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Bundesliga Review: Bayern and Dortmund both win ahead of Wednesday's clash
The matches this week almost transpired as expected- in mid week, we might find out where the title will be heading to at the end of the season.
Bastian Schweinsteiger shunned a reporter’s questions after Bayern’s derby victory. The reporter’s question was meant to belittle Augsburg and Schweinsteiger, out of respect, chose to move away from the scene. The German completed 90 minutes in a match for the first time since October. An almost unknown side has emerged to Bayern’s character now. Bayern has learnt how to win ‘ugly’. Mario Gomez in his post match comments said that Bayern cannot be expected to thrash opponents every week. Indeed, Bayern’s win over Augsburg was an ‘ugly’ one. Dortmund beat Wolfsburg on the same day at the same time consigning die Wolfe to only their fourth home defeat of the season.
There is plenty to play for in the Bundesliga this week
Three vital matches take place in the Bundesliga this week aside from the blockbuster between Dortmund and Bayern.
Bremen – Mönchengladbach
Gladbach has virtually almost nothing left to play for this season. On current form and considering Schalke’s current form, third place is seemingly unreachable. They are tucked comfortable in the fourth and final Champions League spot, nine points...
Bundesliga Review: We finally have a title race in our hands!
Three out of the four contenders faltered this week, leading to the gap between the top two sides reducing to only three points.
Borussia Dortmund 4-4 VfB Stuttgart- Juergen Klopp and Bruno Labbadia took turns at punching the air and celebrating overzealously as the score kept on changing. Dortmund led 2-0 even with 20 minutes remaining on the clock. Stuttgart drew two goals out of the bag in quick succession and then took the lead. Mats Hummels turned up with an absolutely amazing goal to level the scores at 3-3.Dortmund then took the lead but were pegged back late into injury time by Christian Gentner. Mats Hummels completely missed the ball when he tried to head it away from his penalty area. He collided into Marcel Schmelzer while attempting to clear it. Schmelzer’s fall turned out to be more than just collateral damage as the ball fell kindly for the talented Gentner to score.
Bundesliga Review: The Ruhr Teams Lit the League Up as Bayern continued to win this week
The Bundesliga recorded a massive away victory in its history books this week. However, Bayern wasn’t the team to go off on a goal-scoring rampage this time around.
When Köln scored the opener against Dortmund via Milivoje Novakovic, there was a slight doubt about Dortmund’s chances of winning the game. All those doubts were erased soon afterwards as Robert Lewandowski, Shinji Kagawa, Ivan Perisic, Lukasz Pizsczek and Ilkay Guendogan all scored to win 1-6. Monchengladbach failed to recover from the misery of a cup defeat on penalties. They succumbed to Hoffenheim in strange fashion. Gladbach led the match for 75 minutes after Marco Reus grabbed an early goal to give his side the lead. In the 77th and 79th minutes, Hoffenheim scored through Roberto Firmino and Boris Vukcevic to lead and eventually win the game.
An Exciting Weekend awaits us in the Bundesliga
‘Exciting’ is the only word which can describe the Bundesliga action which will take place tomorrow.
Köln always is a very entertaining side- regarding matters on and off the pitch. After having been absolutely thumped 4-1 by Hanover last week, they take to the pitch against the holders Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund was in action in mid-week in the DFB Pokal. It took them a full 120 minutes to dispose of SpVgg Greuther Furth with Ilkay Guendogan scoring the winner in the final minute of extra time.Other matches include a contest between Hoffenheim and Monchengladbach, who were also in cup action during the week. Bayern takes on Hanover, a contest which has seen Hanover come out on top in the previous two meetings. The biggest match of the weekend takes places between two of the most exciting sides of the league, fourth placed Schalke and fifth placed Leverkusen.
Markus Babel revisits Munich as head coach of Hoffenheim
Markus Babel pays a second trip to Bavaria to his former club and perhaps the one he dreams to coach one day.
Markus Babel’s desire to become the head-coach of Germany’s biggest club one-day (yes, they are still Germany’s biggest club) is no secret. However, he rarely manages to impress on his trips to Bavaria. His last trip there ended in disaster. His former club, Hertha was taught a lesson in football that day.If there was any time that Babel could boost his CV for perhaps this very job, this is it. Bayern’s current run of poor form is seemingly endless with each away display poorer than the former. The home displays have generally been good. Bayern has won every home game by a 2-0 margin in 2012.
Betis vs Madrid: Ronaldo & co tipped to answer Messi and Barca’s 7-1 show
On Saturday night, Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid will attempt to steal the spotlight away from rivals Barcelona and 5-goal world record holder Lionel Messi.
Los Blancos will play away to Real Betis on the Spanish La Liga’s 26th Matchday. They could further increase their commanding 10-point gap for at least a day as Barcelona’s match away to Racing Santander is due to take place on Sunday evening only.Real Madrid’s Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo, has 30 goals in La Liga. He is 2 goals above second-placed Lionel Messi in the top scorers chart as the race for the Pichichi continues. Ronaldo is poised to find the net on Saturday night but he’ll have to break his curse against Betis. The Andalusia-based competitors have never conceded a goal from Ronaldo unlike all the other teams in La Liga.
Barcelona 7-1 Bayer: 5-goal hero Messi creates new Champions League record
The UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16 stage produced yet another exciting night with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi stealing the spotlight away.
In 2010, Messi joined legends Puskas, Di Stefano, Van Basten and Simone Inzaghi in the list of players to net 4 goals in a single European encounter. However, no player had ever scored as many as 5 goals in a Champions League match until Lionel Messi set the record on Wednesday, March 7.La Pulga took the stage by storm in a game which Barcelona could have afforded to lose 2-0 thanks to their 3-1 first-leg advantage. The illustrious player put the Catalans 2-0 up at the break thanks to a couple of unstoppable shots. He completed his hat-trick in the 49th minute and matched his four-goal record against Arsenal with another strike in the 58th minute.
Will Leverkusen be able to grab a Champions League berth in Germany?
Injuries to key players, suspensions and lack of form have seen three of the four title contenders in the Bundesliga drop points easily. Leverkusen has thus made up some ground on those sides.
Schalke lost to Bayern and Freiburg in succession while Leverkusen won two games in the same match-days, closing the gap between the two sides to a mere four points. Monchengladbach drew against Hamburg last week and lost 1-0 to Dieter Hecking’s Nuremberg this week.This week, one of the surprising score-lines in the Bundesliga was: Leverkusen 2-0 Bayern. Leverkusen had not managed to get the better of Bayern since August 28th in 2004 when they managed to win 4-1. Recent record suggested Leverkusen was in for another horrendous afternoon as Bayern had beaten Bayer 04 by a combined score-line of 8-1 over the last two meetings.
Bundesliga Review: Dortmund on course for a second title in a row
Dortmund went one step closer to securing the title following a massively successful weekend for Klopp’s side.
The match-day fixture list seemed perfect for Dortmund. Bayern was playing a tough Leverkusen side on the road. Schalke was playing a much improved Freiburg side and Gladbach was playing a tricky Nuremberg side in Franconia. In theory, Bayern was almost expected to at-least draw against Bayer 04, Schalke to beat Freiburg and Gladbach to perform well against Nuremberg. In reality, actually, the fixture list turned out to be a perfect one.Dortmund in fact almost slipped up too against Mainz. The plethora of missed chances that seem to be almost mandatory in Dortmund’s games would have frustrated players from another side but not Dortmund. Despite their former player Mohammed Zidan scoring an equalizer with about 16 minutes to go, Dortmund still found a way to win as their in-form Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa scored to give the Ruhr side a 2-1 win.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Barcelona Preview
The Champions League returns on Tuesday as Barcelona takes on Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
Team News
In the most bizarre of accidents that can occur to a footballer before a vital match, Eren Derdiyok stepped on a shard of glass in his residence and cut his foot. He required stitches and will thus miss this match. Sidney Sam, who had just returned from injury, was injured against Dortmund and has been ruled out for two months.
Michael Ballack sustained a calf problem in training on Sunday and will not take part in the match even though whether he would have started anyways is doubtful. Long term injury victim Tranquillo Barnetta will not feature either.
Bundesliga Review: A Weekend of Sackings, Hirings and Improvements
The Bundesliga coaching carousel has begun once again. Holger Stanislawski and Michael Skibbe lost their jobs while Markus Babel returned to the Bundesliga just four match-days after his sacking.
Hoffenheim looked like a ‘life-less’ side match after match. The club had seemingly taken all the energies out of a lively and energetic Holger Stanislawski. Hoffenheim was sinking deeper and deeper into trouble with every passing week and a change had to be made. Hoffenheim then made a ‘safe’ decision and brought in the Bavarian Markus Babel.Babel very nearly earned a win for his side in his opening match but was denied by Marko Arnautovic in the 89th minute of the contest against Bremen. Babel’s two former clubs meanwhile played out a one sided contest in Swabia. Stuttgart battered Hertha 5-0. The match saw the reign of Michael Skibbe come to a disappointing end after the coach failed to win a single game in his short tenure.
Dortmund Edges Ahead in the Bundesliga Title Race
Bayern has officially been dethroned from the top of the Bundesliga. The weekend was really a triumph for Borussia Dortmund as all their nearest contenders drew their matches.
The Bayern supporters knew as did the hierarchy- the team’s performances weren’t up to the mark. Meanwhile, in the Ruhr region, Dortmund decided to put the loss of Nuri Sahin completely behind them. The three performances that Dortmund has produced in the Bundesliga this year have been almost spotless.A 0-2 win over Nuremberg propelled them to the top of the table on Friday. On Saturday, the three other contenders had to match their result and all failed to do so. Bayern was held to a draw in Hamburg. The result caused some uproar in Bavaria- but this time the comments from the hierarchy weren’t directed towards the opposition. The comments were directed towards Jupp Heynckes.
Should Leverkusen stick with Robin Dutt?
Disappointment after disappointment; draw after draw- Leverkusen fans are perhaps slightly sickened by their beloved club’s results at the moment.
Leverkusen has been associated with one simple word for many seasons in the Bundesliga- ‘talent’. In terms of sheer raw talent, very few teams can get the better of Leverkusen. Currently, the title race in Germany is as close as ever with four teams challenging for the coveted shield- Leverkusen isn’t one of them.In the previous two seasons, Leverkusen displayed that they were ready to challenge for the title. In the 2009-2010 season, Bayer 04 was the top side for much of the season before being overtaken by Bayern and eventually finishing fourth. Last season, they challenged for the title for much of the campaign and finished second behind Dortmund.
Bundesliga Review: Stuttgart, Köln, Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim battered by title contenders
Bayern continues to lead the way on goal difference in the Bundesliga. None of the four teams which are contenders for the salad bowl dropped points this week.
Schalke was on the verge of losing their connection with the top four. Lukas Podolski struck in the fourth minute and Köln took the lead into half-time. Köln actually held on till the hour mark but Schalke found a way. An unlikely source in the form of Ciprian Marica scored the equalizer. Then, Schalke started compounding misery on Köln.Marica grabbed a second 12 minutes later. Klaas Jan Huntelaar scored from the penalty spot just six minutes after the second goal. Benjamin Höger added one more just four minutes after the third. Now, that is what you call an ‘attacking force’. While their Ruhr rivals aren’t exactly scoring for fun, they are scoring quite a few too.
Who is the most likely Candidate to Win the Bundesliga title?
The top four teams are separated by only four points. This Bundesliga title race has the makings of a very intense and special one.
Marco Reus today dedicated himself to the club that rejected him not too long ago, Borussia Dortmund following the end of the current season. In retrospect, that transfer was a rivalry between Bayern and Dortmund, with Dortmund triumphing again. Bayern had targeted Reus publicly and as we all know, Bayern does not like to lose out in any aspect to their rivals.Bayern nonetheless has the edge where it really matters- the Bundesliga title race. They are comfortably at the top with a three point lead over the Ruhr sides and a four point lead over Moenchengladbach. Two sides who have contended in recent seasons sit fifth and sixth in table: Bremen and Leverkusen.
Bundesliga Mid Season Review 2011-12
The Final Weekend of 2011 in the Bundesliga ended with plenty of drama as Markus Babbel was sacked as coach of Hertha Berlin.
Markus Babbel is an ambitious man. He spent long years as a player with Bayern and Liverpool and thus has a winning mentality. He perhaps saw Hertha as a club that was not going to move forward. As a result, he opted not to extend his contract and he said as much to Hertha’s general manager Michael Preetz. Preetz according to Babbel refused to be truthful to the media. Babbel was sacked this week. He will be replaced by Michael Skibbe. Hertha’s final result under Babbel was a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim in Sinsheim. Hertha is seated not too securely in mid table. Babel’s former team meanwhile secured the Autumn Championship in Bavaria.
Prinz Poldi reigns supreme- Reflections on the Bundesliga Weekend
Prinz Poldi’s performance against Freiburg lit up the league on a weekend that saw Bayern increase the gap between themselves and their rivals.
When Cristian Molinaro saw red about 15 minutes before half-time at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart’s afternoon turned completely sour. Stuttgart started the day brightly by grabbing an early goal. Bayern equalized soon afterwards through none other than Mario Gomez. Gomez grabbed the winner in the second half. He also scrambled the ball away from the goal-line, preventing a Stuttgart equalizer.Bayern, after taking the lead, shifted down to third gear. Stuttgart came within inches of scoring an equalizer. Daniel Van Buyten’s giveaway to Cacau led to the Stuttgart man aiming towards an empty net only to send the ball slightly over the net and into the stands. Due to other results, Bayern now has a three point lead over their rivals and a superior goal difference to go along with the lead.
A Look Ahead to the Champions League Draw on Friday
The most ‘even’ Champions League draw will be taking place on the 16th of December.
Italy is the nation with most sides in the round of 16. Germany, Spain, Russia, England and France each are represented by two sides in the competition. Cyprus, Switzerland and Portugal are each represented by one team. All these teams have made their passages through tough groups with perhaps the exception of Barcelona and AC Milan. These two sides were drawn with Plzen and Bate, two relative novices at this level, in the group stage.Nonetheless, Barca and Milan must be given credit for qualifying as the novices have risen this season. Whereas experienced competitors such as Manchester United, Villarreal, Porto and Valencia have gone out, the likes of Apoel Nicosia and FC Basel have progressed into the knockout stages.
Chelsea on the brink after late UEFA Champions League collapse
Chelsea crumbled to a last minute 2-1 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen in Germany last night.
The defeat leaves Chelsea needing a win or 0-0 draw in their final Group E game against in-form Spanish team Valencia to reach the knockout stages.Valencia are coming off a 7-0 win over Genk, and will qualify for the last 16 over Chelsea if they achieve a victory or score draw at Stamford Bridge.
Things looked good for the Blues last night when Didier Drogba fired the in front early in the second half. Their good fortune did not last however, with Eren Derdiyok equalizing in the 73rd minute before Manuel Friedrich headed home an injury time winner for the Germans.
The first chance of the game came when the impressive Daniel Sturridge tried to play Juan Mata in on goal, but the young English striker’s through ball was slightly over-hit.
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