Bayer Leverkusen, in getting their first win of the season, was one step ahead of Stuttgart all match.

Bundesliga Standings Rank Club GP PTS DIFF 1 Hoffenheim 2 6 4 2 Schalke 04 2 4 3 3 Hertha Berlin 2 4 2 4 Borussia Dortmund 2 4 1 5 Hamburger SV 2 4 1 6 VfL Wolfsburg 2 4 1 7 Bayer Leverkusen 2 3 1 8 VfB Stuttgart 2 3 0 9 Karlsruhe 2 3 0 10 Bayern Munich 2 2 0 11 Werder Bremen 2 2 0 12 Arminia Bielefeld 2 2 0 13 VfL Bochum 2 1 -1 14 1. FC Koln 2 1 -1 15 Frankfurt 2 1 -2 16 Energie Cottbus 2 1 -3 17 Hannover 96 2 1 -3 18 Borussia M’gladbach 2 0 -3 Results August 22, 2008 Hannover 96 0 0 Energie Cottbus August 23, 2008 Hoffenheim 1 0 Borussia M’gladbach VfB Stuttgart 0 2 Bayer Leverkusen Hamburg SV 2 1 Karlsruhe Borussia Dortmund 1 1 Bayern Munich Werder Bremen 1 1 Schalke 04 Hertha Berlin 1 1 Arminia Bielefeld August 24, 2008 1. FC Koln 1 1 Frankfurt VfL Bochum 2 2 VfL Wolfsburg Next Week Home Away August 29, 2008 Karlsruhe 1. FC Koln August 30, 2008 VfL Wolfsburg Frankfurt Borussia M’gladbach Werder Bremen Energie Cottbus Borussia Dortmund Bayer Leverkusen Hoffenheim Arminia Bielefeld Hamburg SV Schalke 04 VfL Bochum August 31, 2008 Bayern Munich Hertha Berlin VfB Stuttgart Hannover 96

The schedule gave us a special weekend in the Bundesliga, but those of us who follow the league will need to savor it. The great match-ups of this weekend are absent in the upcoming, third round schedule, after which the league will be off until September 12.

Horrible.

To bide the time, we will have to sit on what we learned from the Werder-Schalke, Stuttgart-Bayer, and Dortmund-Bayern matches.  Let’s start with the last one.

What we learned from the Borussia Dortmund-Bayern Munich match on Saturday is Mark Van Bommel is an idiot.  Bayern played almost the whole match with ten men because of van Bommel’s thuggery, and although I have read some comments in the days that followed his red card saying he is being singled out, that view is hard to justify.  Van Bommel clubbed a guy in the head.  If he is being singled out, it’s justly so.

Word that Bayern has warned the Dutchman he could lose the captaincy if he doesn’t stay on the field is good news.  It’s about time somebody starts taking his dirty play seriously, particularly the injury-riddled club that needs him.  Bayern got an unfit Luca Toni back, forming a surprisingly ineffective pair with Miroslav Klöse, but they need van Bommel to hold down thei defense.

Van Bommel got kicked out of the match with his team already down 1-0 and staring a five point deficit in the table straight in the face.  Thankfully, some suspect Dortmund defending gave Tim Borowski an easy equalizer in the second half.  Given the circumstances, it was a good point won for Bayern, though Dortmund should regret the lost opportunity to get to six points.

From the Stuttgart-Bayer Leverkusen match we learned that there is still a gap between Stuttgart and the top six clubs in the league, of which Bayer is apart.  Leverkusen came back after a disappointing loss in Round 1 to Dortmund to get a relatively easy win on the road, building on some of the momentum they had at match’s end the week before.

Leverkusen will be fine.  Stuttgart, although they are getting strong play in goal from Jens Lehmann, we can’t be so sure about.

From the Werder Bremen-Schalke 04 match, we learned that Schalke has lost too many players in midfield.  Playing without Jermaine Jones, Jefferson Farfan and Orlando Engelaar was too much to overcome.  The momentum of their wins over Hannover and Atletico Madrid could not overcome losing more than half of their five man middle.  Ivan Rakitic never got going, and Fabian Ernst had too much to manage in his holding position.

If Schalke can not get healthy for Wednesday’s match in Madrid, they will not make the group phase of Champions League, a somewhat unjust result considering how they played the preceding week.

From Werder Bremen, we learned they can get a result without Diego, something I doubted last week.  They did not get the win over Schalke, but without their best player - a player on whom they depend deeply - it was a point worth taking.  Diego will be back as Werder goes on the road to M’gladbach this week, a match which should be a nice re-introduction to domestic play for the Olympian.

Bremen also debuted Claudio Pizarro, who returned to the club on loan from Cheslea.  The team had a noticeable boost in energy, even if Pizarro was not particularly effective.  Still, he and Markus Rosenburg fronted an attack that continuously threatened Schalke.  Were it not for a player of the week-worthy performance from Schalke keeper Mathias Schober, Bremen would have gotten three points.

These three matches overshadowed the rest of the fixture list, but of note are the still undefeated Hoffenheim and Hertha Berlin.  Hoffenheim got a result at home against the still pointless M’gladbach while Berlin could only get one at home against Bielefeld.  Neither result is that impressive, and these two clubs have been beneficiaries of easy early schedules.  This weekend that starts to change when Hoffenheim goes to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday and Berlin goes to Munich on Sunday.  My picks column isn’t until later in the week, but here’s a preview:  Berlin and Hoffenheim combine for no points this weekend.

With none of the league’s top clubs facing off against each other, expect this to be the week where the table starts to take shape.  We could see all of Bremen, Dortmund, Bayern, Schalke, Hamburg, and Bayer get three points.  If you’re put out by me not putting Stuttgart in the group, don’t worry.  They’re likely to win, too.

WFP Bundesliga Rankings

	Rank	Last Week	Club
	1	1	Schalke 04 You hate to see either Schalke or Atletico Madrid go out before the group stage, but the Champions League would be better for having Schalke. As is, I expect Schalke to be early favorites to win the UEFA Cup.
	2	2	Bayern Munich They get a little credit for clawing back against Dortmund with only ten men and with two key players still injured. Franck Ribery’s absence has been well reported, but the player they are really missing is Martin Demichelis.
	3	3	Hamburger SV A business-like win over Karlsruhe, who the book is still out on. Although teams below them played better, their resume is solid: a home win and a point at Munich.
	4	4	Borussia Dortmund Ultimately, they should have gotten more from their match with Bayern, being gifted the advantage by van Bommel. Their win over Leverkusen looks better, though, after Bayer showed so well at Stuttgart.
	5	5	Werder Bremen Even with Schalke’s injuries, it was an impressive result, and they showed a confidence without Diego that was absent the week before. They played much better at the back, limiting Schalke’s opportunities and controlling Kevin Kuranyi.
	6	6	Bayer Leverkusen Their ranking is unchanged, but there is a chasm between this spot an Stuttgart at seven how they controlled. They played this weekend as they did in the second half against Dortmund and got the corresponding result.
	7	7	Stuttgart Have the horses to beat up on the weaker clubs of the league, but against Leverkusen were frustrated and overmatched. It will be interesting to see if the return of Khalid Boulahrouz helps them compete for a European spot. They’re close.
	8	10	Hoffenheim The only perfect them in the league, but they have yet to produce a convincing result. They’ll have their chance this week against Leverkusen. They could lose that match and not fall in these rankings.
	9	8	Hertha Berlin Like Hoffenheim, good early results are built on schedule, not performance. Like Hoffenheim, will have a chance to prove otherwise this week. They face Munch.
	10	9	Arminia Bielefeld With Berlin without a loss and Bremen bouncing back, Bielefeld’s first two results look pretty good. It’s only two points out of six, but for a team that looked to battle relegation, points against good clubs are nothing to scoff at.
	11	12	Karlsruhe Lost to Hamburg but played decent enough to move up a little in these rankings. Unlike some of the clubs around them on the list, they have at least been tested, and although they came up short, they produced a decent result.
	12	13	Wolfsburg Were unimpressive against Bochum but still got a point. With their other result a win over Koln, it’s unclear what we have with this Wolfsburg team.
	13	15	VfL Bochum Showed signs of life against Wolfsburg, enough to were I almost dropped Wolfsburg behind them. Ultimately, they weren’t able to get three points despite playing on their home pitch. Looking decent can only count for so much.
	14	11	Hannover 96 Played in the most boring match of the weekend in a goalless drawn at home against Cottbus. I’m sure that’s what the Bundesliga wants from their Friday night matches.
	15	18	Energie Cottbus The other part of that Friday night disappointment. At least they were the road team. They have that excuse.
	16	14	Borussia M’gladbach Their 3-1 opening weekend loss to Stuttgart at home looks a lot worse now, and with their result this week, M’gladbach has little to recommend them thus far.
	17	17	Frankfurt Their only point has come from Koln. Ouch.
	18	16	1. FC Koln Their only point has come from Frankfurt. Ouch!

Jürgen Klinsmann should have anticipated a tough showing on Saturday at Borussia Dortmund.  Dortmund bounced on Bayer Leverkusen last week and left with a 3-2 road victory to open the season.  Their energy level left Bayer looking under-prepared for the opening match.  It was only towards the end of that match that Leverkusen were truly playing with Dortmund.

Against Bayern Munich, Dortmund again showed that energy.  Continue Reading »

With the prerequisite Round 1 surprises, the Bundesliga started last weekend. Those few surprises help keep my pick results modest. Still a decent start (not as bad as Ligue 1), with most of the losses coming in matches that featured two teams I did not get to see in the preseason. Continue Reading »

Luca Toni did not make Bayern Munich’s trip to Japan this week, leaving München to start Miroslav Klöse and Lukas Podolski up top.  That combination my have to persist for a while longer as Toni not only is expected to miss not only this week’s friendly against Inter Milan but also the team’s season opener in two weeks when the club hosts Hamburg.

Bayern’s general manager said today that the earliest Toni could be back looks like the season opener, leaving the total duration on the injury as close to one month.

For a club that has built up as much talent as Munich it should not be that big a deal of Toni is not ready.  Their two world class striker’s aside, it is better to have Toni healthy for when the schedule really picks up (when the Champions League group stage starts).  There is no reason to rush him back when rest will solve his injury problems.  Bayern continues to be wisely conservative with his calf problem.

While losing a player like Toni is always a blow, the news about Frank Ribery should help offset the Bayern fans’ disappointment.  News of the surgery Ribery was to have yesterday was overblown, with the procedure only done to remove a screw from his surgically repaired ankle.  Ribery can now concentrate on verifying his Euro 2008 injury has healed while rebuilding his fitness.  Bayern seems optimistic that his fitness will return quickly and are now leaving open the possibility that their French star will be available for the Hamburg match.

Quotes

“You cannot take muscular injuries lightly.” - Uli Hoeness, general manager, Bayern Munich
“I think the earliest [Toni] could possibly be back is for the opening game of the season against Hamburg.” - Hoeness
“Things are moving pretty quickly with Franck.” - Hoeness
“He (Ribery) is not a heavyweight after all - more like a flea.” - Hoeness
“The procedure took place without any complication and Ribery has already begun his physiotheraphy.” -  Bayern Munich

Links

Toni blow for Bayern Munich
Ribery undergoes surgery
Ribery to undergo second operation
Ribery undergoes surgery

Mario Gómez looks like he has regained the form he temporarily lost at Euro 2008. What could have been the coming-out party for the young striker turned into a nightmare as he lost his starting spot in Joachim Löw’s Germany team after two tournament matches. He’s returned to his club and regained his form, but the opportunity to move to a big club will have to be rebuilt after the Stuttgart striker lost a lot of his value between Austria and Switzerland.

At was the thought on Gómez have the recently-turned 23-year-old showed so poorly at the European Championships, yet today VfB Stuttgart revealed Bayern Munich registered a bid for the striker which would have set a Bundesliga record, had it been accepted.   Stuttgart elected to hold their leading scorer in spite of a €25 million bid from the league’s champions.  That sounds like an incredible amount of money - a rate that only the top names in the market are getting - but when you consider Gómez’s value is unlikely to get any lower after what happened this summer, Stuttgart may be wise to hold.

Bayern plans to make another bid next year for the striker, at which time his value is likely to be higher.  I suppose it’s possible Gómez’s value could continue to drop as he experiences a carry-over from Euro, but that seems incredibly unlikely given his body of work.  Gómez was Germany’s best forward during the winter international friendlies that led up to Euro 2008, leading Joachim Löw to choose that now famous formation with Lukas Podolski on left wing.  He scored 28 goals in 32 games for a Stuttgart team which played Champions League football after their league title in 2007.  And lest anybody forget, he was chosen German Footballer of the Year after leading Stuttgart to that title, the club’s first in fifteen seasons.

In preseason action for Stuttgart, it’s clear Gómez has regained the burst in his step, a relief for any football fan who likes to see the elite of the world performing at their best.  Gómez is not the best striker in the world, but amongst traditional, center strikers, he is at least part of a preliminary discussion.  Once you start putting age-limits on the conversation, you remember how young Gómez is and how well he’s produced.  He’s a bit older than Karim Benzema, a bit younger than Klass-Jan Huntelaar, creating a compelling spectrum on continental strikers.  Extend the spectrum down to include Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero and you have a pretty interesting essay (if also an opportunity to miss some names)

While Gómez’s resume is impressive, it is baffling that Bayern continue to pursue him and makes you wonder what their long term plans are for Luca Toni.  Lukas Podolski is still one step short of wantaway status, but with his potential conversion to left-wing, is seems strange for Bayern to give up on him.  Miroslav Klöse is giong nowhere as no team outside Germany will meet Bayern’s evaluation of him.  Toni, however, seems destined to eventually return to Italy, and with AC Milan and AS Roma have potential needs for lead strikers into the immediate future, a sale of Toni to the Serie A after Bayern confirms Gómez next season is not a difficult scenario to imagine.

At that point, Bayern would have the German national team attack:  Klöse and Gómez up top; Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger on the wings.   While it would be the wet dream of München fans, I don’t see Michael Ballack completing the reunion that soon.  Ballack aside, if Jürgen Klinsmann can make the talent work, it could be a Champions League-challenging side.  Whether he can make  it work while Joachim Löw could not is the question.  I am not sure I would swap Gómez in for Toni to try.

Quotes

“We didn’t want any team’s money.  We wanted to keep Germany’s player of the year.” - Horst Heldt, manager, Stuttgart

Links

Stuttgart spurns Bayern’s record offer for Gomez

Lukas Podolski tallied a hat-trick for Bayern Munich, currently touring Japan, as the Bundesliga champions defeated the Urawa Reds 4-2. Podolski played up top with Miroslav Klöse as he filled in for the injured Luca Toni. Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann went with a 4-4-2.

It’s difficult to tell, at this point, what Klinsmann’s plans for Podolski are. Football fans who want to see the talented German get more playing time than he did last season might be encouraged by his performance yesterday, but note that he did it while in a striker’s position. Perhaps he was only deployed there because Toni was out, but the preseason would be a great time to let Podolski continue to get experience on the left wing, where he played in Euro 2008, a deployment that would allow all of Podolski, Toni and Klöse to play together.

In addition to Toni being out, Frank Ribery has a long term injury which will keep him out until mid-September. Having injured his ankle in Euro 2008, Ribery’s role in the midfield could be seen as one of the issues in Podolski moving to left wing. But with Ribery out of the lineup, that conflict is temporarily eliminated, making this a good time to use Podolski on the wing. That didn’t happen, either because of Toni’s injury or Klinsmann’s preference, or both.

One big reason that Klinsmann may have deployed Podolski as he did is the club’s lack of depth at striker.  With Toni injured, one could argue that the club had no choice but to use Podolski up top.  It’s not something I can argue too strenuously against, since Podolski will be used as a striker at times this season (in case of injury or resting Toni or Klose), he is a natural striker, and there were no other real strikers available.  But this preseason is one of the few opportunities for Podolski to continue developing as a winger without that development potentially costing Bayern on the pitch.  He may not need that much more development, and he might be able to continue his maturation when the real matches start, against the Colognes and Hoffenheims of the Bundesliga.  Again, I can’t argue too viahmently against such claims.  Were I Klinsmann, I would rather get Podolski as much time on the left as possible, even if it means playing somebody like José Sosa or Bastian Schweinsteiger as a second striker.

If Klinsmann is not going play Podolski on the wing, with Ribery out, it might be a hint that he sees the Germany star as a striker and plans to apportion time amongst him, Toni, and Klose while sticking to Bayern’s 4-4-2. Not only is this an inefficient use of the club’s player resources, it practically guarantees this will be Podolski’s last year with the club. He stayed at Bayern with the hopes of getting regular football. A rotation arrangement he is likely to see the short-end of will only push him away from the club. By October, Podolski will be wishing he jumped to the Premiership.

I have to think that over the course of the season, Klinsmann will come around, but with Bayern being the clear favorites in Germany, they could go the whole season with an inefficient lineup and still win the league. Champions League, however, is another issue. Bayern has a good chance to get out of the group stages with Podolski as their third striker, depending on the group draw. With his on the left wing, the club would look a better bet to advance out into the knockout stages.

Links

Podolski leads Bayern against Japan’s Reds
Podolski Bags Hat-Trick As Bayer Beat Urawa
Podolski leads Bayern against Japan’s Reds