Outside90’s Ari Papas selects the standout performers from the latest round of Bundesliga action for our Team of the Week.
Rene Adler – Goalkeeper – Hamburg SV
Rene Adler faced 20 shots from FC Cologne in Hamburgs 1-1 draw at home. The German shut-out a potent opposition strike force and managed to steal a point from the visitors. The 31-year-old also pulled off five impressive saves to frustrate Cologne’s strikers and force them to go home with only a share of the spoils.
Junior Caicara – Right-back – FC Schalke
Schalke put on one of their best performances of the season as they smashed VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 at home. The entire team worked excellently, but Junior Caicara was a standout performer. The 26-year-old assisted two goals and was defensively astute while Wolfsburg enjoyed 60% possession. Caicara also ensured that boos were not the only thing that Schalke old boy Julian Draxler had to endure, as the midfielder was consistently shutdown by Caicara and had a woeful night.
Andreas Christensen – Central-defence – Borussia Monchengladbach
Andreas Christensen had an incredible night in defence for Gladbach as his team dismantled a hapless Werder Bremen 5-1. The 19-year-old scored his first professional goal and scored again to put Bremen 3-0 down. The youngster was dominating in defence, his tackling and aerial strength a highlight as the Gladbach strikers ran rampant. The Danish defender is currently on-loan from Chelsea FC and may be seeing some game time in the Premier League if he keeps this form going.
Slobadan Rajkovic – Central-defence – SV Darmstadt
Darmstadt continued their excellent season by piling more misery onto Hoffenheim, condemning the home side to another week in the relegation spot after a 2-0 victory. The team’s strengths lie in their sturdy defence, as shown by their outstanding performance against Hoffenheim where Slobadan Rajkovic stood out as a key player. The 27-year-old won all of his tackles and stayed strong to keep a clean sheet. The Serbian hit the crossbar in the opening half, but his efforts were rewarded with an assist and a goal in the dying minutes to seal victory.
Sead Kolasinac – Left-back – FC Schalke
One of the keys to Schalke’s smashing 3-0 victory against Wolfsburg was their defensive solidity. Kolasinac had a comfortable night as he silenced ace winger Vieirinha and made quick work of Wolfsburg’s left-flank. The 22-year-old had a passing accuracy of 87% and won 90% of his tackles, establishing himself as a solid presence at the back.
Marcel Risse – Right-wing – FC Cologne
Marcel Risse was one of the key offenders as Cologne peppered the Hamburg goal with a number of attacks, even though the final score remained 1-1. Risse was unlucky not to score when he slammed the post and deserved a goal based on his outstanding individual performance. The 26-year-old’s fluency in attack was duly rewarded with a man of the match award.
Danny Latza – Central-midfield – FSV Mainz
Mainz were forced to grind out a 1-0 away victory against Hannover with the help of a number of excellent performers including Danny Latza. Mainz play with combative midfield that the 26-year-old embodies, his willingness to move forward and tackle with confidence helped them dominate the struggling home side. Latza also showed his athletic prowess by covering over 12km throughout the game.
Christian Gentner – Central-midfield – VfB Stuttgart
Gentner was Stuttgart’s most outstanding performer in their topsy-turvy 4-2 victory away to Eintracht Frankfurt. The 30-year-old scored the important opening goal and assisted another. The midfielder was also defensively astute, making a significant block on the goal line to deny Alex Meier. Overall it was an incredible performance that showed off his vast set of skills.
Pascal Gross – Left-wing – FC Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt managed a nervy 2-1 victory over FC Augsburg in their latest Bundesliga outing. Pascal Gross showed the stadium why he could be a surprise inclusion in the Germany squad for Euro 2016 with an eye-catching performance. The 24-year-old made six key passes to establish himself as the Bundesliga’s top chance creator. Gross has created 57 chances throughout the season, a statistic that beats the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Douglas Costa – this statistic alone is enough for Joachim Loew to consider him for his Germany squad.
Raffael – Striker – Borussia Monchengladbach
Monchengladbach put a shaky start to 2016 behind them with an incredible 5-1 win over Bremen. Raffael was one of the star performers on the night, earning himself a man of the match accolade. The Brazilian striker glided through Bremen’s defence with ease, enjoying a passing accuracy of a whopping 94% and contributing to victory with a goal and an assist. The 30-year-old is enjoying one of the most productive purple patches in his career and looks set to send Die Fohlen back into Champions League qualification.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – Striker – FC Schalke
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has had an average season under new head coach Andre Breitenreiter, but against Wolfsburg he showed how deadly he can be when playing at full potential. The Dutchman opened the scoring for the hosts with an accurate shot drilled from range, allowed too much space on the ball and he showed the expectant crowd what he is capable of. The legendary striker has now established himself as one of the best foreign players ever to pull on the Royal Blue jersey.
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