Bundesliga Run-In

It is often easy to overlook the German Bundesliga in favour of Europe’s more illustrious top leagues.  The power and pace of the English Premier League, the beguiling flair and ingenuity of the players in Spain’s La Liga and the tactical and stylish aura of Italy’s Serie A captivate global audiences.

Allianz Arena, Munich

This season though there is something of a football renaissance in the offing in Germany.  It has always had Europe’s highest attendances, 10 of the 18 teams consistently sell out stadiums with capacities over 50,000.  This season it has been making a case for itself as Europe’s most intriguing and exciting league.

In terms of talent it has to be said that in spite of the presence of some fantastically gifted individuals, the league is found somewhat lacking compared to it’s rivals.  There are more goals per game in Germany than the other leagues however and there is a strong emphasis on free flowing attacking football throughout.  Meanwhile in the Premier League, managers seem to be more concerned about losing games rather than actually trying to win them, a point alluded to by Arsene Wenger already this season.

The excitement of the attacking play is not the only factor in this renaissance.  The Championship is perfectly poised after 20 rounds.  Hertha Berlin sit atop the table with 40 points having defeated Bayern Munich 2-1 at the weekend with two goals from on loan Ukranian centre forward Andriy Voronin.  Bayern themselves dropped back to fourth place after that defeat on 38 points, with surprise package TSG Hoffenheim and Hamburg second and third respectively on 39 points.  In fact, the top 5 are only 4 points apart and the entire top half of the table is within 10 points of each other, Schalke sit in ninth on 30 points.

Hertha are slightly unusual in that they play neat possession football yet never really tear teams apart despite having 3 talented strikers in Voronin, Brazilian Raffael and Serbian international Marko Pantelic.  Based around captain Arne Friedrich their defence is formidable, and at home especially they will be very difficult to beat.

TSG Hoffenheim, backed by software giant SAP, have a bright and talented squad and play an up tempo attacking game.  Which has made stars of Bosnian pair Vedad Ibiševic and Sejad Salihovic and Senagalese forward Demba Ba.  The team from a small town with a populous of around 35,000 in Baden-Württemberg have recently played their first game in the new 30,000 seater Rhein-Neckar Arena but may struggle in the second half of the season after losing Ibiševic, scorer of 19 goals in 19 games, to an ACL tear.

Martin Jol’s Hamburg side are gifted and have talent throughout the side.  Players such as Ivica Olic and emerging German international Piotr Trochowski have been contributing starring roles.  Their key quality though is their team ethic, they work for each other and the perpetual movement of the players is testament to not only their fitness but Martin Jol’s style of play.

Jürgen Klinsmann’s Bayern Munich as always will be there at the end.  They have a fantastically talented squad with Franck Ribery in particular having an exceptional year.  Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose have both been scoring recently and Bastian Schweinsteiger has looked far more effective.  Their defence has looked porous at times however, and Bayern do have the added distraction of Champions League football and as such have to rotate players.

Renato Augusto of Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen are currently playing in Düsseldorf awaiting the completion of the redevelopment of the Bay Arena.  That hasn’t exactly thrown them though, their recent 4-1 demolition of TSG Hoffenheim showing that they have the ability to go all the way.  Swiss international Tranquillo Barnetta and Brazilian prospect Renato Augusto have been turning in dynamic performances in midfield and look a consistent threat.  Added to the fine goal scoring form of Patrick Helmes they look a team on the up.

Free scoring Wolfsburg under the management of Felix Magath play some fantastic football and are capable of beating any team on their day.  Brazilian forward Grafite has looked sharp and is one of the top scorers in the league, aided by the quality of delivery from left winger Zvjezdan Misimovic, who has been outstanding.  Their capture of touted Italian centre half Andrea Barzagli in the summer was a surprise and he has helped steady their back line.

Champions in 2006/07 VfB Stuttgart managed to retain the majority of that squad and are still led by Jens Lehmann, Yildiray Bastürk, Mario Gómez and Thomas Hitzlsperger.  They have quality players and should not be discounted.  Likewise Borussia Dortmund, undefeated at home and with a very talented squad they need to turn draws into wins and they can challenge.

Schalke are a team that while they have underperformed this season are still within touch of the top, a good run of results and they’re right back in it.  They have the players too, Ivan Rakitic in particular looks a top prospect.  Even Werder Bremen in tenth could pull back into the race if they find form, and in Brazilian international Diego they have arguably the most talented player in the league.

It would be difficult to imagine the team currently tenth in the Premier League  to be challenging come May, no disrespect to Fulham.  It’s the unpredictable nature of the league and the fact that there is no big 4 oligopoly like you find in England, Spain or Italy that make the Bundesliga run in so intriguing.