Standings as of October 20th, after a 2-0 win over Hoffenheim despite losing 60-40 in possession yet again. We did a great job shutting down Volland and Firmino. Hoffenheim frequently found themselves with slower players in advanced wing positions because of this prompt closing down (Rudy, Salihovic) and as a result my big, air-dominant CBs had plenty of time to make for cover in the box.
MOTM was John Brooks. I'd compliment him but he's already at max morale.
Next up, 2 winnable games against struggling teams at the bottom: Stuttgart, then HSV, who feature HSBC loaned target-man-of-the-future PM Lasogga. Unfortunately the loan deal does allow PM to play against HBSC, so hopefully he decides to go easy on us.
Additionally, players and staff recently uncovered the terrible secret of manager Super Hans. Despite holding an American passport, he has a striking blue collar London accent. When pressed during warmups at the film session following the Hoffenheim win, Hans admitted that he switched to US citizenship and tries to hide his British roots.
"It was much easier to get hired at HSBC with very little experience after they realized I was 'American', as nobody in Germany is looking to hire a manger from a country whose national team can't win a game at the world cup"