Bundesliga a real spectacle

As a football fan and writer I had never paid much attention to the German Bundesliga till last season. It was maybe a sign of my obsession with the Premier League and La Liga that made me completely disregard the German league.

I just happened across a match last season and ever since I’ve tried to watch as much Bundesliga as I can. It seems to have a similar pace to the Premier League but maybe not the same profile. I’d say it was nearly as exciting as the English top flight as well.

It hasn’t got the technique of La Liga either but for some reason I have found the league really entertaining. In previous seasons Bayern have been dominant but last season saw a thrilling title race with four or five teams involved till the last few weeks of the season.

More competitive but fairy tale ending to last season

Eventual champions Wolfsburg, Bayern, Hamburg , Hertha Berlin and Stuttgart were all right up there and the fact that it went to the last day was even better. It was incredible that a small club from a city virtually built by car manufacturer Volkswagen. The Wolves had never came close to winning a German league before with their best ever performance producing a 5th place finish in the Bundesliga in 2008. Their only previously notable silverware was in 1995 when they won a German cup.

They were inspired by the Bosnian-Brazilian strikeforce of Edin Dzeko and Grafite. The pair scored 71 goals last season between them and have became the deadliest partnership in European football. Italian giants AC Milan tried to prise away Bosnian sensation Dzeko during the summer but to their credit the Wolves rejected the offer and kept the hotshot.

Their miraculous rise was completed this season when they started their first ever Champions League campaign. In their last Champions League game they held their own against Premier League champions Manchester United but suffered a 2-1 defeat. However they were never outplayed and it was refreshing to see a side come to United other than the other top three in England and actually attacked.

This season in the Bundesliga they have had a poor start but their form has improved in recent weeks and its expected that they will again challenge for the title. With Dzeko and Grafite up front they are always going to be a threat. They lost their league winning coach Felix Magath to Schalke during the summer and the team seem to be adapting to new coach Armin Veh’s different approach.

Bayern all change but still stuttering

Just like the champions German giants Bayern Munich have made a poor start to the season despite Louis Van Gaal’s arrival as their new coach. The Dutchman had won a league title in his homeland with AZ Alkmaar. He was expected to transform the fortunes of the Munich giants but his side have got off to a slow start to their Bundesliga campaign. I expect Bayern to make a surge up the table and compete for their 22nd league title.

Higher attendences than Serie A and more exciting

Although I used to be a big fan of the Italian Serie A my view of the league has changed since the quality of the football dropped. I would much rather watch the Bundesliga than Serie A and it appears that a lot of other people would rather watch it as well.

While stadiums all over Italy seem to be half empty week in week out the stadiums in Germany seem full every weekend. In fact according to statistics I read recently the Bundesliga is second only to the Premier League for spectators attending matches.

Maybe its the competitive prices or maybe its because in Germany its a traditional family day out. In England we have lost that traditional family feel to football because lots of families have been priced out of going the game. If any of our readers out there haven’t yet experienced the Bundesliga then I would highly recommend you catch a game.