It was another busy weekend of Bundesliga action. Matchday 28 saw the race for Europe get even tighter, massive relegation six-pointers, and some players telling the media to “screw the table!” Here is everything you need to know from matchday 28 in the Bundesliga.
Dortmund Join European Race
Possibly the most thrilling part of the Bundesliga this season is the race for all European spots. After matchday 28, just 6 points separate 4th and 9th place. Within these 6 points are Mainz 05, RB Leipzig, Borussia Mönchengladbach, SC Freiburg, Borussia Dortmund, and VfB Stuttgart.
Of these six teams, just three of them won last weekend. One of those teams was Borussia Dortmund, who made it back-to-back Bundesliga wins for the first time since late February. Chelsea loanee Carney Chukwuemeka scored his first BVB goal and slotted in well as the number 10 behind Maximilian Beier.
Head coach Niko Kovač, speaking on the fact that Chukwuemeka’s English compatriot Jamie Gittens also scored off the bench in the 4-0 win against Freiburg, cracked a wry joke at his post-match press conference.
“Carney is a great footballer who has some catching up to do,” Kovač added at the post-match press conference. “The lad has worked on himself diligently in the last few weeks. We witnessed what he’s capable of doing on the ball today. He’s a player with great potential for both us and Chelsea.”
“I’m satisfied and hopefully he’ll gain more playing time in the coming weeks,” Kovač continued. “I hope he can pick up where he left off today.“
“I don’t know what those Englishman do,” Kovač answered when asked to comment on Gittens’ goal, “They go to the pub or something. That wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“Screw the table!” – More Wolfsburg Woes
Wolfsburg captain Maximilian Arnold did not mix his words following Wolfaburg’s 1-0 defeat to Union Berlin on Sunday. It’s the Wolves’ third consecutive defeat on the spin as they’ve gone from European hopefuls to midtable mediocrity. Meanwhile, the win for Union all but secures their Bundesliga status.
“We need to be more stable defensively, and we need to score a goal up front,” Arnold explained.
Whilst Cher’s “Do you believe in life after love?” blazed out around the stadium, Arnold seemed to be falling out of love with Wolfsburg’s recent performances:
“Screw the table! We’ve lost three games now, we should get some points again. Everything else doesn’t matter.”
Head coach Ralf Hasenhüttl has come under scrutiny in recent weeks, though it’s unsure whether the board will seek to replace him with just six games to play for.
Are Stuttgart Back?
It was the perfect week for VfB Stuttgart. Having secured a place in the DFB Pokal final in midweek, they followed this up with a superb 4-0 win against VfL Bochum. The Bundesliga win was Stuttgart’s first in six matches and keeps them within contention for a European spot.
Stuttgart’s Ermedin Demirovic scored his first Bundesliga ...
