Bundesliga - Team of the Month

By grvadmin

Welcome to the latest in my team of the month series.  This week it’s a look at the stars from the opening four weeks of action in Germany’s Bundesliga.

Here are the men making the headlines:

GK – Raphael Schafer (Nurnberg) 34 years old

The veteran has one of the toughest jobs in the Bundesliga behind a poor Nurnberg defence.  He is yet to keep a clean sheet but if it wasn’t for him things would be a lot worse.  Schafer has made some excellent saves this season and if the rest of the team can raise their game to play at the level he has Nurnberg will turn their season around.

RB – Stephen Schrock (Eintracht Frankfurt) 27 years old

The Philippines international has had a difficult start to his career in Frankfurt with his first two appearances being against Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund but he was the stand out player for Frankfurt on both occasions.  If he can play well against those two he has nothing to fear this season and should be looking forward to getting regular football after a difficult year with Hoffenheim.

LB – Oliver Sorg (Frieburg) 23 years old

Sorg is better known as a right back but he started the first three games of this season at left back and even got a goal in the 3-3 draw with Hoffenheim.  He did get back to right back in the game against Bayern Munich and looked very impressive but as most of his playing time has been at left back, I’ll slot him in here.

CB – Sebastian Prodl (Werder Bremen) 26 years old

Prodl has made a bright start to the season and has been crucial to Bremen, particularly in their first two games.  Both resulted in 1-0 wins and not only did he keep a clean sheet but he also got an assist on both goals.  The Austrian international will play a big role for Bremen this year as they hope for a successful season.

CB – Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund) 24 years old

The German centre-back is a player I rate very highly.  He has been fantastic for Dortmund in recent years and his high standards have not slipped in the opening weeks of the season as Dortmund have made a perfect start with four wins from four games. They will be looking to improve on a season where they finished as runners-up in the league and the Champions League and Hummels will play a key role in the outcome of their season.

CM – Zlatko Junuzovic (Werder Bremen) 25 years old

Junuzovic made an impressive start to the season for Bremen, scoring the only goal in their season opener with Braunschweig.  He hasn’t left it there though and has been a stand out for Bremen in the opening month of the season.

CM – Leon Andreasen (Hannover 96) 30 years old

The Danish international has a goal and an assist to his name so far this season and has played a key role in leading Hannover to three wins in their opening four games.  His current form could see him win his first Danish cap in almost a year as he is in the squad for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers.

RW – Nicolai Muller (Mainz 05) 25 years old

Muller finished off last season by making his debut for Germany and he has started this season by making a very good case for keeping his place in the squad with five goals in four games.  Surprisingly he has not been named in the current squad but if he continues this form he will be a regular in no time.

LW – Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund) 24 years old

This was a tough call between Reus and Franck Ribery but I decided to give it to Reus as he has an extra assist and Dortmund have made a slightly better start to the season.  Reus is a special player and at 24 should be coming towards his best years which will be a big part in keeping Dortmund competitive in the league and in Europe.

AM – Raffael (Borussia Monchengladbach) 28 years old

The Brazilian has made an electric start to his time at Borussia Monchengladbach after his summer move from Dynamo Kiev.  He has started two games as a striker and two as an attacking midfielder but he is more recognised as an attacking midfielder.  He has never been capped for Brazil but it’s not too late yet and a successful Bundesliga campaign would improve his chances significantly.

CF – Mame Biram Diouf (Hannover 96) 25 years old

The Senegal international is playing the football of his career in Germany after a disappointing time in England with Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers.  While there are other strikers with more goals I prefer to reward his consistently high performances.  He has chipped in with two goals and an assist in Hannover’s first four games and looks like he is finally fulfilling his potential.

Visit the original article on the GJ Sports Blog.