A few weeks ago on BBC Radio 5Live’s Fighting Talk, comedian Henning Wehn made the point that in Germany, the equal division of TV money amongst Bundesliga clubs helps to contribute to a more competitive league.
With five draws in nine games this weekend, his point on competitiveness was certainly illustrated. A quick glance at the pinnacle of the table is another demonstration of how well fought the Bundesliga currently is. Let’s give credit though to those who managed to edge out their opponents over the course of the weekend as there was a common theme that links the four winners on Matchday 15 of the season.
It is that of recovery albeit for Bayern Munich and Schalke, it is a miniature one. Bayern had suffered back-to-back defeats prior to Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Werder Bremen where Arjen Robben netted twice. That win returned them to the summit of the Bundesliga after Gladbach in third played out a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund, one place above their opponents. Schalke meanwhile lost out to Dortmund last weekend but they bounced back to prove that result was a blip with 3-1 win over rock bottom Augsburg.
It’s more appropriate to label Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg’s recent form as recoveries when you consider the position each club found themselves in at the end of last season.
Prior to the arrival of manager Thorsten Fink, Hamburg were at the foot of the table with a solitary win from their opening nine games. As many have pointed out, Hamburg are the only team never to be relegated from the Bundesliga. Fortunes have turned around drastically since Fink’s inception. They are yet to lose in the Bundesliga under the former Basel coach. This includes Sunday’s 2-0 win at home to Nuremberg pushing the Hanseatic side away from the relegation zone.
As for Leverkusen it had been an inconspicuous start considering they finished last season as runners up. That might be slighlty harsh on Bayer when you consider they have started the season with a new manager. Robin Dutt, who took Freiburg to a top half finish last season, has taken the reins from Jupp Heynckes. Sitting in 9th after ten games, a run of three wins and two draws has seen Leverkusen enter the race for a Champions League place once more. The third win in their five game unbeaten streak came on Friday night as they overcame Hoffenheim 2-0 at the BayArena.
Both Thorsten Fink and Robin Dutt deserve some praise as two young managers who have managed to arrest their teams slump in form. However, they will both believe that this only the beginning. Their feelings must be tinged with frustration knowing the winter break is only just round the corner denying their teams further momentum.
It will be interesting in particular to watch Fink’s progress in the Bundesliga as Dutt is more of a known quantity managerially. Weeks before his arrival at the Imtech Arena, he orchestrated Basel’s magnificent 3-3 draw away at Manchester United. That result perhaps gives an indication of what the man hired by Hamburg is capable of. Despite the competitive nature of the Bundesliga, Fink isn’t finding life too difficult so far.
Matchday 15 Results:
Leverkusen 2-0 Hoffenheim
Bayern Munich 4-1 Werder Bremen
Freiburg 1-1 Hannover
Gladbach 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
Kaiserslautern 1-1 Hertha Berlin
Wolfsburg 2-2 Mainz
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Stuttgart 2-2 Cologne
Hamburg 2-0 Nuremberg
Schalke 3-1 Augsburg
Rank
Club
Matches
W*
D*
L*
G*
GD*
PTS*
1
FC Bayern Munich
15
10
1
4
38:9
+29
31
CL*
2
Borussia Dortmund
15
9
3
3
30:10
+20
30
CL*
3
Borussia Mönchengladbach
15
9
3
3
24:10
+14
30
CL*
4
FC Schalke 04
15
9
1
5
31:21
+10
28
CL* Qual.
5
SV Werder Bremen
15
8
2
5
26:25
+1
26
EL* Qual.
6
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
15
7
4
4
22:19
+3
25
EL* Qual.
7
VfB Stuttgart
15
6
4
5
22:17
+5
22
8
Hannover 96
15
5
6
4
19:23
-4
21
9
Hertha BSC Berlin
15
4
7
4
22:23
-1
19
10
1899 Hoffenheim
15
5
3
7
16:18
-2
18
11
Hamburger SV
15
4
5
6
20:26
-6
17
12
1. FC Köln
14
5
2
7
22:31
-9
17
13
VfL Wolfsburg
15
5
2
8
21:30
-9
17
14
1. FSV Mainz 05
14
4
4
6
21:27
-6
16
15
1. FC Nuremberg
15
4
3
8
14:26
-12
15
16
1. FC Kaiserslautern
15
3
5
7
11:19
-8
14
Play-offs
17
SC Freiburg
15
3
4
8
20:31
-11
13
Relegation
18
FC Augsburg
15
2
5
8
13:27
-14
11
Relegation
Table from Bundesliga Official Website
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