Outside90’s Ari Papas selects the best performers from the latest round of Bundesliga action for our Matchday 11 team of the week.
Lukas Hradecky – Goalkeeper – Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt overcame the odds to draw 0-0 with a record-breaking and in-form Bayern at home. It was going to take a monstrous effort to not only keep the champions at bay but to keep them scoreless as well and goalkeeper Hradecky pulled off a number of outstanding saves to deny Bayern’s 11th win of the season. The 25-year-old denied the likes of Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal in stunning fashion and earned possibly the best clean sheet of the season.
Oscar Wendt – left-back – Borussia Monchengladbach
Winning is something that Gladbach have become accustomed to under new coach Andre Schubert, having now won every single game since he relieved Lucien Favre as head coach. Oscar Wendt continued their fine run by opening the scoring against Hertha Berlin with the best goal of the round. The 30-year-old’s left-footed strike from a narrow angle was perfection as the team marched into 5th place despite having been dead last a month ago.
Carlos Zambrano – Central-defence – Eintracht Frankfurt
Arturo Vidal complained that Frankfurt were too defensive in their 0-0 draw with Bayern, but sometimes a defensive approach is the only way to nab points off the German giants. Zambrano put in a spectacular defensive effort against the Bavarians, his stats look unimpressive, but they do not tell the whole story. The Peruvian kept in-form striker Robert Lewandowski in his back pocket, committing fouls and matching him physically. Lewandowski spurned an incredible chance to score and that summed up his action on the night as Zambrano did whatever it took to keep the Polish number nine quiet.
Javi Martinez – Central-defence – Bayern Munich
Frankfurt were not as defensive as Vidal suggested post-match and their 4-3-3 line-up provided a number of problems for Bayern’s defence throughout the game. Martinez’s horrific injury problems appear to be behind him as he kept Bayern’s backline strong throughout the game. On a rare night where Jerome Boateng was rather quiet, the Spaniard stepped up to be a leader at the back despite a few errors from his team-mates.
Tobias Levels – Right-back – FC Ingolstadt
Levels was another goal-scoring full-back over the weekend, stunning the Veltins-Arena by opening the scoring for Ingolstadt in a 1-1 draw with FC Schalke. The 28-year-old made the most of Schalke’s Max Meyer playing out of position on the wing by keeping the young star ineffective for most of the match. The Royal Blues looked out of ideas in the first half when Australia’s Mathew Leckie chipped the ball into the penalty area for Levels to toe-poke it into the back of the net. Schalke were revitalised in the second half but could not prevent Die Schanzer from taking a point.
Marco Reus – Left-wing – Borussia Dortmund
Reus continued his dramatic return to form with a second brace in as many games to put Werder Bremen to bed in a 3-1 away victory. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit a dip in form as he failed to capitalise on a number of golden chances – this did not dampen the spirits of Die Schwarzgelb, who found two goals through Vice-captain Marco Reus. The German opening the scoring with an accurate shot drilled high into the net and sealed the points with a brilliant finish in the 72nd minute.
Salif Sane – Central-midfield – Hannover 96
The Senegalese midfielder picked up a man-of-the-match performance against Hamburg in a 2-1 away victory. Hamburg led at the break but Sane’s hard work in keeping Hannover’s midfield water-tight paid off when he headed home the winner in the second half. The 25-year-old also won 13 duels with Hamburg players to keep the home side at bay.
Granit Xhaka – Central-midfield – Borussia Monchengladbach
Xhaka has been an outstanding performer under Schubert and established himself as a leader on the pitch by taking the captain’s armband in a 4-1 away win at Berlin. The 23-year-old excelled at keeping possession and dictating the tempo, asserting himself as a viciously dominant midfielder. The Swiss was given the opportunity to put the result beyond doubt by scoring Gladbach’s third goal from the spot.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Right-wing – Borussia Dortmund
Mkhitaryan had missed a couple of games in all competitions due to injury and political problems but he returned to Bundesliga action with a bang against Bremen. Thomas Tuchel’s Renaissance man was a constant threat up the right wing and his efforts resulted in two clever assists and a headed goal to restore Dortmund’s lead in the first half. The Armenian played his team-mates into a number of goal-scoring opportunities with Marco Reus making the most of his play-making. The 26-year-old ended a nervy first half with a deserved goal headed from close range that would have certainly improved Tuchel’s half-time team talk.
Timo Werner – Striker – VfB Stuttgart
Timo Werner is one of Germany’s hottest young talents in the forward department, and he showed his prowess in a 2-0 win against Darmstadt. Darmstadt have been a thorn in the side of top teams like Dortmund, Leverkusen and Schalke, but Stuttgart stuck to their attacking philosophy and battled to a victory. Werner almost opened the scoring by placing a free header onto the post and it was looking to be a tough night for the home side until a rather embarrassing own goal from Gyorgy Garics. 19-year-old Timo Werner ensured the three points would stay at Stuttgart by outmuscling a Darmstadt defender and beating the keeper in a delightful individual effort.
Yoshinori Muto – Striker – FSV Mainz
Both Mainz and Augsburg desperately needed a win and Muto ensured that search would continue by completing a dramatic hat-trick in stoppage time to seal a 3-3 draw. The Japanese striker scored twice in the first half and Mainz appeared to be cruising until Augsburg rallied themselves to lead 3-2 by the 80th minute. It seemed only a matter of time for the Bavarians to snag a much-needed win until Muto popped up to score his third with virtually the last kick of the game.
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