Talking Fussball

So much went on in the Bundesliga as an English Week came to a close - perhaps nothing that had more impact than four players calling for "Justice for George Floyd."  Matt welcomes new guest June Pan (Unusual Efforts, Bundesliga Fanatic, Not a Football Podcast) on to the show for a wide-ranging discussion of the fan culture-sized hole in the Bundesliga, protest messaging in a stadium-as-brand-spac...

The games are coming thick and fast at the moment - not much time to get ready for another wave here on Match Day 29.  Listen in as JT and Flo fill your cups with player picks, superschnäppchen, and some good-natured ribbing over their results from midweek action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another weekend of boffo Bundesliga action is in the books - and there's more to come in just a few short hours. Bayern and Dortmund cruised to victory ahead of their head to head match-up, while Hertha continued their surge by throttling cross-town rivals Union. Matt talks to Kit Holden (MailOnline, Tagesspielgel) this week, and the latter is sporting enough to let the former have a good gloat. (...

Good first week back? There were some funky line-ups for sure, but plenty of points to be had. Listen in as JT and Flo talk through the highs and lows of last weekend, figure out what we've learned, and set up the first "English Week" of the Bundesliga's post-pandemic season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did you watch the Bundesliga this weekend? Of course you did - it was the only football there was, and that suits us just fine. Longtime Bundesliga obsessive Matt rounds up Marie Schulte-Bockum to talk over Schalke's faceplant in Dortmund, Bayern's big win in Berlin, and the extremely weird sonic atmosphere across the league. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's been a long time - remember how to play Bundesliga Fantasy? JT and Flo sure do, and they're here to remind you what to do on Match Day 26. There are plenty of unusual variables at play as we get back from lockdown - listen in as they help you sort though them all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Not much longer now - Germany's state governors gave the green light to football resuming, and the DFL has set May 16 as the big day. Hot damn. Plenty of joy to be felt at the news, but plenty of questions too for Matt and Nik to wrestle with: Are the players really up for this? Is the start date too soon for teams who haven't yet had a full team training session? And will games without fans end u...

The Bundesliga could be back as soon as May 9 - wheeeeee!!!! It might not be such a smooth road toward resumption, however, as Nik and Matt discuss in this definitely/maybe-flavored episode. Plenty of hypotheticals, moral quandaries and even a bit of history.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're still inside, and we're still reading. This week we have the author of one of Germany's most hotly anticipated football books, Der Schlüssel zum Spiel (The Key to the Game). Yes, in this episode Nik got old pal Tobias Escher of spielverlagerung.com on the line to talk over a few of the issues raised in his book, as well as plenty of fascinating further issues in the tactics-sphere from one o...

As we ease into our second month of isolation, what's better than spending time with a good book? Nik Wildhagen's been spending time with one written by his guest this week, Nils Henrik Smith. He's a novelist and football writer, and his latest book 11 meter - straffesparkets historie is all about the penalty kick. So put your earbuds in, tune out whatever pressure you're feeling, and just kick it...

How are you holding up? We just want to check in, send a small signal that we're still here and hear how everyone is doing. Nik Wildhagen rounds up Terry Duffelen for a chat about Bundesliga finances, the morality of opening up sports in a crisis, and a bit of history - the Chemie Halle fire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With society in a public health crisis, groups with deep commitments to their communities can make a big difference. Lucky for Germany, its unique football fan culture means there are a LOT of those. Nik rounds up our pal Felix Tamsut for another chat - this time it's about how Ultras and other fan groups are banding together to do good in this difficult time we're all in.  Learn more about your a...

With the Bundesliga season on ice, How much trouble is German football (and other kinds of football) in? And what can be done about it? Nik Wildhagen runs the show this week, recruiting his old TF Extra pals Matt and Terry on to talk about the big four of FC Bayern München, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen reaching out to help smaller clubs, some ominous recent words of Gianni In...

Welcome to the new normal - a world without football for the foreseeable future...plus a looming life-and-death threat hanging over us all. What's not to like? Matt gets on the line with Nik Wildhagen to talk these strange times over in a fairly strange episode. They talk a lot about the implications of the Bundesliga's sudden break...and somehow get sidetracked before the end. Hope you enjoy, and...

Strange times. One week after we zoom in on the DFB's battle with the Bundesliga's most hardcore fans, we learn the league might have to do without all of their fans for a while. Yes, COVID-19 will come up in this podcast - but so will a Dortmund win guest Marie Schulte-Bockum calls meisterlich, a couple of great goals from USMNT stars, and the idea that German football (and other footballs, for t...

The last thing they wanted was to miss another episode, so our the busy guys in our fantastic duo decided to jump the gun, record a podcast earlier than usual and do it just about off the dome. JT and Flo have recommendations on potential Cologne player picks for Friday night, how wary you need to be of RB Leipzig's squad rotation ahead of a big date in Europe, and much more.... Learn more about y...

Two teams of highly-paid pros participate in a joint kick-about for the final 15 minutes of Hoffenheim vs Bayern. Several other games disrupted after officials deem chants and banners from ultra fan groups to have crossed the line. Is this all really just about Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp? On a weekend where results were overshadowed by events off the pitch, Matt speaks with Felix Tamsut, who ma...

FC Bayern München's usually indestructible Robert Lewandowski has gone and done his knee - who are you going to play up front for the next month (...or more)? Luckily JT and Flo's Karneval bacchanal has come to a close and they are back to answer that question - and many more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A hiding at home helps focus the mind - and minds in Gelsenkirchen and Berlin are focused as hell right now after 5-0 losses at the hands of Leipzig and Cologne, respectively. Matt gets Kit Holden on the line to talk over the fates of Schalke and Hertha, as well as the trouble in Bremen, the title credentials of RB and Gladbach, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...

There were good omens for both BVB and the Rasenballsportlers as the two Bundesliga sides head into the UEFA Champions League to face Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively. Matt talks things over with Stefan Buczko, who as the host of the Yellow Wall Podcast has a lot to say about Dortmund especially. They move on to discuss whether or not there's going to be a Klinsi-shaped crat...

What's up with the points you might have earned in MD21's canceled Gladbach vs. Cologne clash? And how do you deal with all the big scorers facing off in Friday's BVB-Eintracht clash on MD22? JT and Flo are here with answers to those and many other questions! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Saturday and Sunday each brought an extra-consequential game near the top of the Bundesliga table. It's just that one of them was a lot more entertaining. Matt rounds up goal.com's Ronan Murphy for a chat about Leverkusen's 4-3 win over Dortmund, as well as the big 0-0 draw between Bayern and Leipzig. They also shine a light on high-flying Frankfurt - and even find time to talk marshmallows. Learn...

German Cup midweek games saw 11 of the Bundesliga's 18 teams in action - that brought upsets and excitement, but also a good dose of fatigue and injury.  JT and Flo break down how you'll need to adjust your line-ups after all those fireworks to get ready for Match Day 21! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eventful weekend much? Match Day 20 had a change at the top, a further tightening of the top four, two red card controversies with actual meat on the bone, a club with multiple titles this century on a collision course with relegation, and much much more. Matt gets his old pal Nik Wildhagen on the line to talk it all over, as well as get a lesson - direct from Norway - on how to say Erling Braut H...

So at this stage in the season, you've probably identified your workhorses...but if you've got a few moves to make, there are some big names we'd like to sell you on. JT and Flo let you in on the best value players across the league who have worked their way back into starting XIs, the striker to keep ahead of the big Bayern-Leipzig match coming up, and what to do about your goalkeeper if you've b...