<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/8/files/2008/08/raphael-honigstein.jpg" alt="raphael-honigstein.jpg" align="right" hspace="15" vspace="15"></figure></div>The new Bundesliga season is just days away, so Bundesliga Talk writers Mark Moll and Double Pivot decided to interview one of the preeminent writers and authors on the topic of German soccer, Raphael Honigstein.
Many readers may know Honigstein best from his appearances on the Football Weekly Podcast by The Guardian. Here’s the transcript of the interview. Enjoy.
The Gaffer: What goals do you have with Footbo.com?
Raphael Honigstein (RH): We’d like to be the natural destination site for people who love football and want to discuss/enjoy/experience it with others online. You’ll see big new features in the next month or so that will radically expand our scope. Social networking is only the start for us.
Mark Moll (MM): Growing up in Munich, did you ever appear for a local youth side?
RH: My football education was somewhat unusual because I never liked the idea of organised sport as a kid. My parents didn’t push me towards that direction either, so instead of joining a club, we literally played football seven days a week with friends in parks and on school pitches – until the janitor kicked us out. We also formed a team that took part in Munich’s biggest amateur tournament every year. I only played my first game for a proper club when I was 18, in Munich’s lowest league (C-Klasse). A year later, I moved to London where I played for UCL (University College London) but I think it’s fair to say I found their interpretation of the football rules a little disturbing. In 90 minutes, there’d be perhaps one free-kick. I’m not exaggerating. After a few more years in a London Sunday league and three ACL surgeries later, I called it a day in 2002.
MM: You’ve been living in London now for 15 years, how did you get your start covering football?
RH: I started writing music features for Süddeutsche Zeitung’s youth supplement while at college. When my predecessor, the legendary Ronald Reng, decided to move to Barcelona in 2002, I inherited his job.
MM: Having written for English, German, and American audiences do find that you write in a distinct style for each?
RH: It’s not so much a case of different audiences in different countries – more important is the type of publication. In a broadsheet, you have to explain things a bit more because you can’t be sure about the detailed knowledge of the reader. The opposite is true for football or sports magazines, where you can concentrate more on the details. And writing for the Guardian online is obviously a writer’s dream assignment – there are no rules, apart from filing on time. That’s the most difficult part of it.
MM: If the Premiership is noted for its tough, uptempo play and La Liga for its technical virtuosity on display, how would you characterize the Bundesliga?
RH: I think the Bundesliga has traditionally tried to blend the controlled aggression and physical side of the English game with good technique. We’ve also had good input tactical input from Eastern European coaches in the 60s and 70s. 
It’s an interesting time now. After years of neglect, most teams are waking up to a more scientific approach when it comes to fitness and tactics. The stadiums are always full and cheap prices have insured that the core audience of young males hasn’t been alienated. I think the league is well poised to challenge La Liga and Serie A for second spot in the long term.
Double Pivot (DP): Last year, after a seemingly very successful Ligapokal, there was talk of expanding the pre-season tournament to as many as 32 teams. Yet this year, we find it canceled. What is the situation with that tournament, and how do you see it evolving in the coming years?
RH: Due to the Euros and the late return of the German internationals, they simply couldn’t find suitable dates this season. Its future is under review right now. There has been talk about staging it abroad, but I don’t see that happening in the coming years.
DP: Felix Magath has really turned around Wolfsburg and seems poised for a very successful campaign. If he does have success, could you see the Bundesliga moving from trainers to English style managers?
RH: It’s possible, but most clubs are naturally reluctant to give too much power to a single individual. I think it’s more likely that the continental model – coach + sporting director – will make headway in England rather than the other way round. A few PL clubs are already run that way because they’ve found that the task is too big for one individual. Even Ferguson or Wenger delegate a lot of work.
The continental model is also better at avoiding George Graham-type situations of “conflict of interest” when it comes to signing players.
DP: I would love to get your opinion on the capabilities and weaknesses of Germany’s bumper crop of young keepers: Rene Adler, Manuel Neuer and Michael Rensing. And when do you think Low will give these kids the chance they deserve?
RH: Adler is the best by far. He doesn’t have any obvious weaknesses. He’ll be a very serious contender for the World Cup, along with Hildebrand and Enke. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bayern had already secretly talked to him. I don’t think they’re really sold on Rensing, who is good but not outstanding in my view. He doesn’t dominate the box enough, lacks presence and is suspect when it comes to long-range shots. He’ll be given six months to prove himself. Neuer, on his day, is an incredible shot-stopper, with good instincts. But he seems to suffer from nerves and still makes too many mistakes.
DP: The well has dried up as far as Europe is concerned with Bundesliga sides. What do you think needs to happen for Germany to start catching up with the big three leagues in UEFA/UCL?
RH: In the Champions League, it will be a while before German clubs can compete on equal terms. The financial power of the big four in England, the top two in Spain and the top three in Italy is just too big. Bayern can and should make some sort of an impact, but for a more sustained attack, we simply need more TV money or oligarchs. In a way, the Bundesliga has also been a victim of its competitiveness: the top five, with the exception of Bayern, are very fluid, and without regular CL money, clubs like Hamburg or Stuttgart find it hard to sustain the challenge in Europe.
As for the UEFA Cup, I think there’s actually a good chance a German team will win it this season. Results notwithstanding, Bayern and Werder were the best teams in the competition last year, and decent results over-all have seen us over-take France in the UEFA rankings. Significantly, the Bundesliga clubs also got better results collectively than Italian teams last season. That hasn’t happened before in the last ten years. Similar results this season would put us on course to wrestle third spot from Italy in the UEFA rankings in two years time.
Visit Raphael Honigstein’s page at Footbo.com.

Interview With Raphael Honigstein: Aug. 2008

Interview With Raphael Honigstein: Aug. 2008 - World Soccer Talk

<a href="http://www.bundesligatalk.com/the-new-gaffer-introducing-rutten-at-schalke-04/31/fred-rutten/" rel="attachment wp-att-33" title="Fred Rutten"><div><figure class="external-image"><img src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/8/files/2008/07/rutten.jpg" alt="Fred Rutten" align="right" hspace="15" vspace="15"></figure></div></a>This week we make the short trip west on the A40 from Dortmund past Bochum to Gelsenkirchen, home to Schalke 04 and their new coach, Fred Rutten. Much like his new Ruhr rival, Jürgen Klopp, Rutten has been a one club man for almost his entire 30-year playing and coaching career, all with FC Twente (five years at PSV notwithstanding). His first exposure to German football will be as part of the Revierderby, arguably the country’s best rivalry.
In the Bundesliga era (since 1963) the tie has been finely balanced. With 26 wins Dortmund currently lead Schalke by one, with 21 draws between them. Over the past four and a half decades Schalke and Dortmund have tended to alternate periods of success. Expect a shift in Schalke’s favor this upcoming season, although not as a direct result of Rutten’s appointment. The 2003/2004 season saw the two teams decisively diverge and that should continue on into the 2008/09 season. Dortmund’s position has, to put it diplomatically, nosedived. Schalke, in the meantime, have bounced between 2nd and 4th over those same four years:
<a href="http://www.bundesligatalk.com/the-new-gaffer-introducing-rutten-at-schalke-04/31/the-revierderby/" rel="attachment wp-att-34" title="The Revierderby"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/8/files/2008/07/800px-revierderby.jpg" alt="The Revierderby" align="middle" height="256" hspace="15" vspace="15" width="499"></figure></div></a>
To continue this run of form, the club’s best since the halcyon days of 1933-1945 (six championships under the Nazis), Schalke must contend with personnel issues. Trite but true. Three in particular stand out: the injury to Manuel Neuer, and the integration of Orlando Engelaar and Jefferson Farfan into the lineup.
Manuel Neuer – Out until Mid-September with a broken foot suffered in a preseason friendly against SpVgg Erkenschwick. Neuer stands, alongside Rene Adler and Michael Rensing, as the likeliest candidate to take over long-term goalkeeping duties for Germany after Lehmann’s international retirement. His immense potential is already being realized, having been voted goalkeeper of year in 2007 in a kicker poll. His best performance was undoubtedly his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb_hNhcRDzY" target="_blank" title="Manuel Neuer vs. Porto">one man show against Porto</a> in the Champions League. Mathias Schober is the natural replacement, having been Hansa Rostock’s first choice keeper the six years (2001/02 – 2006/07) prior to arriving at the Veltins-Arena. No one will confuse Schober for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nztu1kA9ong" title="Lev Yashin Highlights">Lev Yashin</a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=563mhgsxBjc" title="Sergio Goycochea at Italia &apos;90">Sergio Goycochea</a> when it comes time to repeat Neuer’s penalty heroics. Having Neuer back fit and healthy is like a new signing.
Orlando Engelaar – He was hugely impressive for the Netherlands over the summer at Euro ’08. His signature was a major, but understandable, coup given that Rutten was his manager at FC Twente. A relative late bloomer to fame the 28-year old’s stock has risen considerably since his international debut last year against South Korea. His preferred position is as a defensive midfielder, although his scoring touch and passing skill are more reminiscent of a deep-lying playmaker than a Dutch Makélélé or Gattuso.
Jefferson Farfan – Continuing the Dutch theme is the Peruvian Jefferson Farfan, brought to Schalke from PSV to replace the oft-injured and ineffective Søren Larsen. Farfan is looking to continue the good run of form Peruvian strikers have shown in the Bundesliga, like Claudio Pizzaro and Paolo Guerrero. Over the last four years he scored almost every other game, which bodes well for his new club.
Finally a major concern for Schalke fans must be Rutten’s coaching experience. Although he has spent three decades around football in playing and coaching capacities, his time alone in charge is actually quite meager. He was the sole gaffer of FC Twente on three separate occasions for a total of only five years before switching to Schalke 04. The rest of this time was spent in various other functions, mostly as an assistant manager. How prepared is he? PSV did well when he was there (2002-2006, Champions League semifinalists in 2004/05), but this can be attributed to Guus Hiddink, who has found success at every stop.
Like Jürgen Klopp (the two intimately linked as long as they remain with their Revierderby clubs), Rutten is being given a chance to shine on one of the brightest stages in German football. His task is comparatively easier, although the expectations may be too high. Mirko Slomka, the previous manager (ignoring the interim Michael Büskens) was the Bundesliga’s second most successful trainer behind Ottmar Hitzfeld in his two years at Schalke. Failing to advance in Europe or to end the club’s 50 year championship drought cost Slomka his job.
Will Rutten end up like Slomka as just another victim of Schalke’s neverending quest to replace Huub Stevens? He is the team’s 9th trainer since the end of the 2001/02 season and the end of Stevens’ affiliation with the club. Does Rutten have the players now in Engelaar and Farfan to finally capture the Bundesliga crown and bring peace of mind to Gelsenkirchen? Or are Schalke destined to continue being second best?
Next week: Martin Jol at Hamburg

The New Gaffer: Introducing Rutten at Schalke 04

The New Gaffer: Introducing Rutten at Schalke 04 - World Soccer Talk

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Interview With Raphael Honigstein: Aug. 2008

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The New Gaffer: Introducing Rutten at Schalke 04