It proved to be the match day of comebacks as Dortmund, Freiburg, Hoffenheim, Werder and Wolfsburg all came back from losing positions to claim something from the game. As a result we saw many of those influential players make the Team of the Week. Find out below who scored the deciders.
GOALKEEPER
Ralf Fährmann (Schalke): Watching this game I knew Schalke would keep another clean sheet. Fährmann did everything right, all the simple things a goalkeeper needs to do. It was a fantastic contrast to his midweek display against Dortmund as he was not forced into many world class saves. He had to deal with Ayhan mistakes including having to rush out and prevent Ramos from scoring a 1v1. Overall though, this guys looks so comfortable and calm on the ball. He commands his area so well that it has eased any concerns that the Schalke defenders were having under Hildebrand’s reign. 9 clean sheets in 16 games and a better clean sheet per game percentage than Manuel Neuer says it all really.
DEFENDERS
Naldo (Wolfsburg): Was pretty good at the back, but is included mainly for his offensive contribution as he scored the winning goal with a screamer from long range. He was caught out for the Frankfurt goal though as his defensive partner Klose was left injured on the half way line. Not much could really be done once Aigner broke through. He was joint top with Olic for number of shots in the game, and was eventually rewarded for his offensive work in the 89th minute when the Frankfurt players gave him space. He couldn’t have hit a better strike as it went into the top left corner clipping the underside of the bar in the process.
Joel Matip (Schalke): A very solid performance for Matip in the Schalke defence against Hertha. He completely nullified Ramos and had to be sharp throughout the game due to some persistent mistakes by his defensive partner Ayhan. At only 22 years old Matip is seen as more of a senior defender for Schalke, especially since Ayhan and Kolasinac are both under 20. He made a game high 7 interceptions, 3 important tackles, 5 clearances, assisted the first goal and narrowly missed scoring Schalke’s 3rd.
Sebastian Prödl (Werder): There have not been many Werder Bremen players making the Team of the Week this season, but Prödl put in a fine shift against Hannover. He made the most defensive clearances of any other player on the pitch and popped up in injury time to seal the winner for Bremen as they moved up to 12th position. The win will prove vital, as they are now 8 points off the drop.
Joo-Ho Park (Mainz): With a youth team from Asia in the stands, Park put in a performance that would inspire any of them to join a Bundesliga outfit. 43% of Mainz’s attacks came down the left flank, thanks mainly to Park. He successfully took on the most opponents of any other player on the pitch as he offered an attacking option for Mainz.
MIDFIELDERS
Chinedu Obasi (Schalke): Obasi proved to be the difference in this game. While Schalke played rather well in the midfield battle, their final ball was well below par. His determination for the first goal was vital as he knocked on a high ball to then round the Hertha keeper Jarstein, who was making his debut.
Johannes Geis (Mainz): What a performance from the young midfielder. In a game between the Bundesliga overachievers, Geis was at the centre of most plays as he made 93 touches, 3 key passes and had a pass completion rate of 83%. He didn’t neglect his defensive work either as he and Moritz made a combined 4 tackles and 6 interceptions. To cap off the 20 year olds day he scored a stunning strike from range to make it a very comfortable 3-0 win.
Marco Reus (Dortmund): It proved to be a simply amazing performance from Reus as he scored a hat-trick to help Dortmund come back from two goals down. His first came after half an hour as he received a through ball from Hofmann and put it past the advancing Ulreich. The second was a penalty as Niedermeier fouled Lewandowski in the box. Reus dispatched it into the bottom corner with ease. With a change of referees due to injury, Dortmund and Reus had a brief break. Only a few minutes later, Reus was denied a fine long-range costless kick by Ulreich, who tipped it over the bar. Inspired to get the winner, he arrived late to receive a cut back from Aubameyang. His shot was aided by a deflection off Schwaab that sent it past the helpless Ulreich. Dortmund will be hoping Reus can replicate this form against Real Madrid in their next game.
Felix Klaus (Freiburg): What a story for the youngster. Every time his mum comes to a game, which isn’t very often, he scores and Freiburg win. It happened again this weekend against Nürnberg where he scored the winner with a spectacular strike from just inside the box. The Nürnberg defence dealt with a cross from Günter, but Klaus was able to bring it down with his chest and smash it into the far top corner. In addition to the winning goal, he also won the penalty for Freiburg’s second to help his team claw back a 3-2 win after being 2-1 down.
STRIKERS
Claudio Pizarro (Bayern): When Bayern need to rest key players they know they can rely on Pizarro to get them some goals. He scored the first and third goals and assisted Shaqiri for Bayern’s second. After going down to a Hoffenheim goal, Pizarro was at the centre that saw Bayern score three goals in 11 minutes. His first was a fine diving header getting on the end of a Shaqiri cross. Bayern’s second was assisted by Pizarro as he took down a Rafinha cross for Shaqiri to pounce on. The last goal summed up Bayern’s season. Even from an awkward situation that saw Dante backed into the byline they somehow were able to pass it out through the back and score a goal. Pizarro’s finish to end the play was simple yet clinical.
Max Kruse (Gladbach): Kruse proved to be the more creative outlet in this match helping supply the Gladbach forwards. He was a constant nuisance to the Hamburg defence as he managed to get 71 touches of the ball, which led to 4 key passes and 6 successful dribbles past opponents. As with other games this season he linked up with Raffael superbly and assisted the Brazilian in Gladbach’s second goal with a defence splitting pass. After going through a rough patch in the early stages of the Rückrunde, Kruse looks to be recapturing his Hinrunde form just in time for the World Cup.