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Six Bundesliga Talking Points for Week 16

Ross Dunbar, Jonathan HardingDecember 18, 2014

DW's Ross Dunbar and Jonathan Harding collaborate to type up their top six talking points from all the matchday 16 action in the Bundesliga. From form to defending, there's something for everyone.

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Bundesliga Eintracht Frankfurt vs Berlin 17.12.2014
Image: Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images

Home is where the heart is, or should be …

Has home advantage died off in the Bundesliga? It seems so. Cologne and Stuttgart have the poorest home records, scoring just eight goals between them.

On the road, however, it's a different story. The pair are both revelling in front of opposition crowds. Despite being locked in a relegation battle, Cologne and Stuttgart are the second and third best teams on the road in the whole of the Bundesliga.

Shutting up shop, or in other words, adopting a very defensive mindset, is useful in away matches, as Huub Stevens has shown. The Dutch coach saved Stuttgart from the same perilous fall to the second division last season, using the same tactics to stabilize the team's defense.

At home, Stuttgart struggle, leaving out creative forward players who don't fit defensive tactics, such as, Alexandru Maxim and Vedad Ibisevic. Players of that ilk are quite capable of turning a miserable season into a semi-decent one.

The same can be said for Cologne, who managed just a 0-0 draw at home to Mainz. Without that star quality in midfield to open up a game, Peter Stöger has something to consider over the winter break.

Away points aren't going to be enough. These two need to find some balance and start racking up the points on home soil to please their own supporters - and improve their fight for survival. (rd)

Frankfurt are this season's Hoffenheim …

It's almost as if Thomas Schaaf's teams have to deliver compulsory entertainment for the Bundesliga.

The Eagles have scored 33 goals this season - the second highest in the division - and have conceded 33 at the other end as well. Rapid on the counter, but powerful in the box, Eintracht Frankfurt are relying on outscoring the opposition at the moment.

Normally, you'd suggest that they should focus on defending, but when they're netting as often as they have in their last six games - 16 goals - then advice looks unnecessary. Given the short-termism creeping into modern day football, this cavalier approach will bring in its fair share of goal-hungry fans.

SC Freiburg v Hamburger SV - Bundesliga
Where's your head at Joe?Image: Getty Images/Michael Kienzler

Alex Meier, the captain, is established as the league's top scorer with 12 goals this season. His strike partner Haris Seferovic has even bagged seven goals and assisted another five for his team-mates. Their bustling, direct style of football is in stark contrast to last season's entertainers Hoffenheim who thrived on the counterattack.

Goals alone will keep Frankfurt out of a relegation battle - but are they enough to reach Europe? (rd)

Keep your head in the game, Hamburg …

Frustration was etched across the faces of Hamburg players on Tuesday night. A man up, the league's ever-presents failed to take advantage against Stuttgart who left the Imtech Arena with a crucial 1-0 win thanks to Florian Klein's first-half goal.

In truth, this game was abject. The mood might have been improved in Stuttgart after another win, but Hamburg have been plunged into disarray. Sporting director Peter Knäbel even apologized to the supporters for how badly Hamburg performed on the night.

A performance that could be illustrated by one man: Rafael van der Vaart. The enigmatic Dutchman conceded possession cheaply, failed to track back, and Stuttgart scored. He was stale in possession and lost his temper when speaking to the media after the game.

Passion is one thing, but Hamburg need to channel this hunger into performances, and points. The likes of Van der Vaart and the injured Pierre-Michel Lasogga continue to underwhelm, forcing younger players to step up. (rd)

Incredible Immobile

Ciro Immobile's high-five with Jürgen Klopp after scoring what he thought was the winner on Wednesday night said it all. The Italian striker completed his finest league performance for BVB and capped it off with a stunning 20-meter-drive. And although his goal wasn't the winner, the signs are most encouraging for a striker that many had already dismissed.

At half time, Immobile had covered nearly 6 kilometers and had won 80 percent of his challenges. The striker was everywhere. Were it not for Wolfsburg's goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, Immobile would have had a hat-trick. Italy's pocket scorer was the driving force behind Dortmund's resurgence and with even more Bundesliga learning ahead, both Jürgen Klopp and BVB fans should be excited at what lies ahead for their new number nine. (jh)

Relegation reel

The Bundesliga has longed been hailed as a competition with a fiercely competitive underbelly - and this year is no exception. Five points not only separates 3rd and 9th, but is also the gap between 10th and 18th. And from 10th down, all of the sides in the Bundesliga could be considered relegation candidates - other than perhaps Borussia Dortmund who are sure to eventually climb out of their mess.

Fussball 1. Bundesliga 16. Spieltag Bayern München vs. SC Freiburg
Definitely the best marking on the weekendImage: Getty Images/Bongarts/C. Stache

Cologne and Mainz showed all the concerning reasons why they could get dragged into a relegation fight in their 0-0 draw on Tuesday evening. Below them is Paderborn, a side who are still the biggest mystery but are now looking down more than up. Hertha share points with the newly promoted side but look far more likely for the drop - throwing away a 3-0 lead away from home is just one example. Stuttgart, (Dortmund), Freiburg and Bremen make up a bottom group rife of inexperience and mediocrity. It really is anyone's to lose. (jh)

Mystic Marking

While the Bundesliga retains an excellent reputation for entertainment - 21 goals alone were scored on Wednesday night - some of it is down to bad marking. Naldo's equalizer for Wolfsburg is the primary example from matchday 16 - Sebastian Kehl is so far from Naldo when the corner comes in, he might as well be in goal.

Roman Neustädter's winner against Paderborn makes a mockery of any marking, and Lukas Kruse's decision not to stand tall. Frankfurt's dramatic draw against Hertha would never have been possible were it not for Hertha's generous marking - Alex Meier's first header might have come from a flick on but the striker could have platted his hair before scoring. That said, Frankfurt were simply redeeming themselves for awarding John Anthony Brooks space enough for real estate in the first half.

And then there's Valon Behrami and Rafael van der Vaart. I can't explain the Swiss midfielder's attempt to intercept the ball, and the Dutchman's jog back to stop the cross is equally confusing. Maybe he didn't sleep well? (jh)