What is going on?

If last week was relatively boring with a complete goal drought, this week has been one that bucks trends. First we had Schalke, not only playing in a three pointer, but losing to lowly Cottbus. Oh yeah, and Cottbus scored, which is an occurrence that rivals some rare diseases.

Next we have F.C. Bayern in their second straight nil-nil draw, only this time at the Allianz and against Frankfurt, whose last road trip resulted in a drubbing by Nurnberg. Nurnberg for their effort, was part of something that has been a rare feat this campaign, which is a loss to Stuttgart. Two wins on the bounce seems to have calmed nerves in the Swabian camp.

The most shocking result of the entire day, perhaps the year, was Hamburg's 2-1 victory over Hertha Berlin. The result itself isn't a suprise as HSV proven themselves title contenders, but seeing a scoreline without 1-0 from the Rothosen challenges my world view. But the 1-0 we did get was from Werder Bremen, of all teams, who won at home against lowly Hansa.

die Tabelle lügen nicht! (10/28)

1. FC Bayern

Nil Away Draw with BVB

For the first time this season, it can be said that they lost the midfield battle. And they were lucky to get out of Dortmund with a point due to this.

2. HSV

1-0 Road Win against Duisburg

They are learning to win without Rafael van der Vaart, which will be important come next year. Vincent Kompany scored both goals in their 2 1-0 wins in the league and UEFA Cup.

3. Werder Bremen

1-1 Away Draw with Schalke

Torsten Frings aggravated his right knee in the game and will miss an additional month after recently returning from injury to the same knee. Fortunately for Werder, their midfield isn’t completely knackered at the moment, so they should manage.

4. Karlsruhe

Nil Road Draw with Hansa

Markus Miller tore a knee ligament two minutes into the game, played the full 90 with a taped knee, made at least two spectacular saves and found out afterwards that he will be out for half a year. The feel good story of the season just went sour.

5. Schalke 04

1-1 Home Draw with Werder

I don’t know what’s more bankable, a 1-0 win for Hamburg or a draw for Schalke. The return of Kuranyi and Pander helped, but they are still missing Krstajic because Sanogo had two prestine chances to win this late for the visitors.

6. Hannover

Nil Away draw with Eintracht

Mike Hanke hasn’t scored in nearly 600 minutes. Dieter Hecking has obviously never played Football Manager; otherwise, he would know this is normal.

7. Wolfsburg

3-1 Home Win against Nurnberg

Somebody got a new bottle of peroxide. I’m looking at you Marcelinho. It’s distracting us all from the Wolves fantastic run of form.

8. Hertha Berlin

2-0 Home Win against Bochum

While the 29 year old Serbian Marko Pantelic might be the focal point of HBS’ offense, the impressive aspect of this is that everyone knows it and he’s still supremely productive. Scored one and caused the own goal against Bochum.

9. Frankfurt

Nil Home draw with Hannover

Between last week’s shellacking by a pathetic Nurnberg side and this inept performance, their strong start might be what keeps them above the dreaded dotted line by season’s end.

10. Bayer Leverkusen

1-0 Away Loss to Stuttgart

It truly pains me to say this, but Rene Adler’s timid approach on a ball that should have been cleared allowed Andreas Beck to steal a point from Leverkusen.

11. Dortmund

Nil Home Draw with Munich

They had a truly inspirational performance against Bayern this week. Were it not for their forwards, they could have easily won 3-0.

12. Stuttgart

1-0 Home Win over Leverkusen

Thomas Hitzelsperger returns from injury and the confidence returns immediately. They may not have deserved to win, but it’s no coincidence that the return of Hitzelsperger saw a change in luck and form.

13. Arminia

1-1 Home draw with Cottbus

Jonas Kamper’s rumblings that he wants to start might make Ernst Middendorp’s job more difficult as he scored to help Arminia avoid an embarrassing home loss to Cottbus.

14. Hansa Rostock

Nil Draw at Home with Karlsruhe

Did what few have accomplished at home against KSC this year: got a point.

15. Nürnberg

3-1 Away Loss to the Wolves

It was a poor week for the Cup holders as they suffered a drubbing by Felix Magath’s men and then got knocked out of the DFB Pokal by lowly Jena.

16. Bochum

2-0 Away Loss to HBS

Going down faster than Stanislav Sestak in the box.

17. Duisburg

1-0 Home Loss to HSV

Have now lost six of seven in the league, and just got dumped from the Cup. Meanwhile trainer Rudi Bommer seems to have no answers.

18. FC Energie

1-1 Away Draw with Bielefeld

They scored their first road goal of the season. At this rate, expect exactly two more this campaign.

Tactical Analysis: BVB v. Bayern

There are two questions to this game: why did BVB hold the mighty Bayern to a nil draw; and why did BVB lose two points?

For the former, we need to look at the tactics. That’s not such a bad thing, seeing as I title this column “tactical analysis”. With Franck Ribery out due to injury and the General unwilling to listen to me, even though I am a genius (my mother has reassured me), Bayern went with a 4-4-2, with Ze Roberto and Van Bommel lying deep with Schweinsteiger and Sosa patrolling the wings to link up with Klose and Toni.

On the other side, Borussia Dortmund employed the exact same 4-4-2 with Tinga and Kuba protecting the back four, while Buckey and Kinge provided for a front pairing of Petric and Valdez .

The tactical beauty of this game was the placement of the two deep central mids. Bayern’s two typically set about 10-15 meters off of their centerbacks of De Michelis and Lucio; whereas, BVB’s Tinga and Kuba set 15-25 meters off of their, and may I add much inferior, centerbacks Brszenka and Kovac.

This small difference was enough to give BVB domination of the game. Tinga and Kuba moved forward to engage Bayern’s attack much higher up the pitch than the opposite case. They won the ball in Bayern’s half more often where they could quickly push forward. This can be seen in the 18 chances they made. It’s less visible in the number of chances they didn’t create, but I will get to that later. They won the pivotal battle at the center of the pitch and controlled possession. And it is never a bad idea to deny possession to great teams.

Meanwhile, Dortmund left a gap between the mids and defenders that Bayern were unable to use to their advantage. Maybe this is where they missed Ribery. But I contend that neither Klose or Toni drifted into this empty space enough to make it a viable option. They posted up high and the midfielders were forced to carry the ball too long, making it easier to take off them.

Finally, Dortmund’s backs pushed further up the field than their Bayern counterparts. If you are going to use a 4-4-2 with two lying deep in the midfield, then you must use overlapping runs between the wingers and the backs. Degen and Dede were more visible in attack than Lell and Jansen. The low number of crosses into the box by Bayern is testament to how little their back got forward. And I contend that Lahm’s injury hurt the visitors more on the day than Ribery.

All in all, BVB was a much better side on the day and, while the result may have been surpsing, it was well earned. In fact they deserved more.

So why didn’t they? It’s rather simple. Doll’s side lacked what could be termed the final ball. Don’t mistake the final ball for a final pass. I mean that Dortmund lacked the final touch that could either finish or release. Looking and Nelson Valdez, one has to wonder why he is starting for a G14 club. He’s pants. And not my nice pair that I would wear if I were going to a fancy dinner. No, he’s not even the pants I would use for painting. And his pant-ness (I know it’s not even close to a word) only helped gloss over Petric’s poor performance. These two were ridiculously poor finishers and had Dortmund either used Klimovich or Fredrico earlier they may have found the goal they needed to win. Look at the numbers: 18 chances, only 2 on net. And once again, I must remind you that BVB should have created more, but their inability to string a through-pass cost them at least a dozen other chances.

So Doll won the tactical battle and his defense stood solid for once, but it was a bad day by the forwards that cost this team the shock of the season.

A Decent Midweek

Not a bad midweek overall in Europe for the Bundesliga. The UEFA Cup sides had a perfect record, Werder secured their first points in the Champion's League and a surprise in Trondheim gave a life-line to the Royal Blues.

Stuttgart
Yes, things are bad, however, Europe might be too much for a young team and concentrating on the Bundesliga should be a priority for the Swabians. I would contend that they might even want to stay in fourth. And when all is said and done, at least they aren’t Liverpool who spent €70 million Euros to secure all of one more point than the struggling holders.

Schalke 04
Few expected Schalke to go into Stamford Bridge and secure points when the draw was made. Maybe we all help out some home when Mourinho was unceremoniously dumped, but the fact is that this game ended as was expected. Granted, none of expected that Manuel Neuer would pull a Paul Robinson. Considering that Schalke went into that game without Kuranyi, Krstajic and Pander, they played well. Rosenborg’s win makes the second round possible and two of the games are at Veltins and the other is a visit to a Valencia side on the verge of implosion.

Werder Bremen
They finally got a European win. But Schaaf’s squad is starting to look comfortable with one another after an iffy start to the season. Another game against an injury plagued and squad-bare Lazio bodes well for Werder. I predict a win against the struggling Romans in two weeks and they could well sit 2^nd going into the final two games.

Hamburg
A 1-0 road win against Norwegian outfit SK Brann. One might think they would do better, but A) any road win in Europe is good and B) Hamburg and 1-0 are becoming synonymous.

Leverkusen
They were a little lucky to beat Toulouse 1-0, as they tried to defend a one goal lead for an entire half. But they got three points on a Keissling goal against one of the better teams (on paper) in the group. Fair play.

Bayern Munich
Bayern have said they care about this competition, but they obviously don't. Missing only Toni, Ribery and Kahn, they squeezed by Crvena Zvezda, who aren’t in the same Universe as Bayern, on a last minute goal by wunderkind Toni Kroos. While they will skate through this group, eventually their attitude towards this competition will catch up with them.

die Tabelle lügen nicht! (10/21)

Bayern Munich

2-1 away win against Bochum

Who was the genius that said they weren’t as good with a four-man midfield. Oh yeah, me! They almost got nicked by relegation fodder, and probably deserved to be.

2. Werder Bremen

3-2 home win against Hertha

Klose who? Almeida and Sanogo are proving to be the second best pairing in the Bundesliga…..to, oh, Klose and Toni. But Rosenborg looked spry for once and the goals just keep coming for Werder.

3. Hamburg

4-1 home win against Stuttgart

Ivica Olic, who has been fairly quiet since his pickup last January, scored a first half hat trick to sink holder Stuttgart. The 4-1 win takes Hamburg to third place and proves that they can play a game without a 1-0 scoreline.

4. Karlsruhe

Goalless draw at home against Arminia

Had possession and shots against Bielefeld, but could only turn that into three shots on goal. Their sterling defense was never threatened. And still they look better on the road.

5. Schalke 04

1-1 away draw with Hansa

At this rate, may well set a Bundesliga record for draws. More importantly they are shaky defensively without Mladen Krstajic and Christian Pander, who look set to train this week.

6. Hannover

2-2 home draw with the Wolves

Michael Tarnat blunders to allow Wolfsburg to gain an advantage but uses his to get the surprising Reds an equalizer. A late clearance by Josué kept Hannover from securing their 4^th straight win.

7. Bayer 04

2-2 draw at home with BVB.

Steffan Keißling saved the home side embarrassment with a late goal at BayArena. But it was Adler’s heroics in the first half that even allowed the last gasp heroics.

8. Frankfurt

5-1 road loss to Nurnberg.

Road woes continue as they have now dropped 7 points away to bottom feeders.

9. Wolfsburg

2-2 away draw with 96

Captain Marcelinho and douche bag Dejagah netted a draw with Hannover as the Wolves continue to be a solid road threat.

10. Hertha Berlin

3-2 loss away to Werder Bremen

Berlin seems to be running out of steam after a dazzling start. They have one point in their last four and that was a draw with F.C. Energie. A 95^th minute goal made score line a little more impressive than it was at Weserstadion.

11. Dortmund

2-2 draw on the road with Leverkusen.

Mladen Petric has become the quiet efficient engine of Dortmund, even the Bundesliga. It’s a rather apropos descriptions in the land of Mercedes, BMW, VW and Audi. 2 goals helped Dortmund secure road points.

12. Arminia

Goalless draw on the road against Karlsruhe

Ended a four game skid in the loss column, but didn’t deserve the point. Their bend but don’t break attitude did keep a clean sheet, and may be a harbinger of the end of their leaky defense that has allowed 14 goals since their sterling start.

13. Hansa Rostock

1-1 home draw with Schalke

Midfielder Marc Stein was the eighth player to score this campaign for the newly promoted side. They have only scored 11 goals.

14. Stuttgart

4-1 away loss to HSV

How important is Captain Fernando Meira? Just ask Serdar Taşçi, whose utter incompetence at the back, wasn’t glossed over this week by the one typical bright spot for the failing holders.

15. Nurnberg

5-1 home win against Eintracht.

Are they a better team without Ivan Saenko? Results say yes.

16. Bochum

2-1 home loss to F.C. Bayern

No shame in this weekend’s performance. Scored early with Dennis Grote and nearly grinded out a result, but Bayern was too strong. One of the best defensive performances by a team all season.

17. Duisburg

2-1 away win against F.C. Energie

Duisburg won a six pointer this weekend against even more pathetic Cottbus. Captain Grlic scored their second freekick of the evening against the run of play.

18. Energie Cottbus

2-1 home loss to Duisburg

A late goal by Captain Timo Rost after extended pressure looked just desserts for the bottom dwellers. But Cottbus is proving to have absolutely no luck this campaign.

The Dejagah Situation

Dortmund’s German U21 Ashkan Dejagah has caused a stir by asking to be left off the squad for the Germany-Isreal match during this international break. He cited “personal reasons” for the decision.

What Dejagah has done is deplorable and should never be forgiven. Sorry, that may seem harsh, but his action has galvanized the fundamentalists on both sides of a political/religious argument and given more voice to the stupidity of a region that has been in perpetual war since the Sumerians (literally 5000 years for you with no historical acumen).

And I don’t care if he doesn’t want to play against Israel. Fine! It’s easy enough to get yourself out of a game. Feign an injury or call in a family emergency. As long as you don’t use the same excuse three times, like “dick daddy” Steven Ireland, it will be accepted. Dejagah made a statement with his approach to pulling out this game. Whether it’s an acceptable reason, like worrying about family in Iran, or despicable one, like using sport to make some hypocritical political stance, he made this an issue. The issue can now be exploited by fundamentalist of the Islamic, Jewish, Israeli, German and Iranian persuasion; and it most assuredly is with Iranian papers calling him a hero and Jewish groups calling him anti-Semitic and German politicians questioning his commitment to his adopted country.

The queue for political hacks is forming in Dortmund and here’s your chance to vent. I hear Dejagah hates Mexican vegan transvestites. Start a group and take a number because here is your opportunity to market your cause using the most visible soap-box in the world.

Where has his act landed him? He is permanently suspended from the German national team. This is the right move by the DFB, but it, of course, has many saying that they are bending to the will of Jewish concerns (why would they ever do that?). But it’s an act they had to make for many more reasons than one volatile midfielder, who will now just move over to Iran to play internationally.

For whatever reason they made the decision to say goodbye to Dejagah, it was absolutely the correct thing to do. Germany has a large number of U21’s that have attachments to Muslim countries: Sami Khedira, Serdar Taşçı, Mounir Chaftar, Serkan Çalik, Mustafa Kučuković, Barış Özbek and Nejmeddin Daghfous have all been called up recently (some as full internationals) and what message would succumbing to this ridiculousness cause them, especially if they got grouped with Israel in 2010 qualification? And it’s not just Muslims. Germany is growing multi-cultural by leaps and bounds: with callups to parental heritages including Brazilian Kuranyi, Spaniards Gomez and Castro, Poles Klose, Podolski and Polanski, Kosovian Mavraj, English Hunt, American Jones, Nigerians Ede and Book and many Ghanians including Odonker, Boateng and Asamoah. This list shows just how many possibilities for making a political statement exist within the coming years for the DFB. Whether a coward or a political hero, Dejagah lit a fire under German football, and it responded correctly. Will FIFA follow?

It needs to act on this, because if ex-Herta player is allowed to continue his international career in Iran, it just gives Islamic fundamentalists another victory, just like moving Israel over to UEFA did. FIFA needs to send a message that politics and religion do not trump the sport that is more than both. This is the one area that can bring warring factions together as has been seen in the Ivory Coast or Spain. While club football is tribalism and can manifest as cultural identity as with Barcelona or Celtic, national soccer is a moment in time that allows this tribalism to be conquered and bring people together in solidarity, if but for a day. And allowing Islamic fundamentalists to continue to pursue the Israeli question within the context of football by refusing to play them, or now suggesting imprisonment for players, is to call the whole game in to disrepute. The biggest question going into the last round of the past World Cup was would Tunisia and Saudi Arabia boycott games, if grouped with Israel. It is absolutely absurd that this was even a consideration.

Give them a piece of paper and have them sign it. It simply states that the signer will play any other FIFA team if it is necessitated. If they don’t: Goodbye! See how quickly Iran’s mullahs are kicked out when they deny the people their true passion. Venezuela and the United States are at tensions, but that didn’t cause boycotts at the Copa America. Typically, countries from the Western hemisphere use games against the United States as a reason to play: a moment to redress their grievances. There is no end to the permutations, which could stop play: Serbia/Croatia, India/Pakistan, Indonesia/Timor, Ecuador/Peru, Libya/Chad, England/Ireland, Greece/Turkey, U.S./anyone and so forth and so on, based on tensions days or hundred of years old. FIFA seem only willing to take a stand when they know they can’t enforce it, against rich European clubs. Otherwise, they just take their bribes and keep quiet. But they need to act in the best interest of football for once it their miserable existence. Start with Dejagah and move on to the whole of Iran.

Champions of Europe ----- 's second most imporant competition

Germany embraces the UEFA Cup. With Bayern Munich playing in Europe’s 2nd tournament for the first time in a decade, the rest of Germany is trying to keep up with the country’s biggest club. That includes Werder Bremen, Schalke 04 and Stuttgart, who are currently in the Champions League.


The going has been tough for the three Champions League teams. Werder Bremen and Stuttgart find themselves in 4th in their respective groups, having failed to secure draws this past week to secure the coveted 3rd spot, a position that drops teams into the UEFA Cup Round of 32. Schalke currently find themselves in 3rd spot, but questions at Chelsea following the dismissal of Jose Mourinho and Valencia’s inability to finish, leave the current second place team in the Bundesliga in a dubious position. A positive result in either of the upcoming fixtures with Chelsea could see the Gelsenkirchen side slip into second place.


It wasn’t like manager Mirko Slomka didn’t try. He employed a midfield with no width against Rosenborg, who dominated the midfield, but his team unfortunately countered for two goals. Werder Bremen’s Thomas Schaaf will be disappointed with his team’s loss to Olympiakos. The goal they so desperately wanted to concede after dominating possession by over 60% during the match, escalated into two others quickly, meaning they need to win one of the games approaching with Lazio to move up one space. Stuttgart have to hope they are less sucktacular than Lyon to secure third.


Meanwhile in the actual competition, Leverkusen, FC Bayern, Hamburg and even lowly Nurnberg made it to the group stages. Leverkusen gave away two early goals which seemed to jeopardize their chances, but pulled through at Uniao Leiria. Nurnberg used the away goals rule to get by Rapid Bucharest. Hamburg demolished a Lycra/Spandex blend from Bulgaria, while Bayern made short work of another Portuguese side. All four will find their group pairings this coming Tuesday.


If things go according to plan, the Bundesliga could see seven teams through to the quarterfinals of the competition, which is now being called “das Ligapokal Zwei” colloquially in Germany. It would undoubtedly give Germany a half-decent chance of capturing its first UEFA Cup since Bayern and Schalke’s double of 95/96 and 96/97. The closest the Bundesliga have come since was Borussia Dortmund’s loss in Rotterdam to Feyenoord in 2002. It was a tragedy, really, as Dortmund awaited the return leg only to find out the competition had changed to a one-leg final three years prior.

Is Wayne Brady Going to Have to Score 8 on a Bitch

Werder 8 - 1 Bielefeld



In reference to Sanogo's striking resemblance to Wayne Brady (and his infamous skit on the Chapelle Show)

Leverkusen 0 - 1 Bayern Munich

Bayer Leverkusen put the greatest team in the world, nay the greatest team ever (if the German media is to be believed) to the stick today. And they showed some of weaknesses that can be exploited to keep the race close or, in the case of Europe and the F.A. Cup, catch Bayern out.

Klose/Toni

They work well together and they are both phenomenal forwards. However, when they play together, Bayern is a weaker team. There reason for this is that Bayern lose the midfield in a 4-4-2, and it is their ability to press offensively that keeps their opponents at bay. Coming into the game Bayer and Bayern shared the lead with least goals allowed at three. But for Leverkusen, it is because of their solid back line and wunderkind Adler. For FC Bayern, their defensive record is in large part due to the fact that they don’t concede goal chances by controlling the midfield. Coming into the game, Bayern had conceded 15 shots on goal the entire season. Today they conceded 11.

Leverkusen controlled the midfield completely until the 51^st, when Klose was injured and Schweinsteiger came on to change the formation to 4-5-1. At that point, the double teams that had harassed Ribery out of the game stopped, Leverkusen’s tendency to win the ball and start play within Bayern’s half stopped, and Bayern’s beautiful counter attacks suddenly appeared. Van Bommel who was largely absent for the first half, suddenly became a force when he set further back and Altintop became effective as he was allowed to run at defenders.

Otto Hitzfeld will play Klose with Toni when both are healthy. They can be had with an energetic performance at midfield as shown by Michael Skibbe’s side today.

Christian Lell.

He is the fourth choice at back, behind Lahm, Sagnol and Jensen. He played today due to injuries, as will be required often this season, and was piss-poor to say the least. Leverkusen focused their attack in the first half on his side and was unlucky to have not seen Tranquillo Barnetta score on two excellent chances down the left hand channel. In addition, Lell who was warned in the first 10 minutes, garnered a yellow in the 63^rd and spent the last 30 minutes arguing with the referee to the point that he should have been booked a second time. His rash challenges and brash behavior may well see him with a red when he faces a less assured ref.

Demichelis’ Height

At 6’ he is short for a central defender. On a day that saw Lucio man-mark Theofanis Gekas, 6’3 Stefan Kießling became Demichelis responsibility. Demichelis struggled at times against Keißling in his first questionable performance of the season. Could he be susceptible in these situations in the future, and will managers see this and prepare accordingly?

Weather

Even when Bayern took over the game, their passes were off. It was endemic of the whole side, including the usually reliable passing Ze Roberto. It was a cold and rainy day in a country that is going to only get colder and rainier for the next five months. Wet pitches are not a passing team’s friend and it will be interesting to see how a team that matches Barcelona and Arsenal in beautiful football fare in the following months in central Europe.

Werder Bremen Explodes

Last week, I spoke of Stuttgart’s awakening, perhaps prematurely. Perhaps it’s premature to do so this week with Werder Bremen, but there are indicators that Bremen is ready to turn their season around after their resounding defeat of Stuttgart this week. Diego was at his best, Naldo and Merzacker were brilliant in defense and Hugo Almeida seemed to finally find some form.

How do you stop a team like Arsenal, Barcelona or Stuttgart? You push them. If you sit back and allow them time to pass, they will eventually pick you apart; however, if you press, run at their defense, shoot, they can’t get a rhythm. In addition, your movement, closes down channels, putting bodies where they wouldn’t be otherwise, that would be open if you are sitting back. Werder Bremen showed everyone else how to do it this past Saturday.

Still reeling from an injury crisis, petering on the epic, Werder Bremen hosted the defending champions at the Weserstadion and put the holders to the sword. Two lightening quick strikes by Portuguese international Hugo Almeida saw the game at 2-0 within three minutes. Within 15 minutes it was 3-1, following a Gomez counter and Sanogo retort a minute later. By all accounts this was going to be a game for the ages. While the ball stopped finding the net, it was not due to a lack of effort by either side, so anyone who turned away after 15 minutes still missed 75 minutes of exhilarating football.

Diego controlled the midfield while Daniel Jansen had a very solid game next to him. With Baumann and Vranjes providing more cover behind the brilliant Brazilian, Werder Bremen surged forward often and with aplomb, causing havoc for Basturk and Khedira, who were pinned back most of the game and leading to a stinker by defender Serdar Tasci. Bremen could have easily scored on any number of their 17 other chances, especially a brilliantly controlled bicycle by Diego late in the second half that flew over the bar by inches.

Stuttgart was not without resolve as they found moments of sharpness, especially right after the break. However an obvious goal by Hilbert, which smashed off the crossbar and down over the line, was wrongfully disallowed and this seemed to take the steam out of the Swabians, who thereafter seemed to flounder any additional chances.

A late brace from distance by Diego capped a perfect day for the #10 who was brilliant throughout the day. If he can carry them through their injury phase of the moment, they could well be a team to cause havoc in the league and Champions League for the rest of the season.

Sander Happy to be Axed

Well who would have thought that Petrik Sander would have made it longer than Jose Mourinho? Sander was supposed to be fired after round 5 when his team was demolished by Stuttgart.

Given the dire undertones of that game, one might have expected that he would light a fire under his woeful team. He didn’t. They capitulated easily to the Swabians. He somehow, beyond the comprehension of anybody, made it an extra week. Perhaps the board thought the champions were too grand a task. They must have failed to notice any of Stuttgart’s other six matches this year.

At home against a Wolfsburg side, who is very hit or miss, whose defense has lacked resolved on many occasion this campaign, perhaps, the board felt that Sander and Cottbus could find the goal they so sorely lacked. But having scored only one goal all season, they stuttered to just a third at home. Wolfsburg won 2-1 and Sander was finally relieved of duties.

It would be hard to imagine that he is not relieved. It was the board’s lack of spending which saw his Romanian duo leave in the offseason, with little in the way of fortification, that harmed the team’s chemistry and offense so much. So U23 coach Heiko Weber takes over on a temporary basis after assistant Thomas Hoßmang felt too emotional (read “ain’t touching that mess”) to take over.

Jose Mourinho has said that his next job could be Germany. Could Energie be his destination?

Werder Bremen 4 - 1 Stuttgart

HSB 3 - 2 BVB

The Fat Lady Sings

It seems a bit dramatic to claim that Schalke's chances of advancement are already done after one game, but it's true. This was always going to be a difficult group, and the first requirement was to ensure points at home. Schalke blew that last night by missing early chances and then losing steam.

Valencia came into the game in crisis. Following their 5-0 defeat at the hands of local rival Villareal, Quique Sanchez has come under scrutiny by fans, management and even the players. It doesn't helped that he scoffed at Wesley Sneijder, who is now closing in on superstar status at rivals Real Madrid. Rumors abound that he has lost the dressing room and two cheeky wins against poor opposition in La Liga haven't endeared him. So as they came to the Veltins Arena, Schalke had the upper hand.

Schalke have yet to lose a game in the Bundesliga, and that includes two away draws to direct competitors for the title: Stuttgart and Bayern. So the matchup heavily favored the Gelsenkirken side. And they took the game to Valencia for the first 20 minutes, missing two opportunities early. And while the game evened afterwards, they still had more chances than the Spanish side. A poorly executed trap and even poorer read of a through-ball to David Villa gave Valencia the lead and eventual victory.

A team typically needs 10 points to get through the group stages of Champions League. That leaves Schalke in the unenviable position of needing two points a game for the remainder of the stage. They are now forced to win and draw games on the road. And if they couldn't beat Valencia at home when the visitors were down, there chances of going to the Mestalla and gathering points seems remote right now.

The scenario for advancement is this: a victory home and away against Rosenborg, who shocked Chelsea away last nigh; a win at home against a Chelsea side, who will be healthy by the time that game is played; and a draw at either Stamford Bridge or the Mestalla. The scenario is grim at best.

Schalke will rue the missed chances last night and should not rule out a dogfight for the UEFA Cup spot.

David Villa's Goal

Looking at it, my opinion is that Villa did not foul Neuer. I don't feel that Neuer mishandled the ball either. He stretched and Villa's momentum gave his the advantage. Neuer did misread the pass, which left his stretching too far for a ball that he should have gather up rather easily.

Stuttgart's Swagger Returns

Sometimes we forget how beautiful Stuttgart can play. Sometimes, it seems, they themselves forget. It explains why they sometimes look so average. But lying in wait, at all times, is the ability to play perfect tactical football with short precise passes to keep possession until they can spring a trough-ball. And when it clicks for them, it can be as beautiful to watch as any top attacking club, such as Barcelona, Seville or Arsenal.

We haven’t seen it this season. It’s been missing, even during the Ligapokal, since last season’s miracle run. Fifteen minutes had passed in this week’s home match against Energie Cottbus and still we hadn’t seen it. It wouldn’t be unprecedented as the two clubs rarely play above the nil-nil score lines that pepper the history of their play. So, just as it seemed the game had settled into the now comfortable state of listless football between the two, Stuttgart found their rhythm.

It wasn’t perfect, but at moments it was incredible football that reminded us just how fun Stuttgart can be on their day and why football is the Beautiful Game. To watch Meira or Osario bring the ball out from the back and slot it to the midfield, where Khedira, Pardo, Hilbert and da Silva would play triangles until one of them or the forwards would find a fraction of space and the through ball would be sent, was a delight. And when they would make one of the through-balls, and it would seem errant, yet suddenly Cacau or Marica would find the ball, it was joyous.

Cottbus was a poor side on the day, especially in consideration of the manager’s tenable position. It had been suggested that a loss would see Petrik Senderos fired. They had no impetus and couldn’t deal with Stuttgart’s midfield. They seemed quite willing to sit on a draw for 90 minutes, maybe realizing that it was the most likely result given their history. What their languid attack provided was an impetus for Stuttgart to find their flow. And the game switched suddenly as the Swabians began to take possession and work their short magic.

In the end, Stuttgart walked away with a 3-0 victory, but more importantly they go into Wednesday’s away leg at Ibrox with their swagger and confidence seeming back in tow. If they can keep it, then Rangers, Lyon and Barcelona should well beware of the German champions, because on their day, they can play any of the three off the pitch. The victory may well reverse their fortunes in the Bundesliga at the right time, as well. At the same point last year, they had only two more points than they do this year and we all know how it ended. With Schalke entrenched in draw-mode and Bayern brought back to earth, the champions could well start pushing for the top spot again if they are ready to do what they do best.

Round 5 Review

Borussia Dortmund 3 - 0 Werder Bremen
@ Signal-Iduna-Park
D: Petric (22,32) Klimowicz (29)

Arminia Bielefeld 4 - 2 Hansa Rostock
@ Schüco Arena
B: Agali (og 31) Eigler (50,55) Wichniarek (59)
R: Kern (47) Bülow (63)

Bayer Leverkusen 2 - 0 Bochum
@ BayArena
L: Haggui (62) Friedrich (88)

Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Schalke 04
@ Allianz Arena
B: Klose (54)
S: Rakitic (36)

Frankfurt 2 - 1 Hamburg
@ Commerzbank Arena
F: Meier (8, 87)
H: van der Vaart (82p)

Nurnberg 2 - 2 Hannover 96
@ EasyCredit Stadion
N: Misimovic (60) Mintal (89)
H: Hanke (12,39)

Stuttgart 3 - 0 Energie Cottbus
@ Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion
S: Cacau (53) Ewerthon (78) Gomez (82)

see above

Duisburg 1 - 2 Hertha Berlin
@ MSV Arena
D: Lavric (78)
H: Pantelic (61,70)

Wolfsburg 1 - 2 Karlsruhe
@ Volkswagon Arena
W: Krzynowek (21)
K: Eggimann (63) Eichner (79)

Round 5: Preview

Borussia Dortmund 1 - 1 Werder Bremen

Without Harnik to provide a spark off the bench, I can see Bremen reverting to their stagnant form that has plagued them this season. Dortmund seems to be finding some form, although it must be noted that it was against some weak opposition. Game is on GolTV.

Stuttgart 4 - 0 Energie Cottbus

Cacau and Yildiray Bastürk return to a team that needs a turn in fortune in order to start aiming at a top spot, but also have their eye on a tough Champions League group. Cottbus is the perfect opponent for slotting these players back into the squad and helping one’s confidence. I predict that Stuttgart will explode this weekend. Game is on GolTV.

Bayern München 2 - 3 Schalke 04

Of course, my prediction is dependent on Slomka and the General’s tactical decisions, but if Slomka plays with five in the midfield, he can negate some of Ribery’s abilities, while giving Lucio a reason to move forward, allowing a Jones or Rakatic to slip in for goals. I also expect Podolski and Klose to start up front and am not convinced of Bayern under a 4-4-2. I expect the past week’s games will weight more heavily on Bayern as Lucio was in the states and Ribery was in two hard contests. Kevin Kuranyi leads the league in shots on target and will do something that has really yet to be accomplished this season: he will test Kahn often. Game is on GolTV.

Bayer Leverkusen 2 - 1 Bochum

Leverkusen has had a poor start to the season, but there’s a good chance that they will begin to gel against Bochum, who are reeling from three injuries to their backline. In addition, last year’s leading goal scorer Theofanis Gekas faces off with his old team for the first time, and that should put a little extra spring in his step.

Nürnberg 0 - 2 Hannover

Things just get worse for Nurnberg, as their two midfield stars Saenko and Galasek return from international duty injured. The 96ers’ talisman Arnold Bruggink should control the center of the pitch and Mike Hanke should have plenty of chances to continue his good start to the season.

Bielefeld 3 - 1 Hansa Rostock

Rostock are a poor side, bound for relegation. Bielefeld are riding high at the moment and should have no problem keeping pace at the top and could well see themselves at the top of the table come Sunday.

Frankfurt 1 - 2 Hamburg

Both teams have started the campaign well. I think Hamburg has the edge due to their midfield which seemed to blossom last week without Rafael van der Vaart. Castelan and Boateng are going to be stars. I expect Hamburg will win the game in center of the pitch and Zidan and Guererro will start to finish better, which is all HSV is missing right now.

Wolfsburg 2 - 0 Karlsruhe

Karlsruhe is bound to have a hangover from their derby win over Stuttgart. Wolfsburg is a hot/cold team, but typically runs hot at home.

Duisburg 1 - 2 Hertha Berlin

Something seems to be clicking at HSB and they could continue their surprising start against a Duisburg side that dismantled Bielefeld last time out. But Lucio has made the transition to the capital city seamlessly and should be the difference maker for Lucien Favre’s side.

Germany 3 - 1 Romania

All Goals - Germany vs. Romania
Uploaded by 90tsunni

Round 4: Review

Schalke 1 – 1 Bayer Leverkusen
S: Kuranyi (45)
B: Gekas (53)

Schalke, a team with five draws all of last year, already have three in four games this campaign, yet still remain unbeaten. At home at the Veltins Arena, they dominated play against Bayer Leverkusen, but were unable to finish off the visitors. Schalke pressured constantly and played expansive, flowing football, but squandered most of their chances until a set piece at the stroke of half from Pander to Kuranyi (get to used to that) opened the scoring. In the 21st, Mladen Krstajic went off with a knock to the knee. He was replaced by Dario Rodrigues, which was important because Rodrigues’ lack marking before and after a competent save by Manuel Neuer allowed Gekas to score his second of the season in the 64th. This game’s major theme might have well been the duel between Schalke’s Neuer and Leverkusen’s René Adler. The two young stickminders, made save after save, one more spectacular than the next to keep the score level, and leave us all wondering just which of them will be the next German #1.

Energie Cottbus 1 – 1 Nürnberg
C: Sorensen (15)
N: Wolf (85)

Cottbus figured out the solutions to their offensive woes: get a dubious penalty. The 15th minute penalty was Cottbus’ second goal all campaign. Nurnberg who has been fairly stagnant offensively themselves were able to muster a late point when Wolf headed in a Galasek corner, and should have rightfully won the game when Nicky Adler’s goal was called back because Cottbus keeper Tomislav Piplica ran into his own player, which the referee determined was a foul.

Hertha Berlin 2 – 1 Wolfsburg
H: Pantelic (38) Okoronkwo (88)
W: Dejagah (61)

Hertha controlled the game with a substantial majority of possession, but needed a last minute scorcher from substitute Solomon Okoronkwo to secure the win. The return of Marko Pantelic buoyed the home side as he opened the scoring in the 38^th from a cross by Chahed. But against the run of play, Wolfsburg leveled at the hour mark, when ex-Hertha badboy Dejagah put a beautiful long range shot past the helpless Drobny.

Hannover 3 – 2 Bochum
H: Hanke (12) Rosenthal (36) Hashemian (71)
B: Bechmann (44) Maltritz (p.66)

Hannover bounced back from last round’s drubbing at the Allianz, to hand Bochum their first loss of the campaign. Hanke and Rosenthal provided an early cushion with two shots from outside the 18. Bochum proved resilient and scored at the brink of the half when Robert Enke parried a Christoph Dabrowski shot right to the charging Tommy Bechmann, who scored his 4^th of the season. Bochum emerged in the second half with renewed vigor and leveled in the 66^th when Stanislav Sestak was brought down in the box and Maltritz put away the penalty. But Szabolcs Huszti took over from there and ensured the home time full points, when his elegant run released Michael Tarnat who crossed to the Helicopter, Vahid Hashemian, who finished strongly. Huszti almost set Vahid up for a fourth minutes later, but as it stood, they had enough to win on the day.

Hansa Rostock 0 – 1 Dortmund
D: Fredrico (76)

The home side had 25 shots. Unfortunately only two of them were on target and both hit woodwork, the first by Victor Agali kissed both posts and still seems impossible that it was cleared. Dortmund had little creativity but found the winner when and alert Giovanni Fredrico cleaned up a ping-pong clearance in the Rostock end to secure Thomas Doll’s side their second straight win.

Duisburg 3 – 0 Bielefeld
D: Maicon (64) Ishiaku (68, 70)

This game came down to six minutes of madness, where Maicon’s opener was followed by a double by Manasseh Ishiaku. The new signing from Club Brugges, shook off two defenders for the second goal, in a display of persistence that will be unmatched anytime soon. It was a well earned three points for the newly promoted side who dominated play and sent Bielefeld to their first loss of the campaign.

Werder Bremen 2 – 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
W: Sanogo (35) Panasen (79)
F: Thurk (85)

Bremen are finding form at an opportune time with the Champion’s League just around the corner. They handed Frankfurt their first loss of the season 2-1 at the Westerstadion. Keeper Markus Pröll can only blame himself for the first goal after a poor clearance led to a one-on-one between him and Sanogo who bulled past the keeper to open the scoring. Harnik was once again a late substitution, for the ineffective Almeida, and once again his appearance sparked things for Bremen. He scored within minutes of coming on only to see it called back for off-sides. A few minutes later Petri Panasen converted a free kick to seemingly cement things. Butit was a good thing he did score as Frankfurt came storming back. They scored in the 85^th minute when Michael Thurk cleaned up a desperate clearance, and they almost leveled in stoppage when Amanatidis forced Tim Weiss into a great save.

Karlsruhe 1 – 0 Stuttgart
Hajnal (54)

This intense derby, which hasn’t been played in almost 10 years, found the reigning champions of the Bundesliga and Zwei facing off for supremacy in Baden-Württemberg. Karlsruhe relied on a superb performance by keeper Markus Miller and a goal by Tamas Hajnal to defeat their local rivals and record their second win of the young campaign. A second half run by Christian Timm resulted in a cross that the Hungarian playmaker slotted home perfectly. Stuttgart will rue their missed chances and now sit in a relegation spot with the Champions League fast approaching.

HSV 1 – 1 Bayern Munich

My hopes of doing analysis on this as my Match of the Week were shot down by my poor handling of a DVR.

The European Draw

The Champion’s League draw for German teams was not easy as all three clubs found themselves in hard groups.

Schalke 04 drew Chelsea, Valencia and Rosenborg in Group B

Chelsea and Valencia are both stacked squads. While any expectation of going to Stamford Bridge and getting three points should be quickly dismissed, Chelsea have never faired will at Anfield, which is a poor-man’s Veltins Arena. Also, recently Chelsea have shown some susceptibility along the wings, and if Slomka can deploy Ozil, Pander, Jones, etc along the touch, they could spread the field and provide room for Rakitic and Kuranyi. Krstajić will have to be at his best to deal with Didier Drogba, but I think he’s up to the task.

Valencia have started out poorly in La Liga, but are still a great team with the likes of David Villa, Morientes and Zigic up front. The team boasts arguably one of the best midfields in the world with the likes of David Silva, Joaquin, Albelda, Gavilan, Marchena and Angulo. Their defense is solid but is adjusting to life without Roberto Ayala, so it is better to face them early as Moretti and converted midfielder Raul Albiol form a partnership that may be exploitable.

Roseborg are a decent squad, but just do not have the talent to compete in such a stacked group. All teams will need to take six points off them and make sure they make sure their homes are a fortress. I expect this will give Schalke all the advantage they need to sneak past Valencia for the second spot.

Predictions: Chelsea, Schalke, Valencia, Rosenborg

Werder Bremen drew Lazio, Real Madrid and Olympiakos in Group C

Lazio are no longer the giants they once were, and have become a selling team after financial scandal. They are a team that likes to get forward; thus, they are susceptible to the counter, especially now that goalkeeper and excellent organizer Angelo Peruzzi has retired. Goran Pandev is the man to be scared of and Naldo will need to be at his best to slow this emerging star down. The absence of attacking mid Stefano Mauri will help a Bremen side that is missing its best midfield man-markers.

Real Madrid are playing for fun and have started the season with a similar air as Bayern Munich. A team that refuses to sit back typically gives Bremen a hard time, and I expect their two matches will be two of the most entertaining of the group stage. Olympiakos is a team quite capable of causing problems for any of these sides, especially at home. They will undoubtedly surprise at least one team at home and that could be the crucial decider for the top two. Bremen’s backlog of injuries doesn’t bode well; however, if Martin Harnik turns out to be the real deal, the Klose cloud could be lifted from their forward line.

Predictions: Real Madrid, Lazio, Werder Bremen, Olympiakos

Vfb Stuttgart drew Barcelona, Lyon and Rangers in Group E

Barcelona and Lyon have been strong teams for the past few years in the Champions League; however, they are facing troubling times. Barcelona’s fantastic four are already causing headaches for manager Frank Rijkaard and the stagnant form that plagued them towards the end of last season, seems to be present still as Rijkaard’s tactical choices get more and more criticism. Barcelona’s defense, while better than last year, is still a concern with a goalkeeper (Valdez) who is prone to gaffs and a central back (Milito) who is prone to reds. While not an ideal draw for the reigning champion’s, they are capable of playing with the Catalan giants.

Meanwhile, Lyon is suffering from years of success. Their team has been picked apart by richer clubs and now they face the group stage without keeper Gregory Coupet and captain Cris, both suffering long-term injuries. They also enter the contest with a board that doesn’t have full faith in new manager Perrin. Once again they are not a team to take lightly, but Stuttgart are capable of playing with them in both legs. Rangers are a much improved side this year, and are blossoming under Walter Smith, but they do have the air of a team that consists of far-too-many EPL castoffs, so Stuttgart must take six points off the Scottish giants, if they want to get through the group. Much will depend on Cacau's injury for the champs.

Predictions: Barcelona, Stuttgart, Rangers, Lyon

The UEFA Cup draw was much easier for German teams.

Nurnberg takes on Rapid Bucurest of Romania, who finished 4th in Liga 1 last year. Nurnberg has the hardest draw of the three sides as Romania has coefficient rating close to the Netherlands. It’s a good league and Rapid could cause problems for a Nurnberg side that has struggled at the beginning of this season. If new boy Cesinha is allowed to run at the defense, Nurnberg could find themselves up against the wall.

Hamburg takes on Litex of Bulgaria, who finished 4th last year. Newcomer Cedric Cambon anchors the back line while Fabien Boudarène is the defensive linchpin in the midfield. If these two Frenchmen can clog up the space that Rafael van der Vaart typically inhabits, they could provide problems during the away leg for HSV. There should be little problem when the home leg takes place at the Nordbank Arena.

Bayern takes on Belenenses. Belenenes finished 5th last season in the Portuguese Superliga. Had they won it, it is still doubtful that they could muster a positive result against the Bavarians. As it stands, this was a team that needed legal technicalities to avoid relegation and sits bottom of the table currently. Bayern will be able to field the reserves to deal with this team.

Bayer Leverkusen face U.D. Leiria of Portugal. Leiria, a former haunt of Jose Mourinho, and the youngest team in the Superliga, finished last campaign in 7th. Having made few changes, they will come into the tie with good chemistry and a bit of belief as they made it to the competition via the Intertoto Cup.

Hamburg 1 - 1 Bayern Munich

Highlights.

Zagreb 2 - 3 Werder Bremen

All the Goals!

Round 3 Review

Bochum 2 – 1 Hamburg

B: Sestak (45) Imhof (83)
H: van der Vaart (pen 86)

Hamburg failed to finish their chances again. This time they were punished for their failure by a resolute Bochum side. While the tempo of the game was dictated by Hamburg, who owned possession at 61%, it was a late first half injury time goal from newcomer Stanslav Sestak, who mopped a poor challenge by Nigel de Jong, which opened the scoring in this affair. Hamburg’s failure to convert was compounded in the second half, when Vincent Kompany was sent off wrongly for a mild indiscretion in the middle. The game stagnated at that point. It was finished off in the 82nd, when Canadian Daniel Inhof, who had just entered the game, unleashed a scorcher into the right hand corner of the net. A makeup call for the Kompany sending-off gave Hamburg a late life line, but Bochum was able to retain the lead and go top of the table for a few hours.

Leverkusen 3 - 0 Karlsruhe

K: Franz (19 og)
L: Friedrich (27) Gekas (35)

While goalkeeper Markus Millar was prone to some baffling errors early in this contest, he proved invaluable to Karlsruhe, who was lucky to escape with just a three goal deficit. 30 shots to 5 was the final tally and Tranquillo Barnetta and Bernd Schneider were able to control the midfield. An early own goal by Maik Franz was followed shortly by a clean up by Friedrich of ping-pong defending by Karlsruhe, and shortly thereafter by last year’s Bundesliga’s top scorer Theofanis Gekas’s first goal for his new club.


Bayern Munich 3 – 0 Hanover 96

B: Toni (28) van Bommel (69) Altintop (86)

Want to know who was the most impressive person in this game? It was 96 keeper Robert Enke. Yes he was on the losing end of a thoroughly deserved 3 nil score line, but he was fantastic. This score could well have been 15-0 if not for his refusal to quit.

But the first chinks in the armor are starting to show at Bayern. First Lucio is starting to inch forward in attack more than he should. Hitzfeld either needs to reiterate his desire that Lucio remember he is not an attacking mid or face a future where an overwhelmed DeMichelis is facing off against counter attacking machines such as Stuttgart and Schalke. Meanwhile, Luca Toni left with a thigh injury which depletes Bayern’s striking corp even further, leaving an untested 19 year old Sandro Wagner to fill the gap while Toni, Klose and Podolski recover from injury. While Bayern’s formidable midfield can handle scoring in the near future, the lack of a first-rate stiker may make it easier for trainers to move a central defender up to counterbalance Ribery, Altintop and Schweinsteiger.

Borussia Dortmund 3 – 0 Energie Cottbus

D: Kringe (44) Klimowicz (70, 84)

Cottbus, whose attacking woes continue, took charge of this affair early; however, their lack of flair and finishing allowed Dortmund to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Without the worries of their backline hindering them, Thomas Doll’s side was able to carve apart Cottbus defense with Argentine Klimowicz providing the late death-knell with two fine strikes.

Stuttgart 1 – 0 Duisburg

S: Gomez (34)

Everybody's favorite Spanish German returned from his pre-season injury and lifted the holders to their first victory of the season with a composed goal when surrounded by three defenders in the 34th minute. It was a rather tepid affair that bogged down in the midfield and showed little lack of initiative.

Arminia Bielefeld 2 - 0 Hertha Berlin

AB: Masnanidis (52) Wichniarek (90)

A stagnant first half gave way to a more robust second; and, Bielefeld was able to take advantage of two defensive errors by the visitors to go second in the table. In the 52nd minute, the referee caught a back-pass to the keeper and awarded an indirect kick from six yards. Kucera slotte the ball to Masnanidis who blasted home the decider. A late tip in of a ball that was bound for the next after bad positioning by Jaroslav Drobny led to Wichniarek's 3rd goal in 3 games.

Frankfurt 1 - 0 Hansa Rostock

F: Meier (3)

For a team that is sponsored by a company called Kik, Hansa Rostock seems to do little of it. Eintracht scored an early goal off a corner kick by Alexandre Meier to get a deserved win. It is their best start to a season since 1999.

Nurnberg 0 - 1 Werder Bremen

F: Harnik (69)

Werder registered their first win of the season at Nurnberg. While the cup holders are severely lacking creativity at the moment, Bremen seemed to find a possible solution to their striker situation. Injuries have hit Bremen hard in the midfield and up-front. But a game with little initiative was changed when listless Markus Roseborg was subbed off for newcomer Martin Harnik in the 61st minute. His impact was immediate as Bremen started to gel offensively and the game opened up. He scored within eight minutes of his debut and missed several chances afterwards.