Bundesliga Team of the Season - 2012/13

Here's my second Team of the season this time looking at the German division. Bayern Munich won the treble so bare that in mind it influenced my decision on numerous positions. I love the Bundesliga it's probably my join second favourite league with La-Liga so here's my team of the season and comment underneath with your views. It's only my opinion remember. Everyone's views are welcomed.

Bayern Munich - Champions League triumph

GK - Rene Adler

- It would have been easy to go for Bayern's Manuel Neuer, especially with his eye catching performances in Europe but when basing it on the size of the side and how good he's been in Germany I've gone with Adler. After being rejected by Bayern Leverkusen he really found his feet at Hamburg and not only put together a string of successful performances but also pushed his way back into the German set up. 31 appearances and 7 clean sheets that's essentially 1 in 4 games which in the free scoring Bundesliga is impressive. A summer move is perhaps on the card with Arsenal linked.

RB - Dani Carvajal

- I've put Phillip Lahm on the other side of defence to compensate for this unbelievable great season for Dani. Once stuck in Real Madrid's B team and not making the grade there he made a switch to Leverkusen and his performances haven't gone unnoticed most notable by the team that he left from with Real Madrid having a clause in place when he did leave, this week they have announced they will be signing him permanently for £6.5 million pounds which is a bargain especially when you consider he's only 21 years old could be a firm favourite at Madrid for years. Created 9 goals in 31 appearances, it's his solid nature which attracts fans but his ability to cross the ball is similar to Leighton Baines of Everton, he uses a variety of crosses in his arsenal.

CB - Mats Hummels - Dortmund

- Borussia Dortmund's rise to prominence has had much to do with attacking philosophy and also ball retention but what people overlook is the defensive stability Hummels and co maintain. With Wiedenfaller in goals it's the perfect base to build a defence upon. Everyone notices Lukasz Piszczek bombing down the right and rightly so but without the defensive muscle of Hummels and Subotic then it wouldn't happen it's as simple as that.Hummels made 37 appearances this season altogether which isn't exactly stalwart material but his importance is understated. He missed 13 games altogether in the league and perhaps that might have something to do with Bayern's dominance in the Bundesliga. Tall, compact but the ultimate ball playing defender. Also only 24

CB - Dante - Bayern Munich

- Fans may forget that Dante was signed from rival German side Borussia Munchengladbach. Often seen as the weakness in the Bayern defence, has proved many critics wrong this season and has been a star in their rise to the final. most notably his performances in the semi final against Barcelona. We know the Brazilian is cultured as most Brazilians are but it's his composure and his intelligence which partners him up with Hummels. He clears plenty of balls which are put into the box and has the sheer desire to keep on doing it game after game. Missed 10 games of the league season but with Daniel Van Buyten in reserve he has an experienced deputy. 

LB - Phillip Lahm - Bayern Munich

- As I've mentioned I've put Lahm on this side to compensate for Dani Carvajal. We all know all about Lahm by now, it seems like he's been here for years and yet perhaps his best is still to come. His consistency stands him apart from other defenders particularly in Europe this season. Whether it be bombing down the wing alongside Robben/Ribery and co he offers the defensive structure and rigorous discipline which we associate with the Germans in any facet of life. 10 assists in 28 games also shows that he not only can defend but also attack as well which most wing backs need to do these days. I like to think Lahm does the simple things well, he's not going to catch the eye but if you wanted to bet your money on the most consistent player then here he is.

RM - Marco Reus - Dortmund

- Mr Versatile in essence here, can play a variety of positions so I've stuck him on the right here. His speed and technique makes him one of the rising stars of German football and Dortmund will be hoping to hang onto him as much as they can after the departures of Gotze and possibly Lewandowski. What Reus brings to the table is his pure close control and the fact he can do it with both feet. He rose to prominence with Borussia Monchengladbach. In 2012 before joining Dortmund he scored 18 goals and assisted 8 which single handedly drove Monchengladbach to the Champions League before leaving. 47 appearances in all competitions this season yielding 19 goals. Only missed 6 in the league, together with Gotze Marco Reus is unplayable at times. only 24.

CM - Bastian Schweinsteiger - Bayern Munich

- Bastian is the epitomy of Germany resilience. He has won so many top honours at individual level but also at club level. 6 Bundesliga titles, A Champions League title and 6 German cups show how great a player he is. It's his ability like his clubmate Lahm to just keep improving and allowing his consistency to shine through. In 44 appearances this year he chipped in with 9 goals and 13 assists. He simply does his job better than everyone else, he retains the ball, makes the tackles and covers plenty of yards as you would expect but it's his ability to succeed at the highest level which makes him a born champion. The treble this year sums up how great a year it's been for him. At 28 there's still plenty more to come from him which is worrying for his opponents.

CM - Mario Gotze - Dortmund (Joining Bayern Munich before 2013/2014 season)

- As I mentioned before Gotze is a great double act with Reus for Dortmund this season those two act as a foil for Robert Lewandowski to score the goals. These three going forward are devastating at times, which is essentially why Bayern chose to buy Gotze and possible Lewandowski if reports are true.What people have to remember is Gotze is only 21 which is astounding considering the last few seasons he's had. He was the playmaker for Dortmund, his technical ability was matched with superb speed and control. Bayern triggered his £37 million pound close and will make him the most expensive German player ever and with good reason too. The great Franz Beckenbauer has labeled him and Reus "As a classic duo there is nobody better than the prolific Reus and Gotze".10 goals from midfield last season and 16 in all competitions.

LM - Frank Ribery - Bayern Munich

- Ribery has been in superb form this season and it's been his consistency and his ability to stay injury free for once. 8 goals and 12 assists make him the perfect winger for some. His speed and dribbling ability we've known for some time but he's added the ability to find his man on crosses and passing accuracy has improved completely. Remember Zinedine Zidane once labelled Ribery "The jewel of French football". With Ribery on one wing and Robben on the left for Bayern you have two out and out wingers who like to not only beat their man but score goals as well. Was crucial to Bayern's rise to the top this season and expect more to come from the little Frenchman.

ST - Robert Lewandowski

- This goes without saying that the prolific Polish marksman walks straight into the side, a successful season despite losing the Champions League final could be finished with a move to rivals Bayern Munich. If that happens then the rest of Europe has a major problem on their hands. 36 goals in 48 appearances this season is sheer confidence, elegance and composure at the right end of the field. 24 goals in 31 league appearances show how much Dortmund rely on this man for his goals. The highlight of his season will without doubt be his 4 goals he put past Real Madrid in the CL semi finals but it's his overall play and dilligence which stand him apart from other top strikers. A classic example of this was in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu he was given a unpleasurable night should we say by opposition defender Sergio Ramos. How did he respond? With a complete performance and even giving out a few digs along the way. The 6 foot striker at only 24 years of age will surely top the European market for the next few seasons. 

ST - Stefan Kiebling 

- It would have been simple for me to go for Mario Manzukic here but then the team of the season would have been essentially the top two clubs contributing the prolific players. I've gone for a striker despite not playing for a big club he has still got a superb goalscoring ratio this season compounded by the fact that he doesn't have the service of the top club's attacking forces. Kiebling has been at Bayer Leverkusen since 2005/06 and his performances have been slightly inconsistent in certain seasons. For instance in 2009/10 he notched up 21 goals in 35 games, whereas in the following season he scored only 9 in 29 that's a huge gap for a striker. This season however he followed up 17 last season with another 10 more at 27 in 43 which is a decent return for the striker. A tall striker at 6ft 3 but his composure and positioning is outstanding you can tell he's starting to hone his experience especially at the age of 29. It's been a prolific season so expect offers in the summer. 

Thanks for checking out my German team of the season, much appreciated. Only my opinion remember

Take care and follow me on twitter @Daniel_John08

Suarez - One Thing After Another

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suarez at it again

Controversy just seems to follow him around. Ever since signing from Ajax for around 23 million, his indiscretions have overshadowed Liverpool's fall and rise to the top of English football. A gifted player, no doubt yet why would you throw your career away for meaningless idiocrasy. Luis Suarez is now 26 you just can't make excuses for this anymore. He's not a teenager or a child anymore, he should be in control of his own actions and try to change himself instead of hiding under the cloud of Anfield. He was nominated for PFA player of the year by his fellow professionals which means they value his ability as everyone else does but surely someone should not pick up an award when he constantly sets a bad example for younger viewers who aspire to be as good as these players.

Interesting fact - On his debut for Uruguay in 2006 he was sent off for two yellow cards in the 8th minute surely the start of it all.

Another one - In 2007 Luis Suarez was fined alongside Albert Luque for an altercation at Ajax in the dressing room, struggling to get on with others.

Infamous hand of god incident

Suarez v Ghana - Unbelievable

The incident which broke hearts all around the world, it was the quarter final of the World Cup in 2010, Luis Suarez took it upon himself to use his hand to prevent the ball going in and being sent off in the process. The penalty was missed by Asamoah Gyan and was the turning point in the game, despite being down to 10 men, Uruguay held out and won in the penalty shootout. It was a heartbreaking moment although the circumstances defended him on this one, it was still despicable.

Where it all began?

Let's not forget when he was at Ajax it's where the first public incident in his controversial club career occured. On his last ever game for Ajax before he left he bit PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal just near the shoulder and received a 7 match ban, what we must remember is this was only two years ago. It's starting to become a recurring theme.

Luis Saurez - Otman Bakkal

Diving and Finger Pointing

What we already know is that although he's a gifted player his ability to cause chaos at the back is unmatched at any level. It's a shame his behaviour dictates how people know him as a player, Infamously when playing against West Brom Suarez went down easily under a tackle from Jerome Thomas where Paul Scharner claimed the striker had tried a 'nice dive' this was the first of many cases. If this wasn't already a problem add that to the fact he made a finger gesture towards home fans at an away game against Fulham and suddenly it's becoming a scourge and a problem not only for the Premier League but Liverpool Football Club.

Racism Row

Luis Suarez was starting to finally calm down when the incident with United left back Patrice Evra caused him the headlines again. Whether you believe what happened or not the fact that he was involved is not a suprise and it's starting to become more than an inconvenience each time. Suarez was fined and banned for 8 matches. Apparently he used a racist slur ten times.

Luis Suarez/Patrice Evra Race row

Let's look more recently...

FA CUP - Mansfield v Liverpool

This year in the FA cup Liverpool were playing Mansfield away now bearing in mind this side are non league status it's hard to see why Suarez would need to get involved. Well he could have chosen to empty his conscience and leave it up to his team mates to rally round him but he chose the back handed way just like against Ghana. He caressed the ball when it bounced up into him and used it to his advantage to knock it past the keeper and tuck the ball away. It's a clear handball, how it wasn't given is a tragedy and another case of poor officiating this season.  Brendan Rodgers claimed it was up to the officials and not Suarez himself to own up but you think with a record as bad as his there would be an element of apology involved but no.You could again make an arguement for the fact any player would do it to get their side through but it's not is it. There's a difference between the World Cup and the last 32 in the FA Cup.

Luis Suarez v Mansfield

So what happens next?, Well according to reports Suarez is being heavily linked with Borussia Dortmund as a replacement for Mario Goetze. Luis Suarez feels he is being victimized and so do Liverpool but it's getting to the stage where it's becoming almost okay to cheat and what does that do to youngsters watching the game thinking that. He either needs to clean up his attitude and behaviour or leave the Premier League, either way something needs to happen.

Also a little mention to both German clubs in the Champions League who outthought and outmuscled their Spanish neighbours. Bayern winning 4-0 at home to a lacklustre Barcelona and Dortmund impressively defeating Real Madrid in Germany, both huge results for clubs on the up but what of the losers on the night....

Much Appreciated
D.John

Thomas Muller

Robert Lewandowski