, we're going to enjoy every second of it, I'm sure.

Jun 17th 2025

Zohouri departs for Alanyaspor for the agreed €421k fee as soon as the Turkish window opens. A bet that didn't quite pan out, but still left behind a quite decent profit. No complaints.

Jun 18th 2025

Cameo appearance by Wicht in Switzerland U21's 0-2 defeat against Italy in the Euros. Hajdari plays the whole game but his performance was anything but impressive.

Jun 20th 2025

Here's our new full back, and we actually ended up fishing in the ex-Bundesliga relegated sides: 24yo German/Ivorian full back Josha Vagnoman joins from Union Berlin in exchange for €1.4M and a 30% of future profits, with a three-year deal worth €12.5k per week. Vagnoman is a very quick attack-minded wing back who just so happens to be able to play on both sides of the defense. Remember Sidler? That's the role he'll play for us, being the first option behind the starter on both wings, and actually challenging both Gerometta and Moura on equal terms for starting minutes, since he's at around their same level. He didn't play much for Union, but before joining them he was a regular starter in HSV during their 2.Bundesliga years, and he has certainly improved since then. I expect he'll be an important part of our squad next season.

We'll be starting the new Bundesliga season with a home game against Fortuna Düsseldorf, which should be one of our main rivals for survival. After that we'll take a trip to just-promoted Nürnberg, then we'll host Gladbach. The Münchner derby will be the very last game in the schedule, first in our stadium and lastly in the Allianz-Arena. Let's hope we don't have to rely on a result in that game to stay up...

Switzerland and Germany draw their game in the U21 Euros' group stage 1-1, with Gechter being solid in a full-game performance and Wicht only showing up for fifteen minutes as a defensive midfielder. Hajdari also came in as a late sub with little impact. This result sees both teams falling out of the competition at the first hurdle.

Jun 21st 2025

Dennis Dressel agrees a €3.2M move to Adana Demirspor, no clauses attached. A shame he has to leave, but the team has very clearly outgrown him, and rather than keep him as a backup player and stunt our growth it was the right time to let him go and keep playing as a starter somewhere else. He was instrumental in our initial promotion to the 2.Bundesliga, and although he was never as important in the seasons that followed he always performed well and provided important goals and assists. He'll be missed.

Jun 26th 2025

With the current contracts close to ending, it's time for some renovation in the club's staff, particularly the scouting department. We also bring in a new coach to replace a departing one, and it's another well-known name for anyone who followed football in the nineties: 51yo Ukrainian legend Sergiy Rebrov joins 1860 as a general coach.

Jun 30th 2025

Elections! All the candidates are continuists once again! I don't care who wins!

Contracts expire, all our current loanees depart (except 't Zand) and our loaned out players return (except for Andrada, who will stay in Chacarita Jrs until the end of the year), most of them with relegation stories to talk about since Halle, Sandhausen, and Türkgücü all dropped a level this season. Gerometta also confirms his permanent signing in exchange for €1.4M.

Jul 1st 2025

Transfer window opens and our confirmed signings so far ('t Zand, Crnac, Entrena, and Vagnoman) officially join. It's time to start hunting for real, particularly the strikers we still have none of.

As expected, Herr Dippel wins the elections and keeps his place as president. Nothing changes.

Jul 2nd 2025

Can Sapmaz signs a new contract worth €3k per week (for now, he'll get set increases after 10 and 20 senior games with us) and with no release clauses included. This should be enough to keep the sharks at bay, Köln had been sniffing around him lately so we moved before it became a problem.

Jul 4th 2025

St. Pauli offer around €1.4M for Svetlin. The player isn't interested in moving there so we can reject it freely, but if a team that actually attracts him comes around we might consider negotiating. His current role is in doubt, since he's been pretty mediocre in midfield so far and his performances on the right wing (his most likely slot for the next season) are a question mark, so it might be a good moment to sell and get something out of him. His contract expires in one year, too...

Jul 7th 2025

Preseason starts today, but one of our players won't even get to start it. One of the young prospects who actually made some impact in our first team, Yusuf Kabadayi, leaves today for Magdeburg in a deal worth €85k in the best of cases. His development stalled dramatically after a very exciting first season with us, and after a few unsuccessful loans it was time for him to move on. It's telling that the only teams interested in him were Regionalliga sides like Magdeburg...

Kai Havertz moves to Bayern for €162M, potentially €195M. Insane.

Jul 9th 2025

Youth leaves, youth comes: 20yo English attacking midfielder Omari Forson joins on a free transfer after being released by Manchester United. He joins our current host of up-and-coming midfielders together with Ulrich and Franzke as another technically sound midfielder with great vision and passing ability, plus also the skill and speed required to play on either wing. Huge potential, and a certain candidate for a loan in the coming weeks. We'll be expecting good things from him, and at worst he has a €3M release clause in his four-year contract, so some kind of profit is almost guaranteed.

Jul 10th 2025

Note how I didn't mention Wicht in that list of promising midfielders? Well, he's following on Kabadayi's footsteps and leaving for good, joining Yverdon from the Swiss second tier in a very similar deal worth €87k if all clauses are fulfilled, plus a 30% of future profits. Another player who looked almost ready to take the step into the first team in my first season here, but who also didn't develop despite multiple loan opportunities. With so much competition in his position and with better and younger options coming through the ranks, his window has already closed. A shame.

Dalbeider · January 24, 2023

Jul 12th 2025

FC Hansa Rostock vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)

First preseason friendly against our recent affiliates, and we still don't have strikers in the first team, sigh. Franzke starts upfront today, with Knöferl in the second unit. We play a new variant of the 4-3-3 more focused on high pressing and quick tempo than in raw possession, and a penalty on Franzke eighteen minute in gives us the first chance to score, taken by Nmecha. A handful of good opportunities later Nmecha grabs his second after finishing a quick passing play, something I hope to see more of this season. Franzke scores the third five minutes before the end of the first half following a great through ball from new kid Entrena, and the second unit comes into play with the game already settled. As a result Rostock have chances to pull a goal or two back, and actually score the 1-3 in the 82nd minute through a header by Makreckis. Still, not a bad show for as long as the players could be bothered.

FC Hansa Rostock 1 (Cebrail Makreckis 82)
TSV 1860 München 3 (Felix Nmecha 18p 30, Helmut Franzke 40)

Jul 15th 2025

Finally, our striker is here! And boy will he cost us a bunch of money... Joining from Schalke 04 on a transfer worth €4.2M plus €850k after 50 league appearances is 27yo Argentinian Nahuel Bustos, who signs a four-year deal worth no less than €42k per week, by far the highest wage in the squad. He's worth it, though, as we "enjoyed" in many of our past meetings with Schalke in the 2.Bundesliga. A versatile forward capable of playing both as our striker or on either wing, he'll be expected to become the focal point of our attack from now on, and to show that his 16 goals scored last season with Schalke in yet another unsuccessful bid for promotion weren't a fluke. His contract comes with a €10M release clause for Champions League clubs, so we've secured a decent deal even if he explodes and suddenly Bayern decide they want him or something.

When it rains it pours, and our second signing of the day is confirmed just a few minutes later. It's another big name, although not (only) because of his own merits: 23yo Italian winger Daniel Maldini, son and grandson of legendary Milan defenders Paolo and Cesare Maldini, joins from his family's club in a transfer worth €1.1M and 40% of future profits. Another versatile attacking player who can slot in any of the four most advanced positions in our tactics, he's been brought to fill the gap on the right wing specifically, although he might feature elsewhere from time to time. A very technically-gifted player, he's better at creating chances for his companions than at finishing them, but his skill with free kicks might allow him to grab a few goals of his own, too. He can still improve, and his €6M release clause for Champions League clubs might end up falling a bit short.

The same day recent arrival Forson moves back to England on loan to join South Shields, where he'll be expected to play lots and develop further.

Jul 16th 2025

The transfer train doesn't stop, although our next signing is one for the future, in more ways than one: 17yo Norwegian attacking midfielder Martin Karlsen agrees to a free transfer move from Tromso IL once his contract expires in December. Already called up for the U21 euros (although he didn't feature in the end), he's one of the most promising players in his nation, a great playmaker even at his young age, plus also a very capable wing player on the left side of the pitch. He needs to bulk up a bit, but other than that he looks like the real deal, and someone we'll love to see evolve as he progresses. Not too happy with his €825k release clause, but that can be fixed with a new contract a year or two down the line.

- - -

ASD Calcio Gozzano vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)

First of four quick-fire friendlies in our training camp in northern Italy, featuring Serie D side Gozzano. Seven minutes in our new signings already show promising signs, with Maldini whipping in a free kick from deep in the right side and Bustos tapping it in on the far post to score the 0-1. The striker then nods a corner back towards Bobsin for an easy finish and the 0-2, and near the end of the half another nod towards the penalty spot, this time by Nmecha, allows Majetschak to make it three. Young Djé Bi heads a set piece into the crossbar early in the second half before Sapmaz grabs himself the fourth with an easy finish to Miranda's cross from the left. There's still time for a fifth, this time scored by Miranda with a first-time shot following Svetlin's assist from the right, and for Franzke to score the final 0-6 with a good header already in injury time. Nicely done.

ASD Calcio Gozzano 0
TSV 1860 München 6 (Nahuel Bustos 7, Victor Bobsin 16, Erik Majetschak 41, Can Sapmaz 64, Matías Miranda 83, Helmut Franzke 90+1)

Jul 17th 2025

Franzke signs a new contract with us, getting rid of all his release clauses, and immediately agrees a loan move to 3.Liga side Weiche, where he's expected to shine in a team likely to struggle. This will probably be his last loan move before finally entering first team dynamic next year.

Our new center-back is here! 21yo Serbian U21 international center-back Mateja Stjepanovic joins from Partizan in exchange for €3.8M and a 30% of future profits. Very similar to Gechter in both quality and style of play, he's a ball-playing defender who's also extremely strong in the air, and who comes to become our alternative passing center-back to be played alongside the more traditionally-styled Lang. Being young there's a good chance he'll improve even further, too, and the comparatively small fee we've paid for him means we'll get some good profits should the same situation repeat again in the future with him in the big team's crosshairs. He does come with a €10M release clause for Champions League teams, but that'd still be a fair price. Also, and I won't say this too loud, he's our assurance just in case Gechter decides to leave in this transfer window as someone who can just step in his place without issues.

With Stjepanovic's arrival our team is basically closed. We only need to find a second striker (most likely a loan, since our funds are almost completely depleted) and fill whatever gaps open due to players leaving in the coming weeks. Svetlin and Gechter are the obvious candidates. A better left back than Moura would be nice to have, too, but it probably won't happen unless money rains on us unexpectedly.

Jul 19th 2025

AC Nardò vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)

Nardò are another Serie D team that should give us no trouble at all. Eleven minutes is all we need for Nmecha to head a cross by Vagnoman and score the opener, but it takes twenty-one more before Bustos finds Entrena on the run and assists the young midfielder so he can round the keeper and grab the 0-2. In the last minute of the first half Vagnoman and Nmecha repeat the same routine from the first goal and the inside forward puts us three ahead, as is almost tradition now. The second unit also enjoy good chances to score a few more, and in the end it's young Ulrich who finally scores the fourth with a beautiful 20-yarder into the top corner. There's bad news, though, as 't Zand can't finish the game due to a painful but eventually minor bruise in his ankle. A sending off for Nardò in the final seconds of the game doesn't change things any further, and we enjoy another peaceful afternoon stroll in Italy.

AC Nardò 0 (Gabriel Ribeiro sent off 90+1)
TSV 1860 München 4 (Felix Nmecha 11 45, Antonio Entrena 32, Laurin Ulrich 79)

Jul 20th 2025

Another of the recently signed youngsters, Ante Crnac, moves back to Croatia on loan to play for Rudar Labin, where hopefully he'll get minutes and hard work to help him reach his potential.

Jul 21st 2025

FC Südtirol vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)

Südtirol are managed by a legend like Fabio Cannavaro, but still find themselves in the Serie D for a second year after relegating back in 2024. We start the game with two offside goals for Bustos within fifteen minutes, but his third is the charm, well assisted by Entrena. Soon after Miranda places a good finish in the back of the net after a neat little pass from Maldini, who then goes on to score the 0-3 after a beautiful long ball from Entrena, who's having a fantastic game today. In the second half 't Zand is unlucky to hit the post with what looked like the fourth goal, but in the end the result doesn't change any further.

FC Südtirol 0
TSV 1860 München 3 (Nahuel Bustos 16, Matías Miranda 20, Daniel Maldini 32)

Jul 22nd 2025

Here comes one of the offers we'd been anticipating: Trabzonspor want to sign Svetlin and, after some haggling, we settle on a €1.8M bid plus 30% of future profits. It's a fair offer for a player who seems to be stagnating somewhat, and while it's not a fantastic profit for him it's still enough to allow us to sign a replacement.

Vagnoman picks the first semi-serious injury of the preseason in training, pulled ankle ligaments which will keep him in the infirmary for a couple of weeks.

Jul 23rd 2025

Gechter is next, with the exact same injury and a very similar recovery time.

Jul 24th 2025

Piacenza Calcio 1919 vs. TSV 1860 München (Friendly)

Last friendly of the training camp against Serie C regulars Piacenza, the toughest opposition we've faced so far this summer. We start with an early goal like in all the previous ones, though, when 't Zand heads into the net a nice cross from the right by Maldini. Eight minutes later Entrena scores the second with another header, this time after a set piece taken by Miranda. On the 32nd Maldini and 't Zand connect again with the Italian delivering the death pass and the Dutch passing it into the back of the net. Then it's Gerometta's turn to assist Bustos for another easy finish, and we go to the dressing room with a four-goal advantage. The second half brings a fifth, courtesy of Sapmaz with a tight angle finish after a nod in a corner kick, but another corner kick gives Piacenza their first, headed in by Rastellino. In the end, though, another easy win to add to the pile.

Piacenza Calcio 1919 1 (Anthony Rastellino 77)
TSV 1860 München 5 (Shiloh 't Zand 11 32, Antonio Entrena 20, Nahuel Bustos 36, Can Sapmaz 72)

Jul 25th 2025

Knöferl gets another loan, this time with Jahn Regensburg in the 2.Bundesliga where he's expected to be a squad player. I'm not really expecting anything dramatic from him at this point, but who knows, maybe he'll surprise me. If nothing miraculous happens with his development this season, he's extremely likely to be sold next summer.

Jul 26th 2025

And here we go: Leverkusen trigger Gechter's release clause with a €13.5M offer we can only accept. Freiburg might also make a bid soon if they can afford it, so it's almost certain we're losing our best young player. Good thing we already bought Stjepanovic, huh? He'll still need replacing, though, so it's time to search for options.

Pulled thigh for Svetlin in training, seven to ten days of rest, although he's likely to leave for Turkey before he recovers.

Jul 27th 2025

Yep, only one day later Svetlin's transfer to Trabzonspor is confirmed, bringing €1.8M into our accounts, of which €350k go to Celje and €925k into our transfer budget. A player that showed lots of promise when he arrived, he did an acceptable job but never quite developed beyond what he already was back then, and soon found himself on the fringes of the first team instead of the sure starter he was supposed to be. Still a decent profit for the club, so I'll call his signing a success. And hey, if he actually hits it big in Turkey and gets a big move later on we'll get 30% of that, so it's all upside.

With Svetlin gone and Gechter on the way out, I think I'll prioritize signing a new striker and Gecther's replacement in defense before moving for a midfielder. We have that position decently covered already, and we have quality youngsters plus another one coming in January if we need some extra bodies, so a new midfielder will most likely only come if budget permits after all the high priority signings are completed.

The first round of the DFB Pokal will bring us to Hamm, home to the Oberliga team Hammer SpVg. Should be trivial.

Jul 28th 2025

Majetschak is making noises about wanting a new contract. Not the best moment for this, since right now our budget must be spent in other areas. A talk with Lang seemed to solve the issue for now, but I'm certain it'll rear its ugly head again in the near future. There's a good chance that others will follow along, too, particularly Bobsin.

Aug 1st 2025

Yeah, it took only four days for Bobsin to come with the same issue, and this time there was no talking him down. Even when challenged to prove he deserves a better contract he just dug his heels and kept insisting. I tried to negotiate a new contract, but his agent demands a guaranteed starter position, something I'm unwilling to grant to a player who's not particularly brilliant on a Bundesliga level. And now we have an unhappy player in the squad, yay. We'll see how this pans out, but I wouldn't be surprised if we're forced into another sale.

To complete a day full of good news, Gechter confirms his transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, leaving €13.5M behind. Maybe our best signing so far, in only two years he's gone from being released by Hertha for free to becoming one of the best young players in the nation under my tutelage. I expect he'll keep improving in Leverkusen, although he'll have a tough job breaking into the starting eleven in such a stacked squad. I'll be keeping an eye on his future career and who knows, maybe our paths will cross again.

Aug 2nd 2025

TSV 1860 München vs. FC Twente (Friendly)

Last friendly of the preseason, at home against a strong Dutch team like Twente, ninth in the Eredivisie last year. After a crazy first minutes, Bobsin surprises the keeper with a 35-yard effort that bounces off the turf at the right moment to make the save impossible, becoming the 1-0. Soon Lang makes it two with a great header on a set piece taken by Miranda, and from there we start really controlling the match. The first half ends with the 2-0 despite many chances to improve our result, and our domination carries on into the second half, as does our lack of accuracy upfront. No more goals in the end, although the performance was quite good overall.

TSV 1860 München 2 (Victor Bobsin 9, Niklas Lang 15)
FC Twente 0

- - -

Good vibrations from this match, dominating Twente from start to finish despite a very makeshift lineup at times. If we can keep this into the league we should have a much less stressful season than last year.

Dalbeider · January 26, 2023

Aug 3rd 2025

Our second new striker is finally here, and he comes from Dortmund on a season-long loan: Julian Rijkhoff, 20-year-old Dutch pure striker, joins in exchange for his whole €17.5k weekly wages plus a monthly fee of €205k. A young up-and-coming complete forward who has the potential for making it big even at Dortmund's overpowered attacking line, his team have been nice enough to include an optional €15.25M purchase clause if we like what we see this year. It's an expensive loan, but one that could prove very beneficial for us, giving us a different kind of striker to our usual small-and-nimble fair. And hey, if he does well and we have the money next year buying him for that price would be a good deal. He'll rotate with Bustos as our main man in attack, although the Argentinian will be the default choice at the beginning.

Aug 8th 2025

Another of our youngsters, forward Gabriele Olivieri, leaves for Schalke in exchange for €160k, his release clause. He had some promise, but the coaches were reevaluating his potential lately and he had already announced he'd be seeing the remaining year in his contract off and considering his options, so we were bound to lose him anyway. A shame we couldn't fit a sell-on clause in there, but eh, we'll deal.

Aug 9th 2025

Hammer SpVg vs. TSV 1860 München (DFB Pokal, 1st round)

And the season is on with the traditional trip to some non-league stadium to play a tier five team. Hamm shouldn't give us much of a challenge, even compared to the Serie D teams we've been playing against during the preseason. A good chance to see the youngsters in action.

* * *

HAMM (5-3-2 WB): Nils Hahne (GK); Dino-Samuel Kurbegovic (DCr), Jonathan Riemer (DC), Fränz Sinner (DCl); Dominique Domröse (WBr), Tion Thaler (WBl); Elian Liesche Prieto (MCr), Paul Erb (MC), Niclas Kotuljac (MCl); Mike Bierwagen (STr), Reagy Ofosu (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Dries Wouters (DCl), Tjark Rung (DL); Riza Gundak (DM), Laurin Ulrich (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)

* * *

Said and done, an extremely young lineup with Gerometta, Lang, and Wouters as the only "veterans" in the squad and debuts for Rung and Gundak. The kids don't disappoint, though, and in our first approach of the game Gerometta sends a perfect cross into the heart of the box so Entrena can jump high and head it into the back of the net. Nothing better than an early lead in a cup tie, and nothing better than a debut goal for a young midfielder.

Good thing we got that goal, too, because the following minutes show that we still have trouble breaking through five-man defenses, even more when the opposition do their best to keep the ball. It takes us until the 18th minute to generate danger again, and then Sapmaz blasts it over the stands when he was clean through following a great ball from Ulrich. One minute later, though, a set piece turns into pandemonium inside Hamm's small box, and after countless bounces and deflections Lang manages to stick his foot in just right to send the ball into the back of the net.

One minute later Sapmaz fails to score again, this time thanks to the keeper stopping his volley to a good cross by Rung, then it's Ulrich again sending a ball through the defense and into Rijkhoff's path so the loanee can show Sapmaz how it's done and place it past the keeper to score the 0-3. And we don't stop there: a long pass towards the right side of the box by Entrena is gathered by Sapmaz, and this time the winger finds the gap to shoot and score the fourth. Then, on the 25th, the youngster is tripped by Riemar inside the box for a clear penalty kick that 't Zand converts into the 0-5, and our fourth goal in barely seven minutes.

We take a six-minute breather then, broken when 't Zand crosses into the box and Ulrich tries a spectacular first-time lob that bounces on the crossbar twice before being cleared by the defense. Entrena tries another header that goes straight into the keeper's hands next, then Rijkhoff shoots wide from the edge of the box after a beautiful first-touch passing play by our whole midfield. With that the first half ends, and the game might as well.

HALF TIME - 0-5

The pace in the second half is slower, of course, and it takes us all of five minutes for Rijkhoff to test Hahne with a header, well held by the keeper. Lang does the same in a corner kick three minutes later, and with the same result. His next attempt in another set piece is better, though, and Lang heads into the net a pinpoint cross by 't Zand to grab his first brace ever and our sixth for the evening.

With the game more than finished we bring in the three other debutants today: Stjepanovic, Maldini, and Bustos. The winger is the first to try and join the goalfest with a shot from the edge of the box Hahne tips wide, then he steals a ball in midfield to provoke Kotuljac's second yellow card, in case Hamm needed more trouble. On the 71st Maldini's insistence finally draws blood when he collects a pass from Ulrich inside the box and finishes with quality to score the 0-7. Five minutes later Maldini decides he hasn't had enough and proves he's a fantastic set piece taker by burying a direct free kick into the top left corner for the eighth.

We're missing Bustos' participation, and the striker obligues by assisting 't Zand so the inside forward can bend a beautiful finish into the inside of the post and in. One minute later Entrena sees there's still some cobwebs left in that corner after two balls went straight through it and tries to clean them off with a missile from distance of his own, making it a round ten goals. Then he returns to doing midfielder things, sending a wonderful long ball into space towards Maldini so the winger can round the keeper and grab himself an off-the-bench hattrick in his debut. On the topic of hattricks, here's an extremely unlikely one: Maldini takes a corner kick towards the far post and there goes Lang to score the twelfth with another great header. This comes already in injury time, though, so there's no time for more shenanigans.

* * *

Hammer SpVg 0 (Niclas Kotuljac sent off 66)
TSV 1860 München 12 (Antonio Entrena 2 80, Niklas Lang 19 55 90+1, Julian Rijkhoff 21, Can Sapmaz 24, Shiloh 't Zand 26p 79, Daniel Maldini 71 76 87)

- - -

Well, that was comprehensive. I'm not sure if the opposition was just much worse than anything we've faced before in the cup, or if we were just that much better than in previous years. I'll lean towards the former. Lang got the man of the match award, but anyone between him, Entrena, 't Zand, and Maldini would've been a fair winner. Fantastic debut by both the Italian and the young midfielder, and the other youngsters did themselves proud, too, particularly Ulrich with two assists. Oh, and Sapmaz's first senior goal for us! A very complete day, that's for sure.

Dalbeider · January 28, 2023

Aug 11th 2025

Welp, Bobsin just went public with his unhappiness. Thankfully the players don't seem to care one way or another so we don't have a riot in our hands just yet, but he might be about to buy a ticket out of here if he keeps this up.

Moura will most likely miss our Bundesliga debut with a twisted knee, but he should be back for our next fixture at the latest.

Aug 15th 2025

Bad news coming from Flensburg: Franzke breaks his foot in training and will be out for 3-4 months. He's been doing really well for them so far, scoring once and assisting twice in five games, so that's a huge shame. I won't recall him just yet as he'll be back for the second half of the season, but that's his second serious injury since his arrival to our U19s, as he tore his knee ligaments back in 2023 during a game against Bayern. Hopefully this doesn't become a trend...

Aug 16th 2025

The second round of the DFB Pokal pairs us against Köln, ow. At least we'll play the game at home. And at least it's not Bayern nor Leverkusen, who will have to play each other this early in the competition. Eintracht-Dortmund and Leipzig-Nürnberg are other quite interesting ties.

* * *

TSV 1860 München vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 (Bundesliga, 1/34)

And here we go again. With Gechter's replacement still in the pipeline we start the league season with a must-win fixture against Fortuna, who are also expected to involved in the relegation battle once again. Let's see if we've already improved as much as it looks like...

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)
DÜSSELDORF (3-2-2-1-2): Florian Kastenmeier (GK); Florian Hübner (DCr), Jesús Vallejo (DC), André Hoffmann (DCl); Felix Agu (WBr), Kostas Stafylidis (WBl); Mamadou Loum (MCr), Steven Alzate (MCl); Nilson Angulo (AMC); Rafael Santos Borré (STr), Gonçalo Ramos (STl)

* * *

Entrena misses the league debut due to a suspension he carries over from his previous team. Bobsin starts despite his unhappiness, and Moura makes it in time in the end. It's an even start of the game, with both teams trying to find their place on the pitch, but we manage to break through early thanks to Nmecha assisting Maldini on the run, the winger then entering the box and shooting into the root of the post. Unlucky. Miranda heads wide the corner kick that follows and, despite Fortuna having most of the ball, we seem to be in the front seat.

We keep stealing the ball through high pressing and creating danger from there, like Nmecha does intercepting a bad pass by Hoffmann and assisting Majetschak, who nonetheless shoots wide with his bad left foot. Fortuna struggle to create danger, but after a while seem to plug the holes in their defense and we start having trouble getting close to Kastenmeier, too. Our best chance in the middle section of the first half is a cross by Moura that Bustos smashes into a defender's legs, and the keeper remains untested so far.

On the 36th a steal by Gerometta triggers a counter that Bustos finishes with a great touch past Kastenmeier to score what seems to be the 1-0, but after a call from VAR the referee correctly disallows it for offside. Our best chance comes in the last minute of regulation, though, a fantastic cross by Gerometta towards the far post where Nmecha, completely unmarked, somehow manages to head it over the bar. With that the first half ends, and we're looking really good so far, except for the lack of goals.

HALF TIME - 0-0

After some words of encouragement the players go back into the pitch to try and repeat their first half performance. Instead what we get is a painful-looking knee injury for Nmecha, who needs to be replaced by 't Zand immediately. Our first chance is a weak header by Bustos ten minutes into the half, easy for Kastenmeier, but soon Kretzschmar has work to dofor the first time today with a dangerous direct free kick by Stafylidis that the keeper punches away from the top right corner.

Our pressing keeps providing chances, and Bustos gets one after he nicks the ball away from Hübner inside the box, but he doesn't have time to prepare his finish correctly and ends up hitting the sidenetting. Ulrich replaces Majetschak after a few minutes and we keep pushing for the opener, although most of our good chances end up stopped short by offside positions. After a while a tired Miranda is also brought out, with Rijkhoff coming in, 't Zand moving to midfield, and Bustos taking his place on the left wing.

Fortuna seem to be shaking off our pressure a bit better now, and we enter the final ten minutes with a header by Ramos that Kretzschmar saves with little trouble. In the 85th minute, though, a throw in on the right wing ends in a cross by Gerometta towards the far post, and Bustos stands tall to head it in and finally grab the opener, with some added VAR drama until his position was confirmed as legal. We enter a six-minute-long injury time with Fortuna pouring forward and Ramos sending another header narrowly over, but we do well to hold them back and even enjoy a fantastic chance to seal the game that Rijkhoff sends inches wide, well assisted by 't Zand. The result doesn't change in the end, and we start the season with a great performance and a good result.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 1 (Nahuel Bustos 85)
Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 0

- - -

That took way longer than it should, but we got the win we thoroughly deserved. Very encouraging play, too, somewhat different from our previous possession-based style, but still with very familiar movements, just with increased pressing and a higher tempo in our passing and buildup. This should make us less predictable and more exciting to watch, and so far the results are also good. Let's hope it continues.

Nmecha's injury is a serious one, as knee injuries tend to be. Sprained knee ligaments, meaning a recovery time of at least six weeks. 't Zand will have to step up during this early season, and Bustos might end up playing more often on the wing that we'd expected.

Dalbeider · January 31, 2023

Aug 17th 2025

A talk with dressing room leaders Steinhart and Lang about the Bobsin situation ended favorably, and while they agree he probably deserves a new contract, they also think he should've been more patient and not make such outrageous demands. Crisis averted, for now.

14,695 season tickets sold, basically the same amount as last year. Not like we can sell many more with our stadium's capacity so limited. So how's that construction site search going, Herr Dippel?

Aug 18th 2025

And here's our new defender! Joining from Real Sociedad in exchange for €2.2M and a 20% of future profits, 24yo Urko González de Zárate joins 1860 in a 5-year deal worth €27k per week, no release clauses other than a relegation clause of €2.5M which we hope will never be an issue. Urko is, like Gechter before him, a fantastic ball-playing defender, maybe a bit weaker in the air but with the added bonus of being also a natural and very competent midfielder, both deep and further forward. He combines this flexibility with a fantastic passing ability, great vision, and even a pretty decent finishing. His arrival allows us not only to replace Gechter, but also to have a very good alternative to Bobsin should his unhappiness result in a transfer out of Munich, plus we can also use him as a more advanced midfielder if we need to. A great signing for the cost despite his high-ish wages, and even comes with a small potential for improvement. Also his full name is a mouthful so I'll just be calling him Urko from now on.

This leaves us with around €9M to spend and €25k in our weekly wage budget still available. Should be more than enough to sign a good midfielder. We have two weeks to do so and no real urgency, so we'll take our time and consider our options carefully. No sense in overspending when we already have a very competent starting midfield.

Aug 21st 2025

And suddenly our season explodes: Kretzschmar suffers from shin splinters and will be sent to a specialist to treat it, missing six to eight weeks. That's a lot of time without our starting goalkeeper and regular miracle worker. Let's hope Quintero steps up and shows he has the quality, too.

Aug 23rd 2025

1.FC Nürnberg vs. TSV 1860 München (Bundesliga, 2/34)

Nürnberg are one of three new faces in the league, having promoted last year as champions. Still, they're currently considered the top favorites for relegation, and having lost Entrena to us might be part of it. Regardless, another key fixture against a relegation candidate in which we would do well to get something positive and keep our good vibes going.

* * *

NÜRNBERG (4-2-3-1): Christian Mathenia (GK); Nicholas Mickelson (DR), Armel Bella-Kotchap (DCr), Maksim Paskotsi (DCl), Jannes Horn (DL); Ilai Madmon (MCr), Mads Bidstrup (MCl); Facundo Pellistri (AMR), Aleksandar Jukic (AMC), Mustapha Bundu (AML); Manuel Wintzheimer (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Josha Vagnoman (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Urko (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)

* * *

Urko debuts in the anchor position today, with Entrena and Vagnoman also featuring and Quintero getting his first Bundesliga minutes. Both teams start with doubts, trying to feel each other out in what could be a decisive match this early in the season. Eventually we start the hostilities with a quick counterattack led by Bustos and finished with a high header by Maldini, and Miranda keeps the pressure up with a not particularly accurate direct free kick. The match remains nervy and with few chances throughout the first twenty-something minutes, though.

After a while Nürnberg seem to take the initiative, forcing a few corner kicks without much consequence but at least trying. A blocked shot by Jukic after a good run down the right by Mickelson is a marginally better chance for them, but the corner that follows really makes Quintero work to parry a point-blank header by Bundu. We run on the counter with danger in the 40th minute, Entrena leading and Bustos finishing, but a defender gets in the way and the chance goes nowhere in the end. Nothing else happens in a very even first half.

HALF TIME - 0-0

Entrena looks quite motivated against his ex-team, and he's the first to try luck from distance in the second half, sending the ball a feet or two over the bar. In the 55th minute Miranda runs into a huge gap created by Urko's long pass, but he doesn't have the ability to finish with precision and sends the ball straight at Mathenia's body. Soon a very average 't Zand leaves his place to Rijkhoff and Bustos takes his place on the left wing, and not much later Gerometta and Majetschak also enter the fray.

The match enters a lull, only broken when Gerometta crosses for Bustos' header in the 73rd minute, well saved by Mathenia. On the other end of the pitch Stjepanovic does well to block a dangerous-looking finish by Wintzheimer six minutes later, and in the 82nd our pressing finally bears fruit when Entrena intercepts a bad pass and sends the ball ahead of Rijkhoff so the striker can face Mathenia one-on-one, but he mishits his finish and sends it over when our fans were already celebrating.

Then it's Quintero's turn to be amazing, blocking another point-blank finish, this time by Wintzheimer, then denying Moller Daehli after a bad backpass by Urko put him in the best position to score. Another chance for Rijkhoff in injury time ends in a good save by Mathenia to deflect his shot wide, and that's all she wrote. A goalless draw in a game either team could've won.

* * *

1.FC Nürnberg 0
TSV 1860 München 0

- - -

Points! But yeah, fair result and I'll happily take the draw. Good performance by Quintero in his first high-stakes appearance, Vagnoman was good playing on both sides of the defense, and a pretty decent debut by Urko in the anchor despite a couple of mistakes with his passing. Both teams had chances to steal the win, but in the end the draw was probably the most likely outcome. Not our best show by any means and we still got a decent result out of it, so no complaints whatsoever.

Dalbeider · February 2, 2023

Aug 24th 2025

Oh hey, a bit of extra money coming our way. Remember Kevin Goden, our starting right back for the first two seasons? Well, Heracles just sold him to Groningen for €1.3M, and we get a 30% of the profits from this transfer, meaning somewhere around €250k. Nothing too big given our current standards, but still welcome.

Aug 25th 2025

One week left in the transfer window and the Bobsin saga looks about to close: Legia come with a €2.9M offer for him which I happily accept. He's already willing to leave, even though he hasn't come with a formal transfer request just yet, so this comes with perfect timing. We'll now have to think if we want a like-for-like replacement or we'd rather sign another defender and move Urko full time to midfield.

Aug 28th 2025

Seven players called up for various youth international fixtures, including Entrena with Germany and Rijkhoff with the Netherlands.

And we might have one more to add to that count: 19yo Croatian defensive midfielder Darko Vuskovic agrees a move from Hajduk Split to 1860 München valued in €4.5M and a 30% of future profits. A strong, determined, and very defensive-minded midfielder, he comes as Bobsin's long term replacement and as a clear bet for the future. His potential should see his value skyrocket with regular play, and he's already about as good as Bobsin is or will ever be, so our starting eleven won't suffer at all with his presence. Also a capable advanced midfielder despite not being the best passer, he could be used there if needed, but his main role will be covering in front of our defenders against attacking counterattacks and helping with the build-up of our play from the back. His wages are also extremely low for this level, although he'll get a nice hike when (not if) he reaches five senior international appearances with Croatia. A certainly expensive purchase, but which might feel cheap in a couple of years if his €25M release clause is to be believed.

Aug 30th 2025

Good news for one of our recent purchases, Stjepanovic, who's just been called up for the senior Serbia side and will have a chance to debut against Slovakia and/or England.

* * *

TSV 1860 München vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach (Bundesliga, 3/34)

You'd think Gladbach would be among the most "winnable" foes from the top half of the Bundesliga, but consider this: they just beat Bayern 2-1 one week ago. If that's not scary, then I don't know what is... Regardless, we'll try our best and with some luck we might squeeze something out of this game.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
GLADBACH (4-2-3-1): Jan Olschowsky (GK); Nahuel Molina (DR), Nico Elvedi (DCr), Igor Diveev (DCl), Luca Netz (DL); Gianluca Busio (MCr), Cheick Doucouré (MCl); Raúl Moro (AMR), Nedim Bajrami (AMC), Marcus Thuram (AML), Tiago Morais (ST)

* * *

Some rotation today, with Urko moving to defense, Moura, Stjepanovic, and 't Zand resting, Vuskovic debutting, and Rijkhoff getting his first league start with Bustos on the wing. Gladbach keep the same core from last season, and they try to put us under some early pressure with a couple of weak finishes that Quintero deals with efficiently. The match soon evens out, though, with possession being shared and neither team having enough of an advantage to create consistent danger.

That changes in the 17th minute, when we finally chain some good passes together and the ball reaches Entrena with space inside the box, although his finish is deflected over the bar by Olschowksy. Momentum seems to change, and soon it's Rijkhoff who shoots with good power but bad aim after a nod by Bustos. Thuram answers immediately with a turnaround shot that also sails over Quintero's goal, but soon the game's focus returns to the midfield area and the minutes tick by without any more chances coming on either side of the pitch.

On the 31st, though, Rijkhoff sends a ball into space towards the right flank for Maldini to run into, and Netz pushes the winger with enough strength to bring him down inside the box: penalty kick, yellow card, and Bustos buries it from the spot to give us the lead. After the goal we take the ball and hide it away for the rest of the first half, denying Gladbach the chance to mount an immediate comeback. Ahead at half time.

HALF TIME - 1-0

Gladbach try to regain control of the situation in the second half, but their few chances end up coming to nothing due to good defending or offside positions. The one time they manage to get through, though, it ends up with Morais going completely alone against Quintero following a long ball by Bajrami, and the striker doesn't waste his chance and draws the game with a powerful finish. Sapmaz and Moura come in then, and after a while Miranda does the same.

Once again the match evens out and both defenses plug the gaps effectively for a while, with only a high ball by Morais in the 69th minute to bring some thrill to the stands. One minute later, though, Sapmaz makes his presence known with a good pass forward towards the overlapping Gerometta, who crosses towards the center and finds Rijkhoff's perfect header to restore our lead. And after that, a long stretch of control for us and of frustration for Gladbach, who can't seem to find a way through anymore.

It isn't until four minutes before full time that Gladbach finally catch us by surprise in a counter-counterattack, finished by Bajrami and well deflected wide by Quintero. Rijkhoff answers with a long-range attempt that Olschowsky saves and holds with ease, then follows by scoring a clearly offside goal, but which shows that Gladbach are overcomitting to the attack and might be very vulnerable at the back. Said and done: we chain some quick passes through all the space they leave for us, Miranda finds Sapmaz unmarked inside the box, and the youngster shoots with power with his left foot to score the third in injury time and put the game beyond any doubt. A fantastic result for a fantastic performance.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 3 (Nahuel Bustos 32p, Julian Rijkhoff 70, Can Sapmaz 90+2)
Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 (Tiago Morais 56)

- - -

This is working, guys. We faced Gladbach (a team that just beat Bayern, remember) head on and emerged victorious, and actually dominated them for a good portion of the game. Probably a bit of a flattering result, but we did deserve the win, and for once our finishing gave us exactly that. Vuskovic had a quite pleasing debut, Quintero keeps looking solid enough on goal, and I couldn't be happier with our position after the first three fixtures: seven points and deep in the top half of the table. Don't look down...

Dalbeider · February 9, 2023

Aug 31st 2025

One day until the transfer window closes and suddenly things take a weird turn with Bobsin: apparently he doesn't want to leave anymore? Despite having two offers already accepted? Well, let's hope he changes his mind in the end, because otherwise we might be unable to sign a good enough midfielder...

Sep 1st 2025

Any transfer business must be concluded before today at 6 PM. Other than the Bobsin matter and his eventual replacement, we also have to see if we can find some of our youngsters a loan somewhere. Ulrich in particular is a good candidate, although I'll be holding onto him until we're sure we can sign a midfielder, because otherwise he's likely to be needed.

And welp, there goes all that: Bobsin decides to stay put and rejects the transfer offers he had. That means we're most likely not signing anyone else today, and that Ulrich will stay. Bobsin and Vuskovic will rotate as our anchor, Wouters will move full time to defense, and Urko will be used wherever he's needed, although primarily in defense as our third option. With that, and unless something unexpected happens, our squad is finalized.

We do get some unexpected money, though, as Mamadou Kaly Sene moves from Norwich to Mainz (who are spending like crazy this summer after their relegation) for €3M, of which €160k will come to us. Nothing great, but still welcome. That was a quick transfer out, by the way, he lasted all of eight months in England...

With no transfer business expected we focus on loans. Most of our youngsters don't attract any attention, but recent debutant Tjark Rung is sent to Hansa Rostock, still a top-half team in the 3.Liga, to enjoy many first-team minutes, or so we expect.

Aaand the window closes without any further incident. There's still a possible loan out in Riza Gundak who might be going to a Turkish team, but there the window will still remain open for a while, so there's time. We're no longer the team with the lowest wage expenditure in the league, by the way, that "honor" going to Arminia Bielefeld now by a small margin. Yay?

Sep 4th 2025

Good performance by new kid Vuskovic with the Croatian U21 side, taking part in a 4-0 demolition of Liechtenstein. Entrena also has a cameo appearance in Germany's win over Montenegro.

Sep 5th 2025

Bigger international news: Stjepanovic gets his senior debut with Serbia on a 1-2 defeat against Slovakia, and he was one of the best players on the pitch for his side while playing the whole game.

Sep 8th 2025

Some last-minute departures going to Russia and Turkey. As mentioned before, Gundak moves to Ankaragücü on loan, where he'll be an important player in their bid to return to the second tier. Meanwhile, fringe Georgian prospect Mike Gevorgyan is transferred to Ural for €30k upfront, €10k after 10 first team appearances, and a further €10k upon his first international appearance, plus 30% of future profits.

Sep 9th 2025

Second cap for Stjepanovic, although he won't remember this one with any pride in the future. Being the victim of a 6-2 obliteration by England tends to make one wish you hadn't been there, particularly when you're a central defender...

Sep 13th 2025

Hertha BSC (7th) vs. TSV 1860 München (5th) (Bundesliga, 4/34)

Week 2 of 1860 being the best Munich team in the Bundesliga. It won't last, but let me enjoy it while I can. We're also above Hertha in the table, precisely because Bayern bounced back from their defeat and destroyed them 4-0 last week. Math says that if we beat Gladbach we should be able to beat Hertha easily. Math is a consummate liar.

* * *

HERTHA (4-3-3): Oliver Baumann (GK); Guille Rosas (DR), Andrew Omobamidele (DCr), Pascal Strujik (DCl), Fredrik Bjorkan (DL); Julian Weigl (DM), Florian Neuhaus (MCr), Brais Méndez (MCl); Pedro Porro (AMR), Suat Serdar (AML), Krzysztof Piatek (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)

* * *

Bobsin returns to the lineup after his whole contract fiasco, hopefully with everything in the past and focused on the task at hand. Hertha have changed their outlook since last season, moving from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3, although most of their players remain the same, with the notable exception of last-second signing Guille Rosas on the right back. The game starts with comedy, and thankfully it's Hertha who end up as the butt of the joke: backpass from Bjorkan towards Baumann who tries to clear, but instead hits Rijkhoff's back making the ball bounce over the keeper's head and fall straight into the net. We take those.

Ridiculous goal aside, we look quite good in the first minutes, although Rosas soon has a chance to score in a set piece that Quintero manages to tip wide with a nice show of reflexes. Another set piece cleared off our box ends with the ball in Serdar's possession, and the winger crosses it back inside so Strujik can head it with precision and pull level quite quickly. On the 17th minute Porro runs at Moura and dribbles past him and into the box, provoking a strong challenge that VAR turns into a penalty kick. Piatek sends Quintero the wrong way, and we're now behind.

Hertha keep attacking after taking the lead, and another great run by Porro ends in a cross towards Serdat, who heads it wide. Their momentum dies off after a while, though, and around the half-hour we start hitting them back through Maldini, who tries a low effort from distance that Baumann can't quite hold and ends wide for a corner kick. After that there isn't much more, and both teams struggle to create danger until the end of the first half.

HALF TIME - 2-1

Hertha try to hold the ball in the initial minutes of the second half, but a quick counter and cross by Maldini gives Rijkhoff a chance to head it in that he sends wide off the target. A bit later 't Zand replaces a completely invisible Bustos, and then Majetschak does the same with Miranda. We have the ball now, but chances remain hard to come by, and we decide to send Sapmaz in for a bit of youthful spark in our attack. Meanwhile Pedro Porro blasts over the bar a good chance on the counter.

Time passes with no work for either keeper other than a few long shots we try with little precision or power. We go full on attack in the final minutes and actually get something out of it, a cross by 't Zand that Rijkhoff tries to finish but finds Strujik in the way to block his shot. The game ends shortly after, and our first defeat of the season is confirmed.

* * *

Hertha BSC 2 (Pascal Strujik 9, Krzysztof Piatek 17p)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Julian Rijkhoff 2)

- - -

We really can't have nice things. The one time Lady Luck smiles upon us with an absolute fluke of a goal and it lasts us all of fifteen minutes. The game was extremely even beyond that crazy start, honestly, but we just couldn't create enough in attack to deserve a second goal, so no complaints. Week 2 of being ahead of Bayern was the last. For now.

Dalbeider · February 14, 2023

Sep 21st 2025

TSV 1860 München (8th) vs. 1.FC Köln (7th) (Bundesliga, 5/34)

The Bundesliga calendar is nice enough to give us a practice run for our DFB Pokal second round tie against Köln. I mean, this match is about as important as the other one considering a win could solidify us in the top half for the time being, but points can be found elsewhere, while cup ties are a single shot and if you miss it you're gone. Regardless, I want to drop as few points as possible at home this season, and that means we have to aim for another win here.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
KÖLN (4-4-2 diamond narrow): Kevin Trapp (GK); Kevin Mbabu (DR), Nathan Phillips (DCr), Stephan Ambrosius (DCl), Amadou Danté (DL); Jonas Hector (DM), Ellyes Skhiri (MCr), Ethan Ampadu (MCl), Dominik Yarkov (AMC); Eddie Nketiah (STr), Janni Serra (STl)

* * *

Rotation once again, including Sapmaz's first league start of the season ahead of a Maldini who's been pretty average lately. We know against a diamond narrow formation trying to exploit the wings is a good goal to have, and Gerometta starts the game with that idea, sending a quick cross to Rijkhoff after beating Danté for speed and watching the striker head it terribly wide. Their answer is surprisingly similar: cross from the right by Mbabu and high header by Serra, slightly closer to the target in his case. Third try is the charm though, and sadly it falls to them: another run down the right by Mbabu ends in a low cross towards the far post, Quintero doesn't intercept, and Nketiah just taps it over the line for the 0-1.

The game remains quite even after the goal, and ten minutes without danger pass before Serra gets close with another header, this one coming from a corner kick. We finally react in the 30th minute with a double chance for Rijkhoff and Majetschak, both finishes extremely dangerous but both blocked by a defender in the last second. 't Zand follows it up with a good header to Majetschak's cross, straight into Trapp's hands, but for a moment it looks like we might turn this around quickly.

Our high doesn't last, though: Majetschak is forced to abandon the match due to a lower leg injury after a collision with Ampadu, Miranda taking his place. Our momentum seems to die there, and nothing else happens until in the 45th minute 't Zand sees Rijkhoff's movement towards the back of the defense and the inside forward sends a long pass ahead of him, allowing the striker to run at Trapp and beat him with a powerful finish. Game tied, just in time for half time.

HALF TIME - 1-1

Nine minutes into the second half Köln break a lull in the game when Mbabu sends a long pass ahead of Nketiah, who breaks away from Lang and sidesteps Quintero's desperate rush to pass the ball into the back of the net and restore Köln's lead. Urko and Ulrich come into the game a bit later trying to spark a reaction, and the young midfielder does have a good chance to pull level again following a diagonal pass by Miranda, but his finish isn't good at all, way over the bar.

Time passes and our attack struggles to create danger. Only Rijkhoff's relentless pressing on Köln's defenders yields some benefits, although the one time he manages to steal the ball from them in a dangerous situation he ends up shooting very narrowly wide. A great chance nonetheless. Köln don't do much in attack either, only getting close with a shot deflected on Miranda's legs that bounces worryingly close to the crossbar, and in a corner kick that Phillips heads into the sidenetting.

Two minutes before full time Rijkhoff has another great opportunity, a clean header after a great cross by Sapmaz, but once again the striker fails to find the target. In the 90th, though, Rijkhoff gathers the ball and runs towards the left flank instead before sending a perfect ball towards Miranda in the heart of the box, and the midfielder surprises with a powerful header into the post and in to draw the game. Sapmaz could have made it 3-2 a bit over a minute into injury time, following a great through ball from Miranda, but Trapp dived down to tip the finish wide, then Lang could only head the corner kick over the bar. There's no time for more, and both teams split the points in a tightly contested fixture.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Julian Rijkhoff 45, Matías Miranda 90)
1.FC Köln 2 (Eddie Nketiah 13 54)

- - -

Fun game with lots of alternatives, and which we probably would've edged if our finishing today had been halfway decent. Rijkhoff should've walked away with a hattrick, really, a very nice performance by the loanee regardless of his misses. Still, a very credible showing against a strong Köln side, and points. Points are always good.

Pulled calf muscle for Majetschak, could've been worse. He'll still miss between two and three weeks, which will mean more chances and playing time for Ulrich in the meantime.

Dalbeider · February 20, 2023

Sep 23rd 2025

Miranda is our first presence in the Team of the Week for the season.

Sep 26th 2025

Borussia Dortmund (2nd) vs. TSV 1860 München (8th) (Bundesliga, 6/34)

Ah yes, time for pain. Dortmund are one of two unbeaten teams in the league, the other being, surprisingly, Freiburg. They've won four and drawn one, and last week they beat Bayern to put them only one point ahead of us. Which is nice, but this week it's very likely we'll drop to four behind... Let's see if our improvement this season is enough to at least give them some trouble.

* * *

DORTMUND (4-3-1-2 narrow): Gregor Kobel (GK); Mohamed Simakan (DR), Niklas Süle (DCr), Manuel Akanji (DCl), Tyrell Malacia (DL); Joey Veerman (MCr), Kacper Kozlowski (MC), Emre Can (MCl); Giovanni Reyna (AMC); Adam Hlozek (STr), Youssoufa Moukoko (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Urko (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)

* * *

Nmecha is back in the bench to get some minutes in the second half, and we expect Kretzschmar to be ready for our next fixture against Stuttgart. Dortmund start their most notable purchase of the summer, midfielder Kacper Kozlowski, who joined from Wolves for €53M in a surprisingly cheap (for his expected value) move. Somewhat surprisingly we start well, with Miranda having our first chance on the break but finding Kobel in the way of his finish. Lang then heads the resulting corner kick over the bar, just to reinforce the notion that we're here to give Dortmund hell.

Of course it's still Dortmund we're talking about, and soon they start pushing us back into our own half, but we managed to escape through Moura, who sends a long ball into space for Bustos and Kobel has to go down once again to prevent the 0-1. Dortmund's first chance doesn't arrive until the 18th, a quick run through the center that Moukoko finishes with a defective shot, high and wide. Meanwhile we keep finding space to create danger through, and only very close offsides by Bustos and Maldini prevent two more one-on-one chances to score. On the 25th we get our first real scare, a run into the box from the right flank by Simakan and a pass towards the center of the box for Hlozek's shot, well parried by an excellent Quintero.

Dortmund increase the intensity of their pressing after that chance, making it harder for us to move the ball around, and soon Hlozek has another chance with a good header that Quintero once again saves. We hold them back well, though, and after a while we manage to get out of the cage they've built for us and attack once again, although Gerometta's high effort from 25 yards away in the 38th minute could hardly count as dangerous. Dortmund answer with a cross for Moukoko's header, this time wide to the right of the target, but Maldini has a much better one in the 42nd, volleying a cross by 't Zand and being denied in the last instant by Kobel's miracle flying save. The play then continues into a long ball from Reyna to Hlozek, who dodges Stjepanovic's attempt at an interception and then runs around Quintero with ease to grab the 1-0 for Dortmund. No more chances in a surprisingly even first half.

HALF TIME - 1-0

After congratulating the players on a very good first half despite the result, we go back out with the aim of not being as forgiving with our finishing this time. Instead we find ourselves watching as Hlozek once again outruns his marker and shoots into another save by Quintero, then as Reyna smashes into the crossbar one of the easiest one-on-ones he's probably had in his life. Our woodwork quota is also filled by Bustos in the 53rd minute, his header following a great cross by 't Zand bouncing twice on the crossbar before going over. Another chance for Reyna after a ball intercepted by Simakan in midfield dies wide of goal, and a goal looks extremely likely in the following minutes, although it's not clear on which target.

Vagnoman and Entrena are our first two substitutions, while Dortmund bring Jovic into the game a bit later, and the striker says hello with a silky run through the center and a 20-yarder that goes over, but not by much. Rijkhoff joins then against his own team, moving Bustos to the left, and soon we get another chance on the break, finished with a diagonal pass back by Maldini and a low shot by Entrena, barely tipped wide by Kobel. Another missed chance for us, and Dortmund shows us how it's done in the 66th minute when Simakan finds a gap to send a cross from the right and Reyna wins the ball right in front of Quintero and just heads it in to score the 2-0.

That's a hard blow to take, and we need some minutes to compose ourselves. Meanwhile Süle heads a corner kick over the bar, then substitute Verschaeren has a direct free kick from 20 yards away and bends it with a perfect curve to beat Quintero and score the third. That seals the game, but we still have our pride to fight for, and Entrena gives Kobel another scare with a narrowly wide finish in a set piece taken by Maldini. A high finish by Reyna from the edge of the box and a blocked shot by Rijkhoff are the next chances on both goals, and two minutes before fulltime Jovic has a great opportunity after a run and cross by Hlozek, but Quintero dives well for another save to add to the pile. A last second save by Kobel to deny Miranda a consolation goal marks the end of the match.

* * *

Borussia Dortmund 3 (Adam Hlozek 42, Giovanni Reyna 65, Yari Verschaeren 71)
TSV 1860 München 0

- - -

Flattering result for Dortmund, really. This should've been a 2-1 or a 3-2 given the chances both teams had and the general level of play they showed. Our first half in particular was fantastic, and I'd dare to say we had the best of Dortmund for at least half an hour there. Our finishing betrayed us again, though, and Kobel also did his part, while Dortmund's extreme quality going forward did the rest. Still, a very promising performance regardless of the result, I think we can be proud of our efforts today.

Dalbeider · February 22, 2023

Sep 30th 2025

Injury for Wouters, the classic pulled ankle ligaments with the usual two-week recovery time. He hasn't played any so far outside of the cup, and I was thinking about giving him some time in defense in our next fixtures, but alas.

Oct 4th 2025

TSV 1860 München (9th) vs. VfB Stuttgart (14th) (Bundesliga, 7/34)

Back to our league, at least in theory. Because until last week Stuttgart were 16th and winless, but then they pulled out of somewhere a 3-0 win over Bayern, our neighbors' third defeat in six matches already, and now I'm scared. They're expected around midtable at best, though, so it should a team we can compare with and maybe get on top, but still. Scary.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Josha Vagnoman (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
STUTTGART (3-2-2-1-2): Bartlomiej Dragowski (GK); Chris Richards (DCr), Waldemar Anton (DC), Hrvoje Smolcic (DCl); Pascal Stenzel (WBr), Tim Leibold (WBl); Enzo Le Feé (MCr), Orel Mangala (MCl); Amine Harit (AMC); Moussa Djénépo (STr), M'Bala Nzola (STl)

* * *

Look who's back! Quintero has been pretty decent, but having Kretzschmar back in goal should help our defensive performance a lot. Nmecha also returns tot he lineup today, with the usual rotation otherwise. Meanwhile Stuttgart keep the same team from last season, except for both starting wingbacks and Djénépo upfront. The match takes a bit to get going, as is usually the case when playing against 3-5-2 variants, but in the ninth minute we find an unexpected way through: throw in near the right wing corner flag and the ball eventually reaches Miranda, who cuts in alongside the edge of the box and bends it left-footed into the far post to score a beautiful goal for the 1-0.

Stuttgart won't take this laying down, though, and only five minutes later Djénépo is already heading a cross from the left into the top of the crossbar and over. A weak header by Maldini that rolls into Dragowski's gloves is our not too convincing response, and soon Djénépo breaks in through the center so Kretzschmar can have his first one-on-one save after his return to action. Missed you, miracle worker. He can't do anything in the 25th, though, when Le Fée takes a corner kick towards the near post and Smolcic towers above everyone to head it in with all his power and grab a deserved draw for the visitors.

The next ten minutes show both teams struggling to find a way through the overpopulated center of the pitch, so we try and focus our attacks on the wings a bit more. Said and done: Vagnoman assists Maldini on the run and the winger tries a very difficult finish through the near post, and manages to hit exactly that: the post. Things slow down again until injury time, when an apparently innocent long ball behind the defense is intercepted by Urko, but his pass back ends up short and Djénépo cuts it, dribbles into the box, and beats Kretzschmar to score the 1-2 right before the half time whistle.

HALF TIME - 1-2

The second half starts like the first ended: ball stolen for a quick counter, this time finished by Harit with a bending shot that Kretzschmar saves and holds. Only three minutes into the half, though, Nmecha compensates for a pretty anonymous first half by holding the ball with his back to the goal, then assisting Maldini as he runs into the box and shoots low to score the 2-2. Ten minutes later the inside forward does it again, dropping towards the right wing to cross towards the penalty spot where Entrena nods it forward, allowing Rijkhoff to finish it off with a point-blank header that becomes the 3-2. Now that's a good reaction.

't Zand and Stjepanovic join the game then to give Urko and Nmecha some much needed rest, and we go on to dominate the following minutes, not allowing Stuttgart a sniff of the ball, let alone any chance to create danger. Ulrich for a solid Entrena is our last substitution, just after Stuttgart come back to live with a narrowly wide effort from distance by Harit. It's an isolated incident, though, and the clock reaches the final minutes with nothing else to report on either goal other than a header by Rijkhoff well saved by Dragowski in the 80th.

Seven minutes later Kretzschmar does well to block a shot by substitute right wingback Massimo, who'd managed to sprint his way into the box unopposed. Stuttgart try a Dortmund-like 4-3-1-2 for the final stretch, but other than a direct free kick that Hrustic smashes into the fence it gives them nothing. Our biggest problem is a last-second injury to Stjepanovic which forces us to improvise with Vuskovic as emergency center-back, but it doesn't go beyond that, and our win is confirmed shortly after.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 3 (Matías Miranda 9, Daniel Maldini 48, Julian Rijkhoff 58)
VfB Stuttgart 2 (Hrvoje Smolcic 25, Moussa Djénépo 45+1)

- - -

Great comeback, even if a bit lucky. Stuttgart probably deserved more from this game after a very good first half, but in the second half we were just clinical upfront when it counted, and after that we killed the game thoroughly to prevent any more shenanigans. Changing Vuskovic's role to half back so he could better track Harit's runs from deep was key, I think. Great result, solidifying us in the top half for the time being and widening the gap with the relegation battle. The earlier we can score our points, the better.

Stjepanovic's injury is relatively serious, a groin strain that should remove him from this week's international fixtures and keep him out of the lineup for a bit over a month. Not the worst timing for it, though, considering the aforementioned international break.

Dalbeider · February 24, 2023

Oct 11th 2025

Quiet week for our internationals with Stjepanovic out of contention. Good minutes for Rung with the German U19s in a 4-0 over Iceland, but otherwise nothing particularly noteworthy.

Oct 14th 2025

Three days later, though, Rijkhoff scores both goals in the Netherlands U21's 2-1 win over Macedonia, while Entrena and Rung grab themselves one assist apiece for Germany U21 and U19 respectively. Solid performance by Vuskovic with Croatia U21, too.

Oct 18th 2025

DSC Arminia Bielefeld (12th) vs. TSV 1860 München (9th) (Bundesliga, 8/34)

Pretty good start of the season for just-promoted Bielefeld, too, with only three points less than us and wins against fellow relegation favorites Augsburg and Hannover. Despite our current (barely) top half status, they're a direct rival of ours to avoid the drop, so a result here is almost mandatory. That said, our away form so far has been pretty bad with only one draw in three matches. A good chance to fix that, too.

* * *

BIELEFELD (4-2-3-1): Stefan Ortega (GK); Bafodé Diakité (DR), Pedro Álvaro (DCr), Malick Thaw (DCl), Rémy Vita (DL); Alessandro Schöpf (MCr), Mehmet-Can Aydin (MCl); Masaya Okugawa (AMR), Kenan Yildiz (AMC), Florian Krüger (AML); Wahid Faghir (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)

* * *

Majetschak is already back in action, although unlikely to be able to play the whole game today, while Stjepanovic still has a couple of weeks of recovery ahead of him. Little remains of the Bielefeld we knew in the 2.Bundesliga, with only Ortega and Krüger remaining from their lineups from back then. The first chance is theirs six minutes into the game, a run down the whole left wing by Vita and a cross into Faghir's header, well held by Kretzschmar. Ortega does the same to our first attempt, courtesy of Nmecha from the edge of the box as the game remains very even throughout the early game.

Possession slowly becomes ours in the following minutes, although without much to show for it danger-wise. It takes us until the 28th to find a way into the box through quick, short passes ending in Maldini's assist towards Bustos, who gets his finish stopped by Ortega. One minute later another long attacking ends with the ball in the left wing under Nmecha's control, and the inside forward trades roles with Maldini with a cross towards the far post so the Italian can head it in and score the 0-1.

Bielefeld attack for the first time since that distant first chance then, soon creating a chance through Okugawa's cross and Schöpf's header straight into Kretzschmar's hands. We remain in control, though, and enjoy a chance for the second with another connection between Maldini and Bustos that the Argentinian sends wide in the end. Vita is the next to try with another great run down the left, piercing through both Gerometta and Maldini before shooting with little power into Kretzschmar's save. The last minute of the half brings a quick counterattack by Krüger before he crosses towards Okugawa, who tries a spectacular bicycle kick but mishits it and sends the ball well wide. An also wide shot by Bustos in injury time is the last action of the first half.

HALF TIME - 0-1

The second half starts at a leisurely pace, although ten minutes in Kretzschmar performs one of his miracles by somehow blocking a header by Faghir right in his face by extending his arms upwards, thus preventing a corner kick goal for Bielefeld. A bit later, still with the match half asleep, Ulrich and Entrena enter the game to revitalize our midfield, somewhat lethargic today. Then it's Wouters' turn to enter the fray in his first league appearance of the season, replacing Urko in defense.

There's no more danger created on either side of the pitch until the 69th, and even then it's a high left-footed finish by Maldini that's not particularly close to Ortega's goal. A direct free kick from very close to the edge of the box taken by the Italian also ends up nowhere after his shot hits the fence and floats into Ortega's waiting hands. Arminia finally create something out of a bad pass by Wouters, which leads to Yildiz's silky run into the box and a good finish that Kretzschmar blocks with some difficulties.

It's another mistake by one of our defenders, Vagnoman in this case, that allows Bielefeld to draw the game: an unnecessary attempt at dribbling past Okugawa fails, the winger steals the ball and quickly crosses into the box, and there's Faghir to head it in unopposed and score the 1-1 only three minutes before full time. And after that neither team seems to want to push too hard for the winner, so the result stays tied until the end. A wasted chance.

* * *

DSC Arminia Bielefeld 1 (Wahid Faghir 87)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Daniel Maldini 29)

- - -

Way to throw away a win, ugh. Honestly, the draw was probably the fairest of results given how the game went. We were good until we scored, but after that it was mostly Bielefeld with a few flashes here and there by our attack. None of our midfielders had a good day today, which explains how most of our chances had to come from the wings. Oh well, another point, and not losing to relegation candidates is always a good thing, particularly away.

Dalbeider · February 27, 2023

Oct 25th 2025

TSV 1860 München (10th) vs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (9th) (Bundesliga, 9/34)

Playing right after Bayern in the schedule is always funny. Either you get teams on the high of their lives because they just beat them, or you get teams that got annihilated 0-7, with Lewandowski scoring six of those seven. Guess which category Hoffenheim belongs to. They have just one point more than us, so regardless of recent results, this will be a close-fought match.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Dries Wouters (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
HOFFENHEIM (4-4-2): Domen Gril (GK); Kilian Fischer (DR), Jordan Beyer (DCr), Igor (DCl), Marco Friedl (DL); Andreas Skov Olsen (MR), Dennis Geiger (MCr), Angelo Stiller (MCl), Roland Sallai (ML); Andi Zeqiri (STr), Andrej Kramaric (STl)

* * *

First league start for Wouters after Urko's recent mediocre performances, with the usual rotation otherwise with an eye kept on the midweek cup fixture against Köln. Hoffenheim have lost Baumann on goal to Hertha and have seen some turnover in defense, but otherwise look pretty similar to their version from last season. They try high pressing lines with their 4-4-2, but soon we learn how to disrupt this plan with a long pass towards the wing for Maldini, who crosses into the box and sees how Rijkhoff's header sails wide off the target. Nmecha does a bit better with another header one minute later, but this one's an easy catch for Gril.

After those early chances, though, the game takes a much more midfield-y look, with possession mostly split equally and the only attempts at goal being long-rangers by Hoffenheim, none of them particularly relevant. They finally get a real chance in a corner kick 22 minutes in, headed by Beyer and cleared off the line between Kretzschmar and Moura. The next important event comes on the 35th minute, when Moura is forced to retreat into the dressing room with pain in his knee, and is replaced by Vagnoman. Five minutes later Maldini gets a good chance blocked by Gril following a nice through ball by Majetschak, and after a couple blocked shots on each goal the first half comes to an end without any changes in the scoreboard.

HALF TIME - 0-0

The slow pace remains in the second half, and it takes us to try our luck with a long-range attempt by Vagnoman, way over the bar. Bustos and Sapmaz soon enter the game, with Maldini taking the left now, and the striker soon produces our best chance so far by holding the ball in midfield and assisting Entrena as he runs past the defensive line, even though in the end Gril stops his finish and sends it wide for a corner kick. In the 68th minute we finally find a way: Maldini takes a direct free kick and, as he's wont to do, places it exactly in the top right corner. Beautiful goal.

Hoffenheim are surprisingly quiet in the following minutes, their first approach not coming until the 80th with a bender from distance by Geiger that Kretzschmar slaps away from goal with a photo-worthy save. It's also their last, and in the first minute of injury time a Majetschak leads a counterattack and passes towards Sapmaz on the edge of the box, and the winger shows he has gunpowder in his right leg with a powerful effort that hits the underside of the bar and goes in, scoring the 2-0 and calling curtains on the match.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Daniel Maldini 68, Can Sapmaz 90+1)
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 0

- - -

Great result for a game that was really difficult to call until we scored our first. After that Hoffenheim just vanished, though, and we kept things under control until Sapmaz just smashed it in. Two beauties from our two right wingers today, and Maldini has been having some very interesting performances as of late.

Moura will miss 6-8 days with a twisted knee, nothing too serious although he'll be out of contention for the DFB Pokal second round.

* * *

| Pos  | Team                | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | GD    | Pts   | Form  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st  | Borussia Dortmund   | 9     | 7     | 2     | 0     | 25    | 6     | 19    | 23    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd  | Freiburg            | 9     | 6     | 2     | 1     | 19    | 7     | 12    | 20    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd  | Borussia M'gladbach | 9     | 6     | 1     | 2     | 15    | 9     | 6     | 19    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th  | FC Bayern           | 9     | 6     | 0     | 3     | 30    | 9     | 21    | 18    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th  | RB Leipzig          | 9     | 6     | 0     | 3     | 21    | 11    | 10    | 18    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th  | Hertha BSC          | 9     | 5     | 2     | 2     | 11    | 9     | 2     | 17    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th  | Köln                | 9     | 4     | 3     | 2     | 13    | 8     | 5     | 15    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th  | 1860 München        | 9     | 4     | 3     | 2     | 13    | 11    | 2     | 15    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th  | Frankfurt           | 9     | 4     | 2     | 3     | 17    | 17    | 0     | 14    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th | Hoffenheim          | 9     | 4     | 1     | 4     | 16    | 16    | 0     | 13    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th | Bayer Leverkusen    | 9     | 3     | 3     | 3     | 16    | 16    | 0     | 12    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th | Nürnberg            | 9     | 3     | 1     | 5     | 11    | 21    | -10   | 10    |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th | Arminia Bielefeld   | 9     | 2     | 3     | 4     | 11    | 17    | -6    | 9     |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th | Hamburg             | 9     | 3     | 0     | 6     | 9     | 20    | -11   | 9     |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th | Fortuna Düsseldorf  | 9     | 2     | 1     | 6     | 5     | 17    | -12   | 7     |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th | Stuttgart           | 9     | 1     | 2     | 6     | 9     | 18    | -9    | 5     |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th | Hannover 96         | 9     | 0     | 3     | 6     | 5     | 18    | -13   | 3     |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th | Augsburg            | 9     | 0     | 1     | 8     | 6     | 22    | -16   | 1     |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Fantastic first quarter of the season, no questions asked. Last year we finished the first half of the Bundesliga with only two more points than we have right now, and that was the good half, so that should give you an idea of the jump in quality and results we've experienced since. Most importantly, we've put ten points between us and the relegation playoff, and that's ten points those teams from the bottom will have to sweat blood in order to recover. I won't look too hard at the two points between us and the European places, though, that's still well within the wishful dream category.

As for the rest of the league, it's nice to see Dortmund finally having a good season from the start, it's been a few years. Only unbeaten team and with a healthy lead at the top, best defense and second best attack in the league... Looks like this might be their year if they can keep this up. Freiburg and Gladbach are the obvious surprise packages with their second and third places, and the latter could be even higher if they hadn't lost against us! Bayern and Leipzig have both had a rough start, but at least our neighbors seem to be recovering, having managed back-to-back blowouts against Hoffenheim (0-7) and HSV (8-1). The bottom half looks more or less as expected, with Stuttgart as the most obvious surprise with their awful form so far. Worth noting Leverkusen's position, too, extremely mediocre for their potential, and Eintracht's noticeable drop after getting into the Champions League last season.

* * *

PLAYER STATS
============

Average rating (min. 3 games played):

Niklas Lang               7.46 (10 apps)
Daniel Maldini            7.33 (8(1) apps)
Tom Kretzschmar           7.22 (4 apps)
Antonio Entrena           7.21 (7(2) apps)
Francisco Gerometta       7.19 (8(1) apps)

Goals:

Daniel Maldini            6 goals
Julian Rijkhoff           5
Can Sapmaz                3
Niklas Lang               3
4 players                 2

Assists:

Antonio Entrena           3 assists
Francisco Gerometta       3
Laurin Ulrich             2
Shiloh 't Zand            2
Felix Nmecha              2

Dalbeider · March 1, 2023

Oct 28th 2025

Triple Team of the Week presence for our lads, with Kretzschmar, Lang, and Maldini all featuring.

Oct 29th 2025

TSV 1860 München vs. 1.FC Köln (DFB Pokal, 2nd round)

Back to the cup, and with a difficult tie against Köln we've been looking forward to for a while now. We got a pretty decent 2-2 draw in the league in the "practice match", and both teams are tied on points in the table with Köln only ahead due to goal difference, so we're confident of at least having a good chance today. About time we have a decent run in the cup, too...

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Laurin Ulrich (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)
KÖLN (4-4-2 diamond narrow): Kevin Trapp (GK); Danny da Costa (DR), Nathan Phillips (DCr), Stephan Ambrosius (DCl), Jonas Hector (DL); Dejan Ljubicic (DM), Ellyes Skhiri (MCr), Ethan Ampadu (MCl), Dominik Yarkov (AMC); Jan Thielmann (STr), Eddie Nketiah (STl)

* * *

We play today with a mixture of starters and youngsters in need of minutes, which gives us a very competitive eleven at least on paper. Köln are missing Serra and Mbabu, two of the players that gave us the most trouble in our league meeting. They still draw first blood with a long-distance, powerful try by Skhiri that Quintero punches over the bar only two minutes into the game, then Ljubicic heads the corner kick that follows over the bar.

We soon shake off that early pressure and slowly but steadily start pushing them back into their own half. However, in the 16th minute, a deep free kick whipped into the box by Yankov is nodded into the center by Ampadu, and da Costa is there to smash it in and give Köln the lead. Our reaction is immediate, though, and only three passes after kick off Miranda finds a huge gap in Köln's defense and runs into it, gathering a long pass from 't Zand and calmly beating Trapp in the one-on-one to draw the game again within seconds.

The game remains even after that, although Köln keep producing the most danger, like a header by Nketiah that hits the root of the post and bounces clear in the 26th minute. Three minutes later the striker has another chance when Vagnoman tackles the ball away from Thielmann but sends it into our own box, allowing Nketiah an apparently easy finish that Quintero somehow blocks and keeps out of the net. Skhiri heads the corner kick high once again, as we struggle to create any kind of danger beyond our goal. The final fifteen minutes of the half bring nothing new to the table, as even Köln seem to forget how to attack. The 1-1 stays until the end of the first forty-five.

HALF TIME - 1-1

We finally get a shot in seven minutes after the break, courtesy of a very below average Sapmaz, who tries luck from the edge of the box but goes high and wide with his shot. Köln also go right back at it through a cross by da Costa that Thielmann half-volleys only to find Quintero's glove in the way. We do look a bit better going forward now, though, at least getting into decent shooting positions. Maldini and Rijkhoff replace the disappointing Sapmaz and Bustos, hoping that they'll carry their league form into this game.

The impact is, once again, almost instantaneous: Rijkhoff controls the ball near the edge of the box then passes it back towards Ulrich, who finds himself with space and unleashes a missile with his right foot that flies past Trapp and straight into the back of the net. Great goal for the youngster. A few minutes later Steinhart makes his first appearance of the season, replacing an exhausted Vagnoman, and in the 69th Rijkhoff runs on his own at the defense, nudging his way past two defenders before being ultimately undone by Trapp's save.

We're playing our best football of the game right now, and in the 75th we reap the rewards: minutes-long passing play that goes through every outfield player with Köln not even getting a sniff of it, and the ball finally reaches Gerometta on the right flank. The wingback then assists Maldini inside the box, and the winger runs at Trapp and finishes with a neat little chip to score the 3-1 in style.

Köln change to a 4-2-3-1 with Thielmann and Draxler on the wings, and the former has a good run into the box from the left four minutes after our goal, his final shot punched over the bar by Quintero. In the 85th, though, Maldini takes a corner kick, Benkovic mistimes his header, and Miranda smashes it into the net near the far post to put our victory beyond any kind of reasonable doubt. Two minutes later Steinhart remembers the good old times with a run and pass down the left, enabling Rijkhoff for a good chance that the striker sends into the post, the ball rolling all over the goal line before being cleared away. Then, bad news: Maldini injures his leg in the final minutes of the game, leaving us with ten men on the pitch. We don't suffer for that, though, and score a brilliant result to keep us alive in the competition.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 4 (Matías Miranda 16 85, Laurin Ulrich 62, Daniel Maldini 75)
1.FC Köln 1 (Danny da Costa 16)

- - -

Well, that was unexpected. Not the win, that was very much in the cards, but such a big result surprises even me. The game could've easily gone either way, and if we hadn't scored the 1-1 as quickly as we did we most likely would've struggled to get back into the game, but our second half was much better, particularly once Maldini and Rijkhoff came in and the goals started flowing. Fantastic result, and now let's see what we get in the third round.

It comes at a price, though: Maldini, probably our most in-form player right now, will be out for about three weeks with a pulled calf. Sapmaz will have to step up his game in the meantime.

Dalbeider · March 3, 2023

Oct 30th 2025

The improvement work being done on our training facilities finally ends today. I'll hold off on further improvements for now because we're likely to get into big expenses as soon as construction for our new stadium finally starts, and I'd rather not bring the team back into the huge debt it had when I arrived.

Oct 31st 2025

We get one of the best draws we could've got in the third round of the DFB Pokal: Union Berlin away. With only five 2.Bundesliga teams left alive out of fifteen options overall this was certainly lucky, even though they're currently third on the table and looking to bounce straight back into the Bundesliga. It'll be tough, but very winnable.

Nov 1st 2025

Hamburger SV (14th) vs. TSV 1860 München (8th) (Bundesliga, 10/34)

And back to the Bundesliga with a birthday trip to Hamburg, currently bottom half and very much where they were expected to be at the start of the season. Last time we played a game on my birthday Gladbach kicked us out of the cup, so not exactly expecting any presents today, but given our recent performances, this is a game we should be getting something out of.

* * *

HSV (4-2-3-1): Daniel Heuer Fernandes (GK); Jan Gyamerah (DR), Jamie Lawrence (DCr), Sebastian Schonlau (DCl), Andrii Buleza (DL); Ron Schallenberg (MCr), Ludovit Reis (MCl); Faride Alidou (AMR), Laurent Schmitz (AMC), Aaron Opoku (AML); Kevin Schade (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Nahuel Bustos (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)

* * *

Some fitness concerns today, since Gerometta is unlikely to play the whole game due to tiredness but Moura isn't healthy enough to start either. Bustos gets the start on the right wing today ahead of Sapmaz, as we try to help him find the good form he's been missing for a while now. He gets our first chance three minutes in after a long passing play he finishes into a defender's legs, and a bit later Nmecha also gets close with a curling shot from distance that misses the target by a couple of feet. Our great start culminates six minutes into the game with Entrena running into space and collecting the ball from Vuskovic before placing his finish into the back of the net with aplomb.

We keep pushing after the goal, soon enjoying another goalscoring chance with a high ball from the edge of the box by Rijkhoff. Schade finally answers for HSV, sending a dangerous shot towards the top corner but finding Quintero well positioned to tip it over. Much better is his chance in the 15th after a long pass by Schmitz, but once again the keeper is there to deny him in the one-on-one. After that, though, we regain control of the ball and put the game to sleep for a while, giving us some breathing room until some bad defensive positioning allows Opoku the chance to run alone towards our goal, a chance he thankfully wastes with a horrible shot over the target.

A knock to Gerometta makes our wingback situation a bit harder to manage, but we decide to keep him out until the end of the half. Soon Bustos runs after a long pass by Majetschak and crosses so Rijkhoff can hit it straight at Fernandes, but in the 41st Buleza finds a gap through the left, passes towards the edge of the box to Reis, and the midfielder assists Opoku inside the box for an easy finish past Quintero, drawing the game.

Rijkhoff enjoys a great chance to restore our lead that Fernandes blocks and deflects wide, and in injury time the struggling Gerometta sees from the right how Entrena is once again unmarked at the edge of the box, sends a cross towards him, and the midfielder once again faces the keeper and places the ball around him to score the 1-2. However, in the minute that remains HSV manage to mount another attack thanks to a mistake by Urko, which ends with Schmitz crossing into the box for Schade to head it past Quintero, drawing the game once again as a very entertaining first half reaches its end.

HALF TIME - 2-2

Moura replaces Gerometta during half time, and we go right back at it trying to put ourselves ahead for the third time. The start of the second half is surprisingly uneventful, though, and it takes until the 62nd minute for the first approach on either goal, a high header by Lawrence on a corner kick for HSV. Sapmaz is our first substitution, replacing an invisible Nmecha and moving Bustos to the left, but two minutes later a bad clearance by Quintero gifts Schade the ball in a very dangerous position, and the striker says thanks and shoots to score the 3-2.

't Zand is our third and last substitution, since Bustos is having one of his days once again no matter where he plays. It takes us a while to recover from the blow, but when we do it's in style: long pass by Vuskovic towards the right flank, Sapmaz leaves Buleza behind with a burst of speed then runs into the box and places his finish between Fernandes and the near post to tie the game yet again. Both teams search for the winner in the final minutes, Schade having a one-on-one versus Quintero disallowed for offside and Rijkhoff having his own good chance blocked by Lawrence. It's HSV who draw the winning number, though, when three minutes into injury time Gyamerah runs the right, crosses into the small box, and Opoku gets ahead of both Quintero and the defense to tap it in and score the definitive 4-3. Gutted.

* * *

Hamburger SV 4 (Aaron Opoku 41 90+3, Kevin Schade 45+3 64)
TSV 1860 München 3 (Antonio Entrena 6 45+1, Can Sapmaz 75)

- - -

Aaaargh. Absolute waste of a match thanks to bad defending in key moments. We were really good going forward, but every cross into the box was dangerous, and individual mistakes by Quintero and Urko costed us dearly. Conceding twice in injury time was pretty disgraceful, too. A real shame, Vuskovic's and Entrena's performances deserved better than this.

Only a bruised ankle for Gerometta, he'll be fine and dandy for our next fixture, as will Stjepanovic.

Dalbeider · March 6, 2023

Nov 3rd 2025

Steinhart finally snaps and asks me to loan him out come the next window so he can get more playing time. Absolutely fair, and we should probably have done this sooner. We might actually try and find another left back come January to replace him, since his contract expires next summer and it's 99% likely he won't stay with us beyond that.

Nov 4th 2025

Entrena makes the Team of the Week. Scoring two from midfield tends to do that.

Nov 7th 2025

TSV 1860 München (10th) vs. Sport-Club Freiburg (4th) (Bundesliga, 11/34)

Time for the Fun part of the league schedule, starting with a home match against surprise package Freiburg, who despite losing to Bayern last week still hold onto a Champions League place. Expected 12th at the start of the season, they've had a fantastic year so far, but it remains to be seen if they can keep this form up consistently. Meanwhile we haven't lost at home yet, and we intend to keep it that way.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)
FREIBURG (4-2-3-1): Peter Gulácsi (GK); Hugo Siquet (DR), Dario Maresic (DCr), Eric Martel (DCl), Christian Günter (DL); Manu Morlanes (MCr), Maximilian Eggestein (MCl); Edon Zhegrova (AMR), Matías Palacios (AMC), Sead Haksabanovic (AML), Marko Richter (ST)

* * *

Stjepanovic returns straight into the lineup after his injury, moving Urko to the bench after a pretty mediocre stretch of starts for the Spaniard. We start the game with our classic run into space by a midfielder, Miranda in this case, although his finish this time is pretty badly wide and not particularly dangerous for Gulácsi. Freiburg have more possession in the first minutes, although we keep them inside their own half through high pressing, and six minutes in Bustos gets really close with a narrowly high header in a corner kick. That's the last chance for a long while, though, as Freiburg plug their holes while still remaining mostly inoffensive.

Another set piece in the 17th minute allows Bustos another chance, this time with a direct free kick he also sends a bit too high. Much better is Miranda's chance two minutes later when he and Bobsin find a huge gap in the center, the latter sending the ball ahead so the former can shoot into Gulácsi's fingertip save. Freiburg finally show their teeth with a wide shot by Siquet following a good run down the right flank by Richter, and Bustos has our reply, collecting a pass into space by Miranda but also stumbling with his finish against an excellent Gulácsi, who then goes on to perform another miracle save in the corner kick that follows, blocking Lang's header from point-blank range.

We've been deserving a goal for a while now, and we finally find it in the 26th: Stjepanovic celebrates his return to action with a vertial pass through the center to Bustos, who this time finds the gap between Gulácsi and the target and scores the 1-0, breaking the offside trap by inches. Freiburg try to hit back immediately with Haksabanovic breaking the line through the left wing and passing back to Richter, who miskicks his finish and sends it straight into Kretzschmar's hands. In the 38th minute, though, a bad pass by Bobsin allows Richter to collect the ball twenty yards away from goal with Kretzschmar out of position, and the striker doesn't miss this time, shooting without thinking twice to score the 1-1. The result holds until the end of the half without further incident.

HALF TIME - 1-1

Freiburg start the second half attacking, and one minute in Eggestein tries a beautiful bender from 25 yards away that curls into the goal and out of Kretzschmar's reach: 1-2. We seem to take it quite hard, and only a timely tackle by Vagnoman prevents Zhegrova from scoring a third just four minutes later. We soon replace our two wing attackers with 't Zand and Rijkhoff, moving Bustos to the right, while Palacios gets a dangerous header after a cross by Siquet saved by Kretzschmar.

We finally get a good chance to get back into the game when Bustos sends a cross towards Rijkhoff that the striker volleys into the post come the 63rd minute of the game. Majetschak replaces Entrena a bit later, and in the 69th he strikes gold, with more than a bit of fortune: a cross from the left by 't Zand is intercepted by Günter and headed back towards Gulácsi, but the ball goes faster than expected towards goal and the keeper can only block it straight into Majetschak, so the midfielder has the easiest position to score the 2-2.

Momentum seems to shift, and Bustos soon has a great chance to score the third with a run into space from the right, although his attempt at a chip over the keeper ends up blocked by a defender and sent behind. Miranda takes the corner kick towards the far post and Rijkhoff jumps higher than anyone to reach the ball and head it into the net, completing our comeback. The following minutes are firmly under our control, with Freiburg never getting anywhere close to Kretzschmar's goal. Bustos even scores a fourth in injury time, but he's very clearly offside and VAR can't miss that. We defend well for the rest of injury time and secure another great result in Grünwalder Stadion.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 3 (Nahuel Bustos 26, Erik Majetschak 69, Julian Rijkhoff 77)
Sport-Club Freiburg 2 (Marco Richter 38, Maximilian Eggestein 47)

- - -

Great. Took us way longer than it should have, considering how many chances we had to just run away with the game, but in the end we managed. Impact subs for Majetschak and Rijkhoff, and finally some positive contributions by the midfielder (huge drop in return from last year so far) and Bustos, who hadn't scored in a long while. If it weren't for Freiburg striking lucky from distance twice this would've been a clear win for us.

Dalbeider · March 8, 2023

Nov 14th 2025

Mostly uneventful evening for our youth internationals in this round, with one exception: Vuskovic got himself sent off with Croatia U21 against Romania in a match they ended up losing 0-2. On the bright side, that means no chance of him getting injured in their next fixture!

Nov 19th 2025

Much better in the second round of fixtures, with Rijkhoff scoring for the Netherlands U21 in a 3-0 win against Luxembourg and Stjepanovic having a very good defensive performance with Serbia against Moldavia.

In less good news, looks like Bobsin's contract issues are resurfacing again. Wouldn't be surprised if we have another round of drama with him come the winter window. One day later Majetschak also starts making noises, but another talk with captain Lang seems to at least delay the issue. Neither of the two is having a particularly good season so far and both are very replaceable in our lineup even without having to dip hard into the transfer market, so I'm not exactly willing to bend over backwards to accomodate their whims. If they don't like their contracts they're welcome to leave.

Nov 22nd 2025

RasenBallsport Leipzig (6th) vs. TSV 1860 München (7th) (Bundesliga, 12/34)

Believe it or not, we're currently tied on points with last season's almost-champions. I think it has more to do with them being very fragile this year in comparison, though, last week they ate four from Bayern like it was nothing. They're still a team beyond our reach under most normal circumstances, though, so I'll be extremely happy if we get anything other than a thumping from here.

* * *

RB LEIPZIG (4-3-1-2 narrow): Alexander Nübel (GK); Joao Mário (DR), Kamil Piatkowski (DCr), Jan Boller (DCl), Angeliño (DL); Dani Olmo (MCr), Paulo Bernardo (MC), Jakub Moder (MCl), Fabio Carvalho (AMC); Patson Daka (STr), Musa Barrow (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)

* * *

Small formation change for Leipzig since our last meeting, moving the anchor forward to turn their diamond formation into a 4-3-1-2. Maldini returns for us, with Bustos taking the left wing today due to Nmecha's and 't Zand's flaky form as of late. The match starts with lots of rhythm, both teams having promising shots blocked by defenders within the first three minutes, but a quick injury to Boller puts a bit of a damper on things. Nine minutes in, though, a run into the box by Daka ends with Stjepanovic body-checking the striker, and VAR quickly calls for a penalty that Barrow turns into the 1-0 for Leipzig.

We're forced to take a more positive outlook, but we clearly overdo it when a ball lost in Leipzig's area turns into a two-versus-one counterattack, easily finished by Barrow by sidestepping Kretzschmar and scoring the 2-0. The keeper does better by saving and holding a header by Daka three minutes later, but we're clearly being overrun all over the pitch. Our first attack in a while ends with a high ball from the edge of the box by Maldini twenty-five minutes into the game, but only three minutes later a cross by Angeliño reaches Musa with no one marking him, and the striker chips the ball over Kretzschmar to make it three.

The following minutes give us a bit of respite, with Leipzig taking a step back and letting us move the ball around for a while, but nothing comes out of it. Two minutes before half time they launch another counterattack with a long ball ahead of Barrow, who outruns Lang and drops to the left before crossing low for Daka's easy tap-in. 4-0 at half time, and suddenly we look like our past season selves.

HALF TIME - 4-0

Not much to do now other than try and salvage our pride, and Leipzig at least let us play during the first minutes of the second half, looking understandably relaxed. We make our three substitutions early, bringing Urko, Sapmaz, and 't Zand into the game just to try and make something happen and to keep key players like Maldini and Stjepanovic fit for more important fixtures. Leipzig still get the first shot of the half with an attempt at a lob by Daka that Kretzschmar just manages to reach and save, but in the 65th a cross from the right by Sapmaz creates chaos inside the box, with multiple rebounds and shot attempts until the ball reaches 't Zand inside the small box so he can score the 4-1 unopposed.

The goal seems to give us wings (heh), and soon 't Zand has another header after a cross from Gerometta, although this one is an easy save for Nübel. An interception by Majetschak in the 73rd minute launches Bustos in a run alone against the keeper, but the striker fails to make it count and sends his finish well over the target. Three minutes later it's 't Zand who passes into space for Majetschak, and this time Nübel has to be there to tip his finish wide and prevent the 4-2. Next comes Miranda, miskicking the ball after a cross into the front side of the area and sending it wide. We don't get any more, and in the meantime Leipzig just let time pass with only a header by Daka straight into Kretzschmar's hands in injury time as proof of attacking intent. Still, easy win for them in the end.

* * *

RasenBallsport Leipzig 4 (Musa Barrow 9p 20, Patson Daka 28 43)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Shiloh 't Zand 65)

- - -

Still a couple steps too far, I guess. That first half was absolutely terrible, and I'll take part of the blame for not adjusting to their attack outnumbering our defense earlier. The second half was much better and we probably deserved at least one more goal, although I imagine Leipzig's relaxation was at least half of the reason for our improvement. We'll see which version of ourselves is the real one in the following weeks.

Dalbeider · March 10, 2023

Nov 23rd 2025

Been a while since I was last linked with some other job, but now Stuttgart have sacked Stefan Leitl (they're currently 16th) and apparently I'm in their shortlist, or so the press say. Why is it always teams doing worse than us, though... Regardless, not interested.

Nov 26th 2025

Wouters joins Steinhart in the loan list, and for the same reasons: he isn't playing any and wants more minutes. Unlike Steinhart, though, he's still in his prime, just not a player that's worthy of a starter position with us anymore. Like many others before him, we've outgrown him. He's under contract until June 2027, so I might actually look into selling him rather than loaning him come January, then replace him with a center back better suited for the Bundesliga.

Nov 29th 2025

TSV 1860 München (9th) vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (8th) (Bundesliga, 13/34)

Once again we measure up against a Champions League team tied on points with us and only ahead due to goal difference. Two things are different from last week, though: one, we're home, and our home form so far has been fantastic. Two, Eintracht didn't get blown out by Bayern, and actually stole a point from them with a 1-1 home draw. Even worse, they just beat PSG in their midweek fixture. Our last meeting in the previous season ended in a key 1-0 win for us, though, so we're hopeful.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)
EINTRACHT (4-4-2 diamond narrow): Diant Ramaj (GK); Almamy Touré (DR), Marvin Friedrich (DCr), Martin Hinteregger (DCl), Jordan Lotomba (DL); Toma Basic (DM), Djibril Sow (MCr), Tiago Dantas (MCl), Louis Schaub (AMC); Datro Fofana (STr), Bryan Mbeumo (STl)

* * *

Only forty-seven seconds into the game and Miranda is already running into space and gathering long passes to test Eintracht's new keeper Ramaj, who does well covering the gap in the near post to save the midfielder's finish. Eintracht answer with a deep free kick Dantas sends into the box so Fofana can score, but from an offside position, well spotted by VAR. After such an eventful start, though, the game becomes mired down in a very overpopulated midfield, something we try to counter by focusing our attacks on the wings.

That seems to work: a throw-in on the right side of our attack ends with Maldini assisting Miranda inside the box, only for the midfielder to shoot straight into the root of the post and wide. We control possession now, despite Eintracht's numbers in midfield, and in the 24th 't Zand crosses the ball behind the defense into Miranda's run, and the midfielder makes his third chance count with a placed finish past Ramaj to score the 1-0. And then we proceed to almost give it away when Stjepanovic and Vagnoman mishandle an easy clearance and gift the ball to Fofana, who crosses to an unmarked Mbeumo for a tap-in that Kretzschmar miraculously deflects around the post.

We soon recover from that scare and go back to controlling the match, and soon Miranda has another chance to score after a first-time assist by Gerometta, although this time Ramaj manages to block the Argentinian's finish. We take some time to just hold the ball and let minutes pass until Bustos sends a beautiful turnaround pass towards Entrena for another run into space, once again prevented from becoming a goal by Eintracht's goalkeeper. A wide shot from distance by Vagnoman in one goal and a high one by Sow in the other are the final attempts of the first half, which we end deservedly ahead.

HALF TIME - 1-0

Not much changes in the second half, and four minutes in a long pass by Gerometta is controlled by Bustos and the striker holds it, waits, then sends the ball ahead of Entrena so the midfielder can score the 2-0 with another placed finish. Only three minutes later Entrena himself turns into provider with a diagonal pass towards the right flank so Maldini can get the ball ahead of Lotomba, then shoot into the top corner to make it 3-0. Game over.

Eintracht won't give up so easily, though, and Fofana has a great chance to pull one back in the 57th after Stjepanovic fails to intercept a pass behind the line, forcing Kretzschmar into another miracle save in the one-on-one. Our answer is a long play down the left flank which 't Zand ends with a pass ahead of Bustos, who can't beat Ramaj with his poweful finish. Urko, Sapmaz, and Ulrich enter the game then, just before André Franco gets another fantastic chance to score for Eintracht but is once again denied by an excellent Kretzschmar.

The game slows down a bit after our substitutions settle in, although Entrena still finds time to once again assist Bustos on the run, and once again Ramaj manages to block the striker's shot. In the 76th minute, however, a set piece on the right side of their attack is whipped in by Dantas and substitute Franke heads the cross into the underside of the bar and in, scoring the 3-1. This gives them a morale boost that André Franco uses to test Kretzschmar again, this time from distance, although with the same result: comfortable save for the keeper. They shift to a 4-3-3 in the final minutes and try going all-out, but we hold them back with good defending until the end. Another great home performance and result for us.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 3 (Matías Miranda 24, Antonio Entrena 49, Daniel Maldini 52)
Eintracht Frankfurt 1 (Marcel Franke 76)

- - -

Fantastic. Gentle reminder that around six months ago Eintracht were actually challenging for the Bundesliga and qualified for the Champions League in the end, yet we manhandled them for most of the match today. Great team performance, with our three goalscorers a step above the rest and some great saves by Kretzschmar when it counted. Also, this time I did adjust our tactics a bit to account for their two-forwards-plus-attacking-midfielder formation and it showed, both defensively with Vuskovic tracking Schaub much more closely, and offensively with him dropping in between our center backs and giving us another option to play the ball from the back. That'll be a default change from now on whenever we play against narrow diamonds, 4-3-1-2s, 4-2-3-1s and even some 3-5-2 variants. Might even become our default tactic period, given how prevalent the 4-2-3-1 is in this league.

Elsewhere in the league, Dortmund's first defeat of the season (at home against Arminia, of all teams) makes the title race less one-sided and opens the door for the likes of Bayern, Gladbach, and Hertha. The latter are now second and only three points behind the leaders...

HorusFM · March 10, 2023

I really enjoy your style of writing, Dalbeider. Always have actually. It's super easy to read

Dalbeider · March 13, 2023

Thanks, gav! I do try to go for a simple style with this, after all 90% of it is written as I play, so I can't really afford to get distracted with word choices and weird turns of phrases and the hellscape that's the English language in general.

* * *

Dec 1st 2025

Huh, so those rumors about Stuttgart wanting me were true after all. Interview offer rejected, of course.

Dec 2nd 2025

Another appearance for young Entrena in the Team of the Week. He's looking cheaper and cheaper by the minute, and we might have to offer him a new contract before the season ends to try and get rid of his release clause. He's that good, and can only get better.

Dec 3rd 2025

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (8th) vs. TSV 1860 München (7th) (Bundesliga, 14/34)

Gechter must be in disbelief whenever he looks at the Bundesliga table and sees TSV ahead of Leverkusen, heh. Reunion match with our former starlet, although he's not guaranteed to start by any means, he's only featured in six league games so far. Leverkusen's season so far can only be called a disappointment, nine points away from the Champions League and with a very inconsistent form. Their result against Bayern on the weekend? Seven goals to three.

* * *

LEVERKUSEN (4-2-3-1): Maarten Vandevoordt (GK); Jeremie Frimpong (DR), William Saliba (DCr), Adama Diallo (DCl), Devyne Rensch (DL); Eljif Elmas (MCr), Yangel Herrera (MCl); Fabio Vieira (AMR), Florian Wirtz (AMC), Moussa Diaby (AML), Iker Bravo (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Josha Vagnoman (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Victor Bobsin (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)

* * *

Midweek fixture equals rotation, including unsettled Bobsin getting some chance to show he really deserves a new and improved contract, and a maybe-final chance for Moura to start performing at an acceptable level. No Gechter in Leverkusen's starting eleven and, more importantly, no Schick, considering the striker is already on eleven goals scored. His replacement ain't half bad either, though: three minutes in, Vieira steals the ball from Miranda in midfield and sends a long pass ahead of Bravo, who places his finish next to the post and gives Leverkusen a very early lead.

Leverkusen keep the ball after the goal, maintining a strong pressure on our defense throughout the following minutes, and in the 13th Herrera once again finds Bravo escaping our center-backs' attention with a high pass over the defense and the striker once again hits the back of the net for the 2-0. We still haven't done anything worth mentioning in attack when things get even worse: Diaby runs into the box and forces a foul from Vagnoman for a penalty kick. Bravo scores from the spot and grabs himself a hattrick within 22 minutes. So much for Schick... Three shots on target, three goals.

Thirty minutes into the game we finally get something resembling a chance with a high header by Lang in a corner kick. Then, because apparently we can still do worse than this, Sapmaz goes two-footed on Diaby in a completely irrelevant midfield play and gets himself sent off. Bustos replaces Bobsin so we can keep our front three, and we proceed to survive the rest of the first half with only a high ball from distance by Frimpong bringing us any trouble. Game as good as finished by half time.

HALF TIME - 3-0

A struggling Vagnoman leaves the field at half time, replaced by Gerometta, and five minutes in Kretzschmar finally gets his first save of the match against Diaby, who was in a great position to score the fourth, then repeats immediately after deflecting wide a shot by Bravo. A bit later we try something different, bringing Stjepanovic in to replace Nmecha and moving to a 4-3-2, with Urko as our most defensive midfielder and two strikers. Of course that leaves our wings wide open, and soon enough Diaby finds a gap and barges in past Moura, only stopped by Kretzschmar in the end.

Leverkusen keep attacking, with Bravo being the next to try with a good header that Kretzschmar manages to save and keep under control, then with substitute Pirani running into space on the left side of the box and finishing into another good block by the keeper. In the 70th we actually manage to make a good attacking play, ending in a cross by Gerometta towards Rijkhoff, who finally gives Vandevoordt some work to do. Leverkusen seem to take a step back then, and another cross by our right back ends in another good chance, this time finished by Bustos into Frimpong's legs and wide. Vieira answers once again leaving Moura for dead and once again being stopped in the last moment by Kretzschmar, who also grabs Diallo's header in the corner that follows. The final stretch brings no more danger to either goal, though, and the first half result remains unchanged until the end.

* * *

Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3 (Iker Bravo 3 13 22p)
TSV 1860 München 0 (Can Sapmaz sent off 31)

- - -

Mr. Hyde's turn, then. I'm not sure what's wrong with our tactics when it comes to away games, but all the good we do at home disappears as soon as we leave Grünwalder Strasse. Moura's abysmal performance today (once again) practically seals his fate com the next transfer window, assuming we can find a replacement for a reasonable fee. We can't continue with just Gerometta and Vagnoman as playable full backs. Sapmaz will also get some time out in the thinking corner after his reckless actions today.

Dortmund and Hertha lose today, and suddenly Bayern are second only one point behind the leaders. Back to the usual, then.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Dalbeider

Dalbeider · March 15, 2023

Dec 4th 2025

And here goes Bobsin once again talking to the press about how unhappy with his contract he is. Can't wait for the winter window to open, really.

Dec 6th 2025

TSV 1860 München (8th) vs. Hannover 96 (18th) (Bundesliga, 15/34)

Four points and zero wins in fourteen fixtures. Hannover are on their way back to the 2.Bundesliga, don't pass go, don't collect $200. If there's a game we must win no matter what this season, it's this one.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Antonio Entrena (MCr), Laurin Ulrich (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)
HANNOVER (4-2-3-1): Lukas Schneller (GK); Cédric Kipré (DR), Amos Pieper (DCr), Kasim Adams (DCl), Tahsin Velioglu (DL); Svante Ingelsson (MCr), Dominik Kohr (MCl); Patryck Piszczek (AMR), Pascal Gross (AMC), Emmanuel Iyoha (AML), Havard Nielsen (ST)

* * *

Many tired legs today after the Leverkusen game, which prompts an almost complete makeover. There's a known face in Hannover's lineup in Emmanuel Iyoha, who played for us in our last season in the 2.Bundesliga, and who creates a chance for his current team within seconds, assisting Nielsen so the striker can hit the post with his finish when Kretzschmar looked all but beaten, then gets a header in that the keeper does save well before the first minute is over. Are we there or not?

Apparently we are, and seconds later it's our turn to attack with a quick passing play leaving the ball in Maldini's feet in front of Schneller, who covers well the gaps and saves. Four minutes later a great pass into space by Gerometta allows Bustos to run alone into the box, where he proceeds to tie with Hannover on woodwork hits by blasting his finish into the crossbar. Iyoha hits back with a powerful low shot that Kretzschmar blocks by going down at the right moment, then it's our turn through Maldini running the flank and passing back for Vuskovic's centered shot, easy for the keeper. Ten minutes gone and this game can't catch its breath.

The all-out attack continues with Maldini assisting Entrena inside the box and the youngster failing to find the target with his shot, and not even forty seconds later Iyoha is already running at Kretzschmar, then sending the ball straight into his arms when a goal looked almost guaranteed. The goal is coming, and it arrives in the 16th: corner kick taken by Gross and Adams towers over all the opposition to head it into the net, grabbing a surprising 0-1 for Hannover. Bustos should've pulled level four minutes later, but Schneller denies him with a great save, wasting a rare great assist by Moura. Then another corner kick for Hannover comes, the ball is cleared off the box as far as Piszczek, and the right winger bends a beautiful banana shot from distance into the top corner to make it 0-2. Grünwalder Stadion stares in shock.

We go back on the attack with a double chance: Stjepanovic shoots from 25 yards away into the crossbar, then the play continues until Maldini's header is held by Schneller. A cross by Gerometta finally gives us our first goal, reaching Bustos so the striker can control, dribble past a defender and the keeper with one single move, then pass it into the net unopposed. After that the game finally slows down, precisely when we don't want it to. Stjepanovic says nope, does a Beckenbauer with a nice run towards midfield, then assists Bustos so he can have another clear-cut chance stopped by Schneller. Then another, as he actually gets his head to the ball in the corner kick that follows but finds the keeper well positioned to parry once again. And that's the last chance of a very eventful first half of a match we're, somehow, losing.

HALF TIME - 1-2

No rest for the wicked: we spend the first minute and a half of the second half laying siege to Hannover's goal, and finally 't Zand finds a gap to send the ball through towards Bustos and the striker blasts it in with all his strength to score the 2-2. Five minutes later Schneller undoes all the good he did in the first half with a horrid pass towards Adams that Maldini intercepts inside the box, putting himself in the perfect position to just shoot and score the 3-2. Comeback achieved, now to keep it.

We do just that, finally making the game sleep for a while as Hannover seem to have lost all the flair and gung-ho attitude they had in the first half. Vagnoman and Urko come in to give Gerometta and Lang some much needed rest, then it's Rijkhoff for 't Zand a bit later. There's no action on either goal until the 75th, when Pieper shoots into the sidenetting after a deep set piece. Two minutes later Schneller denies Entrena the clincher with a good save at the midfielder's feet, and in the 80th Bustos crosses towards the far post from the left so Maldini can nod it back into the center, where Rijkhoff only has to push it over the line to score the fourth.

Game not done just yet, though, because we can't have nice things today: immediate long pass towards the right wing by Iyoha which substitute N'Dongala controls and finishes into Kretzschmar's body, promptly answered by Vagnoman assisting Maldini and the winger also finding the opposing keeper in the way of a tight angle finish. Both teams keep going at each other's throat until the very last second, which actually coincides with a final chance for Rijkhoff saved by Schneller just before the referee says that's enough. What a game.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 4 (Nahuel Bustos 27 47, Daniel Maldini 52, Julian Rijkhoff 80)
Hannover 86 2 (Kasim Adams 16, Patryk Piszczek 22)

- - -

The perfect definition of a fantastic game for the neutral fan. Myself, I'd rather not concede twice against a winless team, but hey, the fans had fun with the comeback and we got to see Bustos score two in one game, so there's some upside here. The result in the end was good, but we surely should've got it much, much earlier. Insane goalkeeping by Schneller and incredible misses by our finishers made this a candidate for match of the season, for sure, at least when it comes to pure entertainment. And hey, results elsewhere help us so we regain the seventh place and creep closer to the Europa League zone. Dare we dream?

oche balboa · March 15, 2023

Great story mate

Dalbeider · March 17, 2023

Thanks oche!

* * *

Dec 9th 2025

Kretzschmar and Maldini make the Team of the Week amid a sea of Bayern shirts.

Vuskovic's recent progress means he's already valued at 25-35M according to our staff. He has a €25M release clause. Welp.

Dec 12th 2025

FC Augsburg (16th) vs. TSV 1860 München (7th) (Bundesliga, 16/34)

And to close the first half of the Bundesliga, how about two rival games in a row? We start with the lesser one, both for the intensity of the rivalry and for the opposition's general quality. Augsburg have been in and out the relegation zone all season long, and now barely hang onto the playoff place just above Fortuna and just below Stuttgart. They've won three of their last five, though, so if any bottom half team is on the rise, it's them.

* * *

AUGSBURG (4-4-2): Tomás Koubek (GK); Benjamin Henrichs (DR), Moritz Jenz (DCr), Jordan Torunarigha (DCl), Micky van de Ven (DL); Yacine Adli (MR), Sebastian Vasiliadis (MCr), Torben Rhein (MCl), Omar Campos (ML); Jorgen Strand Larsen (STr), Jonas Wind (STl)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)

* * *

No punches pulled today, we send out our most in-form eleven to try and snap out of our funk away from home in the most significant of moments. Augsburg use the extra push given by their fans to take the initiative in the beginning, soon creating danger with a corner kick that van de Ven volleys wide from a very dangerous position. We weather the early storm and, in our first serious attack of the game, Gerometta and Maldini combine down the right wing until the winger finds space for a cross, and Rijkhoff is there to head it in and score the 0-1, silencing the rowdy crowd.

We take control then, and our next attack is a twenty-plus-long passing play that Miranda ends with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, tipped over by Koubek. The following minutes turn into a fight for possession in which neither midfield gets close enough to the opposing area to create danger, with the most noteworthy news being Lang's fifth yellow of the season, which means he'll miss the Münchner derby. That's further confirmed when he suffers a foot injury with thirty minutes played and has to be replaced by Urko.

Augsburg try to react with a shot by Wind that doesn't even reach Kretzschmar, deflecting off Urko's legs, then try a cross from the right towards Campos, who actually connects a good header that the keeper saves with no trouble. Another header, this time by Adli, goes way over the bar in the final minutes of the half, minutes after Vuskovic also picks a suspension-carrying yellow card. That's all for the first half, though.

HALF TIME - 0-1

The second half starts with Augsburg getting close in a corner kick, headed narrowly over by Henrichs. Ten minutes of pushing us back later, a long ball towards Strand Larsen ends in a dangerous shot that Kretzschmar tips wide. We soon replace our two wingers, Bustos due to being practically a ghost throught the game and Maldini due to tiredness, with Sapmaz and Nmecha taking their places.

We haven't been anywhere near Koubek's goal for a while now, and Vagnoman breaks that trend with a high ball from distance after a good run into space by Entrena. The keeper doesn't have it as easy when Rijkhoff finds Nmecha with space ahead inside the box, and Koubek has to dive to deflect the ball wide. The match is still not particularly exciting, though, and we reach the final ten minutes with the result still unchanged.

Three minutes later another corner kick, Augsburg's favorite source of danger, ends with Torunarigha heading it over, although extremely close to the crossbar. Yet another corner kick in the 86th and the danger levels reach peak tier: Jenz heads the cross into the crossbar, and substitute Lee Jae-Sung smashes the rebound into Gerometta, who was guarding the far post and found himself in the right place at the right moment. Jae-Sung has another in yet another corner kick, shooting into Kretzschmar's hands after a failed clearance. That's the last one, though, and we survive the game with our lead intact.

* * *

FC Augsburg 0
TSV 1860 München 1 (Julian Rijkhoff 9)

- - -

Yay, first away win in forever! Completely undeserved though, we basically spent the whole second half defending and Augsburg deserved at least one goal, even though most of their chances came from set pieces rather than open play. Regardless, three important points and bragging rights against Augsburg obtained for at least five months.

The price we paid was steep, though: Lang strained the ligaments of his left ankle and will be KO for three to four weeks, while Miranda suffered a minor bruise in the final minutes. At least there's the winter break ahead of us after the Bayern game, so the center back won't miss much actual playing time.

Dalbeider · March 20, 2023

Dec 16th 2025

Okay, the Bobsin issue is getting out of hand. Now he's complaining about not starting enough games, and when I tell him that he hasn't played well enough to deserve it he goes nuclear: first he threatens me with leaving, and when I say okay, you can leave, he turns it around and says that he'll instead stay until he "gets his way". So how much would it cost to just tear his contract up, again? Too much? Aw.

Dec 18th 2025

Alright, offers for Bobsin come from Fortuna Düsseldorf and Corinthians, and the player seems keen on the latter. €2.7M in both cases, which I'll gladly take to remove a ticking bomb from our dressing room.

Dec 19th 2025

TSV 1860 München (7th) vs. FC Bayern München (1st) (Bundesliga, 17/34)

And the footballing year ends with the Münchner derby, with Bayern having just regained the first place in the Bundesliga after Dortmund's defeat against Freiburg. We're at home and that means we get a massive boost considering the results so far, but Bayern is Bayern, so it'll take something special to get something out of this match. And considering our lineup is gonna be compromised by injuries, suspensions, and stupidity, well...

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Urko (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Antonio Entrena (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
BAYERN (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer (GK); Joshua Kimmich (DR), Dayot Upamecano (DCr), Nordi Mukiele (DCl), Alphonso Davies (DL); Sandro Tonali (MCr), Leon Goretzka (MCl); Leroy Sané (AMR), Jamal Musiala (AMC), Serge Gnabry (AML); Robert Lewandowski (ST)

* * *

In the end we move as few pieces as possible: Urko for Lang, Entrena moves to the anchor position, and Majetschak fills the gap in midfield, leaving everything else just like in our last fixture. Bayern obviously go full attack from the get-go, and one minute plus some change into the game Kretzschmar is already deflecting wide a dangerous shot by Sané. They have all the possession in the world, but somewhat surprisingly we manage to keep them at bay for a good while. Eighteen minutes, to be precise: Kimmich steals the ball from Miranda in the midfield, sees Lewandowski unmarked in the box, and the rest is history: 0-1 for Bayern.

Not much happens in the minutes that follow, with Bayern still holding the ball but apparently not wanting to push us too hard, while all we can manage is an occasional long shot that goes nowhere near Neuer. A wide shot by Lewandowski is their first in a while, and comes already in the 32nd minute. Good defending keeps their following shots from ever reaching Kretzschmar, and we go to the dressing rooms with a short result against.

HALF TIME - 0-1

The second half follows the same pattern, only Bayern now don't even seem to get close enough to shoot into our defender's legs. That is, until Lewandowski finds Sané on the run down the right in the 58th minute and assists him, only for Kretzschmar to dive down in front of his shot and tip the ball wide. A bit later 't Zand and Sapmaz come in as we start thinking about maybe grabbing an isolated chance out of nowhere and stealing a draw. Moura is our third substitution in Gerometta's place in order to prevent a second yellow card.

Time passes and Bayern don't seem to want to score the second despite controlling the match completely. In the 79th we find a gap and plunge through it, with Vagnoman assisting and Sapmaz finishing, although the winger's left foot betrays him and the ball sails over the stands behind the goal. Three minutes later Bayern decide it's enough: Kimmich takes a corner kick towards the near post and Goretzka heads it in, scoring the 0-2 and robbing us of our faint hopes. Miranda tries to get them back with an effort from distance that sails narrowly wide in the 89th, but we can't get any closer than that and Bayern get another win to add to the ever growing pile.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 0
FC Bayern München 2 (Robert Lewandowski 18, Leon Goretzka 82)

- - -

Honestly? Not too fussed about this match. We held them at bay quite well, and they only scored because they're that good and it had to come sooner or later, and it still took a bad marking decision and a set piece for the goals to arrive. Probably our best performance against Bayern to date, and it shows that we're on the right path. Still a long way to go, though.

The weekend ends with Leipzig losing to Dortmund and Matthias Jaissle getting the sack with the team in sixth place. And guess who the press calls to ask about being a favorite for the job? Yep, me. Getting bigger and bigger...

* * *

| Pos  | Team                | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | GD    | Pts   | Form  |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st  | FC Bayern           | 17    | 13    | 1     | 3     | 56    | 14    | 42    | 40    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd  | Borussia Dortmund   | 17    | 12    | 2     | 3     | 43    | 13    | 30    | 38    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd  | Borussia M'gladbach | 17    | 11    | 1     | 5     | 27    | 17    | 10    | 34    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th  | Hertha BSC          | 17    | 9     | 3     | 5     | 24    | 18    | 6     | 30    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th  | Freiburg            | 17    | 9     | 2     | 6     | 29    | 20    | 9     | 29    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th  | RB Leipzig          | 17    | 9     | 1     | 7     | 37    | 26    | 11    | 28    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th  | Bayer Leverkusen    | 17    | 8     | 4     | 5     | 31    | 27    | 4     | 28    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th  | 1860 München        | 17    | 8     | 3     | 6     | 28    | 29    | -1    | 27    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th  | Frankfurt           | 17    | 7     | 4     | 6     | 33    | 32    | 1     | 25    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | Köln                | 17    | 7     | 3     | 7     | 26    | 25    | 1     | 24    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | Hoffenheim          | 17    | 7     | 1     | 9     | 20    | 24    | -4    | 22    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | Hamburg             | 17    | 7     | 0     | 10    | 21    | 36    | -15   | 21    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | Nürnberg            | 17    | 6     | 2     | 9     | 20    | 32    | -12   | 20    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | Stuttgart           | 17    | 5     | 4     | 8     | 13    | 22    | -9    | 19    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | Arminia Bielefeld   | 17    | 4     | 5     | 8     | 18    | 30    | -12   | 17    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | Fortuna Düsseldorf  | 17    | 4     | 3     | 10    | 10    | 29    | -19   | 15    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | Augsburg            | 17    | 4     | 1     | 12    | 20    | 35    | -15   | 13    |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | Hannover 96         | 17    | 1     | 4     | 12    | 10    | 37    | -27   | 7     |       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Still eighth, and still chuffed about it. Even better, we're only three points away from the fourth place. Imagine getting into the Champions League? That'd be insane, but honestly I just wish for a safe, boring mid-table position we can use as a base to keep building upon. Anything else would be gravy. It's somewhat worrying that the relegation places are "only" twelve points behind, but really, that shouldn't be a concern for us anymore. We're only eight points away from the magic 35, which should all but guarantee survival in all 18-team leagues, and we should be getting there soon enough.

Well, so much for Dortmund having a good start of the season, huh? Three defeats in the last eight matches and boom, Bayern are back on top and looking unstoppable as always. Them goal differences, though... Gladbach, Hertha, and Freiburg remain as the positive surprises and will most likely duke it out for the Champions League places, although I expect Leipzig and Leverkusen will soon join that battle. Eintracht might also get there, but after the heights of last season that mid-table place feels disappointing. At the bottom Stuttgart seem to be slowly but steadily climbing out, Hamburg and Nürnberg look mostly safe, and Hannover just got their first win of the season and are not quite dead just yet. Everything up in the air.

* * *

PLAYER STATS
============

Average rating (min. 6 games played):

Daniel Maldini            7.37 (13(2) apps)
Niklas Lang               7.27 (18 apps)
Antonio Entrena           7.25 (13(2) apps)
Francisco Gerometta       7.14 (16(2) apps)
Laurin Ulrich             7.10 (3(5) apps)

Goals:

Daniel Maldini            9 goals
Julian Rijkhoff           8
Antonio Entrena           5
Matías Miranda            5
Nahuel Bustos             5

Assists:

Shiloh 't Zand            5 assists
Francisco Gerometta       5
Antonio Entrena           4
Daniel Maldini            4
Matías Miranda            3

* * *

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Premier League: guess who? Kompany's Manchester City, that's who. Seven-point lead over Chelsea with a game in hand should be enough to see them run away with their sixth title in a row, and the Belgian's third since taking over from Pep. Usual suspects Liverpool, Arsenal, and Man Utd lead the chasing pack, with Newcastle and Leicester close behind and Tottenham in a fictitious 10th place due to also having a game in hand. Bristol City are not enjoying their first season in the top flight in forty-six years very much, and are currently bottom with only four points, far behind other relegation candidates like Sheffield Utd, Brentford, and, somewhat surprisingly, Wolves.
LaLiga: close-fought battle between the two monsters dominating the field in Spain since forever ago, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The former take the lead on goal difference right now, both teams tied on 44 points and having lost only one game (and not against each other, the first Clásico was a draw) so far. Villarreal lead the mortals chasing after the gods, with Real Sociedad, Sevilla, and Atlético filling the other European spots. Another long-time returnee to the highest tiers, Real Oviedo, are winless and deep in trouble, with Granada and Valladolid also threatened but much closer to other teams like Málaga, Celta, and Sporting.
Serie A: small surprise in Italy, with Milan taking the top spot one point ahead of still unbeaten neighbors Inter and three ahead of Juventus. The rossoneri could be on their way to their first Serie A title in fifteen years, but the competition is going to be fierce, like almost always in this league. Roma and Napoli are also close, while the likes of Fiorentina, Lazio, and Sampdoria trail by a bigger distance and most likely will be only allowed to fight for scraps. Verona, Spezia, and Parma are currently in the drop zone, but with the teams like Torino, Genoa, and, yes, Benevento really close anything can happen in that particular fight.
Ligue 1: do my eyes deceive me, or is that Marseille on top of the Ligue 1? And with a two-point lead over PSG? Now that'd be a shock if it were to remain until the end of the season, but I've been burned before by early challengers floundering in the second half of the season. Behind the runaway pair Nice and Monaco complete the top four, while Lille and OL take the Europa League places with a healthy eight-point lead over the closest competition. The mid-table is extremely close, but the bottom five are once again quite separate from them, with Angers and Montpellier in the red zone and Metz holding onto the playoff place and keeping Valenciennes and Nimes Olympique within reach.

Dalbeider · March 22, 2023

Dec 24th 2025

In the middle of the winter break, it's time to start preparing for the upcoming transfer window. Wouters and Steinhart are offered out to fulfill my promise to them, although we'll try to move on the former permanently. There are some transfer offers for Wouters coming from Belgium, Switzerland, and the 2.Bundesliga, but nothing for Steinhart so far. Worth noting that we're getting a new midfielder added to the mix in January since Karlsen will join on a free, although he's likely to either be loaned out or play very limited minutes, since he's only 17 and needs a lot of work to become first-team ready.

Dec 27th 2025

Late Christmas present: Victor Bobsin agrees a €2.7M transfer to Corinthians. I was afraid he was gonna reject the bids once again, but apparently the Brazilian team offered him a tasty contract to entice him to return back home, and off he goes. Good riddance. He was solid last season, but his attitude since this summer has been appalling, and I have no place in my team for players like that.

Jan 1st 2026

Transfer window opens! Karlsen joins and moves to the U19s for now, Andrada returns from loan and is immediately transfer listed just in case someone is desperate enough to pay for a mediocre player in an expiring contract. Bobsin doesn't leave just yet since the Brazilian window opens later in the month.

The board offer me the chance to change the season's expectations, and once again I take the bait, we're gonna need all the money we can get to improve our defense in this window. In the end I go with a conservative bid to avoid a relegation battle, which should be all but guaranteed unless we implode in the coming matches. This leaves us with €8.17M to spend in transfers and a €439k weekly wage budget, of which €33k are still unspent. Should be enough. Time to search for a center back and a left back on the cheap. I'm open to loans, too.

To make space for our new signings Dries Wouters moves to St. Pauli for a flat €1.7M fee. A very solid performer in the three years he was with us, he shined in particular during our promotion campaign in the 2.Bundesliga, where he dislodged Wein from the anchor position and made it his. His performances suffered in the Bundesliga, though, and Bobsin's competition made him lose the starting place without being able to play regularly in defense either, as his place there was taken by Gechter and Hajdari. Only three appearances this season so far meant that it was the right moment for him to go. I'm sure he'll shine in the 2.Bundesliga once again. He was our vice-captain, too, so Majetschak will take his place.

Jan 3rd 2026

TSV 1860 München vs. AZ Alkmaar (Friendly)

Winter friendly against one of the stronger teams in the Eredivisie, just to test our mettle. It's also a good chance to see how well we do against a 3-5-2, a formation we've come across very rarely so far this season and which historically has given us trouble. Early signs are good, as we dominate from the start and take the lead ten minutes in, with 't Zand assisting from the wing and Rijkhoff finishing in style with a beautiful chip over Hoffmann. Our domination continues after the goal, and near the half hour Maldini finds Majetschak inside the box and the midfielder shoots low to score the second. The winger scores a second assist in injury time with a neat cross for 't Zand's easy tap-in, and we close the first half three ahead. A team full of kids and reserves takes the field in the second half, including Karsten's debut in midfield, which allows AZ to get their first shots at goal of the match, and eventually a goal through Hjulsager, who finishes a through ball by the hilariously named Kwakman. We still control the game other than that, though, and the result doesn't change any further.

TSV 1860 München 3 (Julian Rijkhoff 10, Erik Majetschak 29, Shiloh 't Zand 45+3)
AZ Alkmaar 1 (Andrew Hjulsager 63)

Jan 4th 2026

Isaías Andrada agrees a free transfer to Ferro come the summer. One of those random bets on good-looking young players we make from time to time, this one didn't pay out any dividends in the end. Nothing lost, nothing gained.

Jan 6th 2026

Today laughter could be heard all over the club's office. Apparently Mainz, currently second in the 2.Bundesliga, felt it would be funny to file a €15.25M bid for Lang and see if we would accept. They were right, it was really funny. To be fair to them that's basically on point with Lang's market value, but a) the player doesn't even want to hear about moving to Mainz, and b) seriously, who in their right mind would sell their club icon and best defender when we're actually short-handed in that area of the pitch?

Jan 7th 2026

Remember Forson? No, not the English midfielder currently out on loan, but Amankwah Forson, the winger we had on loan for the previous two seasons. He's just signed for Hamburg for €1.6M, so we'll be "enjoying" our games against him in the near future.

Jan 8th 2026

Here's our new left back, coming from Levante: 25yo Spaniard Manu Sánchez joins in a €1.5M plus 25% of future profits transfer, and on a reasonable €15.5k weekly wage until June 2029. Most likely the best option available from the left backs we had in our shortlist, Manu is a much more reliable player than Moura could ever dream to be. Solid in all departments, with good pace and technique in particular, he comes to be our default starter on the left side of the defense for what remains of the season and most likely the following one, and his arrival will probably mean Moura's departure come the summer. Cheap price, too, which is an added bonus. Let's hope this one does pan out, our luck with left backs not called Steinhart has been terrible so far.

Well well, there's trouble in paradise... 39-year-old Manuel Neuer has rejected Bayern's offer for a new deal, and in response he's been transfer listed. With him most likely gone and 37-year-old Lewandowski on the tail end of his career, I predict lots of cash splashing in Bayern's near future.

Jan 10th 2025

Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 (16th) vs. TSV 1860 München (8th) (Bundesliga, 18/34)

And back to action with a trip to Düsseldorf to visit struggling Fortuna. No surprise for them, they were always expected to be there or thereabouts, but it's never funny to be in the position of fighting for survival. I'd know, we've been there not that long ago... Like the Augsburg game before, this is a match we should be winning giving the current form of both teams, but our away form is still suspect at best, so anything could happen here.

* * *

DÜSSELDORF (4-2-3-1): Florian Kastenmeier (GK); Steven Alzate (DR), Jesús Vallejo (DCr), Christoph Klarer (DCl), Pietro Beruatto (DL); Santiago Ascacibar (MCr), Ilay Elmkies (MCl); Levin Öztunali (AMR), Nilson Angulo (AMC), Rafael Santos Borré (AML); Gonçalo Ramos (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)

* * *

Fortuna seem to have schewed their 3-5-2 and switched to a more standard (and boring) 4-2-3-1, which we don't mind in the slightest. Sánchez gets his debut on the left back while Lang returns to action after his injury. The first chance is ours, only three minutes into the game and with a quick combination through the center with Bustos and Entrena creating and Maldini finishing into Kastenmeier's punching save. Things look quite even possession-wise, but we seem to be pushing forward with more consistency in the initial minutes, although Ramos is the next to try luck with a header in a corner kick, well blocked by Kretzschmar.

Twelve minutes in Fortuna create their first open play chance with a cross from Ascacibar that Ramos heads into the crossbar, although luck has it that the ball falls straight into Borré's feet for an easy finish and the 1-0. Our answer is a play down the left for Bustos, who crosses back towards Miranda so the midfielder can shoot low into Kastenmeier's block, then put some pressure on the defense for a second shot that the keeper now manages to hold securely. But in the 21st Beruatto sends a quick cross from the left towards the far post, Öztunali gets ahead of Sánchez, and Kretzschmar can't close the gap in time: 2-0, and now we're in real trouble.

Ten minutes without action on either goal end with a close-range finish by Miranda that hits Beruatto's legs and rolls wide by inches. We can't create danger consistently, though, and more time passes before Ramos heads another set piece narrowly over. It takes us until injury time to make something happen, but when it comes it's for real: Stjepanovic breaks into the midfield with a run and a vertical pass over the defense towards Maldini, who hits it first time and beats Kastenmeier to claw one back right before the end of the half. There's hope still.

HALF TIME - 2-1

After reassuring the players during half time they come roaring right out of the gates, starting with a high effort from distance by Vuskovic seconds into the second half. Even Kretzschmar looks more alive now, flying to prevent a beautiful curler from the edge of the box by Ramos to hit the back of the net. Maldini continues playing out of his mind and almost gets the draw in the 52nd with a subtle chipped finish that bounces off the corner of the goal's frame, then Borré hits us right back on the counter with another good shot that Kretzschmar tips over the bar. Very entertaining minutes for sure.

Our keeper and Stjepanovic combine to block and clear another very dangerous finish by Ramos in the 57th minute, right before Rijkhoff comes in 't Zand's place. Soon after it's Majetschak and Vagnoman who enter the game, the latter replacing a pretty average Sánchez to protect him from a second yellow card. Said and done, Vagnoman picks a yellow literally seconds after stepping on the pitch... Our next shot comes in the 71st minute after a long period of inactivity, a long-range try by Rijkhoff that goes very narrowly wide to the right of the target. Time is running out, though.

Fortuna hit us again on the break, with Borré getting behind Gerometta with surprising ease but blasting his finish miles over the bar. Borré does much better in the 75th minute, though, curling a 25-yarder straight into the top corner to score the 3-1, impossible for Kretzschmar. We don't surrender, though, and only three minutes later Vagnoman breaks into the box from the left then taps the ball back towards Rijkhoff, who shoots at the near post and beats Kastenmeier. Two minutes more and it's Majetschak who tries luck from the other side, his shot much weaker and much easier to catch for the keeper, though.

The siege continues, and in the 83rd Majetschak sends a high ball into the box from deep so Maldini can head it down, well tipped wide by Kastenmeier, then it's Rijkhoff who gets a tap-in blocked by a defender after another good assist by Majetschak. But that's all we get, and in the end the game escapes through our fingers when we were this close to grasping it. A real shame.

* * *

Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895 3 (Rafael Santos Borré 12 75, Levin Öztunali 21)
TSV 1860 München 2 (Daniel Maldini 45+1, Julian Rijkhoff 78)

- - -

Remember the board wanted us to play solid defensive football? Heh, I'm sure they must love this new version of ourselves. But seriously, we can't afford to concede two in the first two chances any team has against us, because having to play catch-up all game long is nowhere near the best way to score points consistenly, as demonstrated today. Our attack was good at creating danger (not so much at finishing it) but our defending was shambolic all night long, and even the ever-solid Lang had a terrible game at the back. We probably need to dial it back a notch or two when playing away, it's obvious we get caught with our pants down way too often.

Dalbeider · March 24, 2023

Jan 12th 2026

And here's our new center back, a bet for the future that's almost sure to pay off: 18-year-old (yet two times senior international for Bosnia) Amer Hadzic joins on a €2.1M transfer, no clauses attached since it was his release clause back in Austria Wien. A no-nonsense defender very much in the style of Lang, fantastic in the air and with outstanding work ethic and bravery, this kid is bound for great things and is already good enough to start for us, even if he's half a step behind Lang and Stjepanovic in quality. The only bad thing about this deal is that we couldn't dodge a €5.5M release clause in his contract, which is extremely likely to feel very small in just a few months' time. His wages are also very low, so there's a good chance we'll have to offer him a new deal before the end of the natural year.

Jan 14th 2026

Urko will miss two weeks with pulled ankle ligaments, nothing serious but enough to take him out for our next two fixtures, just when I was planning to give him more minutes in our midfield.

Jan 15th 2026

Bayern solve Neuer's inheritance problem with one simple step: pay Arsenal €82M for Aaron Ramsdale, a quality keeper in his prime. Not bad.

Jan 17th 2026

TSV 1860 München (8th) vs. 1.FC Nürnberg (12th) (Bundesliga, 19/34)

Back home with Nürnberg visiting, one of the few teams we've managed to steal something from away from home, and so far they've been doing a pretty good job at staying well above the relegation battle, which is a success for both them and us. They're only six points behind us, so they have to be respected, but we should have enough in ourselves to beat them without too much trouble today. Emphasis on "should".

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
NÜRNBERG (4-4-2): Christian Mathenia (GK); Maksim Paskotsi (DR), Alex Pascanu (DCr), Armel Bella-Kotchap (DCl), Jannes Horn (DL); Facundo Pellistri (MR), Ilai Madmon (MCr), Aleksandar Jukic (MCl), Mats Moller Daehli (ML); Inaki Larthirigoyen (STr), Manuel Wintzheimer (STl)

* * *

Debut for Hadzic and rotation in various other positions, while Urko and Vagnoman miss out due to injury and suspension respectively. The pitch of Grünwalder Stadion is waterlogged due to heavy rain today, which won't exactly help our passing play. We still do pretty well in the early game, Nmecha soon creating a decent chance for Rijkhoff that the striker sends over the bar, while Nürnberg take a bit longer to get their first shot in, a wide long shot by Pellistri after a set piece is cleared from our penalty area. The real danger arrives in the 21st minute when Stjepanovic eats a long pass over his head and Larthirigoyen almost turns that mistake into a goal, only stopped by the post.

Medina brings us back into the attacking action with a long shot straight into Mathenia's hands, but we're struggling a lot to create anything today, most certainly not helped by all the water. Vuskovic finally finds the way in the 39th minute, and it's simple: vertical pass through the center into the box so Majetschak can collect and shoot into the back of the net. Okay, VAR had to double-check his position because he was really close to being offside, but it was good in the end.

One minute later another gap opens for Manu Sánchez to run through, stop, then pass back to Nmecha so the inside forward can curl it into the top corner, a very Thierry Henry-like goal for our 2-0. Even new kid Hadzic joins the party in the final minutes of the half with a well-placed shot that Mathenia barely blocks in time, and Rijkhoff wastes a good run behind the defense in injury time with a wide finish. Still, good result at the break.

HALF TIME - 2-0

We continue our newfound attacking flair in the early second half, with Nmecha almost getting a second with a shot into the near post that Mathenia blocks over the goal line. Nürnberg wake up not much later with a high ball from distance by Wintzheimer, and on the other goal Vuskovic finds Sapmaz with another through ball from deep but Mathenia manages to dive at the right moment to prevent the winger from scoring, then Rijkhoff heads the corner kick very narrowly over.

Ulrich and Bustos enter the game shortly after, with Entrena following not much later. Nürnberg finally create real danger in the 70th minute with a pass into space for Bidstrup's run from deep, but the midfielder can't stay calm in the crucial moment and blasts the ball into high orbit when one-on-one against Kretzschmar, who still hasn't had any real work to do. A wide finish by Nmecha follows, once again assisted by an excellent Vuskovic, but in the 78th Nürnberg finally find the way with another long ball over Stjepanovic and into Larthirigoyen's feet, with the striker finding space and time to control, dodge Kretzschmar's rush, and score with ease.

It's time for nerves, but we keep our heads cool and maintain control despite Nürnberg threateing with random counterattacks from time to time. We reach injury time without further incident, and then Rijkhoff and Bustos have a fantastic double chance to seal the deal, but first Mathenia and then Horn block both forwards' finishes and all we get is a corner kick, which Hadzic proceeds to head a couple inches over the crossbar. Nürnberg try pumping balls into the box as a last resort, but our teenagers at the back hold their ground and secure the win for us.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Erik Majetschak 39, Felix Nmecha 40)
1.FC Nürnberg 1 (Iñaki Larthirigoyen 78)

- - -

Good show, even if we had to suffer a bit at the end. We really had the game under control most of the time, and those two strokes of genius at the end of the first half turned our good play into an actual lead we could ride until the end. Great game for Vuskovic and our whole defense, although Kretzschmar conceded on Nürnberg's one and only shot on target.

That was Miranda's 30th league game for us, so Gimnasia La Plata get the agreed €500k fee. Worth it, I'd say, even though it wasn't his best performance of the year by any stretch. He's been picking Majetschak's slack as the engine that makes our midfield tick, adding both goals and assists and looking dangerous coming in from deep, and I'm really happy to see him finally finding his place in our team.

Dalbeider · March 27, 2023

Jan 19th 2026

Bobsin finally departs for Corinthians, leaving €2.7M and lots of peace and tranquility behind.

Jan 20th 2026

Stjepanovic scores a place in the Team of the Week.

Then karma decides we need some bad news to compensate so much good happening lately and brings a training injury to Entrena. Just like Urko one week ago, pulled ankle ligaments for two to three weeks of rest. Not ideal but we'll cope.

Jan 24th 2026

Borussia Mönchengladbach (6th) vs. TSV 1860 München (7th) (Bundesliga, 20/34)

Don't think anyone would expect us to be playing a six-pointer for the Europa League places any time in this season, but here we are. Van Bommel's Gladbach are right in front of us in the table and only four points away, so a win here would bring us really close to that particular target. Let's see if we can stop gifting goals to the opposition when playing away and we might actually have a chance here.

* * *

GLADBACH (4-2-3-1): Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK); Arbnor Aliu (DR), Cheick Doucouré (DCr), Igor Diveev (DCl), Luca Netz (DL); Gianluca Busio (MCr), Elvis Rexhbecaj (MCl); Breel Embolo (AMR), Nedim Bajrami (AMC), Raúl Moro (AML), Marcus Thuram (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)

* * *

Entrena and Urko can't play today, so that means Karlsen gets his first call-up to the senior team and might actually play some minutes in the second half if circumstances allow. Our woes with conceding early in our away games continue, and six minutes into the game a deep set piece taken by Moro from the right wing is volleyed in by Embolo with both Kretzschmar and the whole defense watching. And they are right to do so: he is offside, and the goal is called off. We strike back quickly thanks to Rijkhoff's tireless pressing intercepting a pass between the center backs and shooting into Mamardashvili's fingertip save.

We're doing fine in possession, and our few chances are actually quite good, including a shot by Bustos after gathering a loose ball inside the box that's once again denied by Mamardashvili. Next up is Maldini, whose shot meets the same fate, then Majetschak smashes the ball on Diveev on the rebound. Meanwhile Gladbach haven't managed a single (legal) shot at goal in over twenty minutes. Even Mamardashvili's clearances turn into chances for us sometimes, as when he kicks the ball straight into Rijkhoff's head in the 25th minute, although the striker is as surprised as everyone else and doesn't have the time to aim it correctly, sending it wide in the end.

One minute later Thuram finally gets a header in after a corner kick, well saved by Kretzschmar but still their first real attempt at goal, which we answer with a long pass by Bustos towards Rijkhoff, who once again shoots wide with his left foot. Another steal by Majetschak on the pressure allows him a chance to shoot, but it's a weak one and Mamardashvili has no trouble catching it, and a few minutes later he sends a good through ball towards Bustos who hits it with more power, but with the same result in the end: saved by the keeper. Another assist by Majetschak in the 43rd, another shot by Rijkhoff, another save by Mamardashvili, a song we've heard many times in this first half but which keeps looping and looping, leaving us still goalless at half time.

HALF TIME - 0-0

Slow start to the second half, with Gladbach seeming to increase the pace a bit and actually getting closer to Kretzschmar's goal, although without any real danger. A distant header by Embolo after Moro's cross from the left is the closest they get in the early minutes, and that one's an easy catch for Kretzschmar. Then, in our first real attack after the break, Sánchez assists Bustos inside the box so the forward can shoot into yet another block by Mamardashvili, but this time Majetschak is there to get the rebound and pass it into the back of the net. Finally ahead.

Vagnoman for Gerometta is our first substitution, since the right back's performance has been somewhat suspect today. Not much happens in the minutes that follow our goal, and after a while a solid but tired Miranda leaves his place to Ulrich, while Karlsen debuts in Maldini's place, moving Bustos to the right. Gladbach don't try again until the 76th with a dangerously close bending shot by Soteldo after a set piece which misses the target by inches. The ball is theirs now, but they don't seem to do much profitable with it, and so we reach injury time, where Mamardashvili saves another shot by Majetschak while his partners fail to give us any trouble in defense. Thus the game ends in our victory, and suddenly we can start dreaming big.

* * *

Borussia Mönchengladbach 0
TSV 1860 München 1 (Erik Majetschak 57)

- - -

Really, really good job. Mamardashvili earned himself a man of the match award today, which should speak miles about how much better we were for most of the game. Only in the final minutes we took a step back and let Gladbach do their thing, which mostly consisted in passing the ball around without any attacking aim. We're now one point behind the sixth place (and two behind the fourth!), and we even put some (small) space between us and Leverkusen behind. Also, 33 points already, only two away from the magic 35, in case relegation was still a worry. Elsewhere, Bayern's second draw in the last three fixtures sees Dortmund regain the top of the league.

Dalbeider · March 30, 2023

Jan 27th 2026

Majetschak is our representative in the Team of the Week this time.

Jan 30th 2026

We make another one of our random youth signings, once again betting on a South American player which looks to have some serious potential: 19yo Colombian striker Juan Mosquera, formerly in Deportivo Cali, joins on a free transfer on nominal wages. A fast and nimble forward with good pace and dribbling but somewhat short in finishing ability, he could have potential for at least some mid-term profit, even if he doesn't make the first team in the end. We'll try to loan him out and see how he develops, and if he turns out to be another dud then nothing of value was lost.

Jan 31st 2026

TSV 1860 München (7th) vs. Hertha BSC (3rd) (Bundesliga, 21/34)

Yes, third, which is amazing for Hertha by the way, but only four points ahead of us, and given our home form I don't think they're beyond our reach by any means. The thing is, this is a difficult week because we'll be playing in the DFB Pokal in only three days, so we'll have to balance the minutes very carefully if we want to stay competitive throughout.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Josha Vagnoman (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Urko (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)
HERTHA (4-3-3): Oliver Baumann (GK); Pedro Porro (DR), Andrew Omobamidele (DCr), Pascal Strujik (DCl), Fredrik Bjorkan (DL); Lucas Tousart (DM), Julian Weigl (MCr), Florian Neuhaus (MCl); Brais Méndez (AMR), Nemanja Motika (AML), Krzysztof Piatek (ST)

* * *

Urko returns to the lineup after his injury, since Stjepanovic is nursing a minor knock and I'd rather have him fully fit for the cup. Some rotation in other positions, too, although we'll most likely need the likes of Sapmaz and Ulrich to step in during the second half. It's another stormy day with lots of water on the pitch today, which Hertha seem to adapt better to as they score an offside goal only three minutes in, correctly disallowed by VAR. Their second attempt in the 8th minute is valid, though: Weigl passes into the box for Motika and the left winger curls it into the top corner to give Hertha an early lead.

We slowly rebuild ourselves, progressively regaining possession from Hertha after their overbearing start, but in the 17th minute a corner kick taken by Porro is headed with power by Omobamidele and the 0-2 becomes a reality in their second shot on target of the game. Their first miss is a header by Méndez that Kretzschmar catches five minutes later, while we still can't seem to find a way past their midfield. And so the game continues on and on, with only a few minor approaches by Hertha and absolutely nothing from our attackers, until the first half is over with no further goals nor anything remotely resembling one.

HALF TIME - 0-2

The screaming in the dressing room was inevitable, and the immediate reaction very welcome: five minutes into the second half we finally do our usual passing play, and eventually Manu Sánchez finds Nmecha running ahead of Porro and sends the ball through to him so the inside forward can place it into the net and bring us back into the match. A weak header by Piatek to Neuhaus's cross from the left is Hertha's answer, but after that the game becomes mired down in midfield again and it's time for substitutions: Rijkhoff and Sapmaz are the first to come in, and 't Zand follows soon after due to Nmecha's exhaustion.

Time passes and only a high header by Strujik in a corner kick breaks the boredom for both teams' fans. That one came in the 71st minute, and it takes until the 88th for something else to happen, that being a clearly offside goal by Rijkhoff that doesn't change the score in any way. But right after Hertha restart the game Rijkhoff himself steals the ball, passes it to the right for Sapmaz, and the youngster crosses low towards the far post so 't Zand can tap it in and draw the game. All three subs working together to score a last-minute draw, nice. In injury time Tousart heads a corner kick wide for Hertha, and that's it. One point for each team in the end.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Felix Nmecha 50, Shiloh 't Zand 89)
Hertha BSC 2 (Nemanja Motika 8, Andrew Omobamidele 17)

- - -

Fair result in the end, but we really love making it hard for ourselves, don't we. Another game in which we had to work hard to fix our early mistakes, and which thankfully ended in a decent result, but which we could just as easily have lost given how hard it was to create anything under these weather conditions. Good impact by our subs once again, and another pretty bad game for Urko in defense. Tempted to look for another center back in the remaining days of transfer window just so we can use him exclusively as a midfielder, he does better there.

And said and done, because things apparently happen in a flash with the end of the window so close: we sign Benfica's 24yo Argentinian center back Kevin Lomónaco for €3.3M plus 20% of future profits. A solid ball-playing defender very much like Stjepanovic (and Gechter and Hajdari before him), he's good defensively (of course) but also comes with a surprising amount of flair for a defensive player. The fee we paid for him is a bargain given his market value, and the wages (€17.75k per week) very reasonable, even more considering he comes with no release clauses whatsoever. I'd like for him to work with our coaches to remove some undesirable tendencies in his play (like apparently loving to beat opponents repeatedly, which er, I'd rather not have in our center backs), but otherwise a signing I'm very happy with. He'll rotate with Stjepanovic in one of our two slots at the back, with Lang and Hadzic in the other and Urko freed for midfield duties as Vuskovic's main alternative in the anchor.

Dalbeider · April 1, 2023

Feb 2nd 2026

Transfer window closes at 6 PM, but we've already done all our business. All that might remain is finding someone willing to take Steinhart (no luck so far) and maybe loaning some of our youngsters out, although there's also little interest so far. No plans of any purchases unless someone gets poached at the last second.

The day is pretty calm at the office, except that St. Pauli try to get Ulrich on loan. I might have accepted at the start of the season, but right now I need him around, and they're offering only a squad player status, so he might not even play much more there than with us. Not to mention they'd only pay 10% of his wages. Rejected.

Finally we find a place for Steinhart to spend what remains of his contract: Darmstadt, currently 8th in the 2.Bundesliga, who take him on a free loan as a squad player. A pretty good fit for a player of his calibre, I'd say. Literally the last deal to sneak under the deadline in Germany, too.

Feb 3rd 2026

1.FC Union Berlin vs. TSV 1860 München (DFB Pokal, 3rd round)

And back to the cup, with 2.Bundesliga promotion hopefuls Union Berlin as a difficult but not excessively so hurdle to jump over and make the quarterfinals for the first time since my arrival. Our main enemy will be tiredness, with most of our starters still reeling from the effort against Hertha only three days ago. Our rotation players should do well enough to see us through today, though.

* * *

UNION BERLIN (4-2-3-1): Frederik Ronnow (GK); Lukas Klünter (DR), Reece Oxford (DCr), Dominique Heintz (DCl), Jarrad Branthwaite (DL); Rani Khedira (MCr), Paul Jaeckel (MCl); Robert Wagner (AMR), Max Meyer (AMC), Lucas Höler (AML), Miguel De la Fuente (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Francisco Moura (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Laurin Ulrich (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)

* * *

As expected lots of rotation today, although Lomónaco has to await his debut on the bench for now, since Stjepanovic is available and fit. Union lost Jakub Kaminski, probably their best player, a few days ago to Sampdoria and his replacements haven't exactly filled their fans with hope for the future. We give them more reason to be pessimistic four minutes in: Ulrich controls the ball in midfield and spots Miranda's run into the box, so he sends the ball over the defense so the Argentinian catches a spectacular volley to score the 0-1. Beautiful.

Union strike right back with a quick cross by Wagner into Höler's header, narrowly over, but we soon hit them again through Moura and 't Zand, the first assisting and the second shooting into Ronnow's difficult fingertip save. We dominate the early game possession with ease, and even score a clearly offside goal in a set piece that Rijkhoff heads into the net before seeing it disallowed. Another set piece is what Union use to hit us with next, and it's a good one: Meyer passes alongside the edge of the box towards Wagner, who doesn't hesitate to hit a 20-yarder next to the post and past Quintero to draw the game.

We remain calm, although Quintero soon has to block a header by Höler after another run down the right flank by De la Fuente. Union ride the high from their goal for a few minutes more before we restablish control and start pushing them back again. A cross from Moura towards Vuskovic that the defensive midfielder finishes with a low shot into Ronnow's save is our first attempt in a while, and a pretty decent one at that. On the other goal it's Höler again with a header, this time well held by Quintero. In the 39th Ulrich creates another clear-cut chance with a through ball towards Rijkhoff, who can't get past Ronnow with his finish. That's the last real chance of the first half, which dies with both teams still tied.

HALF TIME - 1-1

Fifteen seconds and Sapmaz's first good cross of the evening is all we need to create danger right out of the gates, Rijkhoff's header meeting the same fate as all his finishes so far today: Ronnow's hands. One minute later a nice combination through the left and center ends with 't Zand getting another good chance stopped by the keeper, and in the 49th a barge on Vuskovic just a few inches inside the box prompts the ref to point to the spot. Miranda buries the penalty for his and our second of the match, and our lead is finally restored.

Union react to our quickfire attacks with a run down the right by Klünter and a cross for, who else, Höler, who once again sees his header stopped by Quintero. Miranda needs to be replaced by Majetschak soon despite being on a hattrick, and Vagnoman also comes in to try and stop Höler from getting so much space for his headers. It's not him who gets the next, though, but Jaeckel, who nods a corner kick straight into the crossbar in Union's best chance in a while.

We're suddenly struggling, and Meyer is the next one to test Quintero with a direct free kick that the keeper barely manages to swat off the top left corner. It was coming, and it comes in the end: quick counterattack by Union, the ball ends in Wagner's feet on the right side of the box, and his quick low pass towards Meyer is turned into a powerful finish that Quintero can only watch as it hits the back of the net. Back to the drawing board once again.

Union keep attacking even after the goal, and soon a through ball towards Höler turns into another great chance and another great save by Quintero. Urko for Vuskovic is our final substitution as we try to reignite our midfield's engine, which apparently stalled as soon as we scored the 1-2. That seems to work in at least stopping Union's attacks, and the following minutes are calm on both goals, so much so that we go all the way into the 89th minute before something happens, said something being a weak shot by Sapmaz that Ronnow saves with ease. Injury time brings no changes, and we head into extra time with lots of uncertainties.

FULL TIME - 2-2

We quickly spend our extra substitution to bring Bustos in 't Zand's place, hoping for fresher legs to give us the edge upfront. And it works, although not through this substitution: an attack down the right led by Vagnoman and Sapmaz ends with Majetschak receiving the ball inside the box, and the midfielder passes low towards Rijkhoff so the striker can rifle it past Ronnow and score the 2-3. Then it's back to the mines, trying to hold Union back as they go for the inevitable reaction, starting with a shot by De la Fuente that Quintero saves and holds. It's not all defense, though, and a cross by Vagnoman towards Bustos ends with his header bouncing off the crossbar. We hold on without any further scares until the end of the first fifteen minutes, but in injury time a corner kick is headed into the crossbar by Barkok and Heintz pounces on the rebound to make it 3-3. Once more with feeling.

Both teams are exhausted by now, but Stjepanovic doesn't care: the defender barges into midfield and assists Majetschak, who shoots low and right next to the root of the post from just outside the box and scores the fourth only three minutes into the second half of extra time. And then back to the same old song: cross from the right by Karbownik towards Höler, who gets his umpteenth finish blocked by Quintero and sent wide, a corner kick that Oxford then heads wide. Quintero performs once again tipping over a point-blank finish by De la Fuente in the 111th minute, just before they throw caution to the wind and change into a 3-4-3-ish formation. That change actually works in our favor, since it allows us to keep the ball better and let the minutes pass until the referee calls for the end. Suffering with a reward at the end hurts less.

* * *

1.FC Union Berlin 3 (Robert Wagner 16, Max Meyer 65, Dominique Heinz 105+2)
TSV 1860 München 4 (Matías Miranda 4 49p, Julian Rijkhoff 94, Erik Majetschak 108)

- - -

Gods, what a game. We were on the driving seat for most of it, but never quite managed to keep moving forward whenever we took the lead. In the end, though, Majetschak gave us the punch we needed, funnily enough after being absolutely atrocious in regular time after coming in for the excellent Miranda. Great game by Quintero on goal, too, despite conceding thrice. A hard-fought win which sees us reach the quarterfinals, and from here on anything can happen.

Dalbeider · April 3, 2023

Feb 4th 2026

Well well, things are getting interesting in the DFB Pokal. Bayern survived against Hannover with a single Lewandowski goal, but Hertha kicked Dortmund out on penalties, and with other big names like Leverkusen, Eintracht, and Gladbach already gone this leaves a wide open field. Which Bayern will surely conquer effortlessly like they always do, I guess.

The draw for the quarterfinals ends like this: Bochum-Bayern, Leipzig-Stuttgart, Darmstadt-Hertha, and 1860-Augsburg. A fantastic chance to make the semis by beating our dear rivals. Bayern, Leipzig, and Hertha have to be the big favorites to get through in the other ties, which would leave a nightmare scenario, but hey, if you wanna win titles you have to beat the big teams eventually.

Feb 7th 2026

1.FC Köln (9th) vs. TSV 1860 München (7th) (Bundesliga, 22/34)

Back to the league with a trip to Köln, against whom we haven't lost this season so far. Of course the other two times we met we didn't have half the squad exhausted after an extra time thriller four days ago, but still. Köln will want a win here to crawl a bit closer to the fight for Europe, and we'll want the opposite to maybe put some pressure on the teams ahead of us. A toughie, all in all.

* * *

KÖLN (4-2-3-1): Kevin Trapp (GK); Kevin Mbabu (DR), Nathan Phillips (DCr), Ethan Ampadu (DCl), Jonas Hector (DL); Anton Stach (MCr), Dejan Ljubicic (MCl); Julian Draxler (AMR), Ondrej Duda (AMC), Eddie Nketiah (AML), Lucas Alario (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Kevin Lomónaco (DCr), Amed Hadzic (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)

* * *

Obviously lots of rotation, with most of the team that drew against Hertha back today, with the exception of Lomónaco's debut and some of the players who didn't play the whole midweek fixture. Köln surprise with a switch to a 4-2-3-1 from their usual diamond formation, and we go off to dominate possession in the early game while pushing Köln back into their own half, although things even out eventually before we've had a chance to get anything tangible for our efforts. Both teams trade a few low-danger attemps in these early minutes, with a high shot from distance by Mbabu being the best of the bunch.

The first real chance comes in the 17th with Mbabu once again in the spotlight, this time running down the whole right flank before crossing for Alario's header into Kretzschmar's secure save. A wide thirty-yarder by Stach follows, and now it's us who're being pushed back. Phillips misses the target by a couple of inches with his header in a set piece twenty-one minutes in, and eight minutes later Kretzschmar and Lomónaco have to show up again to block a double chance inside the small box for Alario and Duda, once again after a good run-and-cross routine on the right by Mbabu. The keeper then repeats with another block to Phillips' header in the corner kick that follows, and the pressure is starting to get a bit unbearable.

Then we crack: another corner kick, and Nmecha pushes Mbabu in the back inside the box while fighting for position. VAR penalty, and Alario sends Kretzschmar the wrong way to score the 1-0 from the spot. Kretzschmar soon has to save a header by Nketiah to prevent the wound from getting any deeper, then tips wide a long-range direct free kick by Draxler. Meanwhile we're now struggling to even get out of our own half with the ball under control, and we have to be thankful that the first half ends without any further scares.

HALF TIME - 1-0

Majetschak replaces a somewhat knackered Entrena after the break, and things immediately take a sudden turn for the better: Bustos controls the ball with his back to the goal, waits until Nmecha runs into the space behind the defense, and sends the ball through in the exactly right moment to allow the inside forward an easy finish to score the 1-1 in our first shot on target of the game. Köln soon regain the initiative and start attacking again, while we bring Rijkhoff and Sapmaz into the game to refresh our forward line, pretty unremarkable today outside of the goal.

In the 61st minute Sánchez finds a gap to send a cross through, and Rijkhoff's header looks set for the 1-2, but ends up bouncing off the woodwork. The game is much less intense now, though, at least when it comes to goalscoring opportunities, and we reach the halfway point with Köln still failing to test Kretzschmar even once since half time. They finally do in the 70th minute, but it's a weak finish by substitute Maina, straight into the keeper's hands.

The right winger has a much better chance one minute later, heading well a cross from Hector but finding Kretzschmar's gloves in the way. We seem to be headed into a repeat of the first half, but Rijkhoff profits from a clearance to face alone against two defenders, dribbling past them, and finishing into Trapp's fingertip save in a great chance to pull a winner out of our collective rearside. After that the game seems to die down, and minutes slowly crawl by with only a clearly offside goal by Alario to break the boredom for the fans. We almost profit from a double passing mistake by Köln one minute before full time, though, although in the end Majetschak's finish is tipped wide by an excellent Trapp. Another weak header by Maina that Kretzschmar holds with ease is Köln's last ditch attempt, and we go back home happy with the point we stole today.

* * *

1.FC Köln 1 (Lucas Alario 32p)
TSV 1860 München 1 (Felix Nmecha 50)

- - -

Lucky draw indeed. In the first half we were completely overrun by Köln, and we probably should've been losing by more than one goal by the time it ended. The second half was much closer, with the best chances being ours, and we even had at least three clear-cut ones to steal the winner. I'll take the point, though, and not only because it's number 35. Meanwhile, at the top of the table, der Klassiker Derby ended in a 1-0 win for Dortmund, who regain a nice five-point cushion over Bayern with third-place Freiburg a million light years away by now.

Dalbeider · April 5, 2023

Feb 10th 2026

News reports coming from Switzerland about Lugano wanting to buy Miranda with immediate effect. Good thing he doesn't want to leave, because that would leave us in a difficult situation, unable to replace him until June. It'd take some absolutely ridiculous offer for us to even consider accepting at this point.

Feb 13th 2026

TSV 1860 München (8th) vs. Borussia Dortmund (1st) (Bundesliga, 23/34)

Can we gift Bayern the Bundesliga two years in a row? Now that would be a sad state of affairs, but considering what happened last season with Leipzig, I wouldn't rule it out completely. Then again Dortmund have looked extremely solid lately, even beating Bayern themselves last week to consolidate their position at the top, so it'd take more than a funny (only not really) coincidence to lead us to a victory today.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Niklas Lang (DCr), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCl), Josha Vagnoman (DL); Urko (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
DORTMUND (4-3-1-2 narrow): Gregor Kobel (GK); Mohamed Simakan (DR), Niklas Süle (DCr), Manuel Akanji (DCl), Arthur Theate (DL); Joey Veerman (MCr), Emre Can (MC), Hamed Traoré (MCl); Kacper Kozlowski (AMC); Luka Jovic (STr), Youssoufa Moukoko (STl)

* * *

Rotation continues today, since this is a game we can afford to lose. Urko gets the start in front of the defense, where today he'll have to act as an honorary defender most of the time. Meanwhile Dortmund are without Reyna today, but the rest of their squad should be more than good enough to give us hell. And still... Not even twenty seconds have passed when Urko intercepts a pass and starts a counterattack that ends with Maldini sending the ball ahead to Rijkhoff so the striker can score a lightning-quick opener against the team he's contracted to. Wonderful.

It couldn't last, though, and only five minutes later Veerman sprints past our defensive lines chasing a through ball from Can and scores with a placed finish in front of Kretzschmar's desperate rush. A volley by Kozlowski after a cross by Theate is their next attempt, but this time the keeper sees it coming and saves confidently, and after those frantic early minutes both teams decide to take a break and bring the battle towards the midfield, where we hold a small advantage for the time being.

Another intercepted pass, this time courtesy of Miranda in the 27th minute, allows us to mount another quick attack that leads to a shot by Maldini, well saved down by Kobel. It's a rare outlier in an otherwise deceptively calm segment of the game, though, and other than a few long-range attempts by Dortmund that go nowhere fast there is no further action on either goal before half time.

HALF TIME - 1-1

With the center of the pitch thoroughly clogged by a million players trying to get through, we try and switch our play towards our right wing, where Gerometta and Maldini should combine with advantage against Theate. Our next chance comes from a long clearance by Kretzschmar, though, mostly thanks to Süle failing to head it away and gifting Rijkhoff the chance to test Kobel again, with a good answer by the keeper. We're looking like the better team until Gerometta miskicks a pass and sends it straight to Can, who then spots Moukoko completely unmarked in the edge of the box and a striker of his quality doesn't need any more than that to score the 1-2.

The goal gives Dortmund a lift, and soon Jovic is threatening us again with a very narrowly wide header, the cross coming from Simakan. Next up is a combination through the center which ends with Moukoko assisting Kozlowski, only for Kretzschmar to deflect his finish wide for a corner that Akanji also heads over the bar. Bustos and Sánchez replace Gerometta and 't Zand, but the only immediate effect is Can heading over a set piece in the 65th minute right before Entrena takes Majetschak's place as our final substitution.

Six minutes later, and almost out of nowhere, Sánchez sees Rijkhoff's run into space from miles away and sends a long pass ahead of him which the striker gathers, then dribbles past Kobel before passing the ball into the back of the net for the 2-2. Now Dortmund have to rush, and only four minutes later Jovic loops a header in a corner kick into the top of the crossbar and over. In the 82nd Sánchez does it again, this time assisting Bustos so the forward can cut in and shoot over the bar when half the stadium was already celebrating the winner. Lang and Kretzschmar combine to block a dangerous finish by Kozlowski one minute before the end of regulation, Bustos heads narrowly over a cross by Maldini in injury time, and the game ends in an historic draw worth celebrating for the local faithful.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Julian Rijkhoff 1 71)
Borussia Dortmund 2 (Joey Veerman 6, Youssoufa Moukoko 56)

- - -

Absolutely massive result, even though it's only worth one point. More than the fact that we got a pretty lucky point against the leaders, what this game means is that we can finally start putting even the top teams in the nation in trouble if we play our cards right, at least when playing at home. Today Dortmund weren't as deadly up front as we've come to expect, but there's a lot to be said about us plugging most of the holes they could use to break through, and then taking our chances when they came. Someone must be asking who decided loaning Rijkhoff to us without including a "can't play against club" clause was a good idea, heh.

Dalbeider · April 7, 2023

Feb 14th 2026

Valentine's Day brings no chocolates, but three loan offers coming from OBOS-ligaen teams in Norway for Karlsen which we gladly accept, even though it means he'll be away from Munich until the end of the natural year. Regular playing time should do wonders for him.

Feb 15th 2026

No offers for Miranda just yet, but another Swiss team, Young Boys, drops by with an offer for Moura we negotiate up to €2.1M. With Sánchez's arrival he's become a fringe player, and his performances haven't helped his case one bit, so we take the chance for some profit (he costed us just €1M) and accept, even if it leaves us once again with only three first team full backs. The transfer goes through in record time, and the left back packs his bags to fly to Bern within the hour. Sporting Braga get €300k thanks to the 20% sell-on clause Moura's transfer to 1860 had included, plus the usual solidarity fee.

Eighth-placed Atlético have finally had enough and just ended Diego Simeone's fifteen-year-long reign. And apparently, at least according to the press, I'm one of the names they're considering to replace him. Ego boost of galactic size, but no dice, even if it would most likely be a pretty fun rebuild job.

Meanwhile, we make an offer to try and extend Vagnoman's contract. Sure, he's only been here for a bit over half a year, but his performances so far have been really solid and his versatility is an added bonus. He only asks for a regular starter role and mid-tier wages, which is fair and within our reach right now. I'd really like to keep the team as stable as possible coming into the next season, as I think we have a fantastic base to build upon and reach for bigger things, so the priority will be extending contracts for those who deserve it.

Feb 21st 2026

Karlsen's loan deal is confirmed first thing in the morning, with the youngster finally going to Sandefjord in the Norwegian second tier. Their facilities are pretty good, he'll be an important player for them, and they pay his whole wages until the end of their season, so nothing to complain about.

* * *

VfB Stuttgart (12th) vs. TSV 1860 München (8th) (Bundesliga, 24/34)

Few people expected us to be above Stuttgart in the table at this point of the season, but here we are, even enjoying a healthy seven-point lead over them. They've been on a pretty good run lately, including a win over Freiburg in the cup to join is in the quarterfinals, but last week Bayern destroyed them 5-0 so they'll be a bit vulnerable. Let's see if we can get a win here and creep a bit closer to the European places.

* * *

STUTTGART (4-2-3-1): Bartlomiej Dragowski (GK); Pascal Stenzel (DR), Chris Richards (DCr), Hrvoje Smolcic (DCl), Tim Leibold (DL); Shinta Appelkamp (MCr), Orel Mangala (MCl); Roberto Massimo (AMR), Lilian Egloff (AMC), Darko Churlinov (AML); M'Bala Nzola (ST)
1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Tom Kretzschmar (GK); Josha Vagnoman (DR), Amer Hadzic (DCr), Kevin Lomónaco (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Nahuel Bustos (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)

* * *

More minutes for Hadzic and Lomónaco, who need to get into a first-team dynamic soon. Stuttgart have apparently abandoned the 3-5-2 from our previous meeting in favor of a more traditional 4-2-3-1, which suits us just fine. Once again we get an early chance on a quick counter after an interception in midfield, this time with Bustos sending the long ball ahead of Maldini and the winger finishing towards the near post, but failing to surprise Dragowski. We follow that up with a beautiful first-touch passing play with seven different players intevening before Rijkhoff blasts the finish over the bar. Stuttgart can only create a few weak headers from crosses, and we seem to be doing quite well so far.

Third time's the charm, and after another long passing play Majetschak decides to break Stuttgart's lines with a forward run before assisting Rijkhoff, who finds the target this time and scores the 0-1. Stuttgart try to push a bit farther forward then, although still without seriously threatening Kretzschmar's goal. Time passes while we defend ourselves comfortably and try to take as few risks as possible, and the only time we suffer a bit is when Vuskovic misses a pass towards Lomónaco and gifts Nzola a chance to shoot unopposed, which Kretzschmar thankfully diverts wide with a great fingertip save. In the 42nd minute, though, we finally get close to Dragowski's goal for the first time in a long while with a through ball from Majetschak captured by Rijkhoff and blasted into the back of the net with full power. With that show of clinical finishing we go to the dressing room comfortably ahead.

HALF TIME - 0-2

Stuttgart look a bit sharper after the break, with Nzola soon testing Kretzschmar from distance with a confident response from the keeper, but possession soon starts shifting back towards us, and we make no effort to hide the fact that we want to hide the ball away for as long as we can. Youngsters Sapmaz and Ulrich soon join the game to recharge our batteries, while Stuttgart only manage a single dangerous shot from Appelkamp, well stopped by Kretzschmar then blocked on the rebound by a very solid Hadzic. Gerometta for Vagnoman is our third and last substitution, and immediately after Kretzschmar ups his miracle count with a *triple* save to deny substitute striker Mayoral, who found himself with the ball inside the small box after a cross by Nzola from the left.

Stuttgart most certainly deserve a goal by now, but instead find themselves backtracking to stop another counterattack finished by Rijkhoff with a lob that Dragowski barely manages to tip over. Ulrich also tries luck with a piledriver from distance that the keeper also deflects over the bar, and with only two minutes remaining and Stuttgart looking hopeless Rijkhoff performs a perfect target man play by holding the ball with his back to the goal, then assisting Bustos so the forward can blast it in and make it 0-3 with only two minutes of the clock. There's still time for Dragowski to save a centered header by Majetschak in injury time, but very little else. Another great result to add to the evergrowing pile.

* * *

VfB Stuttgart 0
TSV 1860 München 3 (Julian Rijkhoff 14 42, Nahuel Bustos 88)

- - -

Flattering result, as we most certainly should've come out of this with at least one goal conceded, but Kretzschmar did his usual magic and here we are. On the topic of magic, Rijkhoff is in the middle of an absolutely fantastic goalscoring spell, and he's even adding assists as the proverbial cherry on top now. Certainly making a good case for a permanent signing come the end of the season. Great game by the striker, Majetschak, and our two newbies at the back. The only bad news today is Vuskovic's fifth yellow card, which means he'll miss our next match against Arminia.

Dalbeider · April 10, 2023

Feb 23rd 2026

Hadzic follows up a very good performance against Stuttgart by suffering from blisters after training. Annoying and painful but nothing too serious, although it'll keep him out of our first team plans for a bit over a week, and he might even miss the cup tie against Augsburg.

Feb 24th 2026

Majetschak and Kretzschmar claim two spots in the Team of the Week.

Reserve keeper Andy Anheier will most likely not train again this season after suffering from a hip injury in training. A fringe prospect nowadays despite looking like a potential first team keeper when he joined our U18 squad, his contract expires in June and there's a very good chance it won't be extended. Not the best note to end his stay with us with, that's for sure.

Feb 25th 2026

Looks like it's keeper week in the injury department: Kretzschmar pulls his hamstring in training and will be out for about two weeks, meaning he misses at least our next league game and won't be available for the cup either, although Quintero was going to play in that one regardless.

Feb 26th 2026

One more to the pile of high-profile available jobs for which I seem to be a favorite, despite never showing any interest in moving away from Munich: Eintracht Frankfurt just fired Peter Ziedler and the press call to ask the customary question, which receives the customary answer: nope.

Feb 27th 2026

Oh, come on, Lang too?! At least it wasn't Quintero, now that would've been a disaster... In any case, pulled groin for the center-back, so he's out for tomorrow's match and for the cup, too.

Feb 28th 2026

TSV 1860 München (8th) vs. DSC Arminia Bielefeld (14th) (Bundesliga, 25/34)

On the topic of sacked managers, Arminia have also recently changed theirs, bringing in a known face like Bruno Labbadia. Considering all the teams I've seen sink after being taken over by Labbadia so far, I don't rate their chances very highly... Regardless, with our current form and the distance on the table between both teams, this is a game we should be winning.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Francisco Gerometta (DR), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCr), Kevin Lomónaco (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Urko (DM), Matías Miranda (MCr), Antonio Entrena (MCl); Can Sapmaz (AMR), Felix Nmecha (AML), Julian Rijkhoff (ST)
BIELEFELD (4-3-3): Stefan Ortega (GK); Alessandro Schöpf (DR), Aleksei Carnier (DCr), Pedro Álvaro (DCl), Rémy Vita (DL); Fabian Kunze (DM), Kenan Yildiz (MCr), Mehmet-Can Aydin (MCl); Masaya Okugawa (AMR), Florian Krüger (AML), Wahid Faghir (ST)

* * *

That said, we're without three pillars in Kretzschmar, Lang, and Vuskovic, and Lang's natural replacement (Hadzic) is also out, so our defensive end needs some extra work today. Labbadia changes Bielefeld's formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a mirror of our 4-3-3, and we go out to play in a seriously waterlogged pitch in Grünwalder Strasse. We get some early shots in, establishing dominance from the get go, and soon get a real chance in a set piece that Stjepanovic heads a few inches over the bar. The ball doesn't leave Arminia's half of the pitch for the first fifteen minutes, although it takes some work to get past so many defenders parked in front of their goal.

Crosses are our best weapon against such a closed-in defense, and Gerometta soon delivers one of those to Nmecha, who can't connect it clearly and loops his header straight into Ortega's hands. Just a few seconds later, though, Miranda finds Nmecha again, this time with a pinpoint through ball, and this time the inside forward strikes true with his less-good left foot to surprise the keeper and score the 1-0. Miranda continues our siege with a high direct free kick from distance, as the game doesn't change one bit despite our lead.

Bielefeld finally show their faces near Quintero's goal in the final fifteen minutes of the half, although it's with two long-distance shots that Quintero gathers with zero problems. Our attack does seem to dry up (unlike the pitch) and we only register a single chance in a direct free kick Nmecha smashes into the fence. That changes in injury time, though, when Urko finds Sapmaz with a long pass from deep and the winger runs into the box and dribbles past Ortega, but finds himself in a difficult position to shoot from and ends up hitting the post. With that, an extremely one-sided first half ends.

HALF TIME - 1-0

The early second half brings lots of possession for us, but very little else, that "very little" being a shot from the edge of the box by Miranda twelve minutes in that Ortega pushes over the bar with both fists. That's immediately followed up by Stjepanovic heading the resulting corner kick into another deflection by the keeper, then the *next* corner kick over the bar from a very promising position. We move things around a bit, then, bringing Majetschak in for a somewhat tired Lomónaco, thus switching Urko to defense and Entrena to the anchor.

The midfielder's presence is soon felt in our attack, and soon he's having a close-range finish blocked by Ortega after a good low cross by Sapmaz. Vagnoman and Ulrich for Sánchez and Miranda are our two final substitutions, and it's the wingback who, somewhat surprisingly, has our next chance with a bender from outside the box that hits the post and bounces clear eleven minutes from full time. Five minutes later a quick passing play down the left ends with Ulrich on the ground inside the box, following a trip by Frommann, and the referee and VAR agree on giving the penalty kick. Nmecha blasts it in for his and our second, and the match practically ends right there. There's a final chance for Sapmaz that Ortega deflects away with a great save, but otherwise things stay quiet and easy until the end.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 2 (Felix Nmecha 18 85p)
DSC Arminia Bielefeld 0

- - -

Easy peasy. We never felt threatened at all by an extremely defensive-minded Arminia, who were happy to play inside their own half for practically the whole game despite losing for most of it. Yeah, still can't rate Labbadia at all... Solid performance overall with Nmecha providing the goals and the little spark we needed upfront to grab the win. Results elsewhere also help our cause, with Leipzig and Hertha losing and allowing us to creep a bit closer to the tasty European places. Gladbach's 2-1 win against Dortmund keeps us eighth, though, and gives Bayern back the top position on goal difference after their customary 7-0 thrashing of Hoffenheim.

Dalbeider · April 12, 2023

Mar 3rd 2026

Once again two players in the Team of the Week, this time Stjepanovic and Nmecha.

- - -

TSV 1860 München vs. FC Augsburg (DFB Pokal quarterfinals)

Time for the cup quarterfinals against our dear rivals from Augsburg. For once we have the theoreticaly upper hand in a rival match, with Augsburg struggling in the Bundesliga like they haven't struggled in years, currently second from bottom and five points away from salvation. A fantastic chance to make the semis and hey, who knows what can happen afterwards.

* * *

1860 MÜNCHEN (4-3-3): Valentino Quintero (GK); Josha Vagnoman (DR), Mateja Stjepanovic (DCr), Kevin Lomónaco (DCl), Manu Sánchez (DL); Darko Vuskovic (DM), Erik Majetschak (MCr), Matías Miranda (MCl); Daniel Maldini (AMR), Shiloh 't Zand (AML), Nahuel Bustos (ST)
AUGSBURG (4-4-2 diamond): Tomás Koubek (GK); Benjamin Henrichs (DR), Leonidas Stergiou (DCr), Moritz Jenz (DCl), Omar Campos (DL); Matthias Zimmermann (DM), Yacine Adli (MCr), Torben Rhein (MCl), Lee Jae-Sung (AMC); Jonas Wind (STr), Jorgen Strand Larsen (STl)

* * *

First time we play Augsburg after Matthias Jaissle was appointed manager, so I didn't know what to expect until I saw their lineup in a diamond shape. Meanwhile we're forced to rotate with the Arminia match so close by, and except Quintero, Miranda, and three quarters of our maimed defensive line, everyone is fresh and full of energy. Lang does make the bench in the end, although I'll try to avoid playing him if at all possible.

If Augsburg's plan is to overload the midfield and control the game from there, it doesn't really work at the start. Possession is split and we push them back into their own half whenever we have it, soon having a dangerous shot by Sánchez blocked by a defender and deflected wide. Six minutes in Vagnoman somehow ends up with the ball in the left wing and crosses towards the far post, where Maldini jumps high to head it into the underside of the bar and into the net for a very early 1-0. Seven minutes later Bustos gets a one-on-one blocked by Koubek, and then steals the ball back to cross towards Maldini, who then blasts it over and wastes a great chance to double our lead.

We keep pushing, and Maldini keeps finishing our chances, now following a cross by Sánchez he half-volleys into Koubek's dive. Next to try luck is Majetschak, shooting first time from the edge of the box so the ball skims the top of the crossbar and goes over. Meanwhile Augsburg struggle to create any kind of danger, now clearly losing possession and seeing their weak wings exploited over and over. Their first chance comes in the 27th minute after an indecision by Stjepanovic in a clearance by the keeper, but Quintero does well to block Lee's finish. Things seem to even out in the final minutes of the half, although in a way that works wonderfully for us: no chances on either side of the pitch except for a high ball from distance by Strand Larsen five minutes before half time, which finds us still comfortably ahead.

HALF TIME - 1-0

Six minutes into the second half we turn an innocent-looking free kick on the right side of the pitch into a beautiful first-touch combination, from Vagnoman to Miranda to 't Zand to Bustos, who receives on the run inside the box and places the finish next to the post to grab himself the 2-0. Whatever plans Augsburg had for the second half, this goal surely makes them worthless, and we retain control of the ball while still threatening more goals, starting with a weak and wide header by Maldini to Vuskovic's cross from the left, and continuing with Bustos having a point-blank finish after a cross by Majetschak blocked in the last second by Jenz.

By now it's time to start resting our most tired players, starting with Sánchez and Miranda, who leave their places to Gerometta and Ulrich. This moves Vagnoman to the left, and after the ball passes through the front of the box it reaches him in a perfect position for a shot, which he does to perfection by sending the ball into the top left corner and scoring a spectacular goal. With the result almost guaranteed now Entrena also enters the pitch replacing an excellent Majetschak while Bustos keeps looking for another goal, once again stopped by Koubek after a great first-touch assist from Ulrich.

Young Ulrich is having fun today, as his lob attempt in the 75th minute shows. A shame it goes a bit too high over the bar, it'd been a perfect capstone for this match. After that, though, we decide to take things a bit easier and just hold the ball to let the minutes flow. Augsburg's last minute switch to a 4-3-1-2 doesn't bring them any solutions, but they do find themselves with a goal in the 87th minute, courtesy of a bad clearance by Quintero into Maier, who then assists substitute Pedro Henrique for an easy finish. Wind almost gives us another scare in injury time after another bad pass, this one by Vagnoman, but his finish is horribly high and their last hope of a miracle comeback vanishes into the stands behind Quintero's goal. Just to rub salt on the wound, 't Zand runs the left wing in the last minute of injury time and crosses back towards Maldini, unmarked and ready to tap in the 4-1.

* * *

TSV 1860 München 4 (Daniel Maldini 6 90+5, Nahuel Bustos 51, Josha Vagnoman 65)
FC Augsburg 1 (Pedro Henrique 87)

- - -

A no-contest, which isn't something we should be coming across at this point of the competition, Augsburg or not. This was almost as one-sided as the Arminia match, and with a much clearer result to boot. Great overall performance without clear standouts once again, although 't Zand and Maldini did do the job in the assisting and finishing department. Into the semis we go, and we get €1.46M for our presence in this round. Nice. Also, for the stats lovers out there, we've just broken the DFB Pokal record for goals scored with 24 in only four matches, thanks to the twelve we put past Hammer back in August and to having scored four goals apiece in each of the following rounds. We're certainly having fun this year in the cup.

No surprises in the other ties (although Hertha needed an injury time goal to deal with Steinhart's Darmstadt), meaning we'll go into the semifinals draw together with Bayern, Leipzig, and Hertha, all teams within the top six of the Bundesliga. Not that we're that far off, but still, scary.

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Einmal Löwe, immer Löwe - a(nother) 1860 story

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