Kamal's 2010/2011 German Bundesliga Preview
Who’s HOT (Players to watch)
Mesut Ozil – Midfielder (Werder Bremen)
If you watched the World Cup and read any of my articles you know how big of a fan I am of this kid, but for those of you that have never seen him before Mesut Ozil is a crafty central midfielder that can score goals, track back and defend and loves to set up his teammates. Last year he had 11 goals in all competitions, I look for that to rise to around 16. Although assists aren’t really kept as a major stat in soccer, look for him to have double-digit helpers. He might even have more assists then goals.
Tomas Muller – Forward (Bayern Munich)
Leading the German team in goals in this summers World Cup, he should have won the Golden boot but had to settle for young player of the tournament. This kid has the speed to get past defender with or without the ball, has the ability to finish off chances and has the mentality needed to last in a long Bundesliga season. Look for him to push the other forward on the Bayern team, infact it is my opinion that he will supplant one of them and be a fixture in the starting XI. Last year he had 19 goals in all competitions, with more opportunity to play he can get at least 25 and possibly 30 which is a real feat in a single season.
Stefan Keissling – Forward (Bayer Leverkusen)
Although he didn’t have a lot of playing time in the World Cup, the experience will serve him well. Keissling has finishing ability, and standing at 6’ 3” has a size advantage on most of the defenders he’s up against. He will be depended on for goals, and with no real competition to take his place he will have every opportunity to score. Last year he had 21 goals land was runner up as leagues top scorer. I see him surpassing that and reaching the 30-goal mark.
Honorable Mention: Cacau – Forward (VfB Stuttgart), Simon Kjaer – Defender (VfL Wolfsburg) and Demba Ba – Forward (TSG Hoffenheim)
Who’s NOT (Players to disappoint or struggle)
Martin Demichelis – Defender (Bayern Munich)
If you have read any of my articles on Bayern Munich or Argentina at the World Cup you know I’m not the biggest Martin Demichelis fan, he’s a decent man marker but is down right awful when it comes to covering space and playing the ball out of the back. For years it was Lucio that had to cover for his mistakes and now it’s the job of Daniel Van Buyten and Mark Van Bommel. It would be better for him to play left or right back, but Pillip Lahm and Holger Badstuber fill those positions.
Ivica Olic – Forward (Bayern Munich)
Its not really that I think Olic will disappoint or struggle, but with the emergence of Tomas Muller I think he will be replaced and won’t have as productive a year as he did last season. It’s hard to imagine that a guy that scored a hat trick against Lyon in the Champions league would be in this category, but that is just how much the young Muller has impressed me.
Grafite – Forward (VfL Wolfsburg)
The Brazilian forward is poised to have a down year for a few reasons, the first one being that he is not a surprise anymore. Defenders and coaches now know what he’s about and will mark him hard, he won’t have space to run in and will come nowhere near his 28 goal season of two years ago. The second factor is that it looks like his strike partner Edin Dzeko will be on the move, even though the team president and sporting director (equivalent to a GM in North America) say he’s not leaving it’s only a matter of time and when he does Grafite’s game will suffer.
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