All eyes were on Munich this weekend. The excitement was palpable. Bayern’s new coach, Jupp Heynckes, was surrounded by more photographers than a Hollywood star at the Oscars and media pundits lined up to speculate about tactics, formation and personnel. Would the post-Klinsmann era produce a positive result? And most importantly, would Bayern stay in the title race?

Luckily for Bayern and Heynckes it was hardly a herculean task that awaited them, for 17th placed Borussia Mönchengladbach were coming to town. So it came as no surprise that Bayern lifted themselves from their recent lethargy and dominated the contest straight from kick-off. Heynckes put the Brazilian Ze Roberto into the playmaker’s role behind the two strikers Luca Toni and Lukas Podolski, who was restored to the starting line-up after being used sparingly by Jürgen Klinsmann.

Heynckes had the relaxed look of a man who has seen it all before, which of course he had. The 63-year-old, himself a prolific striker for Borussia Mönchengladbach and Germany, had coached Bayern Munich from 1987-1991, winning the championship twice.

Lukas Podolski back in the starting line-up

So when a Podolski freekick fizzed just past the post after three minutes and Munich proceeded to come close on numerous occasions, Heynckes remained cool. The deadlock was finally broken after 32 minutes, when Luca Toni turned provider and slotted in a cross for Bastian Schweinsteiger to slide into. He angled the ball under the crossbar to put Bayern 1-0 up.

It looked like a route was on the cards, but five minutes later Bayern keeper Hans-Jörg Butt fumbled a Bradley freekick and in the scramble to grab the loose ball felled Brouwers. It was a clear penalty and Belgian international Filip Daems converted confidently.

Bayern quickly shrugged off the setback and set about finding an opening in the Gladbach defense once again. Just four minutes after conceding the equalizer Podolski played a neat through-ball to Turkish international Hamit Altintop, who thumped the ball onto the inside of the right post. Munich were 2-1 up.

The only surprising thing about the afternoon was the fact that Munich failed to score again. Luca Toni, in particular, could not believe his bad luck, as he missed a number of promising chances. But from Bayern’s perspective the three points were in the bag and hopes for the title were still intact. “Wolfsburg still has the best chance to be champions. Our aim has to be the direct qualification for the Champions League. Everything else we have to take game by game,” said Heynckes.

Dzeko scores hattrick in 13 minutes

The fact that Wolfsburg are indeed in the best position to win the league, was given further strength by their own impressive 4-0 victory against the season’s first half fairytale team, 1899 Hoffenheim. Until the second half, however, this was an open contest in which Hoffenheim had plenty of chances to take the lead. But a second half hattrick, inside 13 minutes, by Bosnian international Edin Dzeko, as well as Grafite penalty to make it four, kept Wolfsburg’s lead at the top at three points. With just four games remaining and a better goal difference, they remain favorites for the title.

And yet Bayern can draw hope from Wolfsburg’s difficult run-in. The “wolves” play Stuttgart away next weekend in what will be no easy task. VfB Stuttgart blew their chance of remaining three points behind Wolfsburg by failing to beat Armenia Bielefeld away from home. The Swabians had taken the lead twice, but some sloppy defending and a penalty meant that Bielefeld pulled back each time. German international Mario Gomez was having the kind of game that had you double-checking he was not wearing a Germany shirt, as he simply could not find the back of the net. And so the frustrated Stuttgart players trudged down the tunnel, knowing that they had missed the huge opportunity to play Wolfsburg at home the following weekend, with just a three point gap and the chance to draw level on points. Instead, they are now 5 points off the top team.

The other two teams at the top, Hamburger SV (5th) and Hertha BSC Berlin (2nd), went into their match on Sunday, knowing that only a win would leave them with a realistic chance in the title race. Hamburg went ahead quickly through an 8th minute goal by German international Marcel Jansen. But Gojko Kacar equalized with a stunning 28-meter shot in the 66th minute to set the stage for an exciting finish, as both teams went all out for three points. Hamburg came closest in the final minute when Berlin keeper Drobny pulled off a world-class save to deny Mathijsen, but it finished all square – a result that pleased neither team.

Results:

VfL Bochum – Hannover 96 0:2
Arminia Bielefeld – VfB Stuttgart 2:2
FC Schalke 04 – Bayer Leverkusen 1:2
Eintracht Frankfurt – Borussia Dortmund 0:2
Karlsruher SC – Energie Cottbus 0:0
Bayern München – Borussia Mönchengladbach 2:1
VfL Wolfsburg – 1899 Hoffenheim 4:0
1. FC Köln – Werder Bremen 1:0
Hamburger SV – Hertha BSC Berlin 1:1

Table

1 VfL Wolfsburg  60 P
2 Bayern München  57 P
3 Hertha BSC Berlin  56 P
4 VfB Stuttgart  55 P
5 Hamburger SV  55 P
6 Borussia Dortmund  52 P
7 FC Schalke 04  49 P
8 Bayer Leverkusen  45 P
9 1899 Hoffenheim  45 P
10 Werder Bremen  39 P
11 1. FC Köln  35 P
12 Hannover 96  35 P
13 Eintracht Frankfurt  32 P
14 VfL Bochum  28 P
15 Energie Cottbus  27 P
16 Arminia Bielefeld  26 P
17 Borussia Mönchengladbach  24 P
18 Karlsruher SC  23 P