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.
Dortmund has had their difficulties with Hoffenheim in the past. Last season, they picked up only a single point from two games against the Sinsheim club. On Saturday, Dortmund showed no mercy once more and banged in three past Tom Starke. However, they were also greeted with news this week that Mario Goetze will be out for at-least eight weeks.
There was also good news for the BVB fans. Juergen Klopp and Michael Zorc, the duo of coach and sporting director, extended their contracts. If Klopp sees out his contract, fans will be seeing him jumping around and yelling on the Dortmund touchline for up to 2016.
Someone who knows all about lengthy lay-offs is Ivica Olic. The Bayern striker was out with injury for almost a year before returning this season. He almost scored with a spectacular lob this weekend as an unconvincing Bayern managed to scrape a victory against Wolfsburg.
In injury time, Olic’s lob was cleared off the line by Ricardo Rodriguez but bounced off Arjen Robben and ended up in the back of the net. Bayern might have won- they will have to lift their level though if they are to win the title this season.
One team that has definitely lifted their level this season is Gladbach. Gladbach put three past Stuttgart, a team that is usually difficult to put away. Stuttgart was behind by only a single goal until the 81st minute when Marco Reus added a second. The other two goals came from Mike Hanke and Igor de Camargo.
Leverkusen meanwhile returned to their habit of drawing games. They took on Thomas Schaaf’s Bremen. Schaaf was highly satisfied with his team’s performance. Robin Dutt’s side was restricted to chances from distance only. Bremen scored early on through Claudio Pizarro. Stefan Reinartz scored in the second half after a scuffle in the Bremen penalty area.
Bremen had a chance to put the game to bed but failed to take it. Leverkusen was to a certain point lucky to have escaped with a draw, just as they were lucky to have come away with a draw against Hanover.
Hanover, by the way, finally won a game this week, 1-0, against Nuremberg.
So, after this week’s fixtures, we still don’t have the faintest idea about who will win the title. Bayern, Gladbach, Schalke, Dortmund- take your pick and let me know your thoughts on the race.
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.
Dortmund has had their difficulties with Hoffenheim in the past. Last season, they picked up only a single point from two games against the Sinsheim club. On Saturday, Dortmund showed no mercy once more and banged in three past Tom Starke. However, they were also greeted with news this week that Mario Goetze will be out for at-least eight weeks.
There was also good news for the BVB fans. Juergen Klopp and Michael Zorc, the duo of coach and sporting director, extended their contracts. If Klopp sees out his contract, fans will be seeing him jumping around and yelling on the Dortmund touchline for up to 2016.
Someone who knows all about lengthy lay-offs is Ivica Olic. The Bayern striker was out with injury for almost a year before returning this season. He almost scored with a spectacular lob this weekend as an unconvincing Bayern managed to scrape a victory against Wolfsburg.
In injury time, Olic’s lob was cleared off the line by Ricardo Rodriguez but bounced off Arjen Robben and ended up in the back of the net. Bayern might have won- they will have to lift their level though if they are to win the title this season.
One team that has definitely lifted their level this season is Gladbach. Gladbach put three past Stuttgart, a team that is usually difficult to put away. Stuttgart was behind by only a single goal until the 81st minute when Marco Reus added a second. The other two goals came from Mike Hanke and Igor de Camargo.
Leverkusen meanwhile returned to their habit of drawing games. They took on Thomas Schaaf’s Bremen. Schaaf was highly satisfied with his team’s performance. Robin Dutt’s side was restricted to chances from distance only. Bremen scored early on through Claudio Pizarro. Stefan Reinartz scored in the second half after a scuffle in the Bremen penalty area.
Bremen had a chance to put the game to bed but failed to take it. Leverkusen was to a certain point lucky to have escaped with a draw, just as they were lucky to have come away with a draw against Hanover.
Hanover, by the way, finally won a game this week, 1-0, against Nuremberg.
So, after this week’s fixtures, we still don’t have the faintest idea about who will win the title. Bayern, Gladbach, Schalke, Dortmund- take your pick and let me know your thoughts on the race.
