Outside90’s Ari Papas selects the best performers from the latest round of Bundesliga action for our matchday 15 team of the week.
Marwin Hitz – Goalkeeper – FC Augsburg
Augsburg have continued their revival against FC Cologne where Marwin Hitz almost single-handedly gave his side the victory. Throughout the game, Hitz made eight important saves to keep out Cologne and he deservedly earned his clean sheet when he saved a penalty. Replays showed that the 28-year-old shot-stopper tampered with the ground near the penalty spot in the lead-up to the shot, causing the taker Anthony Modeste to slip. It was a controversial affair that helped Augsburg to a 1-0 away victory, but they will need any help they can get to avoid relegation.
Oscar Wendt – Left-back – Borussia Monchengladbach
Gladbach stunned Bayern with a swashbuckling 3-1 victory. The Foals had to withstand waves of red attacks, but they battered the Bavarians on the counter, scoring three goals in 15 minutes with Oscar Wendt leading the way. The 30-year-old used his time on the ball wisely as he launched counter-attacks down the left-hand side whenever he was granted the space. The Swede showed why he is one of the key figures in the team by beating Manuel Neuer after picking apart Bayern’s defence with his team-mates.
John-Anthony Brooks – Central-defender – Hertha Berlin
John-Anthony Brooks stole three points from a resilient Leverkusen side in a 2-1 home victory against Die Werkself. Hertha looked to be cruising to a win when they were 1-0 up and Leverkusen were reduced to 10 men, however Javier Hernandez continued his hot streak of form by equalising. Leverkusen were happy to defend until Brooks broke the deadlock with a blistering headed goal that almost burst the net. The American held his defence together until the final whistle to help extend Hertha Berlin’s excellent home form.
Aytac Sulu – Central-defender – SV Darmstadt
Darmstadt faced Frankfurt in the first derby match for 33 years between the two and the newly promoted side proved they are determined to stay up with a 1-0 away victory. The game was a scrappy affair as Darmstadt frustrated the hosts. Sulu opened the scoring in the first half with a header from a corner and he excellently held his back line together for the remainder of the match. The 29-year-old won 90% of his defensive duels and, while it was not pretty, it was a priceless victory.
Marvin Plattenhardt – Right-back – Hertha Berlin
Plattenhardt was another key performer in Hertha’s impressive 2-1 win over Leverkusen. The 23-year-old was outstanding all night as he combined with his team mates to launch attacks on Leverkusen’s goal. His job was made a bit easier when the visitors were down to 10 men and he duly took advantage of the extra man by assisting John Brooks’ winning goal with a corner kick.
Jairo Samperio – Left-wing – FSV Mainz
Mainz were second best for a lot of their match-up against Hamburg but Samperio rallied his side to a flattering 3-1 win with two goals and an assist. Mainz scored from their first shot on target; Samperio had fallen over in the penalty area and somehow lobbed the ball into Hamburg’s net while lying on the floor to open the scoring. The Spaniard piled more misery onto the home side by scoring with the first shot on target in the second half and assisting substitute Christian Clemens to give Mainz an unassailable lead.
Vladimir Darida – Central-midfield – Hertha Berlin
Vladimir Darida has been one of the driving forces behind Hertha’s storming run into a UEFA Champions League spot on the table. The summer signing had an excellent showing against Leverkusen that helped his side overcome the resilient Rhineland club. His passing accuracy of 82% proved him as a dominating force in the midfield. The 25-year-old is usually a quiet achiever but against Leverkusen he capped off a wonderful team move to open the scoring in the first half and show the Berlin crowd what he is capable of.
Johannes Geis – Central-midfield – FC Schalke
Johannes Geis returned to first team action after a five-match ban for a reckless tackle. The young German proved that his presence in the midfield is crucial to the Veltins-Arena outfit with a dominant display. As usual, his passing accuracy and distribution was superb and he had a special match against Hannover as he scored his very first goal in a blue shirt. The former Mainz player tucked away a penalty to open the scoring and was a driving force behind Schalke’s excellent display. Andre Breitenreiter will be hoping that Geis does not get himself suspended again as he proved today that their top four credentials rest with the youthful midfielder.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Right-wing – Borussia Dortmund
Henrikh Mkhitaryan seemingly gets better every week and he put in one of his best performances yet in a dramatic 2-1 victory against VfL Wolfsburg. Dortmund were far from the team that they have been in recent weeks due to the absence of crucial defensive players Mats Hummels, Sokratis and Julian Weigl. The Armenian took the initiative in the first half when he pressured the Wolfsburg midfield to force an error and allow Marco Reus to open the scoring, even managing to make a goal-line clearance when Roman Burki was left flat-footed. The Black and Yellows were forced to defend for most of the second half and many thought they would have to settle for a point after the Wolves scored a 91st-minute penalty. The twist came when Mkhitaryan cleverly nudged a cross into the path of Shinji Kagawa only 118 seconds later to seal an incredible victory.
Raul Bobadilla – Striker – FC Augsburg
Augsburg continued their rise out of the relegation zone with a smash-and-grab victory at FC Cologne. After Marwin Hitz saved a penalty the cellar-dwellers needed something special to lift themselves to a win and Bobadilla provided a moment of magic. The 28-year-old curled a delightful free kick in the second half. It took a monstrous effort from the entire team to scrape three points but Bobadilla’s piece of inspiration along with Hitz’s save proved to be invaluable.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – Striker – FC Schalke
Huntelaar scored to lead Schalke to an important 3-1 win, ending a run of five games without victory for the Ruhr club. After a nervy first half, Schalke came out of the blocks with more intensity as Geis and Huntelaar scored to put themselves in pole position for the three points. It was an important victory as well. The Royal Blues had lost touch with the top four and needed a boost in their search for European football next season. The Dutchman also wrote a bit of Schalke history on the weekend. His goal now puts him as the equal second highest scorer in Schalke’s club history with 73 goals.
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