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║║ Bundesliga Season 2012-13 ║║


Martinez must fight for his place, insists Heynckes

The Spaniard made his Bayern Munich debut in the 6-1 win over Stuttgart, but his trainer has now warned him that he will have to work hard to secure more playing time

Sep 13, 2012 1:00:00 PM

By Emily Clark


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Jupp Heynckes has warned Javi Martinez that he cannot expect a place in the Bayern Munichstarting line-up without a fight.

The Spaniard moved to the Allianz Arena for a Bundesliga-record €40 million fee in August, and subsequently made his debut in his side's 6-1 win over Stuttgart as a late substitution.

And the former Real Madrid trainer is delighted with his new acquisition, but was quick to urge the 24-year-old to work hard to secure more playing time.

“He’ll be a huge bonus for us in football terms," he told the club's official website. "He gives us even more quality in midfield, which is a motivating factor for everyone.

“But even Javi will have to play and fight his way into the team based on his performance. Obviously he has my full support, just like all the other players.”

Bayern's next match is against Mainz on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled at 15:30CET.
 

Bundesliga preview: Dortmund target Leverkusen scalp

13 September 2012

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Borussia Dortmund will be out to bounce back from a rare stumble, while Bayern Munich look to further their lead in the Bundesliga.

Champions Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw at Nuremberg before the international break, ending their seven-match winning streak in the top flight.


Bayern, on the other hand, accounted for Stuttgart 6-1 at the Allianz Arena, surging to the top of the table with two wins from two games and a positive goal difference of plus eight.

Dortmund play host to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, just four days before their Champions League campaign kicks off at home to Dutch side Ajax.

With nine players who started against Nuremberg on international duty this week, Dortmund manager Juergen Klopp may be tempted to make changes for the visit of Leverkusen.

Bayern welcome Mainz to Munich on Saturday, with former Bolton Wanderers striker Ivan Klasnic, who joined on a free transfer last week, an outside chance to make his debut for the visitors.

Elsewhere, Augsburg will attempt to rebound from their slow start at home to Wolfsburg on Friday.

On Saturday, Borussia Moenchengladbach and Nuremberg, both undefeated after two matches, meet at Borussia Park.

Stuttgart will take on Fortuna Dusseldorf at home, and Hannover play host to Werder Bremen.

Greuther Fuerth will play Schalke at home later on Saturday, while Hoffenheim travel to face Freiburg on Sunday.

Eintracht Frankfurt, second behind Bayern and the only other team to win their opening two matches, tackle Hamburg.

All clubs will wear kits with no sponsorship on the weekend, instead carrying the message 'Go Your Own Way' as part of a government campaign in Germany.
 

Bundesliga wrap: Bayern keep up perfect start

16 September 2012

Bayern Munich continued their winning start to the Bundesliga with a 3-1 victory over Mainz, which included the fastest goal of the season.

Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic slotted Thomas Mueller's cross in just the second minute on Saturday to put the hosts 1-0 ahead at Allianz Arena.


In the 13th minute it was 2-0 as Bastian Schweinsteiger headed a cross from Holger Badstuber into the net but despite dominating the first half, Bayern remained just two goals up at the break.

Mainz gave the hosts a scare 14 minutes into the second half after Bayern defender Dante fouled Julian Baumgartlinger inside the penalty area.

Hungarian striker Adam Szalai stepped up and slotted the penalty and suddenly Mainz were back in the game.

The home fans had to wait until the second minute of injury time for Bayern to secure the three points thanks to a brilliant volley from Toni Kroos.

The two-goal victory was Bayern's third from three matches and leaves them top of the Bundesliga table with nine points.

Hannover are second with seven points after Szabolcs Huszti scored an injury time winner to clinch a 3-2 victory over Werder Bremen.

Huszti was brilliant for Hannover throughout the match and put his side in front after just five minutes with a delightful free-kick into the top right corner.

The home side were cruising in the 10th minute when Danish midfielder Leon Andreasen headed Huszti's cross into the net.

However, Bremen dragged themselves back into the contest with goals from Aaron Hunt and Kevin De Bruyne either side of half-time.

Hunt converted a 26th-minute penalty after Hannover defender Mario Eggimann handled the ball inside the box, while De Bruyne finished off Eljero Elia's cross in the 74th-minute.

Bremen looked like they would hang on for a draw before Huszti struck the winning goal in the third minute of injury time and the Hungarian winger's dramatic day continued as he was given his second yellow card of the match for over-celebrating and was sent off as Hannover celebrated victory.

Borussia Dortmund and Nuremberg are also on seven points after both notched wins.

The reigning champions thumped Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 and Nuremberg won 3-2 away to Borussia Moenchengladbach, while Stuttgart were held to a 0-0 draw by Dusseldorf.

In Saturday's late game, second-half goals from Julian Draxler and Lewis Holtby gave Schalke a 2-0 win at newly promoted Greuther Furth.
 


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I am not Hamburg's saviour, says Rafael van der Vaart
The 29-year-old believes that there should not be so much expectancy on his shoulders, before hinting that his current club could be his last in football


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Howedes content with victory over Greuther Furth
The Schalke defender is satisfied with the win having preserved his team's unbeaten start to the season, also crediting his opponents for putting effort into the game


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Bayern Munich's Heynckes heartened by victory over Mainz
The coach was satisfied with his team's prolificness in front of goal, although he maintained further improvement was in order


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Jurgen Klopp pleased with strong Dortmund performance
The 45-year-old expressed his satisfaction following his side’s 3-0 win at a packed Signal Iduna Park admitting it was the first time they had reached their potential this season


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Effenberg: Bayern are Champions League favourites
The former Germany international believes last year's finalists are one of the teams to beat, and has urged Borussia Dortmund to change their style of play in Europe


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Heynckes: Bayern have rediscovered their appetite
Die Roten coach says his side have shown their hunger for success in the two league games played so far this season hammering Stuttgart 6-1 while Javi Martinez could also start
 

Hoeness: I would never disparage Dortmund

The 60-year-old appears to have performed a U-turn on his earlier statements about the Ruhr side's place in world football, after Hans-Joachim Watzke demanded Bayern's respect

Sep 15, 2012 12:10:00 AM

By John-Paul Tooth


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Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has retracted his earlier claims about Borussia Dortmund's status in world football.

The former West Germany forward had claimed that the current Bundesliga champions were only significant on a local scale, while his own side are a global force.

His Dortmund counterpart Hans-Joachim Watzke was quick to demand respect from the Bavarians, and the 60-year-old has now insisted that he would never belittle the work of his club's main rival.

"I would definitely not disparage any of the good work Dortmund do," the 60-year-old said according to Bild.

Bayern and Dortmund have already met once this season, with Die Schwarzgelben losing 2-1 to the Bavarian giants in the DFL-Super Cup.
 

Bundesliga wrap: Frankfurt continue to impress

17 September 2012

Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Hamburg 3-2 to keep their perfect start going after three rounds of the new Bundesliga season.

Having only rejoined Germany's top flight this season after one campaign in the second tier, Frankfurt claimed their third victory from as many games with midfielder Stefan Aigner scoring the clinching goal for the home side.


Frankfurt blitzed Hamburg in a five-minute period of the first half on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead with Takashi Inui and Olivier Occean scoring the goals.

Inui produced a calm finish in the 13th minute to take advantage of a mix-up in Hamburg's defence and five minutes later Occean swooped inside the penalty area following a Frankfurt corner to double the home team's lead.

Hamburg struck back in the final minute before half-time thanks to a goal from Heiko Westermann but just before the break the visitors lost a man as Petr Jiracek received a red card for a brutal tackle on Anderson.

The home side took advantage just seven minutes into the second half when Aigner produced a smart finish for Frankfurt's third goal of the game and while Hamburg scored again in the 63rd minute through Son Heung-Min, the visitors could not find an equaliser.

Frankfurt moved level with Bayern Munich on nine points, although they trail the Bundesliga leaders on goal difference, while Hamburg remain in the relegation zone without a point this season.

In Sunday's other match, Freiburg scored twice in the last seven minutes to overcome Hoffenheim 5-3.

The visitors from Hoffenheim went in front in just the second minute of the match thanks to a goal from Matthieu Delpierre but it was Freiburg that led at half-time after Karim Guede scored in the 17th minute and Max Kruse headed home 10 minutes later.

Hoffenheim made it 2-2 in the 57th minute when substitute Boris Vukcevic scored but Freiburg snuck ahead 11 minutes later as Fallou Diagne headed Kruse's corner into the net.

Takashi Usami scored Hoffenheim's second equalising goal of the match with a powerful shot in the 68th minute but the away side went home without any points as Freiburg stormed home.

Cedric Makiadi tapped home from another Kruse corner in the 83rd minute and the latter claimed his third assist of the match four minutes later when he set up Sebastian Freis' sealer.
 


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Robben uncertain over Valencia return
The Bayern Munich winger missed his side's 3-1 win over Mainz on Saturday with a groin injury, and is staying cautious as he looks to recover full fitness


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Luiz Gustavo: Javi Martinez will definitely help Bayern
The Brazilian believes that his new team-mate will prove his worth at the Bavarians, and he is eagerly anticipating the Champions League opener against Valencia


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Bayern Munich's Neuer looking to bounce back from last season's Champions League disappointment
The German international believes die Roten should not dwell on previous European heartache and focus on ensuring they get off to a flying start this time around against Valencia
 
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Klopp hails Dortmund's 'intense' win over Ajax
The German coach highlighted the steady progress his champions are making as a team after their last-gasp victory over the Dutch


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Gladbach must not relax, says Max Eberl
The club's sporting director says there is collective dismay following the defeat to Nurnberg in the Bundesliga, but hopes they can recover their form in Europe


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Gotze reminds me of Kagawa, says Dortmund captain Kehl
The Westfalenstadion side's leader has congratulated the youngster on his recent performances, comparing him to the recently departed Japan international


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Robben: Valencia are very good, but not Barcelona or Madrid
The Dutchman has warned his Bayern team-mates that a difficult match lies in store, and Holger Badstuber and Philipp Lahm can only agree


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Leverkusen's Schurrle laments Borussia Dortmund loss
The young attacker admits the club lacked confidence as they went down to Jurgen Klopp's side last weekend but are hoping to turn this around in Thursday's Europa League clash


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Shaqiri: Bayern Munich fans love my style of play
The young playmaker has commented on his instant rapport with die Roten's support, and also how he has coped so far at the Allianz Arena

 


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Huntelaar in no hurry to renew his contract with Schalke
The Dutch international is happy to bide his time before extending his stay with the Royal Blues, while he is aiming for a win this weekend when his side entertain Bayern Munich


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Lewandowski happy to wait for new Borussia Dortmund deal
The Poland striker has previously rejected new offers of a new deal but he insists has not ruled out staying with the German champions despite reported interest from elsewhere


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Dortmund have a chance to progress from Group D, says Riedle
After beating Ajax in their opening Champions League match, the former BVB striker believes they can spring a surprise and reach the knockout stages


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Javi Martinez pleased with full Bayern debut
After making his first start for the German giants against Valencia, the Spain international is hoping he can become a regular in the starting eleven at the Allianz Arena


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Javi Martinez will remain Bayern's record signing for some time, claims Hoeness
The former Germany star insists the Bavarians will not be splashing the cash on anymore players akin to the transfer fee warranted by the Spaniard for the foreseeable future


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Low must change his behaviour, blasts Bayern president Hoeness
The official also thinks Bundesliga clubs will reign supreme in several years should Uefa stick to their promise of tackling debt in football and disciplining those that do not
 

'Bundesliga is Bayern's top priority as Champions League is a matter of luck' - Rummenigge


The Bavarians' president has made it clear that they want to win the domestic title over the elite European competition in 2012-13, as it is decided in a fairer way


Sep 20, 2012 12:10:00 PM
By Stefan Coerts

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Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has stressed that Bayern Munich's main priority for the season is to win the Bundesliga title.

A round-up of all the scores and talking points from an action-packed Wednesday The Bavarians were last crowned German champions in 2010, and the supremo wants to win the domestic honour even more than the Champions League.

"Our top priority is to be crowned German champions in the 50th Bundesliga season. The Bundesliga title is the fairest one there is," Rummenigge was quoted as saying by TZ.

"In the Champions League, luck and form of the day play a huge role as well. Otherwise, the Champions League trophy would be standing at the Sabener Strasse right now.

"We have to forget about last year, though, and make a fresh start. We are very motivated and are eager to win the Champions League. But May 2013 is still a long way, so we're not thinking about that just yet."

Bayern opened their European campaign with a 2-1 win over Valencia on Wednesday.
 

Klopp would take Germany job, but describes Borussia Dortmund job as a 'dream'

Die Schwarzgelben boss has revealed that he would not be able to turn down an offer to take control of his country, though he describes his current post as a "dream job"

Sep 20, 2012 6:00:00 PM

By Tom Maston


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Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he would take over the German national team if he was offered the post.

Current coach Joachim Low has a contract that runs until the end of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but his future after that tournament has yet to be settled.

Klopp's two consecutive Bundesliga titles have made him one of the early favourites to succeed Low, and he told Gala that it would be his dream to take control of die Nationalelf.

"At Dortmund I have the ultimate dream job. But, of course, for each player, the national teamis a dream, and the same goes for a coach," he admitted.

"I've also said repeatedly that, should I be asked, I will not refuse."

Klopp's contract with Dortmund runs until the end of the 2016 season, but the board at Signal Iduna Park may have a difficult task on their hands to keep him until then if the talented 45-year-old is offered a role with the national side.
 

Bundesliga preview: Bayern face in-form Schalke

20 September 2012

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Bayern Munich will look to continue their perfect start to the Bundesliga season when they travel to Schalke on Saturday.

Jupp Heynckes' side have started the season in terrific fashion, winning all three games and scoring 12 goals in the process.


Central to their success has been the form of forwards Mario Mandzukic and Thomas Mueller, who have both scored three goals, while midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos – who netted in Bayern's 2-1 Champions League win over Valencia on Wednesday – have weighed in with two goals each.

Schalke have also started well and are one of seven unbeaten sides in the Bundesliga, with two wins and one draw from their three league outings to date.

The Gelsenkirchen outfit are also involved in the Champions League and won 2-1 in mid-week, with Benedikt Hoewedes and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on the scoresheet in their triumph at Olympiakos.

Huntelaar – who crossed to Schalke from Milan for approximately 10 million pounds in August 2010 – scored an incredible 48 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions last season.

His signing has proved a masterstroke and Schalke have enjoyed a strong period of success since he arrived at the club.

With Hoewedes and fellow German youngsters Lewis Holtby and Julian Draxler on the club's books, in addition to the likes of Peruvian Jefferson Farfan, Switzerland's Tranquilo Barnetta and Dutchman Ibrahim Afellay, Schalke are more than capable of beating the Bavarian giants.

While that match is the pick of the weekend's fixtures, second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt – who have also won all three matches they have played – travel to Nuremberg on Friday in the hope of maintaining their terrific form.

Armin Veh's side were playing in the second tier last season and have carried on their momentum since winning promotion into the top flight.

But defeating Nuremberg – who have won two and drawn one this season – away from home will not prove easy.

Defending champions Borussia Dortmund are also on the road, travelling to the struggling Hamburg who have lost all three of their matches this season.

Dortmund shone in a 3-0 triumph over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday and followed up with a last-gasp Champions League win over Ajax in mid-week.

New manager Sami Hyypia is already under the pressure at Leverkusen and the former Liverpool defender needs a positive result when Borussia Moenchengladbach visit the BayArena on Sunday.

Other matches on Saturday see Wolfsburg host Greuther Furth while Augsburg travel to Mainz and Fortuna Duesseldorf battle with Freiburg.

Joining Leverkusen in action on Sunday is Werder Bremen, who host Stuttgart, and bottom-placed Hoffenheim, who will be up against it when they meet an in-form Hannover.
 


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Luiz Gustavo: Schalke game will not be easy for Bayern Munich
The combative midfielder believes a tough task awaits the Bavarians, while voicing his satisfaction with his side's performance against Valencia on Wednesday


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Stevens: Schalke have no reason to be afraid of Bayern
The Dutch coach is brimming with confidence ahead of Saturday's encounter, and has stressed they have to focus on themselves rather than on their opponents
 

Klopp disappointed with Borussia Dortmund’s start as they lose to Hamburg

The 45-year-old coach has expressed his frustration at the lack of vigour at the start of the game from die Borussen, while Mats Hummels says they could have scored a lot more

Sep 22, 2012 5:50:00 PM

By Oliver Scrimgeour


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Borussia Dortmund were unbeaten for 31 games in the Bundesliga until being undone by Hamburg on Saturday, the side that holds the record for the longest undefeated run.

The game ended 3-2 with Hamburg goalkeeper Rene Adler denying Dortmund’s efforts to get something from the game. Hamburg took the lead very early on but were pegged back by a wonderful Perisic chip.

Die Rothosen then raced into a 3-1 lead after the break and though they managed to grab a second goal, the German champions failed to take any points from the game.

“Not much pleased me today. The problem was with the way we came into the game. The opening exchanges were really poor,” Jurgen Klopp told reporters afterwards.

Mat Hummels echoed the disappointment, adding that their team should have scored more goals.

“We gave away goals through our mistakes, and should have scored seven or eight,” he said.

Dortmund travel to Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday in their next Mundesliga match.
 

Bundesliga wrap: Hamburg end Dortmund run, Bayern still top


22 September 2012

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Borussia Dortmund's unbeaten start to the season came to a surprise end at Hamburg as Bayern Munich maintained their 100 percent record.

Hamburg secured their first win of the season, ending the defending champions' 31-game undefeated run in the Bundesliga with a 3-2 victory.


The hosts stormed into an early lead as Son Heung-Min headed home inside of two minutes and the second half was just as explosive.

Dortmund's Ivan Perisic equalised seconds after half-time but Hamburg moved back ahead with an Ivo Ilicevic strike and a stunning solo goal from Son.

Perisic immediately halved the deficit for Juergen Klopp's men but they were unable to equalise again and fell to defeat, their first since falling to a 2-1 loss at Hannover on September 18 last year.

By winning, Hamburg prevented Dortmund from breaking their 36-game undefeated streak in the league, lifting themselves out of the relegation zone in the process.

Bayern's perfect start to the season continued with a comfortable 2-0 win over Schalke at the Veltins Arena on Saturday.

Despite an entertaining opening half, neither side were able to get their names on the scoresheet as both defences held firm. However, that all changed after the break as a three-minute salvo from Bayern saw them storm into a two-goal lead.

Thomas Mueller set up the opener for Toni Kroos in the 55th minute after a beautiful combination, before getting on the scoresheet himself moments later thanks to a clever run from the flanks.

There was nothing left for Schalke after that, as Bayern claimed their fourth win out of four in the new campaign and maintained their position atop of the table alongside Eintracht Frankfurt.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Mainz collected their first three points of the season with a 2-0 victory over struggling Augsburg.

Ivica Olic netted a 42nd-minute equaliser as Wolfsburg earned a 1-1 draw against promoted Greuther Fuerth, while Fortuna Dusseldorf remains undefeated after they played out a goalless draw at home to Freiburg.
 

Bundesliga wrap: Hoffenheim on the board, Stuttgart fight back

24 September 2012

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Hoffenheim claimed their first points of the season after overcoming an in-form Hannover 3-1 at Rhein-Neckar-Arena on Sunday.

Having conceded 11 goals in their opening three Bundesliga games, Hoffenheim needed to improve defensively if they were any chance of success but they found themselves a goal down after 26 minutes.


Hannover capitalised on an unfortunate bit of play when French defender Matthieu Delpierre sent the ball past his own goalkeeper Koen Casteels.

However, Markus Babbel's troops equalised almost immediately through Fabian Johnson.

Both teams seemed destined to share the points before Bosnian Sejad Salihovic found the back of the net with eight minutes left on the clock.

And Daniel Williams made sure of all three points with his effort deep into stoppage time.

The win sees Hoffenheim move out of the automatic relegation places into 16th, while Hannover remains in third position, five points behind Frankfurt and Bayern Munich.

In other results on Sunday, Stuttgart staged a second-half comeback to salvage a 2-2 draw in their match against Werder Bremen, which saw both teams end the game with 10 men.

Kevin de Bruyne, on loan from Chelsea, broke the deadlock after 23 minutes with a clinical finish before Zlatko Junuzovic doubled his side's advantage 11 minutes later.

Martin Harnick Harnick sparked the visitors' comeback with a 50th-minute header.

And Brazilian-born German international Cacau completed Stuttgart's fightback nine minutes from time.

But the match ended on unsavoury terms when goalscorer Harnick was shown his second yellow card on 87 minutes before Assani Lukimya received his marching orders two minutes later.

Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Moenchengladbach shared the spoils after a 1-1 draw.

Gladbach have made a stuttering start to this campaign after a tremendous fourth-placed finish last season but they began extremely brightly on Sunday.

With just three minutes played Lucien Favre's men opened the scoring through Patrick Hermann as the winger controlled Juan Arango's fantastic pass before stabbing into the net.

Leverkusen were level just nine minutes later though as Czech left-back Michal Kadlec thumped in a powerful cross-goal effort that offered Marc-Andre Ter Stegen no chance.
 


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Muller has been outstanding this season, says Heynckes
The FCB coach feels the versatile attacker has been superb for the Bavarians this term and believes he is back to his usual best after struggling a bit last year


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Klopp understands Borussia Dortmund supporters' ticket price protests
Dortmund fans left the stands during the game on Saturday to signal their unhappiness with the club's current ticket pricing structure


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Robben: Bayern Munich are hungry for success
The Netherlands international is buoyed by his side's perfect start to the season and believes the Bavarians are well equipped to win the league title


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Rummenigge warns Bayern Munich despite 100 per cent start to the season
The former player issued a word of caution to his beloved club, insisting that whilst the start to the season has been perfect, Heynckes' men cannot rest on their laurels


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Heynckes: It is nice to have a five-point lead over Dortmund
The Bayern coach expressed his satisfaction after his side came out on top against Schalke, a result that extended their lead over the reigning German champions


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Klopp disappointed with Borussia Dortmund’s start as they lose to Hamburg
The 45-year-old coach has expressed his frustration at the lack of vigour at the start of the game from die Borussen, while Mats Hummels says they could have scored a lot more


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Thomas Muller feeling physically and mentally strong
The German international has stated that he is in good nick, which helped him perform well in the Bundesliga win over the Royal Blues on Saturday afternoon


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Lewandowski will honour Dortmund contract, says agent
Reports had suggested that the Poland striker was seeking a move away following a breakdown in talks over a improved deal, but Maik Barthel insists his client will not be disloyal


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Van der Vaart: The boys have shown that they want to fight for Hamburg
The Netherlands international is looking forward to Saturday's home clash against the Bundesliga champions and believes his side can cause die Borussen problems


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Heynckes: Schalke toughest test so far for Bayern Munich
Die Roten coach has urged his team to fire on all cylinders as they seek a fourth successive win in the 2012-13 Bundesliga
 

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Lahm: Too soon to say Bayern Munich will win Bundesliga
The Germany international has warned his team-mates to keep their feet on the ground, but feels that they have shown their intentions with the win over Schalke
 

Schalke team-mates disappointed with Julian Draxler

The 19-year-old is feeling the heat from his fellow players after a moment of selfishness prevented the Royal Blues from capitalising on a chance against die Roten

Sep 24, 2012 4:15:00 PM

By Michael Cerna


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Schalke's Julian Draxler has come under fire from his teammates for acting greedily on perhaps his side's best scoring opportunity against Bayern Munich in their Bundesliga clash on Saturday.

With the match at 0-0 in the 50th minute, die Konigsblauen had a clear chance to score on the counterattack with Draxler on the break with teammates in tow.

In the end, the teenager botched the chance on goal as he failed to give the ball to a waiting Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The side from the Ruhr ended up losing the match 2-0, but that moment remained in the minds of several players after the final whistle.

"Julian could not get the ball under control. It was disappointing that we did not make more of it," said Huntelaar.

Midfielder Roman Neustadter also had his say on the matter.

"That piece of play took us out of our rhythm," said Neustadter.

Germany international Lewis Holtby reflected on the play, too, calling it the turning point of the match.

"If we do more there, the game may have looked differently. Three minutes later Thomas Muller scores and the game was over for Schalke," he explained.

Draxler and his teammates will now look forward to a league clash with Mainz on Tuesday.
 

Bundesliga wrap: Bayern maintain winning start

26 September 2012

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Bayern Munich remain the only team with a perfect record in the Bundesliga after winning 3-0 over Wolfsburg, while Eintracht Frankfurt drew.

Mario Mandzukic scored twice for Bayern as they maintained their 100 percent winning start to their campaign, while in Frankfurt, Eintracht, who were only promoted this season, dropped points for the first time as they could only manage a 3-3 draw against Borussia Dortmund.


It took Bayern 24 minutes to get on the scoreboard versus Wolfsburg, with Franck Ribery cutting the ball back from the right-hand side of the box for Bastian Schweinsteiger to slot home from a tight angle.

The home side's second goal came 12 minutes after the break thanks to a perfectly placed cross from Xherdan Shaqiri, which Mandzukic headed in at the back post.

Mandzukic scored his second goal in the 65th minute, powering a header over Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio after a cross from Philipp Lahm.

Tuesday's result means Bayern have moved two points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after five wins from as many games, with Eintracht Frankfurt in second on 13 points.

Frankfurt had to come from behind twice to pull off their draw against reigning champions Dortmund, who took an initial 2-0 lead thanks to a deflected strike from Lukasz Piszczek and an impressive long-range goal by Marco Reus.

Down by two goals at half-time, Frankfurt, who became the first promoted club in Bundesliga history to win their first four matches of the season when they knocked off Nuremberg 2-1 on Friday, began their comeback four minutes after the break when Stefan Aigner cut inside on his left foot to score.

Just two minutes later, Takashi Inui, who set up Frankfurt's first goal, scored for the third successive match with a header from Aigner's cross to tie the game.

But in the 54th minute, Dortmund made it three goals in seven minutes when Mario Goetze got the better of Anderson Bamba to put the visitors 3-2 ahead.

The entertaining match in Frankfurt had one more twist, however, as the home team equalised again with Anderson heading home a cross from Bastian Oczipka in the 73rd minute.

In other Bundesliga results, third-placed Schalke defeated Mainz 3-0, while in a battle of newly promoted clubs; fourth-placed Fortuna Dusseldorf won 2-0 away to Greuther Furth.
 
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