Bundesliga Review – Relegation battle heats up for Hertha and Cologne
Whilst it was sunshine and roses for Borussia Dortmund this weekend as they clinched the Bundesliga, elsewhere, the relegation battle moved a step closer to a decisive climax. The fight for survival has at times matched the entertainment the title race has provided; such have been the schizophrenic performances of clubs this season. Perhaps this isn’t unexpected considering five of the bottom six teams have all had a managerial change at some point this season.
Surprisingly enough, the two clubs who occupied the automatic relegation spots at the end of 2011 will probably both survive. Augsburg need three points to be absolutely certain of survival after a draw against Schalke, the result a testament to the progress made by coach Jos Luhukay and his players in the second half of the season.
Luhukay is the only man at a bottom six club not to have been sacked and that stability looks to have helped Augsburg. After all, the club’s board must realise the job he’s done is remarkable. Drawing 1-1 against Schalke is by no means a shabby result either as Sebastian Langkamp’s opener for the home side was cancelled out by another goal from the Bundesliga’s second top scorer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
That said, Schalke didn’t come away with anything when they played against the other team facing automatic relegation at the half way stage – Freiburg. They’re now assured of top flight football next season i after a goalless draw at Hannover.
Christian Streich replaced Marcus Sorg after a disappointing hinrunde (first half of the season). Streich and his squad were jubilant at the final whistle as the South Westerners moved seven points clear of Cologne with just two games remaining. Their result in itself was impressive, after all Hannover are the only club in the Bundesliga not to have lost at home this season.
There will only be one more visitor to the AWD-Arena and they won’t be returning next season as Kaiserslautern have been relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. This arrived on Saturday despite their first league victory in 21 games, a case of too little, too late.
If they were going to beat any team in division, it was going to be Hertha Berlin who were beaten 2-1 by the bottom side. The only spectacular element of Otto Rehhagel’s return to coaching has been in how badly the side from the capital have continued to perform. Yet again, Hertha were insipid at the Olympiastadion as they spurned a glorious chance to climb above Cologne and into the relegation play-off spot.
Cologne were the last club in the bottom six to dismiss their coach as Stale Solbakken was sacked prior to their game against Gladbach. They secured perhaps the shock result of the weekend in holding a Stuttgart side who would be in third had the season started in January. The Billy Goats actually had the better of the game on Saturday but were unable to eke out a win. After a close-range effort from Slawomir Peszko, Cacau slid home an equaliser to leave Cologne facing a nervy end to the season.
The only other side with relegation worries is Hamburg but they’re five points ahead of Cologne who still have to face Bayern Munich. In this particular instance, it’s hard to see the Billy Goats or Hertha (for whom it’s virtually impossible) escaping from the bottom three.
They must try to be philosophical if they are relegated. Eintracht Frankfurt, who were relegated last season, have bounced back immediately and are an example of how relegation offers a chance to regroup. With the way both teams have been playing, it’s also difficult to predict a win for either Cologne or Hertha in their final two games, hence why Augsburg and Hamburg look safe above the floundering pair.
However, judging by the entertainment offered in the Bundesliga basement battle, it would be surprising if it were to fizzle out meekly. So expect an upset or two then in the closing weeks of the season – German football is never as predictable as the irritating stereotype suggests.
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Matchday 32 Results:
Mainz 0-0 Wolfsburg
Cologne 1-1 Stuttgart
Hertha Berlin 1-2 Kaiserslautern
Hoffenheim 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Nuremberg 1-1 Hamburg
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Werder Bremen 1-2 Bayern Munich
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Gladbach
Augsburg 1-1 Schalke
Hannover 0-0 Freiburg
Table
Rank
Club
Matches
W*
D*
L*
G*
GD*
PTS*
1
Borussia Dortmund
32
23
6
3
71:23
+48
75
CL*
2
FC Bayern Munich
32
21
4
7
71:21
+50
67
CL*
3
FC Schalke 04
32
18
4
10
67:42
+25
58
CL*
4
Borussia Mönchengladbach
32
16
8
8
46:24
+22
56
CL* Qual.
5
VfB Stuttgart
32
14
8
10
60:42
+18
50
EL*
6
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
32
13
9
10
47:43
+4
48
EL* Qual.
7
Hannover 96
32
11
12
9
39:43
-4
45
EL* Qual.
8
SV Werder Bremen
32
11
9
12
46:52
-6
42
9
1899 Hoffenheim
32
10
11
11
38:41
-3
41
10
VfL Wolfsburg
32
12
5
15
42:56
-14
41
11
1. FC Nuremberg
32
11
6
15
34:43
-9
39
12
1. FSV Mainz 05
32
9
11
12
47:48
-1
38
13
SC Freiburg
32
9
10
13
41:56
-15
37
14
Hamburger SV
32
8
11
13
35:56
-21
35
15
FC Augsburg
32
7
13
12
35:49
-14
34
16
1. FC Köln
32
8
6
18
37:67
-30
30
Play-offs
17
Hertha BSC Berlin
32
6
10
16
35:59
-24
28
Relegation
18
1. FC Kaiserslautern
32
4
11
17
21:47
-26
23
Relegation
Table thanks to Official Bundesliga Website