Bundes Liga 2011 Team of the Week 3-4 December

We go with a straightforward 4-4-2 formation for this week’s edition of Team of the Week.

Goalkeeper – Thomas Kraft (Hertha Berlin) Former Bayern Munich shot stopper Thomas Kraft was brilliant between the posts as he helped Hertha Berlin to a 1-1 draw against Kaiserslautern. He was brilliant in the box all night and looked unbeatable until Roman Hubnik scored an own goal.

Right Back – Rafinha (Bayern Munich) The Bayern right-back had yet another fantastic game for Bayern Munich as they tore Bremen apart. He was absolutely brilliant in attack as he bombed down the right flank on numerous occasions to help Arjen Robben.

Center Back – Manuel Friedrich (Bayer Leverkusen) Friedrich, the towering ex German international defender, put in a fantastic performance at the heart of defence against Hoffenheim. Ryan Babel and Vedad Ibisevic simply could not cope with his strength as he pulled off a master class display.

Center Back – Roman Neustadter (Borussia Monchengladbach) This man has been a serious revelation in this season of the Bundes Liga. He has been one of the major reasons why Gladbach have been flying high this season. He put in yet another fabulous performance against Borussia Dortmund to help his side earn a point against the defending champions and stay within a point of league leaders Bayern Munich.

Left Back – Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) He was extremely dangerous going forward as he took advantage of some slack defending from Bremen. It was because of him that Ribery could drift in from the left and wreack havoc on Bremen. The skipper also came up with some decent crosses from the left that caused some problems for Werder.

Right Midfield – Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich) The Dutchman converted a couple of penalty kicks for Bayern Munich and produced a fantastic performance on the right wing. In spite of being marked closely, he cut in from the left on numerous times and linked up well with Toni Kroos.

Central Midfield – Christian Genter (Stuttgart) Genter got a point for Stuttgart quite single-handedly in their match against Cologne. The midfielder scored the first goal with a header from 10 yards out to level the scores before picking up a loose ball in the penalty area and firing past the ‘keeper to put Stuttgart 2-1 ahead on the night.

Central Midfield – Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich) The Germany midfielder produced yet another awesome performance as he pulled the strings from the middle of the park to tear Bremen apart. He was mercurial for Bayern on the night as he made some fantastic passes to put the opponents to the sword. Kroos should be a shoo-in for Joachim Loew for next year’s Euro if he keeps going in the same manner.

Left Midfield – Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich) His performance against Bremen can only be described as electrifying. This man has rediscovered the form of his life and has been a handful for opponents this season. The Frenchman scored the opening goal after a fantastic counter attacking move from the Bavarian Giants and added to his tally in the 77th minute when he finished from close range. He also earned the penalty which led to Robben’s second and Bayern’s fourth goal of the game.

Striker – Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Schalke) Impressive showing again from the Dutch international, who is in red hot form at the moment. Scored a fantastic goal from a classic back-heel and laid on an assist for Christian Fuchs, who finished with aplomb from 25 yards out.

Striker – Lukas Podolski (Cologne) While there has been growing speculation about his future with most tabloids linking him to some big moves to some of the top clubs in Europe, the German International forward let his football do the talking against Stuttgart, scoring both goals to earn a point for his home team.