It's pretty silly to talk about relegation races before the winter break, but it's pretty silly that Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen are in the relegation race. And to say they're in the relegation race is to be kind because going into this weekend's clash Werder are bottom of the Bundesliga and BVB are in the relegation playoff spot.
Dortmund are still great in the midfield. They often dominate the center of the pitch, but it hasn't done them much good. They've been so disastrous in front of both goals, attacking and defending, that it hasn't meant much. But at least they have the midfield, which is more than Werder can say.
Bremen have been atrocious all over and are already on their second manager of the season. They've been in the top flight for 32 consecutive seasons, but now that's in danger.
Nothing about these teams is predictable or sensible. They are too good to be where they are. They are too experienced. They have too much pedigree. But none of that has done them any good this season as they have turned in awful performance after awful performance with a bit of misfortune and confusion tossed in.
You would think that this match would lean BVB's way. After all, they're not in last place. They have at least been good in the midfield. And while they have dealt with some nasty injuries, they still have Neven Subotic, Mats Hummels, Kevin Grosskreutz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. That's more than Werder can say.
But Werder aren't away. And Werder don't have the worst away record in the Bundesliga, with a meager four points from eight matches. Maybe Dortmund don't have the edge in this one after all. After all, the idea of "edges" in between two teams in the bottom three is pretty crazy, just like these two teams.
So against all logic, when Dortmund and Werder meet on Saturday, they will do so in a relegation six-pointer. It will be the Champions League round of 16 team versus the first division stalwart hoping to jump out of the drop zone.
Source: http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2014/12/19/7420851/premier-league-la-liga-bundesliga-serie-a-2014-schedule-preview-december-19
Dortmund are still great in the midfield. They often dominate the center of the pitch, but it hasn't done them much good. They've been so disastrous in front of both goals, attacking and defending, that it hasn't meant much. But at least they have the midfield, which is more than Werder can say.
Bremen have been atrocious all over and are already on their second manager of the season. They've been in the top flight for 32 consecutive seasons, but now that's in danger.
Nothing about these teams is predictable or sensible. They are too good to be where they are. They are too experienced. They have too much pedigree. But none of that has done them any good this season as they have turned in awful performance after awful performance with a bit of misfortune and confusion tossed in.
You would think that this match would lean BVB's way. After all, they're not in last place. They have at least been good in the midfield. And while they have dealt with some nasty injuries, they still have Neven Subotic, Mats Hummels, Kevin Grosskreutz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. That's more than Werder can say.
But Werder aren't away. And Werder don't have the worst away record in the Bundesliga, with a meager four points from eight matches. Maybe Dortmund don't have the edge in this one after all. After all, the idea of "edges" in between two teams in the bottom three is pretty crazy, just like these two teams.
So against all logic, when Dortmund and Werder meet on Saturday, they will do so in a relegation six-pointer. It will be the Champions League round of 16 team versus the first division stalwart hoping to jump out of the drop zone.
Source: http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2014/12/19/7420851/premier-league-la-liga-bundesliga-serie-a-2014-schedule-preview-december-19
