German Football news - Page 3 - TalkSoccer

**Oliver_Kahn** · 03-12-2006, 09:57 PM

12 goals from the 17 scored on Bundesliga 15, were scored by foreigners

**Oliver_Kahn** · 10-12-2006, 08:43 PM

On Bundesliga week 16, 18 from the 26 goals were scored by foreign players

**Oliver_Kahn** · 17-12-2006, 06:13 PM

On Bundesliga week 17, the forgeiners scored 18 from the 24 goals scored.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 30-12-2006, 02:01 PM

Simply the best! bundesliga.de takes a look at the best statistics from the first half of the 44th Bundesliga season.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 31-12-2006, 05:06 PM

Unbeaten: Hertha BSC stayed unbeaten at home in the first half of the season for the first time since 1977-78. Today: Six wins, two draws - back then five wins, three draws.

No home wins: Hamburg SV failed to win any of their eight home matches. The last team without a home win in the first half of the season were Hansa Rostock in 2004-05. Back then, Hansa eventually won their twelfth home match and got relegated.

Poor start: Five points from nine matches were VfL Bochum's worst ever start into a Bundesliga season, and the 6-0 defeat at the hands of Werder was Bochum's highest ever home defeat. But Marcel Koller's team fought back and left the relegation places.

Good goalkeeping: Just 19 out of 31 penalties were converted. Eintracht Frankfurt conceded five of them, more than any other team - but four of those were saved by Markus Pröll and Oka Nikolov.

Late, late Dortmund: Borussia Dortmund scored eleven out of 21 goals (52 percent) in the final 15 minutes. No other team came even close to that percentage.

Good in the air: Dortmund also scored with eleven headers, more than any other team.

Sending-offs: Hamburg SV and Eintracht Frankfurt each had five players sent off. Eintracht's Alexander Vasoski became the first ever Bundesliga player to be sent off three times in the first 13 matches.

Long ago: 1. FC Nürnberg played their best first half of the season for 15 years. Back then Nuremberg had 26 points in sixth place, now it's 23 in seventh place.

Defensive: No team conceded fewer goals than VfL Wolfsburg (just 16), and only one team scored less than the Lower Saxons (12). In Wolfsburg's matches, the fans witnessed just 28 goals (1.65 per match).

Unstoppable: Bremen's Diego was the most fouled player of the Bundesliga. He drew 92 fouls.

Tough: Bochum's Tomasz Zdebel committed the most fouls: 60.

Super-sub: FC Energie Cottbus player Steffen Baumgart came on as a substitute in each of the first 15 matches, an all-time Bundesliga record.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 31-12-2006, 05:07 PM

Simply too fast: Bochum's Greek striker Theofanis Gekas was caught offside 35 times.

Goal crazy: Werder Bremen have never scored more than this season's 47 goals in the first half of the season under head coach Thomas Schaaf. No less than 15 different players scored for the table-toppers.

Newcomer: Mario Gomez was VfB Stuttgart's high flyer. He scored eight goals, five of them for 1-0.

Busy: Stuttgart's strike force Cacau / Gomez attempted 55 shots, more than any other duo.

Unselfish: FC Bayern München's Bastian Schweinsteiger set up 54 shots for his team-mates.

In-form: FC Schalke 04 played their best first half of the season since 1971-72 (eleven wins, three draws, three defeats). Back then, Schalke had won 13 matches (two draws, two defeats).

Winless: FSV Mainz 05 and Hamburger SV both won just one out of 17 matches. The last team with such a poor record was FC St. Pauli back in 2001-02 - the North Germans were relegated at the end of the season.

One point: Nuremberg drew eleven out of their first 17 matches. More draws in the first half of the season? 1. FC Köln managed twelve in 1991-92.

Harmless: Mainz scored just eleven goals, and no player netted more than twice. You have to go back to 1988-89 to find a team with less goals. Back then, Frankfurt managed just eight, but the Hessians stayed up in the end.

Bad luck: No team hit the woodwork more often then FC Bayern München: ten times.

Triple six-pack: Werder scored six goals each in three away matches, the first time ever this has been achieved in the first half of the season.

Jubilee: Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach Jupp Heynckes celebrated his 500th match in charge of a Bundesliga club on matchday 17 in Bochum.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 01-01-2007, 01:07 PM

Jubilee: Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn played his 500th Bundesliga match on the opening day of the season. He now has 516 matches to his name, 18 less than Eike Immel, the Bundesliga's record keeper (534).

Goal-getter: Marko Pantelic's ten goals are the highest scoring total a Hertha player has achieved in the first half of a Bundesliga season since 1975-76. Back then, Erich Beer netted 16 times and Erwin Kostedde scored 13.

Top scorer: Bremen's Diego is the Bundesliga's top scorer: eight goals and nine assists gave him 17 scorer points.

Dangerous: Frankfurt's Albert Streit had a hand in 92 shots. He set up team-mates for 48 efforts and tried his luck on his own 44 times.

Effective I: From all players with at least five goals, Hanover's Thomas Brdaric was the most effective. He needed just 111 minutes on the pitch for each goal.

Effective II: Bielefeld's Marcel Ndjeng and Bremen's Jurica Vranjes (two goals each) needed just four shots for their goals. That's the most effective for all players with more than one goal scored.

Accurate: Werder are the most accurate team in attack. 54.6 percent of Bremen's shots came on goal.

Spot kicks: 1. FC Nürnberg won four penalties, more than any other team. The Franconians converted three of them.

Stopped: FC Schalke 04's players were the most fouled ones (358 times).

Offside: Borussia Dortmund's players were caught offside 80 times, more than any other team.

Bremen: Werder's Diego set up nine goals, top of the Bundesliga. Next up is team-mate Torsten Frings with eight.

**Jager** · 01-01-2007, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Tough: Bochum's Tomasz Zdebel committed the most fouls: 60.

Ouch!

**Oliver_Kahn** · 01-01-2007, 08:33 PM

Surprisingly or not, he only saw 3 yellow cards.

No reds

**Oliver_Kahn** · 02-01-2007, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Simply too fast: Bochum's Greek striker Theofanis Gekas was caught offside 35 times.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 13-01-2007, 02:12 PM

The Bundesliga has a long tradition of having great goalkeepers, and the first half of the 44th Bundesliga season was no different.

From veterans to newcomers, they've all performed heroic feats between the posts.

Kahn still among the best

Oliver Kahn is still one of the goalies to watch in Germany. FC Bayern's stalwart on the goal-line is a three-time "world goalkeeper of the year”, and is already a football legend. The veteran isn't even phased by the competition!

"To be honest, I have other battles to fight instead of taking on the competition. I reckon the fight I'm always having is only against myself", Kahn says.

Kahn has amassed a mighty total of 516 Bundesliga games throughout his career. In 17 matches this season, the former German international only conceded 19 goals, which means he is still one of the best goalkeepers gracing the beautiful game.

"Mister penalty"

Another veteran enjoying a good season is Bayer Leverkusen's "Mister penalty”, Hans-Jörg Butt. He has put in some rock-solid performances, and although he hasn't scored from the penalty spot this season, Butt is still ranked third in the Bundesliga's all-time penalty-scorers list. Butt is also thinking about the future.

"Oliver Kahn has retired from the national team, and Jens Lehmann will probably step down after the European Championships. Things happen fast in football, so I'll keep working on getting into the national squad. I believe that performance should count! I've been playing at a high level for years now, also internationally. I've got nothing to hide", the Leverkusen player states.

Rost replaced by Neuer

Schalke's veteran goalie Frank Rost didn't have a good season, as he was replaced between the posts by 20 year-old rookie Manuel Neuer, which also forced Rost to leave the "Royal Blues" and join Hamburger SV.

Neuer made ten appearances and managed to wow the crowds after getting over an initial bout of nerves. Now, many football experts are so impressed that they see Neuer as an "Oliver Kahn in the making”. Are we looking at a future man for the German national team?

Penalty killer

There aren't many goalkeepers in the world who can boast a 100 percent record on penalty saves this season, but Eintracht Frankfurt's Markus Pröll can! He's stopped three out of three, and performances like that have played a major role in Frankfurt's solid Bundesliga campaign.

In between matches, Pröll has applied to take courses to become a Helicopter pilot. Looking at his style of play, "fasten your seatbelts” might be a phrase worth remembering!

Hard to beat

The goalkeeper who conceded the least goals in the first half of the season was VfL Wolfsburg's Simon Jentzsch. He was forced to fish the ball out of his own net a meagre 16 times!

Jentzsch is nearly two metres tall, and his height, coupled with catlike reflexes, has meant that the "Wolves” are a tough team to score against. If he can continue to put in terrific performances, Jentzsch could be a candidate for Germany when Jens Lehmann steps down in 2008.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 14-01-2007, 01:18 PM

With the first half of the 44th Bundesliga season well behind us, bundesliga.de takes a look at some of the best defenders in the Bundesliga.

It's no secret that Werder Bremen are the Bundesliga's top dogs when it comes to scoring, but the halfway champions now have some excellent players in defence! And they've also played their roles in getting Werder to the top of the standings!

Amazing tackler

Since joining Werder 18 months ago, Naldo has been making a name for himself at both ends of the park. The Brazilian has helped out in attack, netting six goals, but it's in defence where he really does shine.

In the first half of the season, Naldo won an amazing 73 percent of all tackles, meaning statistically, he's the best defender in the league. Standing at 1.98 metres, Naldo is not a player any striker relishes having to take on!

From Hanover to Bremen

Werder's other central defender is also among the Bundesliga's best. Per Mertesacker joined the club this season, and it didn't take him long to harmonise with team-mate Naldo. Mertesacker is a tough-tackling palyer, who already has a reputation for going the extra mile when needed.

The German international switched from Hannover 96 in the summer, and Mertesacker is convinced that it was the right decision. In his opinion, the club's style has got them where they are today.

"We've seen what you can achieve with team spirit, the right attitude and preparation. I don't think anyone can take that from us and it will help us. We all saw that in the first half of the season", Mertesacker says.

Leading by example

Borussia Dortmund skipper Christian Wörns has been enjoying a consistent season for the club. The former German international has won 65 percent of all tackles so far this season, rightly putting him on our short-list.

The 34 year-old may be getting long in the tooth, but Wörns can always be relied on to come up with the goods. Indeed, Wörns has played a major role in helping Dortmund's young squad acclimatise to the demands of the Bundesliga. And he's always ready to help his team mates.

"I think that as a young player, you're not as settled. So I try to lead by example, and of course I'm always prepared to speak out when things are getting tough. I'm also available to talk to the younger players if they have to get something off their chest, or if they need some advice", Wörns explains.

Rollercoaster ride for Friedrich

The season has been a rollercoaster ride for Mainz defender Manuel Friedrich. He managed to play for the German national team, but at the same time his club is in the thick of a desperate fight to avoid relegation. Mainz have spent the last seven rounds of play in last place.

"As a new German international, I must say things are going well for me, but I believe in this club with a passion and that means I can't really be pleased about anything else", Friedrich said after winning just one match out of 17 with the Rhine-Hessians.

Reinhardt ready to invest even more

It's a similar situation for Hamburg SV defender Bastian Reinhardt. Whilst his team have suffered a frightening slump in form, Reinhardt has developed into the squad's shining light.

And that despite an unlucky own goal in Hamburg's final game of 2006 against Alemannia Aachen. Reinhardt is a textbook professional, and is all too aware of what awaits Hamburg in their scrap to beat the drop.

"It's more difficult to collect points in the second half of the season than it is in the first. When you are aware of that, you must be prepared to invest more in order to win", Reinhardt says.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 15-01-2007, 01:46 PM

Quite a few midfielders have made their mark in the first half of the Bundesliga season. bundesliga.de takes a closer look at some of them.

The term "dominating" is often used in football, but seldom has a player really earned the distinction. But this season, Werder Bremen playmaker Diego was a dominating factor for his team!

Impressive debut season

In 16 matches, the tricky Brazilian scored eight goals, and set up another eleven. That's an impressive tally for the youngster in his debut season in the Bundesliga. Diego has an extra weapon in his arsenal. The 21 year-old is modest and humble about his talent and is always quick to point out he is still learning.

"I always want to improve. I was welcomed with open arms, and that has been extremely important, as I'm still finding my feet here", the Brazilian admits.

Frings getting better and better

Diego has had some excellent support in being able to shine so brightly: team mate Torsten Frings! This season the German international has developed into one of Europe's best midfielders. Frings can dictate play at the back, and isn't shy to help out in attack either.

Indeed, many experts believe that Frings is exactly the kind of player a club like Werder needs. The 30 year-old is dedicated, dangerous and has an insatiable will to win. That's something normally associated with league rivals FC Bayern.

"Bayern have always been able to win matches in which they didn't play particularly well. We need to be able to do that as well. If we can, there's no doubt we'll have what it takes to become champions", Frings believes.

Dutch inspiration for Bayern

Bayern's answer to Frings is Dutch international Mark van Bommel. He joined the Bavarians from Champions League winners Barcelona, and made his presence felt from the very first game!

Van Bommel is the Bundesliga's stand-out all-rounder. He's a tough tackler, who also gets on the score-sheet. Van Bommel has netted three goals this season, and has the highest completed pass rate in the entire league. One thing's for sure, Bayern and van Bommel are perfect for each other.

"Bayern is a big club, the biggest club in Germany! I am very proud to be able to play for Bayern Munich", van Bommel declared.

Bajramovic shines for Schalke

League rivals Schalke can also boast a top-rated defensive midfielder in Zlatan Bajramovic. The Bosnian enjoyed an impressive first half of the season, and he has the talent to shine anywhere on the pitch at any given time.

He's been instrumental in the club's title drive, and he thrives on the challenge. It seems Bajramovic finally feels at home after a difficult first year with Schalke.

"Not much has changed really. I'm playing as well as I did in my first season with Schalke. The difference is that now I am playing, where as previously I could only impress in training. I never have a problem acclimatising myself or getting used to new surroundings. I should have wanted to play more back then", Bajramovic explains.

Others not so impressive

Some highly-rated midfielders haven't been grabbing the headlines this season. Schalke's Lincoln and Hamburg skipper Rafael van der Vaart have suffered from inconsistency and injuries.

But both stars will have ample opportunities to prove their immense value to their respective clubs when the Bundesliga resumes in late January.