TableAfter33

Results of the 33rd matchday

TSG Hoffenheim – 1. FC Nürnberg 2:3 (1:2)

1. FC Kaiserslautern – Borussia Dortmund 2:5 (1:3)
   Bayer Leverkusen – Hannover 96 1:0 (0:0)
   FC Schalke 04 – Hertha BSC 4:0 (1:0)
   FC Bayern Munich – VfB Stuttgart 2:0 (1:0)
   SC Freiburg – 1. FC Köln 4:1 (1:0)
   Borussia Mönchengladbach – FC Augsburg 0:0
   Hamburger SV – FSV Mainz 05 0:0
   VfL Wolfsburg – Werder Bremen 3:1 (1:1)

The table situation

		Sp	S	U	N	Pkt	T		GT	Diff
1	Borussia Dortmund	33	24	6	3	78	76	–	25	+51
2	FC Bayern München	33	22	4	7	70	73	–	21	+52
3	FC Schalke 04	33	19	4	10	61	71	–	42	+29
4	Borussia Mönchengladbach	33	16	9	8	57	46	–	24	+22
5	Bayer Leverkusen	33	14	9	10	51	48	–	43	+5
6	VfB Stuttgart	33	14	8	11	50	60	–	44	+16
7	Hannover 96	33	11	12	10	45	39	–	44	-5
8	VfL Wolfsburg	33	13	5	15	44	45	–	57	-12
9	Werder Bremen	33	11	9	13	42	47	–	55	-8
10	1.FC Nürnberg	33	12	6	15	42	37	–	45	-8
11	TSG Hoffenheim	33	10	11	12	41	40	–	44	-4
12	SC Freiburg	33	10	10	13	40	45	–	57	-12
13	FSV Mainz 05	33	9	12	12	39	47	–	48	-1
14	Hamburger SV	33	8	12	13	36	35	–	56	-21
15	FC Augsburg	33	7	14	12	35	35	–	49	-14
16	1.FC Köln	33	8	6	19	30	38	–	71	-33
17	Hertha BSC	33	6	10	17	28	35	–	63	-28
18	1.FC Kaiserslautern	33	4	11	18	23	23	–	52	-29
							840		840	0
	Gesamtanzahl Spiele	297
				Tore ø		2.83

A few notes on results and table

The decisions have essentially been made. Champion, Champions League, relegation. Well, “essentially”. But it’s not exactly funny when it’s defeat after defeat in the snail race (the elephants were running in front) and you still talk about “the last chance” and “the ultimate final” from game to game – only to realise each time, after comparing the results with those of the competition, that not much has actually changed. But this straw is really very thin, because apart from the question of whether we can still reach this now suddenly coveted relegation place, it only means a postponement – and only possibly salvation.

Well, for one’s own feelings, the relegation decision (as far as it has been so far) has been made much too early: Normally, one would have expected a stronger comeback from all the teams in the area, simply because of the previous experience of about 50 years of Bundesliga football, although in the past (yes, back then, when everything was still so beautiful… even the future, wasn’t it? ) that a team (and with it the people in charge) realised, so to speak, that it wouldn’t be enough this season, that they nevertheless didn’t make a loss, with three coach dismissals, thus keeping coach and players together with the experience they had gained, and next year, with fans still enthusiastic – because they also realised that the team was getting everything out of itself and wasn’t bad at all, but that the competition was simply better – they would make another attempt to storm the top flight. The golden age. Today, there are only (imposed) demands and expectations, and as a result, of course, disappointments galore.

For the Euroleague, too, the die is as good as cast. The only question is whether Kaiserslautern will get everything out of the final round in Hanover, and perhaps take something countable with them, which can by no means be guaranteed even with optimal preparation and attitude. In the rather unlikely event of defeat (according to the computer 12.92%), however, there would still be three teams ready to take 7th place, thus maintaining some kind of suspense.

The rest, if any, consists of positional battles. The fact that these circumstances are not noted by the media (especially Sky90) would be understandable if they did not want to spoil their ratings and thus tried to paint the last matchday in the most colourful colours of suspense, if it were not for the fact that the broadcaster has long since proved that it does not give a damn about viewers’ needs and that it does not attach any importance whatsoever to the build-up of suspense during the current broadcasts, on the contrary, it is permanently extinguished like a bush fire, if it should ever develop. In this respect, it is simply the exuberant ignorance of such events that is solely responsible for overlooking the decisions that have been made – and ignorance really does abound.

It would not be harmful, by the way, to draw attention to the lack of suspense in the decisions, no, on the contrary, one would then have the chance to present only football of the absolute top class and to illuminate that very specifically with the pleasing pretence that although they fight each other fiercely on the pitch – they are prepared to use only fair means to do so, which, by the way, could be a more than just picture-perfect advertisement for football.

Apart from that, as has been pointed out many times, it would do no harm at all to go into probabilities – for this, of course, it would be best to help oneself here, with the author. If we were talking about a 12.92% chance of Lautern winning in Hanover, a value that, incidentally, is far above the market estimate, the spectator would at least know what unlikely event he is actually waiting for – but would thus have the chance not to be disappointed if this little miracle does not happen. After all, it’s only an example.

Apart from that, it was pleasing to observe that not a single team was even remotely down on the game. All of them fulfilled their responsibility and obligation to play in the highest German division and to have heaps of spectators behind them – or sometimes against them. At least that’s what makes it fun.