Outside90’s Ari Papas selects the standout performers from the latest round of Bundesliga action for our Team of the Week.
Roman Burki – Goalkeeper – Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund faced a fierce test against league=leaders Bayern with an important three points on offer. Neither team were able to take an advantage in a 0-0 draw, but Roman Burki had a significant role to play. The Swiss goalkeeper was in hot form as he had his gloves tested on a number of occasions by the highest scoring outfit in the league. The young goalkeeper managed to save BVB when he stopped Douglas Costa from scoring a one-on-one opportunity and also produced a spectacular stop to deny Arturo Vidal.
Dennis Aogo – Left-back – FC Schalke
Schalke hauled themselves into fourth spot on the table with a clinical 3-1 win over FC Cologne and their German left-back was solid throughout the match, winning 80% of his defensive challenges. Schalke pulled through comfortably and Aogo sealed victory in the final 15 minutes of the game, as he assisted Franco di Santo for a morale boosting goal.
Mats Hummels – Central-defence – Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund’s attacking players were having an off-day, but Mats Hummels showed his class and style against Bayern Munich in a 0-0 draw. The Bayern youth product never faltered throughout the game as he won 90% of his defensive challenges and maintained a passing accuracy of 70%. The Dortmund captain was outstanding from start to finish and earned himself man of the match plaudits against his former club.
Joshua Kimmich – Central-defence – Bayern Munich
Like their opposition, Bayern’s attackers were stuttering, but youngster Joshua Kimmich stepped in during a defensive crisis to keep a clean sheet against their closest Bundesliga title rivals. He initially had a few edgy moments where he allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to pull away, but remained firm and calm for the majority of the match. The 21-year-old had an outstanding performance against such tough opposition but it still was not enough to please manager Josep Guardiola, who had a heated discussion with him after the game. With Guardiola’s tutelage the young Bavarian could be a mainstay in Bayern’s defence for years to come.
Theodore Selassie – Right-back – Werder Bremen
Werder Bremen continued their rich vein of form with a 4-1 victory over Hannover. The hosts were comfortably ahead 2-1 in the first-half as Selassie contained the oppostion’s rather ineffectual attacks. In the latter stages the German exploded into form as he scored the third and assisted the fourth to put Die Roten out of their misery. The 29-year-old had a wonderful all-round performance to help Bremen climb further away from the relegation zone.
Filip Kostic – Left-wing – VfB Stuttgart
After a couple of wins, Hoffenheim were brought crashing down to the reality of a relegation battle by a rampant Stuttgart side who bested them 5-1. Jurgen Kramny’s entire squad put in an incredible effort, but Filip Kostic clearly shone brighter than his teammates with a spellbinding performance. The 23-year-old terrorised a weak Hoffenheim side and pulled their defence apart with ease as his side slammed five goals past the hapless strugglers. With a 100% dribbling success rate, a goal and an assist, Kostic was virtually unstoppable.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – Central-midfield – FC Schalke
Schalke took a massive step towards Champions League qualification with some help from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to seal a 3-1 victory over FC Cologne. The midfielder is on-loan at Schalke from Bayern Munich and showed that he could return to the starting lineup at the Bavarian club with a fantastic performance at the RheinEnergieStadion. The German assisted Max Meyer’s crucial goal, Schalke’s second of the game, and maintained a passing success rate of an incredible 95%.
Ja-Cheol Koo – Central-midfield – FC Augsburg
The South Korean midfielder put on a masterclass performance with a brilliant hat-trick against Leverkusen in a 3-3 draw. The 27-year-old put the traveling side to the sword as he scored three great goals before the 60th minute, putting Augsburg in pole position for the three points. Unfortunately they collapsed and succumbed to an injury-time equalizer, but that takes nothing away from Koo’s incredible effort. He had four shots on goal and won 70% of his defensive duels to claim the man of the match award.
Lukas Rupp – Right-wing – VfB Stuttgart
Lukas Rupp was the second part of Stuttgart’s dynamic wing duo that dismantled Hoffenheim 5-1. Also on the scoresheet in the first-half, Rupp had a passing accuracy of 82% over the 90 minutes. The 25-year-old also had some defensive duties to perform as well, making five tackles to silence German talent Kevin Volland. It was a brilliant all-round performance from the sprightly winger, who will take great confidence from his goal.
Claudio Pizarro – Striker – Werder Bremen
It is no surprise that Pizarro’s recent upturn in form has coincided with Bremen’s switch in fortunes and the 37-year-old striker proved he is just as useful now as he was in the past with a solid performance in the 4-1 win over Hannover. The Bundesliga legend was on the scoresheet with Bremen’s second goal of the night and assisted the crucial third goal that put any chance of a Hannover come back to bed.
Marco Fabian – Striker – Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt faced the stern task of breaking down one of the most defensively astute sides in the league in the form Ingolstadt and managed to steal a 1-1 draw with the help of a red card. Marco Fabian was a key offender in Frankfurt’s attack, managing five shots on goal and breaking through the visiting defensive line on a number of occasions. Ingolstadt managed to hold strong after taking the lead, but succumbed to an equalizer assisted by Fabian. It was a hard earned point for both sides.
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