Schalke became Germany’s second division champion, a day after it clinched promotion back to the Bundesliga, thanks to other results in the league on Sunday. Paderborn, which had been second, nine points behind Schalke, slumped to a 5-1 loss at Elversberg. Elversberg capitalized on third-place Hannover’s dramatic 3-3 draw with last-place Preußen Münster and moved second, eight points behind Schalke with two rounds remaining.
Oliver Kahn had strong words about Real Madrid players amid the potential hiring of Jürgen Klopp. Real Madrid have not stopped competing with Álvaro Arbeloa as manager, but rumors about his replacement started a few weeks ago. One candidate who was speculated about was Jürgen Klopp, an idea Oliver Kahn disagreed with on Sky Germany. Kahn said: “I don’t know if I would do that if I were Klopp. Do Real Madrid and he fit with each other? If we make a deep analysis, he is one of the managers who likes to develop and build. He works with a clear system.” The former goalkeeper was critical of the players: “Real Madrid are something completely different. They are a group of individuals, a group of superstars that strongly reject being imposed on by any concept.” Kahn recalls Alonso’s firing The goalkeeper’s vast experience as a player includes nearly 1,000 matches in his career for Karlsruher SC, Bayern Munich and Germany. He knows that country better than most, so he saw Xabi Alonso’s rise as a manager up close. Klopp left Liverpool in 2024 (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) His time at Bayer Leverkusen was historic to the point where they became the first undefeated Bundesliga champions in a competition where there is usually a dominant team, which led Kahn to use him as an example for Klopp if Real Madrid tempts him. Kahn said: “We saw it with Alonso. It is about whether, as a manager, you have respect, can connect with the players, can manage the biggest stars and convince them of the system you are trying to implement.” Alonso’s numbers with Real Madrid Alonso’s stint in Madrid was short, largely because he could not get the players to follow his idea. The outcome was clear, as he managed just 34 matches, with 24 victories, 4 draws and 6 losses. Even if that record does not look bad on paper, it was mainly the type of defeats that led the club to end his contract in January of this year.
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