German Bundesliga I - Season 06/07 Review

With the adrenaline-pumping battle between the Bundesliga title-contenders intensifying day by day, it was a clear indication that the chase for glory will eventually go down to the wire.

And it turned out to be the case, in dramatic fashion no less.

So history has repeated itself, as Schalke's title challenge yet again ended on a sour note, evoking nightmares of Bayern Munich snatching the Bundesliga crown from right under their noses in year 2001 and 2005.

The Die Konigsblauen had started this season brightly and were the frontrunners for 15 of the 34 weeks, but they lost steam into the final furlong and allowed Stuttgart to wreck their dreams for the thrid time in seven seasons.

In fact, Schalke never established a vise-like grip at the summit, and had to contend with never-ending injuries and suspensions to key performers.

Thir tribulations have provided a glimmer of hope to fierce rivals like Stuttgart, Werder Bremen and Bayern, who were never too far off the title race at any stage.

In stark contrast to the doom and gloom at the North Rhine-Westphalia, the southwestern German city erupted into euphoria, as Stuttgart seal their first Bundesliga title since 1992.

It was never smooth-sailing for the leaders though, who fell behind to Energie Cottbus on 19 minutes in the final fixture, by which Schalke were already 2-0 up at home to Arminia Bielefeld.

But Stuttgart epitomized their never-say-die attitude again, coming back strongly to record a 2-1 victory, their eighth consecutive wins in a row.

Third-placed Werder's own tilte challenge ended following the defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the penultimate game. Their late blip in form conincided with chief striker Miroslav Klose's abysmal performance in front of goal, whose heart is certianly not with Werder at this moment in time.

The German international has angered the Weserstadion faithful by being involved in a tapping-up incident with Bayern just two days before the Uefa Cup semi-finals at Espanyol, and he looks set to join the Bundesliga giants this summer.

Talk about the Bavarians, they will have to re-establish themselves if they want to live up to theier billing as Bundesliga giants. The reappointment of the 'The General' Ottmar Hitzfekd as head coach, following the sacking of Felix Magath after a dismal run of results, did little to revive the ailing fortunes of the might powerhouses of German football.

The Bavarians have to settle for Uefa Cup competition next season after finishing fourth this campaign, which is certainly a disappointing end for the reigning champions. With Mehmet Scholl retiring, Owen Hargreaves destined to be a Red Devils and many other leaving this summer, 'The General' faces a mammoth task in rebuilding the squad.

The chase for the last Uefa Cup berth through league position was concluded even before the final fixtures, as Bayer Leverkusen brushed aside other challenges to secure their fifth spot.

This leaves sixth-placed Nurnberg - who were often let down by failure to convert draws into wins- having to qualify for the Uefa Cup throguh the DFB-Popkal (German Cup).

The surprise packages of the season have to be Hamburg, who with only one win to their name until February 10, spent the majority of the season marooned in the drop zone.

However, they managed to complete an impressive ascent by thrashing Alemania Aachen 4-0 on final day to finish seventh above Bochum on goal difference and qualify for the Intertoto Cup.

Mid-table teams like Hertha Berlin, Borussia Dortmund and Hannover had their fair shares of internal problems which probably explain their mediocrity. The former sacked Falko Goetz and put the inexperienced reserve team affairs, whereas Dortmund also replaced former coach Jurgen Rober with new gaffer Thomas Doll with just eight games left.

As for modest clubs like Arminia Bielefeld, Energie Cottbus, Frankfurt and Wolfsburg, it was nothing more than another forgettable season. Languishing in precarious positions for long durations, these clubs were never in the running for European places and had spent most of the season fighting for survival.

Well, at least their fates were not worse off as compared to the demoted trio Mainz, Borussia M'gladbach and Alemania Aachen. With limited resources and relatively thin squad, they have struggled to create much of an impact and rightfully relegated to the second tier German league after ending their Bundesliga journey with defeats in the final fixture.

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2006/07 German Bundesliga I Table		GP	W	D	L	GD	P
1	VfB Stuttgart C	34	21	7	6	24	70
2	Schalke 04	34	21	5	8	21	68
3	Werder Bremen	34	20	6	8	36	66
4	Bayern Munich	34	18	6	10	15	60
5	Bayer Leverkusen	34	15	6	13	5	51
6	Nurnberg	34	11	15	8	11	48
7	Hamburg SV	34	10	15	9	6	45
8	VfL Bochum	34	13	6	15	-1	45
9	Borussia Dortmund	34	12	8	14	-2	44
10	Hertha Berlin	34	12	8	14	-5	44
11	Hannover 96	34	12	8	14	-9	44
12	Arminia Bielefeld	34	11	9	14	-2	42
13	Energie Cottbus	34	11	8	15	-11	41
14	Eintracht Frankfurt	34	9	13	12	-12	40
15	VfL Wolfsburg	34	8	13	13	-8	37
16	Mainz R	34	8	10	16	-23	34
17	Alemania Aachen R	34	9	7	18	-24	34
18	Borrusia M'gladbach R	34	6	8	20	-21	26