Going Deutsch

Alex is back from (mostly) fighting off a sore throat to discuss managerial changes ahead of the international break. Alexander Blessin is back in the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach, but is it another case of the right man in the wrong place? Christian Titz has been replaced by Sandro Wagner at Hannover, is this another Fortuna Düsseldorf? Also on the pod: a brief recap of the weekend's football, Carles Martínez's shirt, and which player was described as a rascal.

Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Anastasia Chubarova⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Alex, from the planet Omicron Persei 8 reviews another weekend of German football. Schalke win 0-0 against Bayern, Elversberg continue to dominate over German football (getting boring now) with their 4-3 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Wolfsburg and Cottbus draw 4-4. Also on the pod, the Loris Karius redemption arc, who is scared of walking, and where a young Darmstadt defender came from.

Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Anastasia Chubarova⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Alex gets ready for his trip to Elversberg at the end of the season to celebrate the team's Bundesliga win, not that we're overreacting or anything. This week's Going Deutsch covers the opening round of the Bundesliga and third matchday of the 2. Bundesliga. Elversberg have a dream start (and a bit of déjà vu) by beating Bayer Leverkusen at home. Schalke and Werder both lose by three away, but only one is concerning, and St. Pauli cause panic following their relegation blues.

Music by ⁠⁠⁠Anastasia Chubarova⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠.

Going Deutsch returns after far too long to look ahead to the 2026/27. Alex previews all eighteen teams and asks the big questions:

Which Bayern will win the league?

Can Dortmund or Stuttgart surprise?

Can Alex pronounce names?

How many times can one man say 'project' and 'stability'?

Are Paderborn doomed?

These and more are addressed ahead of the new Bundesliga season.

Music by ⁠⁠Anastasia Chubarova⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠.

All the tech problems cannot stop the Going Deutsch podcast, but they can delay it. The DFB Pokal sees Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart sail through against St. Pauli and Kiel, Horst Steffan is sacked at Werder Bremen in a, at best, sideways move to Daniel Thioune, the Bundesliga title race might be on (but probably isn't), and Kaiserslautern and Elversberg's seasons reverse in the second tier. Also on the pod: a dated reference, a proposal, I'm a Celeb, football being like a vampire, and what Bayern's 'defence' is built on.

For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Music by ⁠Anastasia Chubarova⁠ from ⁠Pixabay⁠.

This week on Going Deutsch, Bayer Leverkusen open the champagne as Bayern lose their chance of an invincible season against Augsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt concede three once again, and Nadiem Amiri pushes Mainz to victory against a hapless Wolfsburg. In the Zweite: Edin Džeko returns to German football with a bang as his Schalke comeback against Kaiserslautern, Dynamo Dresden win Elb Classico, and Arminia Bielefeld capitalise on a red card to draw with Kiel. Also on the pod: what Fürth fans might have been singing, which side literally have no fans, and why Alex didn’t watch the Hamburg derby.  

For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Music by Anastasia Chubarova from Pixabay.

Going Deutsch (finally) returns for 2026! Dino Toppmöller is sacked as Werder Bremen strike again, Frankfurt's 3-3 draw with SV is the final straw, Freiburg blow a 2-0 lead against Augsburg, and the pressure on Lukas Kwasniok eases as Köln beat Mainz. In the Zweite: Hertha and Schalke's 0-0 draw is marred by events off the pitch, Dresden win a crucial relegation six pointer against Fürth, and Hannover lose another lead in a defeat to Kaiserslautern. Also on the pod: which fanbase can't take it anymore, which player is stuck at their club forever, Pistol Piet, and which manager was very angry with his team.

For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

• Most Memorable Moments from Bundesliga Matchdays 1-15 (2025/26)
• Most memorable moments from 2. Bundesliga hinrunde (2025/26)

Music by Anastasia Chubarova from Pixabay

Going Deutsch gets into the Christmas spirit before embarking on a winter break: Freiburg beat Wolfsburg 4-3, Bayer Leverkusen don't score controversially to beat Leipzig, no matter what the hosts said, and Mainz and St. Pauli bring little festive cheer in a 0-0 draw. In the Zweite: Paderborn and Darmstadt draw 2-2, Magdeburg continue their revival with a 3-2 win over Kaiserslautern, and the ghosts of Christmas past haunt Schalke as they lost 2-1 to Braunschweig. Also on the pod: what Sportschau think "dragging themselves" means, carbon neutral football, popular toys, the best Christmas jumper ever, and what you can buy for just over €1900 in the Köln store.

For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

End Music - "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Going Deutsch returns following an impromptu break forced by technical difficulties: Urs Fischer gets a draw in his first game as Mainz manager, 2-2 away at Bayern, Union Berlin beat Leipzig 3-1 as Alex regrets comments made about Aljoscha Kemlein, and St. Pauli win their first game since September. In the Zweite, the Berlin Wall falls as Hertha Berlin draw 3-3 with Fürth, Magdeburg and Kiel draw by the same score, and a red card leads to Paderborn beating Karlsruher 4-0. Also on the pod: not being able to mention a five-goal thriller, falling down, Team Fortress 2, Big City Hertha, the return of Sven Mislintat, and an idea that will make the NFL billions.

For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

End Music - "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Going Deutsch podcast is back faster than usual for a recap of the DFB Pokal (at last!). Union score four goals against Bayern Munich but lose 3-2, St. Pauli beat Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Magdeburg score against Leipzig ... before unfortunately losing 3-1. Also on the pod: a manager sacked, what the German Football YouTube channel don't want you to know, and a Peep Show reference ... twice.

For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

End Music - "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/