Dear readers,


away to Azerbaijan, Germany looked liked a team operating on their last reserves - which is only to be expected right at the end of such a long season. They made the best of the situation and at any rate played better than they had four days earlier in Austria.

There, the Austrians had really outplayed us. Against Azerbaijan we were back in control and determined the flow of the match, although it has to be said that Berti Vogts' men stood up to us well in the opening half-hour. It was only after Mesut Özil broke the deadlock that Germany really started to gain the ascendancy. And when Mario Gomez made it 2-0, the game was as good as over.

All-in-all, the new Bundesliga top scorer played very well again, as he had beforehand against both Austria and Uruguay. He's getting himself into good scoring situations and now he's making the most of them too. The good season he had at FC Bayern carried over into three very good performances for Germany.

For me though, Mesut Özil was the best player on the pitch in Baku. He scored the opener, which settled the team, and in setting up the second for Gomez he played a pivotal role in sealing the win.

Having accomplished the task of taking six points from these two matches, the players can now head off for a well-earned holiday, which they'll undoubtedly be looking forward to. When they run out against Austria again in September, they will have the chance to put qualification for the finals of Euro 2012 beyond any remaining doubt.

Yours,

Andreas Brehme

After a debut professional season with 1. FC Saarbrücken in 1980, Andreas Brehme moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern the following year. The tough-tackling full back spent the next five years at the Betzenberg before signing for Bayern München in 1986. Two seasons further down the line he was off to Inter Milan, for whom he would turn out 116 times in Serie A over the next four years. A season in Spain with Real Zaragoza was followed by his return to Kaiserslautern in 1993, where he remained until hanging up his boots in 1998. Brehme won league titles with Bayern, Inter and, memorably, freshly-promoted Kaiserslautern in his final season. His greatest claim to fame though was netting the late penalty that beat Argentina to win Germany the 1990 World Cup.

FC Bayern München have got their man, and got him moreover for the coming season: Manuel Neuer has joined the record champions from DFB Cup winners Schalke 04. The German national team goalkeeper has been given a five-year contract in Munich, valid through to June 2016. "I can't wait to get started on a great and exciting new challenge at FC Bayern", the 25-year-old custodian said. "A lot of my Germany colleagues are going to be teammates at club level as well now, so it's not like I'll be entering terra incognita. I'm sure I'll settle in quickly."

For Neuer, having decided to move on, FC Bayern was the only realistic option: "As national team keeper I wanted to stay in Germany. Bayern have been the top club for years and it's them I want to play for, to keep developing and to win as many titles as possible."

His new employers are equally pleased to have closed the deal. "In Manuel Neuer, FC Bayern are very happy to have secured for the longer term not just the German number one, but also one of the best goalkeepers in the world", CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge commented. The mood at Neuer's former club Schalke was more ambivalent however. "This decision has been a very difficult one to take for all those involved at Schalke", said sporting director Horst Heldt: "We opted to accept the offer from FC Bayern München because, under the circumstances, it's the best solution for Schalke 04. It also accords with Manuel's wish to move on this summer." At the end of 2011-12, Neuer would have become available on a free transfer.

The Royal Blues moved swiftly to find a replacement, signing Ralf Fährmann from relegated Eintracht Frankfurt. The 22-year-old, who has received a contract through to June 30th 2015, is a familiar face at Schalke, having already been on the books there from 2003 until 2009. "He's a very talented keeper, who will develop further", Heldt noted. Fährmann himself meanwhile is delighted at the prospect of "coming back home again."

Neuer will be reunited with another familiar face in the Bavarian capital after FC Bayern also swooped to sign Rafinha from CFC Genoa. The 25-year-old Brazilian right back, who has penned a deal through to 2014, returns to the Bundesliga after just one season in Serie A, having left Schalke for Genoa last summer. "Rafinha is an experienced player of proven ability who will lend added stability to our defence and also help our overall game", said FC Bayern sporting director Christian Nerlinger. Alongside 2. Bundesliga top scorer Nils Petersen from Energie Cottbus, Neuer and Rafinha are Bayern's second and third new signings for the coming season.

Almost three goals a game on average, one scored from all of 73 metres out, a record-equalling start to the season by unfancied 1. FSV Mainz 05 and much more besides: 2010-11 turned out to be another vintage Bundesliga campaign. The top facts in overview:

GOALS: No lack of entertainment for the fans on this score, with the Bundesliga teams hitting the net 894 times in total. That averages out at 2.94 goals per games and is a 27-goal improvement on the previous season (867). Top individual scorer was Bayern München's Mario Gomez with an impressive final tally of 28.

OWN-GOALS: 2010-11 saw 27 own-goals. Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen led the way when it came to scoring at the wrong end, each managing it three times.

RED CARDS: Things were a bit more heated in this respect too. 32 players were shown a straight red card, with 25 more sent off for a second bookable offence in the season just ended, giving a total of 57. In the previous campaign, the figure was 42 (20 red, 22 yellow-red).

PENALTIES: The league's referees pointed to the spot on no less than 83 occasions last season, 29 times more than in 2009-10. 57 of those penalties were converted, with the keeper coming out on top in 18 duels and the remaining eight spot-kicks failing to hit the target. The conversion rate of around 69 percent was a shade below the historical average. The sum total of penalties awarded since the Bundesliga got under way in 1963 rose to 4092, of which 3007 (73 percent) were successfully dispatched.

ORACLE: Mid-season league leaders Borussia Dortmund also finished top of the pile come the end of the season. In 32 of the 48 Bundesliga campaigns to date, equivalent to precisely two out of every three cases, the team in pole position going into the winter break have gone on to claim the title.

START RECORD: 2010-11 saw a team win their opening seven games for only the third time since the formation of the Bundesliga. 1. FSV Mainz 05 were the side who managed the feat, putting them level in the record books with Bayern München (1995-96) and 1. FC Kaiserslautern (2001-02).

EXTREMES: Eintracht Frankfurt had gone 793 minutes without hitting the net when Georgios Tzavellas put them out of their misery in spectacular fashion on Matchday 26, scoring from 73 metres out against Schalke 04 to break Diego's "long-distance" record by no less than eleven metres. Only two teams had previously suffered a longer goal drought in the Bundesliga: 1. FC Saarbrücken in 1992-93 (964 minutes) and, unwillingly leading the way, the 1. FC Köln team of 2001-02, who went goalless for a mammoth 1034 minutes.

With a 1-1 draw at VfL Bochum, having won the first leg of the play-off 1-0 at home, Borussia Mönchengladbach completed a remarkable escape from what a few weeks earlier had seemed like almost certain relegation. A 24th-minute own-goal from Havard Nordtveit had pulled the 2. Bundesliga contenders level on aggregate, but Marco Reus struck in the 72nd minute to dash VfL's dreams of once again bouncing back to the top flight at the first attempt, simultaneously securing Borussia's place there for the coming season

"We've pulled off a minor miracle", Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl said afterwards, while coach Lucien Favre enthused, "It's fantastic. The team showed true character. We always had belief in ourselves." His Bochum counterpart Friedhelm Funkel was gracious in defeat, while noting, "It was a contest of equals over 180 minutes. The recognition we received was well merited. The team that had that extra bit of luck are still in the Bundesliga at the end of the day, so hearty congratulations to them for that."

The result meant that for the first time in six attempts down the years, Bochum had failed to win promotion back to the Bundesliga at the first time of asking. For their part, Mönchengladbach managed to avoid dropping to the second tier for what would have been only the third time in their history after 1999 and 2007.

The first chance in an intensely-fought meeting fell to the hosts, Marcel Maltritz heading a Paul Freier corner against the Gladbach bar after just three minutes. Borussia meanwhile began cautiously and their most promising early attacks ended with Martin Stranzl (12') and Mike Hanke (20') being caught offside. Bochum were rewarded for their efforts midway through the first half when midfielder Nordtveit inadvertently bundled a cross from VfL skipper Christoph Dabrowski into his own net. Four minutes before half time the visitors were out of luck again as Mohamadou Idrissou connected with a Juan Arango corner, only to see it too rebound off the crossbar.

Mönchengladbach upped their attacking game after the restart and Reus almost capitalised on a sloppy back pass by Matthias Ostrzolek in the 58th minute, getting in a toe-poke that pulled a great save out of VfL keeper Andreas Luthe. The Foals maintained their offensive and with 20 minutes of regulation time remaining Luthe was in action again, keeping out a deflected cross from Arango. Shortly after that Stranzl headed against the post, but a further minute on Reus finally netted the all-important leveller, coolly slotting the ball home after being teed up by substitute Igor de Camargo.

The Bundesliga clubs are keeping it relatively local when it comes to their preparations for the 2011-2012 campaign. Austria is once again the training camp destination of choice for many, with at least twelve of next season's top-flight outfits opting to pitch up in the Alpine republic.

There are also a number of mouth-watering friendlies in store. 2. Bundesliga champions Hertha BSC have already arranged a date with Spanish giants Real Madrid, while Bayern München will play host to Champions League winners FC Barcelona, AC Milan and Brazil's Sport Club Internacional in a star-studded Audi Cup (July 26th-27th). A week beforehand (July 19th-20th), the German record champions are in action at a mini-tournament hosted by 1. FSV Mainz at their new Coface Arena, with Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV also taking part.

As far as the training camp venue goes, Bayern are one of the few clubs venturing as far south as Italy. For the second year running, the Munich side will be getting themselves into shape in Riva del Garda, from July 3rd-10th. New head coach Jupp Heynckes is likely to have a full squad at his disposal, in stark contrast to last summer, when his predecessor Louis van Gaal had so many players returning late after World Cup duty that even fitness coach Marcelo Martins got a run-out in one friendly.

Champions Borussia Dortmund meanwhile are the only club decamping for Switzerland, basing themselves in Bad Ragaz from July 10th. VfL Wolfsburg meanwhile will be sweating it out at three separate locations, spending a couple of weeks at Oeversee, outside Flensburg, before moving on by way of Glücksburg to Bad Kleinkirchheim in Austria, where coach Felix Magath will have the opportunity to invite his charges along on one of his notorious hiking trips. In 2008, he took the squad up to an altitude of some 2100 metres.

League runners-up Bayer Leverkusen and top-flight debutants FC Augsburg are the 2011-12 early birds, with new Bayer head coach Robin Dutt and FCA supremo Jos Luhukay both starting the pre-season preparations on June 19th. At the other end of the scale, the FC Bayern ensemble are back in training a full twelve days later.

The action begins in earnest on the weekend starting July 29th, with the first round of the DFB Cup. A week later Borussia Dortmund get their defence of the title, and the 49th season of Bundesliga action, under way.

With an invaluable notebook in his luggage, Frank Arnesen has arrived in Hamburg to take over as the new sporting director of HSV. Operating on a steady-hand policy based around continuity, the 54-year-old former Danish international midfielder, who most recently held a similar post at Chelsea, aims to help the Red Shorts back to the top of the German game. "The important thing is that we function as a unit. To get good results we need a strong team, and a strong club environment too", Arnesen stressed.

Quite a task, coming on the back of a turbulent season on and off the pitch that ended with the team lying a disappointing eighth in the table, having experienced a raft of personnel changes affecting both the executive and the coaching staff. The upheaval is set to continue on the playing front as well, with veteran stars such as Frank Rost, Ze Roberto and Ruud van Nistelrooy having taken their leave. Arnesen has a lot on his plate then, but he remains unfazed, saying, "I'm used to the pressure of high expectations. It's a great challenge."

The man described by HSV supervisory committee chairman Ernst-Otto Rieckhoff as the "epitome of the football expert" will doubtless be making good use of an excellent network of contacts in his new job. "He's got a notebook with the name of every up-and-coming talent in Europe in it", former Denmark coach Sepp Piontek revealed recently. Arnesen will not have required it though for the first player he signed at Hamburg, 23-year-old Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne, who had been playing on loan for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Nor indeed for the two who followed, Italian U-19 international Jacopo Sala and fellow attacking midfielder Gökhan Töre, both likewise on the books at Chelsea.

The criteria for the new-look Hamburger SV have now been crystallised. "We've missed out on the new trend in football towards a high-intensity pressing game, in which tactics and team unity play an even more significant role", noted former sporting director Bastian Reinhardt, who remains on the management team in Hamburg. His successor Arnesen has racked up 17 years experience in his current line of work since retiring at the end of a distinguished playing career, and had stints with PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham Hotspur among others before moving to Chelsea. No stranger to success, he says, "I'd like to win titles here as well." It's a sentiment the HSV fans most certainly share.

As outlined above, Frank Arnesen has quite a job on his hands if he is to turn Hamburg SV's fortunes around. The new sporting director spoke exclusively with bundesliga.de about the challenges ahead.

Frank Arnesen, what form is your work as HSV sporting director taking at the moment?

Frank Arnesen: After the final game of the season against Mönchengladbach we analysed the situation, taking account of all the input on what had gone before. We're working flat-out to put the new team together. We don't have a huge amount of money to spend, so we'll be relying on good, creative ideas.

HSV have signed three players from Chelsea FC - Michael Mancienne, Jacopo Sala and Gökhan Töre. How can they help the team?

Arnesen: Michael Mancienne can help us straight away. I've known him for six years already, and know how good he is. He's quick, with good technique and strong in the tackle and in the air. He's also got Premier League experience. From Saturday he'll be playing in the European U-21 Championship in Denmark and he's already been called up to the full England squad as well, where he certainly belongs in the longer term. I'm confident he'll make great progress with us too, as will Jacopo Sala and Gökhan Töre. They're two for the future. They've already represented their countries at youth level and both have excellent attributes as footballers. We have to, and will, give them the time they need to keep developing as they have been.

What other matters need to be addressed on the personnel front - with Guy Demel as a case in point?

Arnesen: We had a very good discussion with Guy. He's done a lot for HSV over the past six years and earned the respect he commands. He's told us he'd like a fresh challenge, and I respect that as well. So we'll keep talking and work to find an equable solution.

The position of head coach was also a matter of some debate over the final season run-in. In the end, you decided to keep Michael Oenning on. What particular qualities do you see in him?

Arnesen: I spoke very intensively with Michael Oenning before coming to a decision. We discussed his philosophy of the game, different playing systems, his training methods, and each and every individual player as well. And I realised, this man has to be given the chance to coach HSV. He has a talent for bringing on young players and a very good overview of the market. He's absolutely the right man for the job, given the overall future direction of the club. His enormous expertise and his ability to communicate it will help us, because we can't just be thinking about today, we have to develop our players for tomorrow as well. And Michael's just the man for that.

Ahead of your own arrival, the club went through some turbulent times and your predecessor, Bastian Reinhardt, had a particularly tough time of it with all the uncertainty. How are relations between the two of you?

Arnesen: I'm very glad to have him on our team. Bastian lives for the club and his attitude has at all times been highly professional. We need people like that, which is why Bastian will have an important role to play on the sporting side. Together with Lee Congerton he'll be helping strengthen the links between the youth team players and the professionals, and serving as the go-to guy there. Interlinking the youth programme with the senior squad is vital for the future of the club and Bastian will have an important role to play in that.

HSV missed out on Europe in the season just ended. What do you see as the target for the campaign ahead?

Arnesen: Now's not the time to be talking about where we might finish in the table. Our first priorities are to put the best possible squad together and prepare ourselves optimally in all other relevant areas. That's what we're totally focused on, that's how we'll build the foundations for the future. And our aim has to be to give everything for HSV in every game, to get our fans completely behind us, and the football we play once again. To get the team and the supporters back on the same wavelength would be a great start. The rest would follow of its own accord.

Solbakken new coach of 1. FC Köln
Stale Solbakken has signed on as the new head coach of 1. FC Köln. The 43-year-old former midfielder, who played 58 times for Norway, will take up his duties with the Billy Goats on July 1st on an initial two-year contract, with caretaker coach Volker Finke returning full time to the job of sporting director. "I think we've pulled off a real coup", said Finke: "Stale has an outstanding talent both for strategy and for putting a team together. I'm very happy that 1. FC Kön will be going into the coming seasons with such a good coach."

Bremen extend with Boenisch
Werder Bremen have extended the contract of defender Sebastian Boenisch for a further year, through to June 2012. Sporting director Klaus Allofs confirmed the agreement, saying, "Injuries prevented Sebastian from contributing out on the pitch last season, but we're confident he will get over this difficult phase and battle his way back into the team. With the contract extension, we want to give him the time to do just that." A series of knee problems meant the 24-year-old left back was only able to turn out once for Bremen in the Bundesliga in 2010-11.

Hertha BSC sign Ottl
Promoted Hertha BSC have signed midfielder Andreas Ottl from record champions Bayern München. Ottl, 26, moves to the capital on a free transfer and has been given a three-year contract. "Andreas Ottl is an experienced Bundesliga player, and that experience will without doubt help us not just next season, but in those that follow as well", Hertha sporting director Michael Preetz commented. Ottl is the second player, after goalkeeper Thomas Kraft, to swap Munich for Berlin in recent weeks.

Perisic on the books at Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Ivan Perisic from Club Brugge. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has been given a five-year contract with the German champions, through to June 2016. Croatia international Perisic, who started out with hometown club Hajduk Split before moving to France's FC Sochaux, was the Belgian league's top scorer with 22 goals last season. He also chipped in with ten assists, and was voted player of the year by his fellow professionals.

Frings presents Schaaf with "last Werder shirt"
Former Germany stalwart Torsten Frings had a special parting gift for Thomas Schaaf when he made his final appearance for Werder Bremen. After being substituted just before half time in the 3-2 friendly win against SV Wilhelmshaven, the 34-year-old midfield dynamo took off his top and handed it over to his coach of many years, to huge applause from the crowd. "That was a great moment that the coach made possible for me", Frings said: "The last shirt belongs to him, he's been my biggest mentor. I'll always be grateful to him."