It’s a strange and exciting season. Five clubs are separated by just four points at the top and none of the top teams seem to be able to put together decent run. Title favorites Bayern Munich are languishing in 5th position after a 0-0 draw in Bremen, whilst unfancied Hertha Berlin went back to top the league after their home win against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

On paper, the top game of the weekend was Bremen vs. Bayern. Normally this would have been a top-of-the-table clash. But with Bremen having a terrible season and Bayern with just one league win since the winter break it was the clash of two clubs desperate for a win to turn their fortunes around.

Bremen’s hopes of doing such took a major blow just a quarter of an hour into the game however. German international Per Mertesacker slipped and Schweinsteiger ran onto a loose ball. He would have been one-on-one with Bremen’s stand-in keeper Vander, but Naldo fouled him just outside the box. The Brazilian defender was sent off, but with the freekick wasted the game remained scoreless.

Instead of Bayern taking command of the game, Bremen developed a hybrid Obama attitude: They hoped, but resisted change. The 0-0 scoreline suited them just fine and 10-man Bremen, lead by their excellent playmaker Diego, set about infusing their fans with plenty of hope, as they coped admirably and Munich struggled to break them down.

But just before halftime, it seemed as if the Bayern pressure would get the better of Bremen. Borowski hit the side netting in the 37th minute and in the 42nd Vander had to be at his best to save a Zé Roberto shot with his foot.

In the second half Ribery came at Bremen, but the green and white shirts were able to keep him at bay. Bremen stood deep and were content to let Bayern attack. Yet in the 73rd minute Özil sent a freekick into the Bayern box and Borowski headed a poor clearance out to Claudio Pizarro. Standing just eight meters out, it looked like a sure goal. But the former Munich player missed terribly, placing his shot wide of goal. Bremen fans hardly had time to digest the miss, as Bayern attacked their goal straight away. Ze Roberto was played into position just nine meters out, but Vander made an incredible reflex save to ensure the headlines would be his the next day.

Bayern General Manager Uli Hoeneß, known for his extreme displeasure at anything other than Bayern victories, began to turn bright red. Not being able to score against a team a man down for 75 minutes was not as amusing to him as it was to non-Bayern supporting Germany.

The big winners on match day 22 were Hertha Berlin and VfL Wolfsburg. They were the only teams in the top six to win. Hertha survived a Gladbach assault to hang on to a 2-1 victory at home, whilst Wolfsburg landed a huge win away to league leaders Hamburg.

Wolfsburg also looked the better side and Hamburg had no means of stopping Grafite. The Brazilian striker was just returning from an injury lay-off, but looked sharp and put his team 2-0 up inside 24 minutes. Hamburg struggled to get back in the game against a tactically disciplined Wolfsburg side, but finally managed to do so when Guerrero hit a low right-foot drive to score from inside the box. Hamburg, however, barely had time to launch their bid for a point before Dzeko had restored the two goal lead for Wolfsburg. The VW-backed team are now fourth, just four points off the top and are, strangely, genuine championship contenders.

Match day 22 results

1. FC Köln – Arminia Bielefeld 1:1
Eintracht Frankfurt – FC Schalke 04 1:2
Hannover 96 – Bayer Leverkusen 1:0
VfL Bochum – Energie Cottbus 3:2
Hertha BSC Berlin – Borussia Mönchengladbach 2:1
Borussia Dortmund – 1899 Hoffenheim 0:0
Werder Bremen – Bayern München 0:0
Hamburger SV – VfL Wolfsburg 1:3
Karlsruher SC – VfB Stuttgart 0:2

Table

1 Hertha BSC Berlin 43 P
2 Hamburger SV 42 P
3 1899 Hoffenheim 41 P
4 VfL Wolfsburg 39 P
5 Bayern München 39 P
6 Bayer Leverkusen 36 P
7 VfB Stuttgart 36 P
8 FC Schalke 04 34 P
9 Borussia Dortmund 33 P
10 1. FC Köln 29 P
11 Werder Bremen 28 P
12 Hannover 96 24 P
13 Eintracht Frankfurt 23 P
14 VfL Bochum 21 P
15 Arminia Bielefeld 20 P
16 Energie Cottbus 20 P
17 Karlsruher SC 17 P
18 Borussia Mönchengladbach 16 P

For German coverage see:

http://blog.magazine-deutschland.de/category/bundesliga-0809/