BERLIN (AP) — Life in the Bundesliga began in silence for Union Berlin with a 15-minute protest by the club’s fans against opponents Leipzig.A minute after Union fans finally unleashed their support on Sunday Cheap Belgium Soccer Jerseys , it was the visiting supporters making all the noise after Leipzig scored the opening goal in a 4-0 rout of the first team from the former East Berlin to play in Germany’s top flight.The home fans stayed quiet for the opening 15 minutes, answering a call from Union ultra group Wuhlesyndikat, which had urged supporters to protest what they called “a constructed club that has absolutely nothing to do with our idea of football.”Red Bull-backed Leipzig has been unpopular among rival fans since its formation in 2009. The energy drinks manufacturer founded the club and helped finance its steady progress through the lower leagues to the Bundesliga.The team is used to protests — Dynamo Dresden’s fans threw a severed bull’s head onto the field during a cup game in 2016 — and Union fans’ silence was just the latest for the players.“I wasn’t paying attention. Our fans created atmosphere, so from that point of view … (it) was all the same to me,” goal-scorer Marcel Halstenberg told The Associated Press. “We concentrate on ourselves.”Halstenberg’s opening goal was followed in the first half by goals from Marcel Sabitzer and Timo Werner. Substitute Christopher Nkunku marked his debut with a goal after the break, underlining the gulf in quality between teams that finished third in their respective divisions last season, and giving Julian Nagelsmann a winning start in his first league game in charge of Leipzig.Union’s previous biggest achievement was winning the East German Cup in 1968, but the Köpenick-based side secured promotion on away goals after two draws with Stuttgart in the playoff in May.The club made 12 new signings over the summer to help its bid for survival, but rarely looked like troubling a Leipzig team boosted by an investment of more than 50 million euros ($56 million) in signings.“At least we’ve arrived (in the Bundesliga) but we’ve been brought back to earth,” Union coach Urs Fischer said. “Leipzig were clearly better and fully deserve the win.”Wuhlesyndikat’s protest caused divisions among Union’s fans, but club president Dirk Zingler said it would behave in the Bundesliga like it had in the second division, where it had also opposed Leipzig.“It’s painful for us that it’s in the first game. Perhaps that’s why it’s also particularly strong, to really do it in the first 15 minutes. The ultras have the club on their side,” Zingler told local broadcaster Radio Eins.Before kickoff, as the Union anthem was blasted out around the stadium, fans held up posters of deceased supporters, so they could be there for the club’s Bundesliga debut, too.Once referee Markus Schmidt got the game underway, only the Leipzig supporters could be heard, though the Union fans couldn’t contain themselves when Robert Andrich went close.The fans ended their boycott with a burst of clapping and chanting, and Leipzig’s answer was prompt as the team threatened to run riot. Besides the goals Cheap Brazil Soccer Jerseys , Lukas Klostermann had a goal ruled out through VAR, and Yussuf Poulsen struck the crossbar.Nkunku, a summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain, came on for Werner in the 65th and scored two minutes later.Union’s fans never stopped, however, making up for their earlier silence. They sang long after Schmidt blew the final whistle — “Our love, our team, our pride, our club.”Eintracht Frankfurt beat Hoffenheim 1-0 at home in the early game. Marouane Fellaini, for one reason or another, is not universally popular among Manchester United. It’s fair to say that he conquers opinion. Some can see his quality and what he brings to the club, but others can only see a player that personifies the darker periods since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.Unfortunately, life at Manchester United didn’t get off on the right step for Fellaini. Totally out of his control, but how his whole transfer was dealt with by Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman, was a shambles from start to finish.David Moyes, the newly appointed successor of Ferguson, searched long and hard for his midfield man, going through the possibilities of Toni Kroos, Arturo Vidal and many more, before deciding that Fellaini was the only realistic option.After enquiring about his price Cheap Colombia Soccer Shirts , they knew, that within a certain time window, Fellaini had an active buyout clause æ‹¢22 million before it expired on 31 July. Because the club stuttered and dithered all summer, they had to return right at the end of the transfer window with an improved offer of æ‹¢27.5 million. The deal was done, but the farce summed up the next few years and, unluckily for Fellaini, he was at the heart of it.There is no doubt that Fellaini has his qualities and he was an excellent servant to Everton when under the management of Moyes. Often played just behind the striker, Fellaini would create a nuisance in the box and disrupt the opposition’s defence, often scoring crucial goals at pivotal moments.However, for some reason unknown to all, Moyes, and his replacement Louis van Gaal, decided to use him further back in midfield. The Belgium international simply couldn’t have the same effect as he had shown in the Premier League beforehand, and was also not technically good enough to play in a two-man pivot, constructing attacks and driving the team forward. It wasn’t his game.For the following few years, Fellaini was seen as an outcast. He didn’t necessarily fit into the football that LvG was looking for: a possession-dominated philosophy with players that have expert technicalities to them. Fellaini certainly wasn’t one of those.The situation reached its all-time lowest point under Jos茅 Mourinho, when the Belgian was brought on as a substitute in December 2016 and was booed by the Old Trafford crowd. Seldom do the home fans whistle and boo their own players –è½unless you are Real Madrid –è½but such was the breakdown in the relationship that it had just become normal.One thing remained, however. How was it that for a player who had been subjected to boos and whistles survived under three managers in his four-and-a-half stint at Manchester United? Perhaps there was not a bad player there after all.At his lowest point as a Red Devil, Fellaini actually begun to turn his career around and lay the foundation blocks to recovering his reputation among was should have already been his supporters. The Belgian’s performances started to pick up towards the back end of the 2016/17 season, but his major breakthrough came in the following campaign.It was clear from the beginning of his reign that Mourinho preferred a midfielder of Fellaini’s stature to that of Juan Mata. The Portuguese values loyalty and a robustness that not all players have, but Fellaini was certainly one to move into the inner circle under Mourinho.With the same late and crucial goals Soccer Uniforms Wholesale , Fellaini found his role within the team: the super sub. While Mourinho arguably played him from the beginning of matches too often, the Belgian had a wonderful knack of appearing at the right time at the end of matches, slotting it home to the eruption of the Manchester United fans.Not many were kidding themselves thinking Fellaini could turn into a player that had a long-term future at the club, but he was one to applaud in the moment when he took his chances. The Belgian is, quite clearly, a limited player in some aspects, but in others, he is one of the world’s best.With Ole Gunnar Solskjå¿™r taking the immediate reigns, it is unlikely that Fellaini is going to feature handsomely between now and the end of the season. The Norwegian prefers a pressing style of play, with technically gifted players on the ball, making things happen. Fellaini, for all that he is good for, just doesn’t fit into that brand of football.At the end of the season, Man United are most likely going to try and move Fellaini on, after five years at the club. He’s had his ups and he’s certainly had his downs, but fans should look back on his time at the club and remember that he was a player who gave his all when asked upon. After all, he did survive under three Manchester United managers.
