Bundesliga Match Day 19 Quick Hits

Chuck Smith
Jan 22, 2018
5 min read

The three-day weekend that comprised Match Day 19 saw some thrilling games that were, perhaps, overshadowed by off-the-field news concerning a few of league's top players.

The long speculation about the future of Leon Goretzka kicked off the weekend was solved when it was announced Goretzka would join Bayern Munich this summer. As expected, the news was not well received by the Schalke 04 faithful.

The banner states: "Neither money nor trophies are worth more than our club, the one who does not appreciate that can piss off immediately!"

Safe to say this will not be an easy run the rest of the way for Goretzka, who is in an impossible situation. The path of least resistance would be to join Bayern this month, but neither side appears ready to make that happen. As Schalke chairman Clemens Tonnies told Sky: "My first reaction was that he never wears the club's shirt again. He added: "When Karl-Heinz Rummenigge [Bayern CEO] calls, Christian Heidel [Schalke's sporting executive] will answer," but also indicated that if the situation "had a negative effect on the team, then it could be that Leon sits in the stands until the end of the season."

A scenario where Goretzka fins himself in the stands is not out of the question even if it ultimately hurts Schalke 04's Champions League opportunity for next season. This may not be Walter White on Uncle Jack's gang-level scorn, but there are heaping amounts of bitterness headed Goretzka's way until July for sure.

As far as Schalke 04's game play went, it was a lackluster performance against Hannover 96 that ended in a 1-1 draw. Schalke 04's Marko Pjaca and Hannover 96's Niclas Fullkrug provided the scoring, but the Goretzka fatigue may effect Schalke 04 (8-7-4) worse than anyone cares to admit. Hannover 96 (7-6-6), meanwhile, continues to battle to protect its standing in the first division.

Hertha Berlin 1, Borussia Dortmund 1: The off-the-field disaster that is Dortmund has not completely disrupted the team on the pitch. Granted, based on the requisite talent levels, Dortmund (8-6-5) should race by Hertha Berlin (6-7-6), but unlike the horrid play under Peter Bosz, Dortmund hasn't been awful under interim manager Peter Stöger. They just haven't been...well, great. Shinji Kagawa's tally at the 71-minute mark leveled the game, but Dortmund could not find a way to break free from a pesky Hertha Berlin side. For Hertha Berlin, it was Davie Selke's goal in the 46th minute that provided a lead until Kagawa countered.

The off-field drama continues at Dortmund; this time with the seemingly never-ending saga on what the future hold for serial malcontent Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng. In addition, rumors circling about unloading Andre Schürrle for pennies on the dollar to any English team that will have him, along with continued speculation that one of the club's lone bright spots, Christian Pulisic, may jump ship on a transfer this summer to the - allegedly - less volatile situations at Premier League clubs like Manchester United cannot help the team as it seeks to get back into a Champions League position.

Bayern Munich 4, Werder Bremen 2: The Reds, even when pressed by a team such as Werder Bremen, displayed no nerves or anxiety and battled to race away with a victory behind two goals apiece from Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller, along with some excellent play from the likes of Franck Ribery, Jermone Boateng, Arturo Vidal, and James Rodriguez. Jerome Gondorf found the back of the net for Werder Bremen (3-7-9), but it was Max Kruse, whose star shown the brightest. Bremen is clearly not as poor as its record may indicate and bright things could be on the way for the second half. Bayern Munich (15-2-2) looks like it is hitting a scary pace that could make it on level with any team in Europe.

Borussia Monchengladbach 2, Augsburg 0: The notorious BMG (9-4-6) continued to show its promise and got back on the winning side behind goals from Mathias Ginter and Thorgan Hazard (whose brother, Eden, also has a fine game for Chelsea this weekend) in dispatching Augsburg (7-6-6), which has made itself into a steady squad thus far. Hazard looks more and more like one of the league's brightest stars, while M'Gladbach, as a whole, is pushing closer a Champions League position.

Bayer Leverkusen 4, Hoffenheim 1: Leverkusen (8-7-4) put a beat down on Hoffenheim (7-6-6), which has now underachieved in three straight league contests. Leverkusen used a brilliant goal from Leon Bailey, along with scores from Julian Baumgartlinger and two from Lucas Alario to offset a goal from Hoffenheim's Adam Szalai. The shine on Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann is starting to dull a bit as his team fights to rediscover its consistency.

Eintracht Frankfurt 3, Wolfsburg 1: Sebastian Haller, Timothy Chandler, and Luka Jovic all scored for Frankfurt (8-6-5) in its dismantling of an uninspired Wolfsburg (3-11-5) side. While Frankfurt is trending upward and is unbeaten in the league since dropping a 2-0 decision to Bayern Munich on December 9th, Wolfsburg ended a run of solid play against quality sides like Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig (along with a draw vs. Hamburg).

Mainz 3, Stuttgart 2: Yoshinori Muto notched two goals to leads Mainz (5-5-9) in a decision over VfB Stuttgart (6-2-11), which pushed Mainz one-step further away from the relegation danger zone. Stuttgart has just one win in its last seven games and needs to make some adjustments before the season slips fully away.

Koln 2, Hamburg 0: Koln (3-3-13) continued its resurgence to get out of the Bundesliga basement and bolted away from a visibly frustrated Hamburg side. Simon Terodde had both goals for the Billy Goats, who have just looked better and better each week since replacing Stöger. Fallout from the loss to Koln was immediate as Hamburg (4-3-12) sacked manager Markus Gisdol and is already deep into the hunt for a new coach.

UPSET OF THE WEEK

SC Freiburg 2, RB Leipzig 1: Freiburg scored the Bundesliga's upset of the week by outlasting Leipzig. Freiburg (5-8-6) has been on an unprecedented run on set pieces an that brilliance continued. Janik Haberer and Robin Koch (both ultimately initiated from corner kicks) scored in a four-minute span to nullify Timo Werner's early score and clinch a needed victory over a uneven Leipzig squad.

Leipzig continues to rely on its talent to carry it, but the squad has been uneven at best lately almost relying solely on Werner to do its heavy lifting. Without Emil Forsberg (injury) and Naby Keita (suspension) in the lineup, Freiburg needed only to keep a laser focus on Werner and to be aware enough to pounce on its chances to capitalize on its set piece wizardry.

Ralph Hasenhüttl needs to take a close look on how to best unleash the team's ample potential. An offense based on the talents of Werner is a good place to start, but consistency and focus on the back line is ultimately where the squad needs to make strides to compete with the likes of Bayern.