Matchday 27 talking points
March 17, 2016
Bienkowski: Nagelsman needs to take feel-good factor on the road
Few would have expected new Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann to perform miracles when he came to the relegation-threatened club in early February, yet after six Bundesliga games the new-look side now sit fifth in the league form table and once again have a spring in their step.
Indeed under the stewardship of their new manager the Sinsheim side have beaten Mainz, Augsburg and Wolfsburg at home – no easy task – but have dropped points on the road to fellow relegation battlers Werder Bremen whilst losing to Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart. Hoffenheim seem resilient at home but look look like their old, helpless selves when they travel to opposing stadiums.
At Hamburg on Saturday, Nagelsmann has a perfect opportunity to turn his side's away form on its head and pick up a vital three points that may see them finally pull out of the bottom three. Hamburg have only won one of their last five games and may well get dragged in to the relegation battle if they can't match a Hoffenheim side with win in their sails.
Harding: All three points are a must for Frankfurt against Hannover
Irrespective of the tepid performance his Frankfurt team delivered against Gladbach, Niko Kovac cannot be feeling good about life in the business capital. His squad look bereft of talent and, perhaps more importantly, leaders. This weekend's game against Hannover is pivotal for them in their quest to avoid relegation. While Hannover are drifting away at the foot of the table (defeat here will all but spell the end), Frankfurt are clinging on to the trio of teams three points above them.
Augsburg, Darmstadt and Werder Bremen all look unlikely to win this weekend, offering Frankfurt, and Kovac, a chance to prove their top-flight credentials. The Croatian has been full of praise for Anis Ben-Hatira this week, so look to him to shine in a midfield stumped without Alex Meier to aim at. Defeat at home against the weakest side in the league might leave Frankfurt in a hole Kovac might not be able to get them out of. The Bundesliga hasn't been kind on head coaches arriving during this campaign and for all of Kovac's good intentions (the Croatian has planned a training camp during the international break), he will join that list unless he delivers results, fast.
Dunbar: Super Mario can inject some life into Bayern's season
It's fair to say that Bayern's league season isn't capturing the attention of the masses. A five-point lead should safely see the Bavarians through to win the championship, but the last eight games will be a bit of a grind for Pep Guardiola's side.
What will be interesting, however, ahead of the coaching change is seeing which players are out to prove themselves to Carlo Ancelotti. One of them, Mario Götze, has a lot of doubters, and yet remains one of the club's most talented attacking options.
After recovering from injury, Götze spent around five weeks on the bench before being called in against Werder Bremen last weekend. The 23-year-old was back to his best, intelligently leading from the front and bringing out the best in others. He isn't the same player from his time at Borussia Dortmund, but that should be embraced.
As Guardiola looks to find the right blend for the Champions League, the Catalan will almost certainly be keen to experiment given the performances in both legs against Juventus. Although Götze will almost certainly be in Germany's squad for the Euros, regular game time could be the catalyst for him to be at the heart of Bayern's treble efforts.
What are you looking out for this weekend in the Bundesliga? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @DW_Sports.