<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2008/09/16/honigstein.jpg" alt="Rafa"></figure></div> Following a busy season, Raphael Honigstein of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/raphaelhonigstein">The Guardian</a> and Footbo was kind enough to talk with me and address a few questions I had about the end of the season and the start to the silly season.
Which player(s) surprised you the most this season?&nbsp; 
a) Misimovic. We knew he could play football, but not that well, nor that consistently. He became, alongside &nbsp;Diego, the best central midfielder in the Bundesliga. Quite a step-up.
b) Grafite. Looked a little slow and ponderous in front of goal last season. Different story this time around. (probably only half the player without Misimovic and Dzeko)
c) Trochowski. In the Misimovic-mould of nearly-men in recent years, now a good reason to leave Schweinsteiger on the bench at the World Cup.
Who was the most important player to his team?
Maybe Mario Gomez. He really carried the side, especially in the second half of the season, with his goals.&nbsp;
We seem to becoming a league based on streaks: Stuttgart 2007; Hoffenheim – Hertha – Wolfsburg this year. Which was more impressive: Stuttgart’s run two years ago, Hoffenheim’s start this year or Wolfsburg’s finish?
I’d say Hoffenheim’s and Wolfsburg’s runs were equally impressive on the face of it, but then Wolfsburg had a semi-decent first half, too, and timed theirs much better. I think winning 14 out of 17 games in 2009 is unbelievably good.
All three promotion sides survived. Of the 3, who looks most likely to suffer a sophomore slump?
Michael Frontzeck has already taken two teams down, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he got Gladbach relegated as well. Köln’s chances will depend on who they can get as manager. Hoffe will be okay.
We lost our last East German team. What do you think East German football needs to do to make itself competitive? 
Actually, Union Berlin are going strong and things are happening at Leipzig. I don’t think anything in particular needs to change. You just need a few good men with good ideas and little bit of money.
 
It seems that Magath has some concerns with Schalke: aged backline and a unbalanced squad. How long do you think it will take for Magath to get Schalke contending?
That really is one of the most interesting questions for next season. Rumors are that Schalke have very little money to spend, so he won’t be able to transform the team instantly over two seasons the way he did with VfL. He will surely get them fitter. But can this squad actually play decent football? I’m not sure.
It’s a question I asked the last time we talked. With Wolfsburg retaining the “gaffer” system and Schalke now being the second club to employ it, is there any chance of more teams adopting the style? Or do you see Armin Veh folding under the pressure of both jobs only to see Wolfsburg return to the Sports Director method sooner rather than later?
I remember talking to you about that a year ago. I must admit I’m very surprised that the Bundesliga has gone down that route. Of course, success breeds copycats and Magath at Wolfsburg is getting copied. Managers have become more confident to ask for wider powers. It seems like it will be the trend for the next few years, as even Bayern are giving van Gaal more power than Klinsmann ever had. But you are right, these things can be cyclical. The first club who fires their manager and finds itself with 20 players they don’t want will think very carefully about the whole system again.
Why is Hertha’s Lucien Favre making noise about leaving?&nbsp; It would seem that Hertha’s upside is still considerably large.
He was flattered by the attention from Bayern and HSV and used it politically. His threat to walk was really a clever ultimatum: he forced Hertha to choose between him and Dieter Hoeness. Hoeness was fired two days ago.
Do you know why Christophe Daum suddenly left?
Money. And the chance to win titles and play internationally. In his own mind, Daum is on a par with Mourinho et al, so helping Köln to another mid-table finish had limited appeal for him.&nbsp;
Last year, we saw the emergence of some new young managers in Jurgen Klöpp and Bruno Labbadia. Both were fairly successful in their first campaign at the top level.&nbsp; Why then do you think so many managerial changes so far involve a merry-go-round approach rather than trying to find new blood like Dortmund and Bayer 04 did last year?
Klopp was fairly established before Borussia went for him but it’s true: the Bundesliga seems to have become quite risk-averse. Better the devil you know – it’s a consequence of the Klinsmann debacle, probably.
With the team that Bayern seems to be building this summer: Van Gaal, Prajnic, Gomez, Olic, Boumjohann, as well as Sneijder, Tymochuck and Pandev likely; It feels like a team, regardless of Ribery’s impending departure, that on-paper are good enough to win Europe.&nbsp; Do you think that we could see our first German team making a serious run at the UCL since 2002?
Hmm, I don’t know. Gomez for Toni doesn’t really change that much. I like Olic as a defensive forward (copyright Jonathan Wilson). Tymoschuk should have been bought four years ago. Baumjohann won’t feature much. Prajnic and Braafheid will be interesting although it’s never easy to evaluate the true strength of Eredivisie stars. I don’t think Pandev is really in the mix at all. Now, if they could somehow keep Ribery, they might really have a chance. But that’s highly unlikely. And&nbsp;Van Gaal is the first real big ego-manager at Bayern. That poses just as many risks as opportunities. I think this could go either way. Remember what happened when they put together the “White Ballet” in 2002/03 with Ballack, Ze Roberto, etc? Out in the groups stages.&nbsp;
Will they end up with Adler, Neuer or other?
The word on the street is that Adler’s back isn’t quite up to it. &nbsp;Neuer might yet happen. Schalke need money to pacify Magath.&nbsp;
Aside from Ribery and Diego, which player seems most destined for foriegn shores this summer?
Dzeko to Milan is more than a rumour. Barnetta wants out and might be able to find a middle-class EPL team. Petric is keen to make more money, possibly in Spain.

Interview with Raphael Honigstein

Interview with Raphael Honigstein - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="http://www.eloquor.net/mod/ixp_compositions/resultats/composition-8.php?mon_champ=allemagne%2Fbundesliga%2Fwolfsburg2.png&amp;gardien=DROBNY&amp;Defdroit=BARZAGLI&amp;Defcentdroit=GEROMEL&amp;Defcent=&amp;Defcentgauche=SUBOTIC&amp;Defgauche=DELPIERRE&amp;Mildefdroit=&amp;Mildefcentdroit=&amp;Mildefcent=PETIT&amp;Mildefcentgauche=&amp;Mildefgauche=&amp;Mildroit=SALAHOVIC&amp;Milcentdroit=&amp;Milcent=&amp;Milcentgauche=&amp;Milgauche=JAROLIM&amp;Milorgdroit=&amp;Milorgcentdroit=&amp;Milorgcent=MISIMOVIC&amp;Milorgcentgauche=&amp;Milorggauche=&amp;Attdroit=&amp;Attcentdroit=DZEKO&amp;Attcent=&amp;Attcentgauche=GRAFITE&amp;Attgauche=&amp;Rempa=NEUER&amp;Rempb=MATHIJSEN&amp;Rempc=WESTERMANN&amp;Rempd=KEHL&amp;Rempe=RIBERY&amp;Rempf=GOMEZ&amp;Rempg=WICHNIAREK&amp;submitButtonName=Elf+n%B04" alt="XI"></figure></div>
Goalkeeper 
Jaroslav Drobny (Hertha Berlin) 
Make no mistake about it, Berlin’s rise from bottom half side to title contenders was based on defense. They were a hard side to break down and on the off-chance that a team did, there was Drobny to get by. His performance against Bayern was the stuff of legends.
Defenders
Nevin Subotic (Borussia Dortmund)
Borussia Dortmund had an outstanding season defensively. At the heart of it were youngsters, journeymen and a slew of injuries. Yet despite this their goal against was 37 and only slightly bettered by Schalke 04, who played a very defensive brand of football. The only consistent starter in Jurgen Klopp’s back four was Suba. Few 19 years old are ready to lead a back line in any major European league, but Subotic proved why he is the hottest defensive property in the universe by leading and leading well.
Matthieu Delpierre (Stuttgart)
When Delpierre plays, Stuttgart is a better team. Full stop! This has been true for the past four years, helping them to a cup, a league title and another late season run this year. Last year when he was injured most of the season, Stuttgart struggled. On top of his positioning and reading of the game, he has helped turn Sedar Tasci from a defender that caused one to cringe to a solid center half, who deservedly won his first call-up. 
Pedro Geromel (Koln)
Last year’s best defender in Portugal has a case to be this year’s best defender in Germany. And he did it manning a poor back line in front of a dodgy keeper. If Koln keep him this summer, it will be one of the biggest shocks since Wolfsburg won the title. 
Andrea Barzagli (Wolfsburg)
No Italian has made such a quick and decisive impact on the Bundesliga since the heady days of 2007/08. Unlike compatriot Zaccardo, Barzagli fit right in with Magath’s system and the league and his leadership at the back gave the the magic triangle time to work out the kinks. Much is lost the further you back on the Wolfsburg tactical lineup, but holder Josue, winger Gentner and keeper Benaglio could have all made this list as well. 
Midfielders
David Jarolim (Hamburg SV)
With the loss of Van der Vaart, Manchester City poking massive holes in their center and Alex Silva’s histrionics, Martin Jol was still able to compete on three fronts despite an ever evolving midfield. One of the biggest factors was captain David Jarolim, who led the team, provided the cover for the back after De Jong left and still chipped in offensively with a pair of goals and three assists. 
Petit (Koln)
While all three promotion sides survived this campaign, they each did it in a different way. Gladbach were just the best of a bad bunch, Hoffenheim attacked and Koln defended. And in order for Koln to shine with a keeper they weren’t keen to keep behind an inexperienced back line, they needed cover and someone to set the counter. Christoph Daum rebuilt the team around yjr veteran Portuguese holder, with Petit as the engine of the midfield rather than as the guy that just breaks up play. Providing cover along with Pezzoni and launching the attack from deep for the likes of Ehret, Vucicevic and Novakovic, Koln were a tough team all year. They may have had ups and downs, but they were safe very early for a promoted side thanks to the leadership and performance of the Pitbull.
Sejad Salahovic (Hoffenheim)
One of the things we quickly learned about Ralf Ragninck’s side was that he had accumulated a plethora of young talent. Salahovic was the most talented of the lot, providing expertise set pieces and being the wide outlet on Hoffenheim’s blistering counters. Along with Carlos Eduardo, they made a better 1-2 punch than Diego and Ozil until a mid-season team slump. 
Zvjezdan Misimovic, Edin Dzeko and Grafite (Wolfsburg)
It wasn’t all defense, but the magic triangle was the difference between Wolfsburg and everyone else. Contributing a total of sixty goals and twenty-nine assists, these three were a steam-roller, crushing teams and putting them on the back foot all year long. Grafite and Dzeko became the first pair in Bundesliga history to score 20 goals from the same side. Dzeko turned out to be one of the best link forwards in Europe, pursued more than a baseball player by Madonna; meanwhile, Grafite was too strong for Bundesliga defenses, bulling his way to the scoring title despite a long absence. And Misimovic was just the best player in the league. It was his control of the pace and pinpoint passing that allowed the forwards the chances. These three were absolutely incredible. 
Bench
Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04)
He had 84 saves and 11 clean sheets. And he was injured early in the season and missed 7 matches. And for a team that couldn’t score he had one assist. Neuer’s steady presence (along with his cutting out of young keeper errors) allowed him to overtake Rene Adler as the hot young keeper in Germany.
Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg)
Martin Jol overcame a lot to make it back to the UEFA Cup. He suffered as much injury as anybody. He obviously lost many of his best players in the summer and winter windows. He went too deep in too many competitions. But he survived and can build on his success next year. One reason for that is center half Mathijsen, who made 33 appearances and was the central figure in one of the Bundesliga’s stingiest defenses. 
Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04)
He never played a position enough to be given consideration for any one. When asked, he provided excellent work at center-half, fullback, defensive midfielder and as a box-to-box. No matter the position, he played it well. And when Schalke was inept up top, Westermann was their leading scorer, helping to keep Fred Rotten in a job way too long.
Sebastian Kehl (Borussia Dortmund)
The steady presence in the back, he allowed the Kuba/Hajnal pairing to flourish early and late in the season. When he was injured Dortmund suffered their only long term slide. He’s the rock that Dortmund’s squad is built upon and with a few tweaks, Jurgen Klopp can build around him for a Championship run next year. 
Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)
As went Ribery, so went FC Bayern. He is the heart and soul of the Bavarian giants. Unfortunately, they rely too heavily upon him and that was part of their problem as he started the season injured and suffered with niggling issues throughout. 
Mario Gomez (Stuttgart)
Super Mario is Super Mario. There’s not much more you can say about him, other than awesome. Oh, and please stay!
Artur Wichniarek (Arminia Bieliefeld) 
While they came in last, it wasn’t the Polish international’s fault. He scored almost half of Bielefeld’s total goals and may well have kept them up had he not suffered late season injuries. And his 13 goals were scored without the benefit of a partner of any Bundesliga level service. No player was more important to their team than Wichniarek, and we don’t acknowledge those players enough. 
We would love to hear your best XI of 2008/09. Please leave a comment!

The Bundesliga XI 2009

The Bundesliga XI 2009 - World Soccer Talk

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Interview with Raphael Honigstein

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The Bundesliga XI 2009