Match Day 24: Weekend Wrap-Up
If there is anything we know about the Bundesliga this season, it's that we don't know anything. Aside of Bayern Munich's dominance (this weekend's scoreless draw against Hertha Berlin not withstanding), it's become increasingly difficult to predict any given team's performance from week to week. Alas, our prediction record once again took a hit, but at least we tried.
Bayern Munich 0, Hertha Berlin 0: Hertha Berlin played to draw and Bayern blew multiple opportunities to get on the scoreboard. This was not an ugly game, but one that Bayern surely regrets. Hertha Berlin, meanwhile, came out with a point and was probably ecstatic with the result. In retrospect, this game had all the makings of a letdown game for Bayern after its Champions League destruction of Besiktas last week...and sure enough, Bayern did not have that necessary edge to put Hertha Berlin away when it had the chance.
Schalke 04 2, Bayer Leverkusen 0: Despite being down to 10 men thanks to a Dominik Kohr red card (among a flurry of yellow cards issued), Leverkusen continued to press and make things exciting, but Schalke was too disciplined to fall prey to Leverkusen's attack. Schalke has never lost when Guido Burgstaller has scored for the Royal Blues and this game extended that streak.
FC Koln 2, RB Leipzig 1: Just when I thought Koln was out, they pulled me back in. Koln's resurgence is astounding and the might just be able to climb their way out of the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE. Leipzig, meanwhile, is all over the place. From game to game, it's become impossible to know if we will see the team with exciting, youthful potential or the one that looks lost and inconsistent. Some of this falls on the coaching of Ralph Hasenhüttl.
Werder Bremen 1, Hamburger SV 0: Werder Bremen won its third game out of its last four and dismissed Hamburger on an own goal. The loss further buried Hamburger in the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE while giving Bremen a little breathing room.
Borussia Monchengladbach 1, Hannover 96 0: Finally, M'Gladbach snapped a four-game losing streak behind a a goal from Christoph Kramer. For its own sake, we hope this is the game that spurs a turnaround for M'Gladbach. Hannover, meanwhile, continues to play EVERYONE tough. Credit to that squad.
Hoffenheim 1, SC Freiburg 1: As Hoffenheim continues to sputter and take some of the luster from coach Julian Nagelsmann's star, Freiburg will gladly take the point and run. More interesting, however, is Nagelsmann's assessment of Bayern loanee, Serge Gnabry (as told to ESPNFC): "Given his quality and his goals, he has to do more over 90 minutes. He had four actions, which all were really good. But still just four; he disappears far too often in the second half. If he were a player who had one good action out of four, that’d be something different. His actions are always dangerous, but there should be more, and he takes too many breaks during the 90 minutes." Not exactly a ringing endorsement there. With Bayern's roster overflowing with talent, we are trying to see any scenario where Gnabry ends up anything other than a deep reserve - especially if his approach and performance remain consistent with Nagelsmann's assessment. Andrej Kramaric had the goal for Hoffenheim, while Nils Peterson hit a penalty for Freiburg.
VfB Stuttgart 1, Eintracht Frankfurt 0: Erik Thommy's rebound goal in the 13th minute was enough for Stuttgart to stay red hot and thwart Frankfurt. Frankfurt is starting to roller coaster a bit after a very strong stretch in January.
Mainz 1, Wolfsburg 1: If you are still reading, it's clear that you are now just amused at how awful the picks have been. Well, we got this one correct! We picked a tie, which is a BIG WIN for us.
Borussia Dortmund 1, Augsburg 1: Dortmund wasted a 16th minute goal from Marco Reus when Kevin Danso equalized in the 73rd minute for Augsburg on MONDAY NIGHT FUTBOL. While Dortmund is unbeaten in its last seven Bundesliga matches (and nine overall including the Europa League), it has to be concerning for the Black and Yellow that it is not putting away inferior teams. With draws against, Augsburg, Freiburg, and Hertha Berlin, Dortmund has not shown its class or the potential that it should have given the talent on the roster.
This week's record: 2-7
Overall prediction record: 14-22
Note: Predicted ties count as a win if correct and a loss if there is a winner in the game; conversely games that end in ties, but where a winner is predicted count as a loss.
