Outside90’s Ari Papas selects the best performers from the latest round of Bundesliga action for our matchday 17 Team of the Week.
Ron-Robert Zieler – Goalkeeper – Hannover 96
Relegation candidates Hannover almost pulled-off an unlikely draw against Bayern Munich thanks to the outstanding performance of Ron-Robert Zieler. Zieler made an incredible 10 saves throughout the game to keep out Bayern’s destructive strike-force. Die Roten’s win should not draw away from the 26-year-old’s wonderful display, as he kept his team in the game almost single-handedly throughout the 90 minutes.
Jonas Hector – Left-back – FC Cologne
Cologne pulled off an improbable 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund on matchday 17 thanks to their excellent defensive efforts. Jonas Hector was tasked with keeping in-form winger Henrikh Mkhitaryan quiet and he did so with flying colours. The 25-year-old won all of his aerial duels and tackles to silence the Armenian winger and nullify Dortmund’s attack. Hector’s willingness to move up also helped his team turn around a one goal deficit in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Sebastian Langkamp – Central-defender – Hertha Berlin
Sebastian Langkamp maintained his top defensive performances against FSV Mainz in a 2-0 win for the team from the German capital. The 27-year-old controlled the defensive side of the pitch with 90% passing accuracy and by winning 90% of his tackles. The German’s ability to add defensive steel to the back line was invaluable, as Hertha opened up a three point gap on third spot.
Frederick Sorenson – Central-defender – FC Cologne
Frederick Sorenson was another influential defender in Cologne’s shock 2-1 victory over Dortmund. The Danish defender was reasonable in his defensive duties, but kept hot striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to only two shots in the entire game. To top off his evening, Sorenson assisted Anthony Modeste for the dramatic late winner to snatch a win from Dortmund.
Aleksandar Ignjovski – Right-back – Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt snapped their winless run against Werder Bremen in a 2-1 home victory. Aleksandar Ignjovski was a key figure in attack and defense for the home side, involving himself in the opening goal with an assist. The 24-year-old also recorded a 90% tackle success rate, a statistic that proves how effective he was in shutting down Bremen’s attack. Even though Claudio Pizarro pulled one back for the away side, Ignjovski combined with his team mates to pick apart the Bremen defense and snatch victory.
Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting – Left-wing – FC Schalke
Schalke were forced to grind out a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim thanks to a goal from Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting. It was not the prettiest victory, but the Schalke faithful were happy to see the goals come from somewhere when the 26-year-old scored from an odd angle and had himself involved in almost every attack. That goal was enough for the Royal Blues to dominate proceedings and ease their way to three points, as they edge closer to Champions League qualification spots.
Vladimir Darida – Central-midfield – Hertha Berlin
Vladimir Darida seems to grow in stature every week as Hertha Berlin’s sensational form continued in their 2-0 win over FSV Mainz. The brilliant midfielder was key to Hertha’s 60% possession, maintaining an 80% pass completion rate himself. Not only was the 25-year-old classy in possession, but he opened the scoring for his side emphatically to show the crowd why he is one of the best players in the Bundesliga on current form.
Daniel Didavi – Central-midfield – VfB Stuttgart
Daniel Didavi was Stuttgart’s most outstanding player in their incredible 3-1 dismantling of VfL Wolfsburg. The Wolves looked to be cruising when they opened the scoring, but Didavi made them collapse after equalising with an incredible goal. Wolfsburg never recovered as the German and his attacking partners terrorised their defense and had the points virtually sealed by the beginning of the second-half when Didavii completed his brace. It was a truly wonderful performance against a Champions League club that the 25-year-old will be looking to call upon in future games.
Marcel Heller – Right-wing – SV Darmstadt
Darmstadt’s speedster was at it again on Matchday 17, even though his team fell to a 3-2 defeat against Borussia Monchengladbach. The 29-year-old was full of energy as he wreaked havoc on Gladbach’s defense with a 100% dribbling success rate and 85% passing accuracy. When the Foals went down the 10 men it looked as though the goal and assist from Marcel Heller was enough to take a draw, until it was snatched away from them in the dying minutes of the game. Despite the loss, Heller’s performance deserves recognition.
Alexander Meier – Striker – Eintrach Frankfurt
Frankfurt were forced to come from behind at home after a classy goal from Claudio Pizarro, but managed to come away with the points in a 2-1 win. Alex Meier, as usual, was involved as he scored a classic goal to equalise for his side before the break. Last season’s top scorer won over 80% of his aerial battles and proved his aerial prowess when he muscled away from his marker to open the scoring with his head.
Lars Stindl – Striker – Borussia Monchengladbach
Lars Stindl played in a much more forward position than he is used to and it seemed to pay-off for Andre Schubert as his team somehow stole three points from Darmstadt, despite being a man down for a significant period of the game. The 27-year-old scored a spectacular goal to put his side in the driving seat, but it looked as though Darmstadt had done enough for at least a point as Sandro Wagner made the score 2-2 in the 67th minute. Stindl made a match winning impact in the 86th minute when he chipped a lovely assist for Oscar Wendt to score the winner. An incredible result for the 10 men of Gladbach.
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