Four title contenders jockey for position

FCBayernNews · News fetcher Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 1361 votes: 2

13.11.2006

It will have been a relaxed Felix Magath who watched his former club VfB Stuttgart register a 2-1 victory in Hanover on Sunday evening, stretching their unbeaten Bundesliga run to nine games, and leapfrogging Werder Bremen to claim top spot for the first time in more than two years.

"I'm enjoying looking at the table right now," VfB coach Armin Veh smiled afterwards. Stuttgart have 24 points, just one clear of Werder and Schalke 04, and four ahead of Bayern. Surprise package Arminia Bielefeld lie fifth on 19 points, with Hertha Berlin and Borussia Dortmund a point further back.

Low-key statements from Stuttgart

With more than a third of the campaign already over, an intriguing four-horse race appears to be emerging at the top of the table. The contenders comprise champions Bayern and last year's runners-up Werder, while Schalke never rose above third last term, and Stuttgart even finished outside the European qualifying places.

Veh's men appear set to succeed Hamburg, last year's third-placed finishers, as the real dark horses this season, although the voices emanating from the Swabian camp have remained muted to date. "Normally we'd have no business being up there at the top with our young team," Veh insisted, throwing a damper on an outbreak of media excitement: "We're not aiming at the targets others have set for us."

Werder want title

The VfB coach may not rate his men as championship candidates just yet, although that might all change if Stuttgart triumph in Saturday's crunch visit to Bayern. Keeper Timo Hildebrand was keeping a smile firmly on his face: "Whatever happens, we'll still be ahead of Bayern at the final whistle."

Up in Bremen, the leading personalities and players are continuing to name the trophy as their target for the season, even after Friday evening's shock home reverse against Borussia Dortmund. "We're not that naive. We never believed we'd win every game," a relaxed coach Thomas Schaaf insisted.

Bayern ready to roll

Off-field turbulence continues to make the headlines in Gelsenkirchen, where the entire Schalke squad has been refusing to talk to the media for more than two weeks. "But that can't go on for ever," coach Mirko Slomka remarked, expressing sympathy for his players: "There's a steady barrage of lies and rumours claiming they're not a united team." Schalke's 4-0 demolition job on Mainz 05 last Saturday proved exactly the opposite, the coach reckoned.

Meanwhile, Bayern are quietly confident of an upturn in their Bundesliga fortunes sparked by the dramatic weekend victory in Leverkusen. "We're Bayern Munich, and we belong right at the top," Willy Sagnol declared, naming Bremen as "our most dangerous rivals until the end of the season." The France star believes Munich need to stay in touch at the top until Christmas, "and then we'll see a very different Bayern Munich in January and February."