<b>Bundesliga MD 04 Preview: Bielefeld vs. Bayern</b>
After the defeat against Hoffenheim and the narrow victory over Hertha BSC, FC Bayern will want to get back on track at Bielefeld. But the club from North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany’s west has other plans.When Arminia Bielefeld secured their promotion to the Bundesliga in the summer, COVID-19 for a fleeting moment was of no importance. Hundreds of fans let their emotions run free and celebrated their heroes. Not many would have expected Bielefeld to be able to achieve such success before the start of the season.After Bielefeld seemed to establish themselves in the Bundesliga at the end of the 2000s, difficult years followed. Relegation to the 2. Bundesliga, followed by relegation to the third division as well as financial worries characterized this period. In the 2018/19 season, too, a fierce relegation battle threatened for a long time. But then, on December 10 2018, Uwe Neuhaus took over the coaching job.<a href="#arminia-bielefeld-suddenly-in-the-bundesliga"></a>Arminia Bielefeld: Suddenly in the BundesligaThings quickly improved. The sale of the stadium enabled the club to reduce its debts considerably. Neuhaus had already demonstrated that he was able to lead and establish a club in the second division. He had achieved this with Union Berlin. And not only that: Within a few years, Neuhaus had turned the team from Berlin’s Köpenick neighborhood into a team that became a legitimate challenger for promotion. As a result, ironically, at some point the 7th and 9th places he successively achieved with the club were no longer deemed sufficient and he had to say goodbye.Neuhaus then became head coach at Dresden, achieved promotion to the second division with that club too, and followed that up by a strong fifth place the season after. But the following season saw Dresden finish in a disappointing 14th place – and Neuhaus was waved goodbye again.After that followed Bielefeld where so far he seems to have found his destiny. In the second half of the 2018/19 season, he reached 7th place with the club, followed the year after by a clear and, for many, surprising promotion to the Bundesliga. But this achievement can also be seen as the logical conclusion of his personal development. Over the years, Neuhaus has developed his ideas of football further, learned from his mistakes and finally succeeded in leading a club to Bundesliga promotion at the third attempt.<a href="#neuhaus-has-learned-from-his-mistakes"></a>Neuhaus has learned from his mistakesBut what does Neuhaus’s football look like? In the end, pragmatism is probably the word that sums up his approach most succinctly. When he was at Union, as ambitions increased, many became increasingly bored with the tendency of the team tho move the ball around without much territorial gain. Neuhaus’s football was tactically quite advanced and, on its day, it was quite beautiful to watch, but on less good days it provided for a lot of boredom.Too static, too monotonous pace, not enough risk – the accustomed criticisms of his reappeared at some point in Dresden as well. The final step to the top he simply did not seem to be able to make. But this has changed. His Bielefeld team now seems like the finished product of his years of personal development.Without a doubt, Neuhaus has been significantly aided by the very clever transfer policy of the club. Last year, talented players like Marcel Hartel, Ritsu Doan or Arne Maier as well as seasoned players like Cebio Soukou or Mike van der Hoorn were brought in for comparatively small amounts of money. And these are just a few examples. However, a healthy mix of small transfer fees, loans and free transfers is only one side of the coin. The other is that these players also fit in seamlessly with Uwe Neuhaus’ ideas of football.<a href="#bielefelds-build-up-play-up-close"></a>Bielefeld’s build-up play up closeKey to Bielefeld’s success is the team’s backbone consisting of the goalkeeper, central defender…
After the defeat against Hoffenheim and the narrow victory over Hertha BSC, FC Bayern will want to get back on track at Bielefeld. But the club from North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany’s west has other plans.When Arminia Bielefeld secured their promotion to the Bundesliga in the summer, COVID-19 for a fleeting moment was of no importance. Hundreds of fans let their emotions run free and celebrated their heroes. Not many would have expected Bielefeld to be able to achieve such success before the start of the season.After Bielefeld seemed to establish themselves in the Bundesliga at the end of the 2000s, difficult years followed. Relegation to the 2. Bundesliga, followed by relegation to the third division as well as financial worries characterized this period. In the 2018/19 season, too, a fierce relegation battle threatened for a long time. But then, on December 10 2018, Uwe Neuhaus took over the coaching job.<a href="#arminia-bielefeld-suddenly-in-the-bundesliga"></a>Arminia Bielefeld: Suddenly in the BundesligaThings quickly improved. The sale of the stadium enabled the club to reduce its debts considerably. Neuhaus had already demonstrated that he was able to lead and establish a club in the second division. He had achieved this with Union Berlin. And not only that: Within a few years, Neuhaus had turned the team from Berlin’s Köpenick neighborhood into a team that became a legitimate challenger for promotion. As a result, ironically, at some point the 7th and 9th places he successively achieved with the club were no longer deemed sufficient and he had to say goodbye.Neuhaus then became head coach at Dresden, achieved promotion to the second division with that club too, and followed that up by a strong fifth place the season after. But the following season saw Dresden finish in a disappointing 14th place – and Neuhaus was waved goodbye again.After that followed Bielefeld where so far he seems to have found his destiny. In the second half of the 2018/19 season, he reached 7th place with the club, followed the year after by a clear and, for many, surprising promotion to the Bundesliga. But this achievement can also be seen as the logical conclusion of his personal development. Over the years, Neuhaus has developed his ideas of football further, learned from his mistakes and finally succeeded in leading a club to Bundesliga promotion at the third attempt.<a href="#neuhaus-has-learned-from-his-mistakes"></a>Neuhaus has learned from his mistakesBut what does Neuhaus’s football look like? In the end, pragmatism is probably the word that sums up his approach most succinctly. When he was at Union, as ambitions increased, many became increasingly bored with the tendency of the team tho move the ball around without much territorial gain. Neuhaus’s football was tactically quite advanced and, on its day, it was quite beautiful to watch, but on less good days it provided for a lot of boredom.Too static, too monotonous pace, not enough risk – the accustomed criticisms of his reappeared at some point in Dresden as well. The final step to the top he simply did not seem to be able to make. But this has changed. His Bielefeld team now seems like the finished product of his years of personal development.Without a doubt, Neuhaus has been significantly aided by the very clever transfer policy of the club. Last year, talented players like Marcel Hartel, Ritsu Doan or Arne Maier as well as seasoned players like Cebio Soukou or Mike van der Hoorn were brought in for comparatively small amounts of money. And these are just a few examples. However, a healthy mix of small transfer fees, loans and free transfers is only one side of the coin. The other is that these players also fit in seamlessly with Uwe Neuhaus’ ideas of football.<a href="#bielefelds-build-up-play-up-close"></a>Bielefeld’s build-up play up closeKey to Bielefeld’s success is the team’s backbone consisting of the goalkeeper, central defender…