Schalke has to mature further to actually win the title:
Schalke was left in the wake of Bayern on Saturday. The match was expected to be tight. The score-line reflected exactly that at the end of the first half. However, Schalke only really was the dominant side for ten minutes prior to half-time. In the second, Julian Draxler showed his inexperience when he refused to pass to a team-mate after being gifted the ball by Jerome Boateng.
The fans expected Schalke to fight after conceding two rather brilliant goals in three minutes. However, the team seemed tired and let Bayern play out the match easily. Schalke will definitely challenge for the title due to the talent available to them. However, to really win it, they have to mature a bit more.
Düsseldorf is not really doing wonders to the image of the Bundesliga:
Fortuna has a large stadium and a large group of fans too. However, a game which involves Fortuna always seems to end 0-0. Following a dream victory in their first Bundesliga match, Düsseldorf has not been able to score a single goal. 0-0 draws are a rare sight in the Bundesliga. However, the number has gone up significantly this season thanks to Fortuna.
The team must start scoring goals to survive. They will not be able to draw every game 0-0 because the big teams will arrive and tear them into pieces. They are yet to play Dortmund, Schalke, Bayern and Bremen.
HSV shows the importance of cohesion and psychology:
Hamburg has looked a sorry lot recently. However, against Dortmund, they showed what they are capable of. Rafael Van der Vaart’s return has given the side a much needed psychological boost. He provided two valuable assists to see HSV defeat Dortmund. Heung Min Son showed what he is capable of on good days while Ivo Ilicevic displayed his talent for a change.
The hug that Son gave Thorsten Fink showed that everybody in HSV is starting to like each other rather than bicker about each other. Of-course, Rene Adler was required to ensure the win but a win over the defending champions is a great stepping stone to better things.
The Bundesliga shows once again that it is a wonderful place for Japanese stars:
Shinji Kagawa, Shinji Okazaki, Takashi Inui, Hiroshi Kiyotake, Atsuto Uchida and Takashi Usami are all blossoming in the Bundesliga. The Bundesliga has tapped into a player market that the Russian billionaires and Middle Eastern Oil Sheiks seemingly have missed. Japan has plenty of blossoming stars and plenty of them have found their way to Germany.
Inui has played a role in Frankfurt’s success while Kiyotake has helped Nürnberg immensely. Uchida was one of Schalke’s starting full-backs in their run to the 2010-11 Champions League semifinal. Okazaki has done well at Schalke. Kagawa, after a few wonderful seasons at Dortmund, signed for Manchester United. Usami, after a poor spell at Bayern, is trying his luck in Hoffenheim and scored last week.
The poor rate of conversion of penalties tells us about an underlying problem:
The mentality of the German players in high-pressure moments was questioned during the Euros. It seems that problem has also spread to the Bundesliga players from other countries. In the Champions League, three penalties were awarded to the three German sides and all three went begging. None of the attempts showed the quality of the player taking the penalty.
This week, Leverkusen had the chance to take home all three points against Gladbach but blew the chance because Andre Schürrle missed a late penalty. In the first week of play, Stuttgart’s Vedad Ibisevic missed a penalty. In the second week, Aaron Hunt of Bremen missed one too even though he made up for it by scoring the next one his side earned.
Bayern and Hannover were both said to lack self-confidence after their exits from Europe last season. Hannover truly lacked the confidence to knock out Atletico Madrid when in-fact, they could have done so. In the Champions League final, a long list of Bayern players refused to take penalties.
David Alaba was Bayern’s best penalty taker last season. Perhaps, until self-confidence from the penalty spot returns to the German game, it is best to let the young lads do the job. After all, they seemingly have ice running through their veins.
