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Bundesliga Team Of The Season
.....................................Neuer
Mertesacker, .............Delpierre, ..........Naldo,........... Meira
Schneider, ................Frings, ...............Pardo, ...........Diego
...............................Gekas, ................Gomez
Goalkeeper
1) Manuel Neuer (Schalke)
Manuel Neuer replaced Frank Rost as Schalke’s keeper after the first ten games of the season. The 21 year old has kept 13 clean sheets in his 27 games this season. Neuer made his Bundesliga debut in Schalke’s second game of the season against Alemannia Aachen and quickly established himself as the first choice keeper. Frank Rost has since moved to Hamburg as Mirko Slomka put his trust in the youngster.
He came very close to capping his debut season with a Bundesliga title. He made his U-21 debut for Germany on his 21st birthday in friendly against the Czech Republic and put in a man of the match performance. With Jens Lehmann advancing in years, it may fall to Neuer to become the next number one in the national team.
Defenders
2) Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen)
Having joined Bremen for €5 million from Hannover after an impressive showing at the World Cup, ‘Merte’has shown why trainer Thomas Schaaf wanted to recruit him for his defence. It is no coincidence that after Mertesacker injured his knee against Nürnberg on Easter Sunday, that Bremen seemed to lose their way in the title race and made their exit from the Uefa Cup at the semi-final stage. Despite the knee injury which blighted the latter end of the season, Per has formed an awesome defensive pairing alongside Naldo as Bremen became one of the Bundeliga’s meanest defences.
3) Matthieu Delpierre (Stuttgart)
The French defender has become a lynchpin at the heart of the Stuttgart defence. Having only missed one game this season through illness, Delpierre has formed an almost impenetrable barrier alongside Fernando Meira at the heart of the Stuttgart defence. Rewarded with a championship medal, his defensive performances have alerted the attentions of some English premier league clubs.
4) Naldo (Werder Bremen)
Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues, better known as Naldo has this season become one of the best defenders in the entire Bundesliga. On signing the defender Werder trainer Thomas Schaaf stated “he is probably the best defender in Brazil”. At the time this seemed wishful thinking , but it has since become an accepted fact. He has been a consistently solid performer and is always a threat going forward at set pieces.
5) Fernando Meira (Stuttgart)
Stuttgart captain Fernando Meira lifted the Bundesliga title to cap a superb season for him personally and the team in general. Chasing Schalke for much of the season, Meira’s never say die attitude summed up the fighting spirit of the team from the Gottlieb-Daimler stadium. Although the Portuguese defender has missed parts of the season through injury, the Stuttgart defence has always looked more secure with him at the heart of it.
Midfielders
6) Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen)
An indication of the level of performance from Torsten Frings this season is that he will push Diego all the way for the title of Bremen’s player of the season. Having been one of Germany’s best performers at the World Cup, he has carried this form throughout the season to be one of the most consistent players in the Bundesliga. The one disappointment for him will be the lack of silverware having lost out in the league, and the Uefa Cup. That he has turned down a lucrative move to Juventus is the best news Werder trainer Thomas Schaaf could wish to hear.
7) Pavel Pardo (Stuttgart)
After the World Cup Stuttgart signed Pavel Pardo for €1 million along with his Mexican team-mate Ricardo Osorio. As the first Mexicans to play in the Bundesliga, few would have predicted the impact he has had on the Swabians. Pardo has provided the defensive cover so that Thomas Hitzlsperger, Sami Khedira, and Roberto Hilbert can get forward and attack. He may not get the attention afforded to many of the other ‘stars’ of the championship winning side, but his role has been vital in the success enjoyed by Stuttgart this season.
Diego (Werder Bremen)
Surely a candidate for player of the season. He arrived in Bremen at the start of the season from Porto having missed out on a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad. Some players take a while to settle in a new country, but Diego found his feet straight away in Bremen and won the Bundesliga player of the month for August. Further awards followed in October and December and he was voted ‘Best Player of the first half of the Bundesliga’.
His goal against Alemannia Aachen from 62m will surely go down as one of the best ever Bundesliga goals. He has formed a midfield partnership with Torsten Frings which is the envy of many clubs. The pair are known as the ‘two motors of Bremen's midfield’. Such has been his level of performance this year that Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are reported to be keen on securing his services.
9) Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen)
Bernd Schneider is one of the most versatile players in the Bundesliga, and Bayer Leverkusen can be grateful to him for the fact they have qualified for the Uefa Cup this season. Schneider who joined Leverkusen in 1999, has contributed 6 goals and 11 assists this season. Full of tricks and always entertaining to watch, Schneider has put in match-winning performances against Aachen, Stuttgart, Mainz and Nürnberg.
Strikers
10) Theofanis Gekas (Bochum)
Bochum trainer Marcel Koller described Theofanis Gekas as their “life insurance” in November and he has certainly turned out to be their saviour this season. Bochum have achieved Bundesliga survival thanks to a large part on the goals of their Greek forward. Nicknamed ‘the Greek God’ by the fans, the ex-Panathinaikos striker has topped the Bundesliga scoring charts this season with 20 goals. A complicated arrangement whereby he is only on a long-term loan at Bochum, has lead to him being transferred to Bayer Leverkusen. That is no comfort to Bundesliga defences who will still have to face him next season.
11) Mario Gomez (Stuttgart)
Mario Gomez has been a sensation this season for Stuttgart alongside strike partner Cacau. His 14 goals have helped propel Stuttgart to their 5th Bundesliga title. A knee injury mid-way through the season prevented him from scoring more, but the way he battled back to fitness in time to affect the end of the season is a credit to him.
He was rewarded with his first international cap against Switzerland in February and scored Germany’s second goal in a 3-1 win.
Substitutes:
Rafael Schäfer (Nürnberg) Ever-present this season and a major factor in Nürnberg achieving Bundesliga survival and reaching the Cup final.
Marcelo Jose Bordon (Schalke) A rock at the heart of Schalke’s defence. His performances this season have been deserving of a championship winning medal- alas!
Ludovic Magnin (Stuttgart) The veteran Swiss defender has provided some much needed grit and experience to the Stuttgart defence.
Thomas Hitzlsperger (Stuttgart) ‘The Hammer’ has really developed this season to confound all the doubters who didn’t consider him a top-class midfielder. Chipped in with 7 goals.
Rafael Van Der Vaart (Hamburg) The Dutchman’s performances towards the end of the season have rescued Hamburg’s season. His vision, creativity, and more importantly goals have made him one of the most sought after playmakers in the league.
Cacau (Stuttgart) Alongside his partner Gomez, the Brazilian Cacau has provided the ammunition to shoot Stuttgart to the title. His 13 goals for the champions have been rewarded with a contract extension to 2010.
Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke) After the disappointment of the World Cup, Kevin Kuranyi has produced this season to fire Schalke to within a whisker of the Bundesliga title. His 15 goals make him the second highest scorer in the league.