Mainz spreading the scoring load

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:21:00 +0200

Two games played, six points, six goals: 1. FSV Mainz have made a more than handy start to 2010-11, and that without their top scorer from last season.

Mertesacker to miss big games for Bremen

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:11:00 +0200

Bremen – Bad news for Werder Bremen: defensive coordinator Per Mertesacker's facial injury, picked up early on in Germany's EURO 2012 qualifying win against Azerbaijan on Tuesday, is worse than initially suspected.

Court of Justice rules betting legislation contravenes EU law

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:20:00 +0200

German sports bodies have welcomed a ruling by the European Court of Justice that the current state monopoly on lotteries and sports betting does not concur with European Union law.

"Good football starts at the back"

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:31:00 +0200

Cologne/Munich - Germany have got their EURO 2012 qualifying campaign off to the ideal start, following up on the 1-0 win in Belgium with a 6-1 thumping of Azerbaijan in Cologne.

Germany hit Azerbaijan for six

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:43:00 +0200

Germany made it two wins out of two in their bid to reach the finals of EURO 2012, smahing a half-dozen goals past Azerbaijan in their first home qualifying game.

Ready for the big time?

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:52:00 +0200

Munich - The newspaper Welt has compared him to Cristiano Ronaldo and indeed, in terms of stature, movement and shooting power, Werder Bremen's Marko Arnautovic does bear more than a passing resemblance to the Portuguese superstar.

Defensive bulwark and occasional matchwinner

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:53:00 +0200

In Ghana, Isaac Vorsah is a hero. Following a solid World Cup in South Africa, the disappointment of a quarter-final exit hit him hard. However, the towering defender appears to be back on his game, netting the winning goal in Hoffenheim's 1-0 victory over St. Pauli on Matchday 2.

Patience required against the underdogs

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:38:00 +0200

Cologne - Lukas Podolski, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Co. celebrated boxing world champion Felix Sturm's victory over Giovanni Lorenzo on Saturday evening, but the German stars will looking to avoid a bloodied nose of their own on Tuesday night as they take on Azerbaijan in Cologne. "It's going to be very difficult to motivate ourselves properly for the game against Azerbaijan. We need to be fully focused from the very first minute because we made life very difficult for ourselves last time we played them," said Miroslav Klose, whose goal in Friday's 1-0 win over Belgium ensured Joachim Löw's charges got off to a winning start in qualifiying for EURO 2012.

A strategist, not a talent

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:22:00 +0200

Munich - Rarely does a Bundesliga coach overdo the praise when talking about one of his own players. After all, it could go to their heads of damage their character. Particular care has to be taken with younger players. Then again, Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp is rarely one to stick to the rules.

"All the players need to take responsibility"

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:24:00 +0200

Stuttgart - Following a promising start in both the Europa League and DFB Cup, VfB Stuttgart began the new Bundesliga season with two defeats from two, leaving the Swabians without a single point at the bottom of the table.

"Wolfsburg was my preferred destination"

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:59:00 +0200

Wolfsburg - While the majority of his first-team colleagues are off on international duty, Wolfsburg new-boy Diego has been concentrating fully on settling in to his new abode.

Early form check: tops and flops

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:57:00 +0200

Munich - Two matchdays in, the signs are already there that this is going to be another exciting and above all unpredictable season of Bundesliga football.

"Happy about the good spirit we showed"

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:32:00 +0200

Hamburg/Brussels - It was mission accomplished for Germany on Friday as they came away from Belgium a 1-0 win and three points towards the finals of EURO 2012 in the Group A qualifying bag.

Winning start for Germany on the road to EURO 2012

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:39:00 +0200

Brussels - Germany got their EURO 2012 campaign successfully under way with a 1-0 victory over Belgium on the road.

Rolfes hits the net in comeback game

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:30:00 +0200

Wuppertal - Bayer Leverkusen captain Simon Rolfes marked his comeback after more than seven months sidelined through injury with a goal in a 4-0 friendly victory over Schalke 04.

Magath's rebuilding work continues apace

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:41:00 +0200

Munich - Just as Felix Magath had predicted, Schalke 04 got busy as the close of the summer transfer window approached earlier this week, signing up Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Nicolas Plestan and Jose Manuel Jurado. And after seeing his side start their Bundesliga campaign with back-to-back defeats, the head coach will doubtless be aiming to integrate the latest three newcomers in double-quick time.

Welcome (back) to the Bundesliga!

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:01:00 +0200

Munich - The summer transfer window has closed, the squads of the Bundesliga clubs are complete for the first half of the season. There was no lack of last-minute activity, with Schalke 04 alone signing three new players on August 31st.