Borussia Dortmund
Werder Bremen

Bundesliga Matchday 18: Futmo's Team Of The Week

By
Moritz Baer
February 2, 2024
21:38
By Ubiorum - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0.
By Ubiorum - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Following a whirlwind set of matches including a postponed tie and a last minute winner in the Topspiel, this round of Bundesliga fixtures has concluded.

Goalkeeper

Manuel Riemann has been excellent for VfL Bochum this season and has the fourth most shots saved (71) in the Bundesliga this campaign. With this clean sheet considered, Riemann has kept three clean sheets this Bundesliga season and withheld the Stuttgart attack which had an expected goal (xG) tally of 2.

Jan 23: Manuel Riemann. Bayer Leverkusen vs VfL Bochum. Photo: Vitalii Vitleo


Defenders

For the defenders this week, the first player simply has to be Mitchell Weiser and with a goal and a clean sheet he was simply excellent against Bayern Munich to get Werder Bremen their first win over Bayern in 16 years. Also, his defensive partner and fourth captain for Bremen Niklas Stark was simply superb once again and following his man of the match performance against Bochum last weekend, he managed to calm the storm against Bayern Munich and his experience helped get Bremen over the line.

Similarly, Ian Maatsen's second game for Borussia Dortmund was another standout performance. The player, who signed in January on loan from Chelsea, has blossomed at Dortmund and looks like a great signing for the club. An assist and a 93% pass accuracy from Maatsen helped "die Schwarzgelben" get back-to-back victories. Lastly, his partner Nico Schlotterbeck showed a much-improved quality against 1. FC Köln and was uniquely composed and mostly error-free to secure the sometimes nervous Dortmund defence and get a clean-sheet.

Nico Schlotterbeck. By Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Midfielders

Next, the first midfielder to focus on will be Patrick Osterhage who won two aerial duels and completed three tackles throughout the game against Stuttgart. As well as this, he was the heartbeat of Bochum's midfield to win a tightly-contested midfield duel.

Also, Augsburg's Arne Engels provided a goal and two duels won for a narrow 2-1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The twenty-year-old has a lot of room to grow and develop into one of the Bundesliga's biggest midfield prospects.

Patrick Osterhage. Photo: VfL Bochum

Attackers

To begin with, the attacker that will be drawn upon is Vincenzo Grifo as he provided a man of the match performance with a goal and an assist in a 3-2 close win over Hoffenheim. As well as this, his 90% pass accuracy helped to provide much-needed attacking directness for Freiburg.

Álex Grimaldo also had an excellent game for Bayer Leverkusen and although he is a left-back by trait, Futmo has decided to put the player in this squad as a winger due to how high up the pitch the player plays and has also featured as a winger beforehand. Two assists helped Bayer Leverkusen to squash any doubts over Bayer's title challenge this season and create a seven-point gap at the top of the table.

JANUARY, 2024: Alex Grimaldo. Bayer Leverkusen vs Venezia FC at BayArena. Photo: Vitalii Vitleo

Continuing the theme of superb attacking performances, Donyell Malen provided two goals for Borussia Dortmund in a 4-0 thrashing of 1. FC Köln to move the team within touching distance of top four. The player, who scored earlier in the season against Köln, has a real knack for scoring against the Billy Goats.

Donyell Malen. By Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Finally, Lucas Höler is the last attacker and with his four shots and four aerial duels won as well as a crucial goal, it is clear to see that the twenty-nine-year-old deserves a place in this team.

Full XI

Starting XI (4-2-4)

Match Result

Borussia Dortmund
:
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Jürgen Klopp in 2022. By Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Why are Borussia Dortmund fans annoyed at Jürgen Klopp for the Red Bull move?

On the 8th October 2024, Jürgen Klopp was announced as the Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull overseeing four teams globally. But why are Dortmund fans annoyed by this?

Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic: Predicted Lineups

The predicted lineups for the UEFA Champions League game between Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and the Scottish side Celtic from Glasgow.
Credit: Pixabay

Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid: Champions League Final Predicted Lineups

The predicted lineups as Borussia Dortmund face Real Madrid in Wembley in the UEFA Champions League final during the final club games of Marco Reus and Toni Kroos.
Edin Terzić. Photo: Sandro Halank, CC 4.0.

Paris Saint-German vs Borussia Dortmund Preview: Dortmund ninety minutes off reliving 2013.

Borussia Dortmund head to the Parc des Princes to face PSG in the semi-final second leg of the Champions League. A win would provide the perfect farewell for Reus.
Borussia Dortmund badge.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) vs Borussia Dortmund: Predicted Lineups

The predicted lineups as Paris Saint-German host Borussia Dortmund at the Parc Des Princes in France for the second leg of the semi final of the Champions League.
Kjell Wätjen. Photo: Borussia Dortmund

High School Exam Means Borussia Dortmund's Kjell Wätjen Won't Play on Tuesday

Kjell Wätjen (an eighteen-year-old Borussia Dortmund youngster) made his senior debut on the weekend under Edin Terzić and impressed greatly.