Loan Update: Green Fighting for Minutes, Schöpf Next to Experience Manager Change

The Tone on Loan

Julian Green, Hamburger SV

Recent Match: 0-2 L @ VfL Wolfsburg

Bayern sent Green on loan to Hamburg to get minutes in the Bundesliga, so why is that not happening? It could be because he is not fully fit, for he only made his return from a rib bruise two weeks ago. It could be the conservative nature Josef Zinnbauer's team selection, for he has opted for players like Marcel Jansen and Zoltan Stieber in the Starting XI. He is committed to fighting for his place in Hamburg, but whether a manager that did not recruit him is going to give him a spot is still unknown.

Jan Kirchhoff, Schalke 04

Recent Match: 0-2 L @ SC Freiburg

If Kirchhoff proved one thing in Schalke's loss to Freiburg, it is that he is more than just a distributing holding midfielder. Under Roberto Di Matteo, Schalke has built more out of the back than ever. Now Kirchhoff is the only reliable link between the back and the front. His future does appear to be a ball-winning center back, but he is currently the midfielder that Di Matteo wants.

Buy Back Brigade

Raif Husic, Werder Bremen

Recent Match: 2-0 W vs. VfB Stuttgart

The appointment of Alexander Nouri came with changes, including a victory. The one that affected Husic was his return to the Bremen reserves. Instead of enjoying Bremen's first two victories of the season from the bench, he was between the pipes for Bremen II's 2-2 draw against LSK Hansa. The demotion to the second team comes with the minutes Husic might have been craving for, but it is a realization that the 18-year-old is farther away from the first team than he thought.

Alessandro Schöpf, 1. FC Nürnberg

Recent Match: 1-2 L @ SV Sandhausen

Although Nürnberg continues to struggle, Schöpf continues to get the work. The problem is that the role that Valerien Ismaël probably is not deploying him correctly. He is not involved enough in the build-up play and cannot finish well enough to play as high as he does. That issue might not persist, as Nürnberg sacked Ismaël earlier this week. The fourth Bayern product to experience a managerial change, Schöpf's role could completely change, which will continue the question of whether he will ever find his way back to Munich.

Going Halvsies

Diego Contento, Girondins de Bordeaux

Recent Match: 2-1 W @ Racing Club de Lens

Contento has restored his place in the squad after missing time with a thigh strain, but it is not the same role that he has undertaken under Willy Sagnol since his transfer. Much like Bayern had dabbled in the three-centerback world, so too has Sagnol, using his fullbacks as wing backs to better keep possession. That has moved Contento and adjacent partner Mariano up the pitch. Although neither played a part in defeating relegation-bound Lens, the new system has helped Bordeaux win three consecutive matches, and Contento could be in a position where his poor ball-winning ways will not be as exploited as it was in the past.