Bundesliga Season 2011/2012

ballsathome · Sep 2, 2011

Wednesday 31st August 2011

Wolfsburg snap up Rasmus Jonsson

Wolfsburg have made Swedish striker Rasmus Jonsson their 11th new arrival this summer after signing him for an undisclosed fee from Helsingborg.

The 21-year-old signed a four-year deal before joining up with the Sweden Under-21 national team for their European qualifiers against Lithuania.

"I am delighted to have signed a highly-talented forward," said Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath, who has now made enough new signings to form a brand new team since he arrived at the club in the spring.

"Rasmus Jonsson can both score and create goals and he will help us." Before leaving for international duty, Jonsson spoke of his delight at joining the 2009 Bundesliga champions.

"I am very happy - this transfer is a big step in my career," he said. "The Bundesliga is one of the biggest leagues in Europe and Wolfsburg is one of the biggest clubs in Germany.

"My aim is to be successful with the team and also to improve myself as a player. "I will work hard to find my place in the team."

Jonsson's arrival could pave the way for the departure of former Germany international Patrick Helmes, who has been attracting interest from clubs both in Germany and abroad.

ballsathome · Sep 2, 2011

Wednesday 31st August 2011

Mario Gotze handed two-match ban

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze has been handed a two-match ban following his weekend red card against Bayer Leverkusen.

While team mate Sebastian Kehl, who did not even play in the game, has received the same punishment for pushing the fourth official.

Gotze was controversially given his marching orders in the 77th minute after becoming entangled with Leverkusen's Hanno Balitsch during the goalless draw at the BayArena.

Referee Wolfgang Stark claimed the Germany international had kicked out at his opponent, who himself defended Gotze afterwards by saying he had not noticed anything.

The German Football Association (DFB) have decided to ban Gotze for Dortmund's next two matches and fine him 10,000 euros.

Kehl, meanwhile, has been punished for pushing the fourth official after the final whistle.

Although the Dortmund midfielder apologised immediately afterwards, the DFB have nevertheless given him a two-match suspension.

Both players will miss the games against Hertha Berlin and Hannover.

ballsathome · Sep 2, 2011

Wednesday 31st August 2011

Hannover pounce for Royer

Hannover have confirmed the signing of Austria international Daniel Royer from SV Ried for an undisclosed fee.

The midfielder has signed a four-year contract with the Bundesliga outfit.

"Daniel Royer can use both feet and can be used flexibly on both wings with his pace," said Hannover director of sport Jorg Schmadtke.

"We are pleased that one of Austria's biggest talents has chosen Hannover."

Royer should be part of the Austria team which faces Germany in Gelsenkirchen on Friday.

The 21-year-old is expected to make his Hannover debut in Stuttgart on September 10, although he will not be permitted to play in the Europa League clash with Standard Liege five days later since he has already appeared in the competition this season for Ried.

ballsathome · Sep 2, 2011

Wednesday 31st August 2011

Cisse's Newcastle move falls through

Papiss Demba Cisse's move to Newcastle has fallen through and he is now set to remain with Freiburg, according to the director of sport Dirk Dufner.

The Senegal striker was the second highest goalscorer in the Bundesliga last term and currently leads the scoring charts after four games of this season, making him an attractive target for several clubs around Europe.

However, Freiburg have put a high price on his head and this appears to have scared off potential buyers.

"The issue has been dealt with," said Dufner to the German sid agency after negotiations with Newcastle broke down.

"He is a very special lad and we are fortunate that he is with us.

"We want to enjoy this fortune for a little while longer."

Cisse is contracted to the Bundesliga outfit until 2014 but recently admitted he would love to further his career at a bigger club.

ballsathome · Sep 2, 2011

Thursday 1st September 2011

Hamburg confirm Ilicevic signing

Hamburg have signed Ivo Ilicevic from Kaiserslautern to fill the void left by Eljero Elia.

The 24-year-old Croatia international has signed a four-year deal with HSV, the club confirmed on their website.

The deal was announced only hours after Hamburg confirmed the departure of Elia to Italian giants Juventus.

Ilicevic scored five goals and recorded seven assists in 21 appearances for Kaiserslautern last season, having helped them earn promotion to the Bundesliga the season before.

ballsathome · Sep 2, 2011

Thursday 1st September 2011

Demel leaves Hamburg for West Ham

West Ham have signed Guy Demel on a two-year deal from Hamburg for an undisclosed fee.

The 30-year-old right-sided player, who can play in defence or midfield, has the option of a further 12 months at Upton Park should he impress. He told the club's official website, www.whufc.com: "I want to help the team go back to the Premier League. This is my goal.

"I have some friends here already like Freddie Piquionne and Carlton Cole, and London is a great city. I am very happy to be here. "I had 10 years in Germany and I won the title. But it is time for a change and to show what I can do in another country. I will do my best."

The Hammers have signed Henri Lansbury and David Bentley on loan from Arsenal and Tottenham respectively and Papa Bouba Diop on a free transfer in the last two days. The Hammers have moved for Lansbury, 20, after Scott Parker completed his protracted transfer to Tottenham earlier on Wednesday afternoon.

England Under-21 international Lansbury wants regular first-team football having failed to make the breakthrough with Arsenal. Bentley, 27, spent the latter part of last season on loan at Birmingham.

ballsathome · Sep 2, 2011

Thursday 1st September 2011

Schalke make Pukki final signing

Schalke left it late to make Teemu Pukki their final signing of the summer with the contract registered with the German Football Association at the last minute.

The Finish forward almost managed to knock Schalke out of the Europa League with his three goals in the play-off games between the two sides which put HJK Helsinki on the brink of a major shock.

That was enough to convince the Royal Blues and the 21-year-old signed a three-year contract with them last night.

"Teemu Pukki is a very young and very interesting player with great potential," Schalke's director of sport Horst Heldt told the club website.

"He showed what he is capable of in both games against us. We hope that he will strengthen our side."

Pukki scored 13 goals in 24 games for Helsinki last season after an unsuccessful year with Sevilla.

His appearance in the Europa League this season means he is ineligible to play again in the competition for Schalke.

Mario Gomez · Sep 2, 2011

Lukas Podolski · Sep 3, 2011

Saturday 3rd September 2011

Lehmann: Neuer not world-class yet

Former German international Jens Lehmann believes Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer still has work to do if he is to considered world-class.

Neuer first came to the fore at last year's World Cup in South Africa where he helped Germany to a third-place finish, before he backed up with some outstanding displays as Schalke reached the UEFA Champions semi-finals.

Now regarded as one of the world's best goalkeepers, Neuer's commanding performances prompted Bayern to splash the cash on him earlier this summer, but the 25-year-old has since had a unimpressive start to life at the Allianz Arena.

And Lehmann, who himself made 61 appearances for Germany, believes Neuer needs to be more consistent before he can lay claim to being a truly world-class goalkeeper. "Manuel looks world-class compared to most of the other goalkeepers out there," Lehmann told AZ. "However, he is still too inconsistent to be absolutely world-class.

"He needs to improve that area of his game." Many of Bayern's fans had initially objected to the club's pursuit of Neuer, and the protests have continued despite the 25-year-old having already made seven appearances for the club. Lehmann believes there is little Neuer can do but win the fans over with his performances on the pitch.

"There is a lot of pressure on him to perform because of the fans' protests. "You will only get better if you manage to deal with that though." Like Neuer, Lehmann also started his career at Schalke and went on to make over 270 Bundesliga appearances for the club, even managing to score two goals.

Lukas Podolski · Sep 3, 2011

Saturday 3rd September 2011

Bayern weighing up Gotze offer

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has ran the risk of incurring the wrath of Borussia Dortmund after revealing his interest in the latter's young star Mario Gotze.

Gotze has enjoyed a stunning rise in German football where a little over a year ago he was still much of an unknown quantity, but is now firmly regarded as the national team's next big thing. His impressive performances have seen many of Europe's top sides expressing an interest in his services, including the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal and Inter Milan.

However, Gotze recently committed his future to his present club by maintaining that it would be best for his development if he were to remain at Dortmund or at least a season or two, before considering a move elsewhere.

The Dortmund hierarchy were in full agreement with his stance, but further added that if they were to ever sell Gotze, it would be to a foreign club and not to any one of their German Bundesliga rivals.

Nonetheless, Bayern have a long history of poaching the best local talent from across the land, and only this summer landed German national team number one Manuel Neuer, despite Schalke's insistence they would not do business with their rivals.

And Hoeness has now revealed that Gotze is firmly in their thoughts, although he admitted Bayern could have to wait for his contract with Dortmund to expire before they are able to land their man. "If his contract runs out, we'll see what happens," Hoeness said to LIGA total! Lounge.

"Many players said in the past they would never go to Bayern, but eventually came. "If we're still interested [when the time comes], and he's still playing well and we have a super attractive team, we'll have talks for sure.

"I'm not worried that it won't be today or tomorrow... but to have such a fantastic player at FC Bayern Munich - that would be a really nice thing." Dortmund reportedly rejected a €34million bid from Arsenal for Gotze on Wednesday, but will have to be prepared to fend off more advances when the transfer window re-opens in January.

Arjen Robben · Sep 5, 2011

Schurrle: Raul is my role model
New German sensation Andre Schurrle has named Spanish legend Raul as the player he looked up to during his formative years.

Hamburg slam Magath over Koo move
Hamburg sporting director Frank Arnesen has hit out at Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath over the failed transfer of Korea Republic international Koo Ja-cheol.

Arjen Robben · Sep 5, 2011

Monday 5th September 2011

Subotic will only leave for 'nice foreign club'

Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic says he will only leave the club for a move abroad.

Subotic played a crucial role in helping Dortmund become Bundesliga champions last season and his performances have seen him being linked with a number of big clubs across Europe including local rivals Bayern Munich. However, the Serbia international is adamant he will never swap Dortmunf for another German club.

"There really isn't any reason for me to leave this club. Dortmund is an amazing city. I will never switch clubs within Germany. If I move, it will be to a nice foreign club," Subotic told Bild. Subotic joined Dortmund from Mainz in June 2008 and is contracted at the club until the summer of 2014.

Barclays Premier League sides Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, as well as Spanish giants Barcelona were all linked with the player in the summer, although his agent later revealed that the 22-year-old had not been the subject of any concrete bids from any clubs.

Arjen Robben · Sep 7, 2011

Robben edging closer to fitness
Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes has outlined Arjen Robben's importance to Bayern Munich and revealed the club's star winger is edging closer to full fitness.

Mainz allays Sami Allagui fears
Mainz have announced striker Sami Allagui has been released from hospital after falling ill on a flight back from Malawi.

Schalke keen to keep 'amazing' Raul
Schalke chairman Clemens Tonnies has not ruled out offering Raul a new contract after being impressed by the Spaniard since his arrival from Real Madrid last year.

Hamburg slam Magath over Koo move
Hamburg sporting director Frank Arnesen has hit out at Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath over the failed transfer of Korea Republic international Koo Ja-cheol.

Mario Gomez · Sep 8, 2011

Wednesday 7th September 2011

Metzelder suffers injury setback

Christoph Metzelder is unlikely to figure for Schalke against Wolfsburg this Sunday after suffering an injury setback on his comeback to action on Tuesday.

The former Germany international lasted only 45 minutes of a friendly match against Oberhausen and is therefore not likely to be a candidate for coach Ralf Rangnick this weekend.

Metzelder picked up a calf injury during Schalke's Europa League qualifier against Helsinki in mid-August and the same problem flared up again in Tuesday's 5-2 victory.

"We had to take Christoph Metzelder off at half time," reported Rangnick on the club's website.

"We had actually intended for him to play a little longer, but his calf was causing him a few problems after 45 minutes so, as a precautionary measure, we decided to rest him in the second half."

Rangnick was therefore unable to gain much of what he was hoping for from the win.

"The whole aim of it was to give some of our long-term injury absentees match practice," he said.

Schalke are currently sitting second in the Bundesliga, level on nine points with Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen.

Mario Gomez · Sep 8, 2011

Wednesday 7th September 2011

Gotze tipped to star for Europe's finest

Germany coach Joachim Low believes Borussia Dortmund young gun Mario Gotze will one day play for one of Europe's biggest clubs.

Low has become the latest identity to comment on the ongoing speculation over Gotze's future, after Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness had last week expressed his interest in the 19-year-old. Dortmund immediately replied by stating it was only natural for Bayern to be interested in a player of Gotze's quality, but reiterated that the player would be staying at the club for at least two more season.

Bayern have a history of poaching the best young talent from across the country, but Low believes their ability to bully other German Bundesliga clubs into selling them their prized assets will not work on Dortmund, who are the reigning league champions. "I think the days are gone when FC Bayern could simply take away a player from Dortmund," Low told Sport Bild.

"Dortmund are [now] quite competitive]." Dortmund have also stated in the past that if they were ever to allow Gotze to leave, it would be to a foreign club, and Low has no doubts that scenario will materialise in the near future. "[He] will end up some day at a top club abroad." Low currently has no lack of quality in his German side, with a plethora of established players challenging in each position.

And Low admits he faces a headache when choosing who to lead the German attack, with both Bayern's Mario Gomez and Lazio's Miroslav Klose presenting excellent cases from themselves. "Between Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez, there is now a competition among equals. "Miro has performed regularly for the national team and in the past three World Cups was our best striker.

"But Mario [Gomez] has performed well even with the national team, and has shown outstanding form recently." Low can now set his sights on next summer's European Championship, after his side sealed qualification on Friday evening with a 6-2 win over Austria.

Arjen Robben · Sep 9, 2011

Kjaer: German football not for me
Roma new boy Simon Kjaer has hit out at German football after a disappointing spell at Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg.

Hleb: I will soar for Wolfsburg
Aleksandr Hleb believes that he will do well at Wolfsburg after moving to the Bundesliga in a loan deal from Barcelona.

Arjen Robben · Sep 9, 2011

Friday 9th September 2011

Rafinha: Robben not easy to play with

Bayern Munich defender Rafinha stated that it's not easy covering for winger Arjen Robben because of his attacking style.

A summer arrival from Genoa, Rafinha has only just started adapting to new surroundings and feels that he is yet to adapt to the Dutch winger's style.

The Brazilian full-back found himself having to curb his tendencies to join the attack in order to cover for Robben, whose style sees him playing almost in a striker's role when bombing forward.

Rafinha told Kicker magazine: "Robben is a fantastic footballer. However, he is an extremely attacking player and there has to be someone who covers his back. That's not an easy task.

"I don't get to charge forward as much as I'd like to do because of his style of play. It's really not much of a problem though when you know you're working for a player like Robben."

Both players have only had three games to work together so far this season, but they will be looking to improve on that this Saturday when Bayern Munich take on Freiburg at the Allianz Arena.

Arjen Robben · Sep 9, 2011

Friday 9th September 2011

Pressure cranking up in Bundesliga

Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath has been given a vote of confidence ahead of their meeting with his former club Schalke this weekend.

The Wolves have made a dismal start to the season with three straight defeats leaving them in the wrong half of the table, but Wolfsburg chairman Francisco Garcia Sanz believes Magath will put things right eventually. "We have faith in Magath," he said. "He has always managed it in the end. "Even during his first spell with us, we did not instantly challenge at the top of the table."

Magath led Wolfsburg to the Bundesliga title in 2009 before moving to Schalke, whom he led to the runners-up spot a year later. However, things did not go according to plan last season for the Royal Blues who, despite reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League, struggled in the league. Magath left with just a few months of the season remaining and was installed as coach of Wolfsburg less than 24 hours later.

Sanz is standing by his decision to reappoint Magath, with whom the club celebrated their greatest success. "We have started to reconstruct a successful team," explained Sanz. "Thanks to people like Christian Trasch, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Hasan Salihamidzic or Patrick Ochs, we will soon see a real team again."

Schalke fans have seen the formation of a successful team over the last few weeks with three wins in a row taking them into second place, behind Bayern Munich on goal difference. Magath's era is well and truly a thing of the past in Gelsenkirchen. "It does not play a role for me," said their new coach Ralf Rangnick to the Revier Sport newspaper.

"We are not playing against Felix Magath but against Wolfsburg." The Royal Blues may have a three-point deficit to make up by the time they take to the field at the VW-Arena on Sunday. League leaders Bayern host Freiburg on Saturday afternoon while Werder Bremen, who are below Schalke only on goals scored, host northern Germany rivals Hamburg on Saturday evening.

Fourth-paced Hannover travel to Stuttgart with fifth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach entertaining Kaiserslautern. The defending champions Borussia Dortmund can also move ahead of Schalke with a win over Hertha Berlin while Bayer Leverkusen have the chance to move to the top of the table Friday night when they travel to Augsburg.

Finally, Mainz welcome Hoffenheim to the Mainz Arena and Nurnberg travel to Cologne.

Match Fixtures

Friday

Augsburg vs Bayer Leverkusen

Saturday

Bayern Munich vs Freiburg

Borussia Dortmund vs Hertha

Mainz vs Hoffenheim

Borussia Monchengladbach vs Kaiserslautern

Stuttgart vs Hannover

Werder Bremen vs Hamburg

Sunday

Cologne vs Nurnberg

Wolfsburg vs Schalke

Mario Gomez · Sep 10, 2011

Bundesliga: Augsburg 1 Bayer Leverkusen 4

10 September 2011

Sidney Sam scored an impressive double to send Bayer Leverkusen top of the Bundesliga with a 4-1 win at newly promoted Augsburg. The hosts took a surprise lead in the fifth minute at the SGL Arena on Friday when Japan's Hajime Hosogai drilled the ball home from close range, against the club he is currently on-loan from.

However, Robin Dutt's side were back in the game a minute later when Sam latched onto a Stefan Kiessling through ball to bring Leverkusen level. In the 23rd minute, the visitors were in front when Kiessling managed to control Brazilian Renato Augusto's pass before striking the ball past helpless goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch to give his side a 2-1 lead at the break.

Leverkusen put the game beyond doubt in the 73rd minute when Uruguayan Gonzalo Castro found Sam, who made no mistake in drilling home. Substitute Eren Derdiyok completed the scoring in the 80th minute when he slammed the ball past Jentzsch, who had originally made a decent save. Leverkusen are now top on 10 points, but have played a game more than their competitors ahead of the weekend.

Mario Gomez · Sep 11, 2011

Bundesliga wrap: Seventh heaven for Bayern, Dortmund struggle

11 September 2011

Bayern Munich have fired a sensational seven goals past hapless Freiburg to surge to the top of the German Bundesliga. Mario Gomez scored four, including one from the penalty spot, in a masterful performance while Franck Ribery bagged a brace in the 7-0 rout. Nils Petersen scored late on to rub more salt into Freiburg's wounds and catapult Bayern into first ahead of Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen.

The title favourites have now scored 18 goals in their past five matches in all competitions and have not conceded a single goal in that time. Borussia Monchengladbach did things a little more subtly, securing a 1-0 home win over Kaiserslautern. Juan Arango's 58th-minute goal was all that separated the sides.

Reigning champions Borussia Dortmund continued their slow start to the season with a shock 2-1 loss to Hertha Berlin in a fiery encounter. Robert Lewandowski's late goal for Dortmund ensured a nervy finish but it was a case of too little, too late for the home side after Peter Niemeyer had put Hertha 2-0 up.

A Claudio Pizarro brace helped Werder Bremen to a 2-0 win over Hamburg - and to second place on the league table. Mainz were hammered 4-0 at home by Hoffenheim. A double from former Liverpool man Ryan Babel as well as goals from Roberto Firmino and Nikolce Noveski (own goal) made it a torrid afternoon for Mainz. Hoffenheim now move up to fourth while Stuttgart sit in ninth thanks to a 3-0 home win over Hannover.

Bundesliga Season 2011/2012

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