2014/15 Bundesliga Thread

[Goondal]

Dortmund loses again, back to the relegation zone they go.

 

Third place through seventh place (Augsburg, Leverkusen, Gladbach, Schalke, and Hoffenheim) are all separated by one point.  Leverkusen and Gladbach have a game at hand (against each other) on the rest.

[Goondal]

Jeez, and I really like Dortmund.

 

Do not get me wrong, I like to see them struggle some, and I really like the fact that there are more teams competing for the top four/six than usual, but I do not want to see them this bad.  The Bundesliga is better when Dortmund is competitive.

[Goondal]

Bayern makes it to the midway point without a single defeat.  Wolfsburg meanwhile has opened up a small lead over the rest of the pack in second.  Their thirty four points is their most at this point ever, including 08-09 when they won the title.

 

The battle for third looks to be shaping up into a fun one, with Leverkusen (28 points) holding a one point lead over Gladbach, Schalke, and Ausburg.  Hoffenheim (26) currently sits outside of all European competition spots and yet are within two points of automatic qualification for Champions League.

 

Hannover (24) and Eintracht Frankfurt (23) sit eighth and ninth and will need strong second halves.  The relegation battle in the bottom half of the league is even tighter than the race spots 3-6 in the top half.  Paderborn (19), fresh off a second place finish and promotion from the second division sits tenth.  While that is great, they sit tied with FC Koln only two points our of the relegation playoff.  Mainz and Hertha (18 each) are next with Hanburger, Stuttgart, and Werder Breman (17 each) coming next.  Werder Breman would currently match up with SV Darmstadt in a playoff for a top division spot.

 

Even with all of these exciting races the story of the season to this point continues to be the struggles of Borussia Dortmund.  With only 15 points they sit right in the relegation zone, tied with Freiburg for the bottom spot in the league.

[Goondal]

Ouch. How, Dortmund? How?

 

It would be hilarious if they won UCL and got relegated domestically

[Goondal]

It would! Has it ever happened before?

 

I cannot imagine it has.  I know Chelsea would not have qualified without winning a few years back but they were nowhere near relegation.

[Goondal]

Wow, so I am not sure what happened Friday but I am happy that I did not watch that one.  How does a team concede four goals during the entire first half of the season, then concede four in one game?  I guess if it had to happen it I am happy it was Wolfsburg considering how tough their winter break was.

 

Not going to freak out over one game.  It was the first after a long break and Wolfsburg is clearly the second best in the Bundesliga and was emotionally motivated, but I really hope this season does not mirror the last, where the team was seemingly unbeatable through the winter only to be completely mediocre in the final two to three months.

[Goondal]

The battle for the final UCL spots remains tight after the first match day of the second half with Gladbach, Schalke, and Ausburg all tied for third with thirty points and Leverkusen just one point behind.

 

The battle at the bottom to stay out of the relegation zone is also tight.  Werder Bremen and Freiburg both moved up four spots, going from the relegation spots to twelfth and fourteenth respectively thanks to victories this weekend.

 

Dortmund is not dead last again.  Earning a point Saturday while visiting Leverkusen is a good result but the later it gets in the season, the more dangerous their situation gets.

[DirtyMagic97]

The battle for the final UCL spots remains tight after the first match day of the second half with Gladbach, Schalke, and Ausburg all tied for third with thirty points and Leverkusen just one point behind.

 

The battle at the bottom to stay out of the relegation zone is also tight.  Werder Bremen and Freiburg both moved up four spots, going from the relegation spots to twelfth and fourteenth respectively thanks to victories this weekend.

 

Dortmund is not dead last again.  Earning a point Saturday while visiting Leverkusen is a good result but the later it gets in the season, the more dangerous their situation gets.

 

I'm praying Dortmund wins UCL and gets relegated. It would be one of the greatest things to ever happen haha.

[Goondal]

I'm praying Dortmund wins UCL and gets relegated. It would be one of the greatest things to ever happen haha.

 

Their domestic play this season has been completely dumbfounding.

 

I do not even know what I want to happen to them.  I mean I am enjoying the fact that they are struggling and it would be funny as hell if they were relegated, but at the same time having them in UCL is good for the Bundesliga because the other squads are not threats at present to make any noise outside of the group stage.

[Goondal]

Boateng, being the bonehead that he is, gets sent off in the eighteenth minute.  Settling for a tie after that blowout Friday is frustrating, even if we did play a man down for 70+.  Both Schalke games ended 1-1, uggh.

 

A visit to seventeenth ranked Stuttgart comes on Saturday, hopefully that is the perfect cure for the lackluster return from the break.

[DirtyMagic97]

Dortmund lose again. This time to a 10-man Augsburg squad. Players actually stayed after the match to talk with the fans and apologize.

[Goondal]

Dortmund lose again. This time to a 10-man Augsburg squad. Players actually stayed after the match to talk with the fans and apologize.

 

To be fair, they scored before going down ten men, but wow did the boos ring out afterwards.  They mentioned that Rues, Hummels, and others will have their contracts voided should Dortmund be relegated.  Talk about a run on talent...wow

[Goondal]

Couple of notes:

 

-Augsburg is in a Champions League spot!!!  This also means that only one Champions League team is currently sitting top four.  Both Europa teams (Wolfsburg and Gladbach) are currently top four while two UCL teams (Leverkusen and Schalke) are in Europa spots.  3-6 are only separated by two points.

-Hoffenheim is seventh, five points out of sixth, so things could be opening up a little between those that will be playing in Europe and those that will not be

-Werder Bremen was dead last going into the final Match Day before the break.  They then beat Dortmund before winning two straight to open the second half.  After earning fourteen points through sixteen games, they have tacked on nine straight points to jump from eighteenth to eleventh.  They also sit only three points out of seventh

-Mainz is one point behind Werder Bremen despite having a goal differential of +1 to Bremen's -10 

-Despite their troubles, Dortmund could jump to fourteenth this weekend with a win and some help

[DirtyMagic97]

To be fair, they scored before going down ten men, but wow did the boos ring out afterwards.  They mentioned that Rues, Hummels, and others will have their contracts voided should Dortmund be relegated.  Talk about a run on talent...wow

 

I just mean 26 minutes is a long time to not be able to get at least one goal. But yea, we could see a mass departure if they get relegated.