da esoccer bet： North Rhine-Westphalia is one of Germany’s sixteen federal states. When it comes to football, it is so much more than just one of the Bundeslander. Nearly a third of the Bundesliga heralds from the area. What’s more, of late it has produced some of Germany’s brightest attacking talents. Mesut Ozil and Mario Gotze are two who spring to mind.
da premier bet： It wouldn’t be entirely inappropriate to say there is a conveyor belt of talent to be found, considering the area’s industrial heritage. The next player to have emerged from it is Marco Reus.
Like Gotze, Reus started off in the youth ranks at Borussia Dortmund but he failed to make the grade in Dortmund due to his slight physical stature, something which remains to date. It is apt therefore he should eventually be discovered by a side with the nickname Die Fohlen (The Foals) after impressing with Rot Weiss Ahlen, he joined Borussia Monchengladach in 2009.
He hasn’t looked back since arriving in the city twinned with Bradford, one of the more unspectacular elements of his current home. It has only been in the last two seasons when Reus has really found form. He has 34 goals in 80 Bundesliga appearances for Gladbach, an impressive total when taking into consideration that he’s not primarily a striker.
Reus functions best in a role just behind the front man as Lucien Favre has discovered to his credit. Favre arrived at Monchengladbach in February with the club languishing in a relegation battle. In a remarkable turnaround though, the Foals are now challenging for a Champions League place. None of this would have been possible without “Rolls Reus” who has been the creative spark of the team and managed to carve out his own niche amongst other prominent young attacking talents in the Bundesliga.
As Raphael Honigstein put it in his Guardian column, “Marco Reus is no longer routinely compared to or confused with Marko Marin, the similarly mercurial, slight, very badly coiffed dinker he replaced at Borussia Mönchengladbach.”
However despite Gladbach having considerable Bundesliga pedigree having been Deutschermeister (German Champions) on five occasions, it’s looking increasingly likely that the man with the skunk-like hair will leave sooner rather than later. Reports have said Reus is keen to stay in Germany, another feather in the cap of the Bundesliga as it continues to improve as one of Europe’s elite divisions.
It would seemingly leave it down to Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund slugging it out for his signature. Further reports in the German media have suggested Dortmund lead the way meaning a possible return home for Reus. It could be a watershed moment if Bayern Munich were to be overlooked, something which happens rarely in German football.
Reus would be well suited to either club – they both play 4-2-3-1 and he’s capable of playing anywhere in the “3.” He is arguably more likely to be first choice at Borussia Dortmund. Gunter Netzer, a fantastic playmaker for Die Fohlen in the seventies, doubted in Bild last month whether a move to Bayern Munich at the moment would benefit Reus. The one certainty amongst all of this is that Gladbach manager Lucien Favre will be desperate to keep one of Germany’s hottest properties.
The New Year then will probably mean a change of scenery domestically for Reus but the club scene is not the only place he will be looking to make his mark.
With the European Championships in June, he’ll be desperate to make it into Joachim Low’s 23-man squad for Poland and Ukraine. The Gladbach star’s international career to date has been a series of unfortunate events. Called up four times by Jogi Low prior to his debut in October, Reus had to pull out on each occasion due to injury. Having finally made his debut, the attacking midfielder desperately needs to kick on as he faces stiff competition for a starting berth in the German team.
Do not be surprised though if he is causing havoc in Eastern Europe in the summer. Whilst success on the international stage remains to be seen for the 22-year-old in the New Year, his form on the domestic scene will probably give him the platform for an opportunity to crack it. Barring his fragile stature coming back to haunt him with an injury, 2012 is set to be a pivotal year for Marco Reus.
For more Bundesliga and Premier League musings, follow me on Twitter – @arhindtutt
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