Bavarian Football Works - Bayern Munich look for their third win against Hamburg this seasonManufacturing goals in the German tradition, for domestic consumption and for export.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47275/bavarian-fave.png2015-02-17T14:00:03+01:00http://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/rss/stream/78014682015-02-17T14:00:03+01:002015-02-17T14:00:03+01:00Müller, Reus, Dost up for Player of the Week
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<figcaption>Adam Pretty/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The three players are up for Player of the Week in Matchday 21.</p> <p>Thomas Müller, <span>Marco Reus</span>, and Bas Dost have been nominated for the Player of the Week for the Bundesliga Matchday 21.</p>
<p>Müller scored two goals and assisted on two goals in <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/">Bayern Munich's</a> big 8-0 victory over Hamburg. Müller's effort moves him within one goal and two assists of reaching the double digit goals and assists club once again. Bayern remain at the top of the Bundesliga, eight points ahead of second place.</p>
<p>Reus scored a goal and had an assist in <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fearthewall.com/">Borussia Dortmund's</a> victory over Mainz. The assist was incredibly impressive as Reus struck the ball with the outside of his foot into the path of <span>Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang</span> for a wonderful goal. Dortmund have moved out of the relegation zone with the loss.</p>
<p>Dost notched four goals including the game winner for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/vfl-wolfsburg">Wolfsburg</a> in their 5-4 victory over <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/bayer-leverkusen">Bayer Leverkusen</a>. In the four Rückrunde games thus far, Dost has scored seven goals. Wolfsburg remain eight points behind Bayern Munich, but they're also eight points ahead of third place</p>
<p>Who do you think wins?</p>
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<h5 class="poll-title">Who was player of the week?</h5>
<div id="poll_container_282020_81014639" class="poll_container">
<div class="poll_option clearfix">
<div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none">38%</div>
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<h5>Thomas Müller</h5>
<div class="poll_option_bar"><span class="vote_count">32</span> votes</div>
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<div class="poll_option clearfix">
<div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none">36%</div>
<div class="poll_option_result">
<h5>Marco Reus</h5>
<div class="poll_option_bar"><span class="vote_count">30</span> votes</div>
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<div class="poll_option clearfix">
<div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none">26%</div>
<div class="poll_option_result">
<h5>Bas Dost</h5>
<div class="poll_option_bar"><span class="vote_count">22</span> votes</div>
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<p class="poll-total-votes"><strong>84</strong> votes
| <span class="poll-has-closed">Poll has closed</span>
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https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/2/17/8048687/thomas-muller-marco-reus-bas-dost-player-of-the-weekPhillip Quinn2015-02-17T01:00:03+01:002015-02-17T01:00:03+01:00Bayern collectively earns top marks in ratings
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<figcaption>Adam Pretty/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Bayern Munich's 8-0 annihilation of Hamburger SV on Saturday earned the entire squad some of the highest ratings of the entire season; including a duel between Arjen Robben and Thomas Müller for the top performance of the season.</p> <p>While the very nature of perfection makes it an impossibility, every once in a while you find something nearly flawless. As those moments or objects are precious and rare, they are to be revered and celebrated. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/">Bayern Munich's</a> 8-0 thrashing of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/hamburger-sv-hsv">Hamburger SV</a> on Saturday was one such moment of that ilk and the community ratings celebrated that fact with aplomb.</p>
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="265">
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<col width="137"> <col width="64" span="2"> </colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20" width="137">Player</td>
<td width="64">Rating.</td>
<td width="64">Std Dev.</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20"><span>Arjen Robben</span></td>
<td align="right">4.96</td>
<td align="right">0.19</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20">Thomas Müller</td>
<td align="right">4.9</td>
<td align="right">0.31</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20"><span>Bastian Schweinsteiger</span></td>
<td align="right">4.69</td>
<td align="right">0.54</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20">Mario Götze</td>
<td align="right">4.63</td>
<td align="right">0.63</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20"><span>Holger Badstuber</span></td>
<td align="right">4.36</td>
<td align="right">0.74</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20"><span>Robert Lewandowski</span></td>
<td align="right">4.15</td>
<td align="right">0.63</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20"><span>David Alaba</span></td>
<td align="right">4.13</td>
<td align="right">0.8</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20">Franck Ribery</td>
<td align="right">4.09</td>
<td align="right">0.74</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20"><span>Juan Bernat</span></td>
<td align="right">4.01</td>
<td align="right">0.76</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20"><span>Manuel Neuer</span></td>
<td align="right">3.95</td>
<td align="right">0.7</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20">Rafinha</td>
<td align="right">3.95</td>
<td align="right">0.8</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20"><span>Mehdi Benatia</span></td>
<td align="right">3.9</td>
<td align="right">0.8</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20">
<td height="20"><span>Gianluca Gaudino</span></td>
<td align="right">3.49</td>
<td align="right">0.84</td>
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<tr height="20">
<td height="20"><span>Claudio Pizarro</span></td>
<td align="right">3.46</td>
<td align="right">0.84</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p>Rounding out at a final score of 4.96 (out of 5), Arjen Robben took the this week's top prize. The Flying Dutchman was on cloud nine the entire match, notching two wonder goals (yes, a right footed near post blast is a wonder goal for Arjen Robben) as a dynamic hub of the Bayern Munich attack. As incredible a performance as it was, it did not make it as the highest rated single game performance of the season for Bayern, missing out on the top spot but 1/100th of a point (that title still belongs to Thomas Müller's hat trick on Matchday 11 against Frankfurt). Right on Robben's heels in this match though was Müller who logged a 4.9 rating behind two goals, two assists and a whirlwind performance in midfield.</p>
<p>The rest of the Bayern Munich squad logged rave ratings as 8 players logged ratings above the above average line (4.0) with just three starters falling below that line (Neuer, Rafinha, Benatia). Standing out amongst that pack were Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Götze whose performances in the spine of Bayern were easily the biggest structural strengths in their demolition of Hamburg.</p>
<p>On the lower end of the spectrum, substitutes Claudio Pizarro and Gianluca Gaudino graded out in the 3.5 range. Consider the game was already out of sight at 7-0 when they came on it was a good, if effectively unnecessary, performance from the substitutes.</p>
<p><b>Scale and Sample Size</b>: n=79, 5 - Excellent ; 4 - Above Average ; 3 - Average ; 2 - Poor ; 1 - Abject</p>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/2/17/8047637/bayern-munich-hamburger-sv-community-ratings-a-nearly-flawless-performanceRyan Cowper2015-02-17T00:00:03+01:002015-02-17T00:00:03+01:00Robben nominated for Goal of the Week
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<figcaption>Adam Pretty/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Arjen Robben is joined by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Elkin Soto, Bas Dost, and Heung-Ming Son in this week's Goal of the Week competition.</p> <p><span>Arjen Robben's</span> left footed 35th minute strike in <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/">Bayern Munich's</a> 8-0 win over <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/hamburger-sv-hsv">Hamburger SV</a> on Saturday was a peach of a goal. On the counterattack, cutting in on his favoired left foot, dummying two defenders, finding a yard (or two or three!) of space and unleashing a left footed blast off the far post and into the goal. Rightfully, that goal has been nominated for this week's Bundesliga Goal of the Week.</p>
<p>Robben is once again up against some stiff competition though. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyangs's go ahead sliding goal in Bortmund's 4-2 win over Mainz has also been nominated while Elkin Soto's opening sky high goal that evaded the Dortmund defense is also in the running. However, it is Bas Dost's outside of the boot flick to put <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/vfl-wolfsburg">Wolfsburg</a> up 3-0 over Leverkusen or Heung-Ming Son's laser strike later in that match that will give Arjen Robben's goal the most trouble in this week's awards.</p>
<p>Watch the video and then vote for your favorite in the <a href="http://www.bundesliga.com/en/fanzone/">Bundesliga.com FanZone</a>!</p>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/2/17/8048521/arjen-robben-and-bas-dost-among-quintet-nominated-for-goal-of-the-weekRyan Cowper2015-02-15T18:33:13+01:002015-02-15T18:33:13+01:00Bayern 8-0 Hamburg: Highlights, stats, and quotes
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<figcaption>Adam Pretty/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Watch the highlights, check out the stats, and read what the teams had to say follow Bayern's 8-0 drubbing of Hamburg.</p> <h4>Match Summary</h4>
<h5> <a href="https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bayern Munich</a> 8-0 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/hamburger-sv-hsv" class="sbn-auto-link">Hamburger SV</a> </h5>
<h5>Goals</h5>
<p><strong>Bayern Munich:</strong> Thomas Müller (21, 55), Mario Götze (23, 88), <span>Arjen Robben</span> (36, 47), <span>Robert Lewandowski</span> (56), Franck Ribery (69)<br><strong>Hamburg: N</strong>one</p>
<h5>Misconduct</h5>
<p><strong>Bayern Munich:</strong> None<br><strong>Hamburg:</strong> Rafael Van der Vaart (27)</p>
<h4>Lineups and Stats</h4>
<h5>Bayern Munich</h5>
<p><strong>Lineup: </strong>Neuer; Bernat, Badstuber, Benatia (Ribery 59), Rafinha; Alaba, Schweinsteiger - Götze - Müller (Gaudino 66), Lewandowski, Robben (Pizarro 71)</p>
<p><strong>Not used:</strong> Reina, Badstuber, Gaudino, Pizarro</p>
<p><strong>Shots:</strong> 25 (Robben 6)<br><strong>Shots on goal:</strong> 14 (Schweinsteiger 5)</p>
<h5>Hamburg</h5>
<p><strong>Lineup: </strong>Drobny - Marcos (Ostrzolek 57), Westermann, Djourou, Götz - Jansen, Van der Vaart (Jiracek 57), Diaz, Stieber - Rudnevs, Olic (Müller 23)</p>
<p><strong>Not used:</strong> Reina, Dante, Rode, Weiser</p>
<p><strong>Shots:</strong> 7 (Rudnevs, Jansen 2)<br><strong>Shots on goal:</strong> 2 (Rudnevs 2)</p>
<h4>Quotes</h4>
<h5><span>Pep Guardiola</span></h5>
<p><span>"We played well and our build-up play was better than it has been recently. I'm happy because we're back in the groove. We'll turn our focus to the Champions League now. <span>Xabi Alonso</span> had a minor problem with a sprain and we didn't want to take any risks."</span></p>
<h5><span><span>Bastian Schweinsteiger</span></span></h5>
<p>"You obviously enjoy it when you play like we did today. We worked hard, kept it simple and moved well. We talked a lot out there on the pitch and that also makes life easier. Our build-up play was much improved compared to recent weeks and our attacks were better."</p>
<h5>Robert Lewandowski</h5>
<p>"8-0 and a great performance! It's always good when you score lots of goals. It'll obviously be a completely different game on Tuesday, but we're up for it. I'm delighted we played so well."</p>
<h5>Joe Zinnbauer (HSV coach)</h5>
<p>"I'll not forget this day for the rest of my life. There's not a lot to discuss when you've lost 8-0. We have to apologise to our fans because 8-0 is unbelievable, although we did meet incredibly strong opponents today. The margin of victory is the right one. We have to pick ourselves up, put the game behind us as fast as we can and show a reaction against Gladbach."</p>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/2/15/8040875/bayern-munich-schalke-highlights-stats-and-quotesPhillip Quinn2015-02-15T06:13:28+01:002015-02-15T06:13:28+01:00Arjen Robben: The guys make fun of my right foot<blockquote>
<p><p>"We played well so our players deserve credit for that. We need to keep going and we can't start thinking: 'we're back and now everything will happen automatically.' We have to keep working hard. A victory like this is good for our confidence and god for the future. We need to take the positives from it and start focusing on the Champions League. Things are going very well for me now. I've been fit for a very long time now and that helps - staying healthy is the most important thing. I'm enjoying my football at the moment. <strong>We celebrated my second goal like that because a lot of the time the guys make fun of my right foot - and rightly so because it isn't very strong, but sometimes it can do something.</strong>"</p></p>
</blockquote>
<div class="source"><p><a href="http://www.bundesliga.com/en/liga/news/2014/0000313338.php">Bundesliga.com</a></p></div>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/2/15/8041081/arjen-robben-the-guys-make-fun-of-my-right-footPhillip Quinn2015-02-15T05:41:43+01:002015-02-15T05:41:43+01:00Bastian Schweinsteiger put on quite the passing clinic against Hamburg<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/566704440871092224">Bastian Schweinsteiger put on quite the passing clinic against&nbsp;Hamburg</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>Bastian completed 101 of 110 passes on the day. What a performance in the middle of the park.</p></p></div>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/2/15/8041007/bastian-schweinsteiger-put-on-quite-the-passing-clinic-against-hamburgPhillip Quinn2015-02-14T18:52:30+01:002015-02-14T18:52:30+01:00Alonso injured prior to Hamburg rout
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<figcaption>Alex Grimm/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Xabi Alonso missed today's match against Hamburger SV with a thigh injury</p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/">Bayern Munich's</a> 8-0 win over <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/hamburger-sv-hsv">Hamburger SV</a> was a rollicking good time of fun and debauchery. One player who missed out on all the fun was <span>Xabi Alonso</span> though. The former Spanish international was on on the team sheet after sustaining an injury.This morning during light warmups, Xabi Alonso <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/xabi-alonso/anschwitzen-abgebrochen-droht-ausfall-gegen-hsv-39770202.bild.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">pulled up with a thigh injury</a> and was promptly taken away by medical staff for evaluation, reports BILD.</p>
<p>While the club have not released any details on the nature of the injury or a timetable for his return, it's safe to say Bayern Munich will be in capable hands in his absence. <span>Bastian Schweinsteiger</span> and <span>David Alaba</span> formed a more then capable partnership and together with <span>Holger Badstuber</span> were an impressive offensive and defensive trio for Bayern Munich. If the injury to Alonso turns out to be a minor concern, I would expect to see Alonso return to the starting eleven next week in Bayern's match against SC <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/paderborn">Paderborn</a>. There's no sense risking him for the long haul in the mid-week against Shaktar Donetsk, especially with the way the Bayern Munich midfield acquitted themselves today.</p>
<p>On the other side of the equation, if Alonso is out for a longer period of time, then <span>Philipp Lahm</span> can't come back soon enough as this Bayern Munich midfield corps is stretched very thin on deep-lying playmakers.</p>
https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/2/14/8038933/xabi-alonso-withheld-from-rollicking-win-against-hamburger-sv-due-toRyan Cowper2015-02-14T18:34:43+01:002015-02-14T18:34:43+01:00Bayern vs. Hamburg: Awards and player rankings
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<figcaption>Alex Grimm/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>When Bayern Munich roll to an 8-0 victory will the meister of the match be a goal scorer?</p> <h5>
<b>Tip Of The Cap:</b> <span>Holger Badstuber</span>
</h5>
<p>In his return to the <a href="https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bayern Munich</a> starting lineup, Holger Badstuber was the defensive rock of Bayern Munich. Attempting 105 passes, he was the central conduit linking <span>Bastian Schweinsteiger</span> with the rest of the defense as the Bayern Munich attacks flowed up and down the pitch stretching and pulling the Hamburg defense apart. In defense he shut down those few Hamburg attacks that did occur, gathering two tackles, two interceptions and winning all of his aerial duels.</p>
<h5>
<b>Golf Clap:</b> <span>Arjen Robben</span>
</h5>
<p>Arjen Robben scored two goals astounding goals with the first being a cutting in curling effort that dinked off the far post and in. However it was his second that really stood out before netting his second a brilliant counterattack that the Dutchamn his right foot through to beat Jaroslav Drobny near post. It was a strike that few thought Arjen Robben was capable of.</p>
<h5>
<b>Standing Ovation:</b> Thomas Müller</h5>
<p>Today was vintage Thomas Müller. The German international registered two goals and two assists and was a literal hurricane for Bayern Munich. His off-ball runs were consistently met with passes and he interchanged seamlessly with Lewandowski, Götze and Robben for the entire duration of his appearance.</p>
<h5>
<b>Meister Of The Match:</b> Bastian Schweinsteiger</h5>
<p>Bastian Schweinsteiger had an astounding game as the attacking creative hub of this team. He attempted 113 passes, splayed long balls far and wide across the pitch, and registered six chances created including one assist. On the defensive side of the ball he notched three interceptions and won all his aerial duels as he took a weak Hamburg midfield of Van der Vaart and Marcelo Diaz completely apart. He was the rock upon which Bayern Munich built the entirety of their dynamic vertical attack.</p>
<p> </p>
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https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2015/2/14/8038797/bayern-8-0-hamburg-match-awards-and-player-rankingsRyan Cowper