Bundesliga Matchday 20: Team of the week

February 10, 2024

•

13:13

Weserstadion, Bremen. By Vincenzo.togni - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0.

With matchday 20 in the Bundesliga coming to an end, Futmo takes a look some of the best players from some of the teams including: Bayern Munich, 1. FC Köln and VfB Stuttgart.

Goalkeeper

With five saves and a clean sheet, Michael Zetterer was brilliant once again for Werder Bremen and has proved that Ole Werner's decision to make him Werder's number one was a well-observed one.

Michael Zetterer. By Silesia711 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Defenders

With a measured performance and showing from one of Köln's brightest talents, Max Finkgräfe had another brilliant match for the Billy Goats. He made four tackles and was dominant both physically and had the right mindset within the game for 1. FC Köln.

Despite this, RB Leipzig's David Raum deserves an honourable mention as he also impressed last weekend with an assist and a clean sheet against Mainz.

Another German who had a dominant performance physically was Heidenheim's Patrick Mainka. Mainka managed to gain six tackles and win five aerial duels in a matchup against Borussia Dortmund's attack. His performance meant Heidenheim were able to take both a point and a clean sheet with them into the next matchweek.

In a similar vein, Lukas Klostermann displayed his experience in helping RB Leipzig see out a tough and physical battle with Union Berlin in preventing a certain goal thanks to a last man tackle and in doing so, rounding off a clean sheet in a great performance.

Lastly, Benjamin Henrichs joins his defensive partner as he also had an excellent game for RB Leipzig. Taking on two shots and multiple dribbles, Henrichs provided a lot of attacking strength for Leipzig whilst still helping the defensive effort.

Midfielders

The second Köln addition this week, Dejan Ljubicic offered a new outlet for the team as he filled in at the wide midfielder position. With two assists and a superb passing range within the game, he provided a lot of problems for a shaken Eintracht Frankfurt defence. For this team, he will revert to his maiden position as a central midfielder.

Dejan Ljubicic. By Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0.

For record champions Bayern Munich, Alexsandar Pavlovic does not only provide a bright future but also a great current ability to fit into the roster. With a goal and a staggering ninety-seven percent pass accuracy, Pavlovic took control of the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach to ensure Bayern would not slip up again against "Die Fohlen".

Next, Nathan Tella had a superb performance netting two goals for his first Bundesliga brace.

Finalising the midfielders, Maximilian Mittelstädt was brilliant and scored a goal and was a powerful force on the left side of the pitch against Freiburg. Normally a left- back, Mittelstädt can also play left midfield so will slot into that position for this team.

Maximilian Mittelstädt. By Jeollo von VfB-exklusiv.de - Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134478743.

‍

Attackers

To finish the team, the first of the two strikers has to be Deniz Undav. In brilliant form for VfB Stuttgart, Undav has stepped up in the absence of striker Serhou Guirassy. A goal and two assists away against Freiburg mean that the chance for him to be Germany's striker during the Euros strengthens once again.

Partnering with Undav at striker, 1. FC Köln's twenty-one-year-old striker Jan Thielmann finishes the squad. With a goal against Frankfurt as well as an incredible ability to produce link-up play for the Billy Goats, Thielmann seems to be finally stepping up in place of the injured Davie Selke.