Why were there only three games?
The game between Hamburger SV and Bayer Leverkusen had to be canceled due to “weather-related static risks in the area of the stadium roof” – the third game since last weekend that could not take place due to snowfall. There is currently no catch-up date. So it will take a few more days until the first half of the season is really over.
Who is the second best team behind the lone league leaders FC Bayern?
According to the score, Borussia Dortmund can no longer take second place in the first half of the season from BVB. But the performance against Bremen was far from worthy of second place in the table. Basically, apart from Nico Schlotterbeck’s header to take the lead from a corner kick in the first half, there was nothing positive to report, and there were even a few whistles from the stands at half-time.
In the second half it was hardly more spectacular, but it was more confident. And at some point Marcel Sabitzer was completely free on the edge of the penalty area, shot and scored. Bremen’s next gift, a loss of the ball by Amos Pieper in his own penalty area, was used by striker Serhou Guirassy, whom coach Niko Kovac had initially put on the bench this time and only came on as a substitute, for his first Bundesliga goal since October.
Where will it be most exciting in the second half of the season?
Probably in the relegation battle, which starts at tenth place and no longer ends with Mainz, but with Heidenheim. For the first time since the twelfth matchday, the Zero Fives are no longer bottom of the table because they defeated 1. FC Heidenheim, now at the same point, the new bottom of the league.
Only 24,500 spectators wanted to watch the game in the stadium. As expected, there was no big sport to be seen, but at times there was good Mainz football. For example, before Silvan Widmer made it 1-0, which Jae-sung Lee skillfully prepared with a cross. Or at 2-0, in front of the goalscorer Nadiem Amiri and Philip Tietz played a one-two in a matter of seconds. Evidence for the thesis that Mainz has a squad that is far too strong to actually be relegated. In the fourth Bundesliga game under new coach Urs Fischer, the first win was achieved after three draws; Stefan Schimmer’s goal and a Heidenheim final offensive didn’t change that.
Is Stuttgart now a Champions League contender?
In any case, VfB is at least temporarily moving up to third place and, after a 4-1 win against Leverkusen last weekend, showed their second impressive game in a few days in a 3-2 win against Frankfurt. If FC Bayern didn’t exist, Stuttgart would also have a promising candidate for the player of the first half of the season: Deniz Undav scored his tenth goal in the eleventh game since he returned from a knee injury in October.
Against Frankfurt, in addition to the goal to make it 2-1 (a deflected shot in the penalty area), he could have added two more; twice he ran alone towards Frankfurt keeper Kauã Santos and missed. But Ermedin Demirovic, back in the starting line-up for the first time since a foot injury, was also reliable: He scored to make it 1-1 after Frankfurt had taken the lead early on through Rasmus Kristensen. Stuttgart turned the game around, dominated, but still conceded the equalizer in the 80th minute – until substitute Nikolas Nartey scored the winner seven minutes later.
What was Frankfurt’s contribution to this wild game?
The usual for Eintracht (goal difference 35:36) this season: Things went well forward, but not at the back. The main role was played by goalkeeper Kauã Santos, who should have secured his regular place again since the beginning of the year. Coach Dino Toppmöller recently described it as a mistake to immediately reinstate the talented Brazilian in the autumn after a long injury – after which he put him back on the bench due to poor performances.
And now? He was responsible for the 1-1 when he came out of the goal on a harmless cross and didn’t clear the ball. Afterwards he seemed unsure. At one point, Santos and defenseman Arthur Theate yelled at each other. After all, he showed some good reflexes in the second half.
The fact that it briefly looked like a point was due to one of three strikers signed during the winter break. Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab (for simplicity he will be called “Jupp”), previously with Hoffenheim II, scored in his first Bundesliga game to make it 2-2. Younes Ebnoutalib (came from SV Elversberg) had to be replaced injured, Arnaud Kalimuendo (Nottingham Forest) made an unremarkable starting eleven debut.
What’s new from the transfer market?
Werder Bremen had to leave the portal Transfer market It should be noted that they were allowed to borrow another player this winter. “We previously had an internal, communicative misunderstanding on this point that we stumbled upon,” said sports director Clemens Fritz to the portal Deichstube.
The club announced at the beginning of November that after six loans, no more were possible. However, the DFL rules only state that a maximum of six players may be loaned from other domestic clubs at the same time. Bremen later corrected the statement. Loud Deichstube The change came from a hint from the portal Transfer market accomplished. “It is true that we were made aware by an external tip that further loans were possible,” said Fritz.
Loan number seven, striker Jovan Milosevic from VfB Stuttgart, came on as a substitute for the first time in Dortmund. His mission is clear: Werder hasn’t scored a goal since the beginning of December.
And what was going on in Hamburg?
HSV authorized representative Daniel Nolte spoke on the Sky microphone about the so-called “snow load limitation concept”. This had been implemented since Thursday, and the day before HSV were optimistic that they would be able to host the game against Leverkusen. But then, according to a club statement, the “extreme thaw” thwarted the plans.
Nolte said the stadium roof’s membrane had “bumps” that “went downward.” In addition, the catwalk, the walkway under the stadium roof, was deformed: “Theoretically, the membrane could have torn and the catwalk could have fallen into the spectators. That is of course something that we absolutely have to prevent.” The game against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday is not yet certain.
