The Fundesliga

The best of German football from the Bundesliga and beyond

Defensive shambles and a lack of ferocity currently hindering Dortmund

When Ivan Perisic equalised in the opening moments of the second half of Saturday’s showdown against Hamburg, Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp turned to his bench and let out an animated sigh of relief. As...
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Forget Gomez: Germany need a false nine – and they already have him

The next phase in German progression is in front of goal, says Stefan Bienkowski , with a very modern type of front-man Evolution, rather than revolution, continues to be the word on everybody’s lips at...
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Call that a close title race? THIS was a close title race...

Manchester City and United are locked together atop the Premier League, and as the season nears its climax, dare we hope for a finale as exciting as Germany's in 2001? Gerard Brand tells the story...
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Resurgent Bayern face biggest test yet at glorious Gladbach

This season’s Bundesliga has been a journey full of surprises. So much so that it's big news when the most successful club in German football, Bayern Munich, win three games in a row – and that Borussia...
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Just which Bayern side will show up in Basel?

For most fans, this weekend showed a return to the joyful nature of the German Bundesliga: of the four title-chasing teams, Schalke won, Gladbach won, Dortmund won and Bayern slipped up. RESULTS Fri 17...
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Last year's drop-dodgers clash as rejuvenated title challengers

From avoiding relegation to aiming for the stars – it's very possible in Germany, says Stefan Bienkowski This weekend’s Bundesliga promises a game of local and national interest as Schalke travel 40...
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What a difference a year makes: The curious case of Lucas Barrios

Borussia Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios had an up-and-down 2011 at Signal Iduna Park, with the ecstasy of winning the German top flight blighted by a dramatic fall from grace. From talisman, goal machine...
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Germany's 'well of talent' helps rejuvenate game domestically and internationally

Bernie Reeves maps the continuing rise of the German game... There’s no doubting German football is on the up. The Bundesliga has the best average attendance figures of any European league by a considerable...
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Arsenal target Reus destined for big move - just not until next summer

Bernie Reeves takes a look at the latest Bundesliga-based talent to have caught the Arsenal manager's eye... Lucien Favre, manager of high-flying Borussia Mönchengladbach, this week revealed to the...
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Fear and loathing in Munich as Neuer falters amid fan discontent

Goalkeepers inadvertently share a lot in common with surgeons. To them, the penalty area is much like an operating theatre where interventions are made to either fix what's broken or remove a foreign...
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Bayern slump keeps Bundesliga managerial merry-go-round turning

Despite just about every week providing us with a new dainty and delicious treat from Mario Götze , or a meaty main course from Manual Neuer , this year's Bundesliga is starting to feel a little bit...
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Van Gaal finally shot down by headstrong Hoeness

Despite all his computer-enhanced bullet-dodging, Neo bit the dust at the end of The Matrix. His downfall was not in vain, however, as he won out against the nasty, jibing Smith. Cities rejoiced and honoured...
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Schalke catch Inter cold as Rangnick's tactical gamble pays off

What happened at the San Siro last night was more of a circus act than a football match - one with an overabundance of clowns, a little bit of tactical juggling, and some courageous lions - although they...
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Felix the cat needs to land on his feet against Bayern

There is always a degree of fascination in watching old footage of football players who have gone on to become top coaches. Take Felix Magath. It was his magnificent strike in the 1983 European Cup Final...
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Why the German media shouldn't hassle the Hoff

"I made billions in software and then blew it all on the track" - Groundskeeper Willy The A-Liga has a certain ring to it, doesn't it? Like A-Number One – the Big Cheese, the top dog! Australia's...
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Ze Roberto: A man for all seasons (and virtually all positions)

Mistakenly written off as past it, the Brazilian is still a key man in the Bundesliga, reports Terry Duffelen It is the 86th minute of the first game of the 2010/11 season at the Imtech Arena, home of...
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Bayern slump as Mainz march on

This time last year the German newspapers (read: rags) were adamant Louis van Gaal wasn’t up to the job of turning Bayern München into Bundesliga winners. “Replace him before it’s too late!” some were...
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Mighty Mainz maintain momentum

Schalke 04 - Points 0, Games 4. That's the story for Felix Magath's men at the end of matchday four in the Bundesliga. As they had done previously on matchday three against 1899 Hoffenheim, the...
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Another topsy-turvy weekend in Germany

What an absolutely unbelievable weekend of football action in the Bundesliga we have just enjoyed. It started with Kaiserslautern – promoted this season from the second division - rolling back the years...
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Bundesliga big boys pushed aside

The new Bundesliga season opened on Friday evening, with the only game of the day settled in dramatic injury time fashion by one of Germany's World Cup heroes - Bastien Schweinsteiger. The Allianz...
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Bundesliga gearing up for kick-off

Well. The end of an exciting 2009/10 Bundesliga campaign was followed by a terrific German effort in the World Cup in South Africa. Who’d have thought that Jogi Löw’s young guns could smash four past both...
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Bayern setting sights on superb treble after Bremen battering

With the Bundesliga title wrapped up last week following their victory over relegated Hertha Berlin at the capital city's Olympiastadion, Bayern München paid the stadium a second successive visit on...
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Werder seal Champions League berth as Bundesliga says willkommen to McClaren

Steve McClaren's career is really starting to rebuild itself quite nicely. Fresh from winning the Dutch Eredivisie with FC Twente - the clubs' first ever title victory – the miraculously Dutch...
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Müller lights up Allianz Arena with title-clinching hat-trick

Well, they started off slowly, were also rans at the midpoint stage and showed their superiority towards the season's finale; now Bayern München are Bundesliga champions for a 22nd time in Germany...
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Bayern now one step from glory on two counts as Hamburg choke

It’s safe to say there were mixed fortunes for the sides representing Germany in European football this week. Bayern München, leading 1-0 from their first leg clash with Lyon last week, thoroughly battered...
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Schalke go level with Bayern as Hamburg’s season turns to farce

And so the Bundesliga title race takes yet another tantalising twist. Schalke’s late, late show away to Hertha Berlin, coupled with Bayern München’s inability to take all three points from Mönchengladbach...
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Ribery will be glad to see the back of his turbulent week

After a quite turbulent week for Franck Ribéry, it went from bad to worse as he was given a straight red card following a reckless challenge on Lyon’s Lisando Lopez. The Frenchman’s moment of madness means...
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Schalke still scrapping as Bayern smash sorry Hannover for seven

BUNDESLIGA RESULTS Fri 16 Apr: FC Köln 2-0 VfL Bochum; Sat 17 Apr: VfB Stuttgart 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg 2-4 Werder Bremen, Schalke 04 3-1 Borussia M’gladbach, Hamburger SV 0-1 FSV Mainz, SC...
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Does anybody want to win the Bundesliga?

Does anybody want to win the Bundesliga? That's the burning question on the lips of football fans across Germany this week, with all of the top three seemingly unable to put together a convincing run...
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Revenge mission completed as Robben rocket blasts Bayern into semis

As the Fundesliga correctly called in yesterday's blog , Bayern München have put English champions Manchester United to the sword in the Champions League following a quite remarkable game at Old Trafford...
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Relegation issue still very much on Bundesliga agenda

So, it seems that it is now a two-horse race between Bayern München and Schalke 04 for the Bundesliga title. The Fundesliga is now officially writing off Leverkusen's chances of Bundesliga success...
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Could Van Gaal's gamble be about to backfire on Bayern?

One can sort of understand why Bayern boss Louis van Gaal opted to only give his two flying wingers, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry a 45 minute run-out in their home game against VfB Stuttgart last weekend...
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Robben replaces Ribery as Bayern's key man

Whilst attempting to use as many footballing clichés as possible, the Fundesliga has come up with this short but frank preview of the key games of round 28 in the Bundesliga… With Hertha Berlin seemingly...
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Bayern lose, Wolfsburg whipped & the best clearance ever

You may remember The Fundesliga's recent remark regarding the Bundesliga, and how it is definitely not boring and predictable . Well, thanks to another superb weekend of godly German football, that...
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Old Lady-batterers Fulham face the Wolves

Was it a shot? Was it a cross? Whatever it was, Fulham fans won’t care; Clint Dempsey’s exquisite chipped goal against Juventus has put them into the last eight of the Europa League – where they will play...
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Nürnberg win as Hertha fans turn on under-performing stars

RESULTS Fri Mar 12 FC Schalke 2-1 VfB Stuttgart Sat Mar 13 Borussia M’gladbach 0-4 VfL Wolfsburg, VfL Bochum 1-4 Borussia Dortmund, FSV Mainz 1-0 FC Köln, Hannover 96 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt, Hertha BSC...
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Germans march on in Europe and look to the home front

There was a small footballing exodus from Germany this midweek. With the exception of Hamburger SV, who hosted Anderlecht in the Europa League last 32, the Bundesliga's continental hopefuls had to...
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Leverkusen the biggest losers on matchday 25

RESULTS Sat March 6: FC Köln 1-1 Bayern München, Werder Bremen 2-2 Stuttgart, Hamburger SV 1-0 Hertha BSC, Eintracht Frankfurt 1-4 Schalke 04, SC Freiburg 1-2 Hannover 96, VfL Wolfsburg 4-1 VfL Bochum...
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Podolski to push Bayern off their pedestal? Unlikely...

Another new regular feature from FourFourTwo.com, and it's a big hello to Daniel Moore , covering all things German... Let's face it; it's going to take something special to stop the FC Bayern...
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Spotlight

75% of all TV is Bale

He's here, he's there, he's...

On the road to ruin

The cost of Premier League away travel