In the Bundesliga, there are indications of a historically close relegation race. After 23 match days, FC Schalke 04, VfL Bochum, TSG Hoffenheim and VfB Stuttgart are tied in points 15 to 18, Hertha BSC is one point up in 14th place. Who owns the momentum, who is in free fall? And: What does the rest of the quintet’s program look like? sport.de does the relegation check:
Hertha BSC | 20 points | 28:44 goals
Shape: Changeable! At home, the trend in the team coached by Sandro Schwarz has recently been clearly upwards, against Gladbach (4: 1) and Augsburg (2: 0) there were important threesomes. In foreign countries, however, the old lady is and remains cannon fodder.
“Today was a used day,” admitted Schwarz after the most recent 1: 4 (0: 2) at Bayer Leverkusen: “It wasn’t a good performance over 90 minutes. We fully deserved the loss.”
The main concern is the defensive, which lacks compactness in the back series.
Remaining program: Hertha is the only team that still has to face all their direct competitors in the remaining eleven games. Away in Hoffenheim (25th matchday) and at Schalke (28th), at home in the hot phase against Stuttgart (31st matchday) and Bochum (33rd).
The games against the master candidates RB Leipzig (27th matchday) and FC Bayern Munich (30th) will also be crisp.
Forecast: For long stretches of the season, Hertha was conservative, but rarely desolate. The last home games against VfB and VfL will decide whether it will be enough to stay up in the league. However, 15th place should be the highest of all feelings.
VfB Stuttgart | 19 points | 28:40 goals
Shape: Sobering! The hoped-for Labbadia effect has so far largely failed to materialise. A brief glimmer of hope against Cologne (3-0) was followed by defeats against Schalke and Bayern – the Swabians now have five bankruptcies in six games.
It is striking that VfB never goes under in the new year and at least in phases acted on an equal footing with every opponent. But the point yield is of course pretty dreary.
“We have to get them under control. It’s a result sport and you have to deal with it in the relegation battle,” Labbadia said after the 2-1 draw against Bayern Munich.
Remaining program: The low blow in the six-point game at Schalke continues to have an effect. In the coming weeks there are still direct duels with Bochum (27th matchday), Hertha (31st) and Hoffenheim (34th) on the program, the first two away. And VfB 2022/2023 has not yet won a single game on foreign pitches.
The home game against the extremely in-form BVB (matchday 28) is certainly not the most rewarding task.
Forecast: Stuttgart always defends itself. However, this is not enough in the long run if the looseness is missing. Labbadia has to instill more determination in his protégés as soon as possible, otherwise there is a risk of a final placement between rank 16 and 17.
TSG Hoffenheim | 19 points | 29:42 goals
Shape: Disastrous! TSG is the only Bundesliga team still waiting for their first point in the second half. The change of coach from André Breitenreiter to Pellegrino Matarazzo has so far fizzled out without effect.
The Hoffenheim fans see it that way, too, who let their frustration (“We’re fed up”) run free after the defeat in Mainz (0:1).
In fact, the Kraichgauer are in free fall towards the 2nd league. With 13 league games in a row without a threesome, Hoffenheim have set a negative record.
Remaining program: Two home games with a potentially decisive character are coming up soon. On Matchday 25, Hertha will visit Sinsheim, two rounds later FC Schalke will travel to TSG. The two direct competitors are not foreign powers, but they are in much better shape.
Everyone in Hoffenheim should be keen not to let it all come down to a showdown on the last day of the game in the Stuttgart cauldron. But until then there are still games against all top 6 teams apart from Borussia Dortmund.
Forecast: The mood is at its lowest point, the rest of the program is steep. In addition, TSG lacks an enthusiastic environment. The only encouragement at the moment is the basic quality of the squad and the associated hope that players like Andrej Kramaric will get going again. At the moment, however, it smells strongly of descent.
FC Schalke 04 | 19 points | 18:42 goals
Shape: Really good! After a completely bleak first series, coach Thomas Reis made the right adjustments and led the miners back into the race to stay in the league from a supposedly hopeless situation.
Decisive for Schalke’s upswing is the recently amazingly stable defense of winter signing Moritz Jenz, who kept five clean sheets in six games in the second half of the season and only conceded one goal.
“We’re back in full form – and that’s good,” emphasized attacker Marius Bülter after the recent win in Bochum, which left the Royal Blues without a red lantern for the first time since the end of October.
Remaining program: All eyes are on the derby this week against arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund, who are also in extremely good form. If Reis’ protégés also exist against BVB, euphoria should arise throughout Gelsenkirchen.
But be careful: by the end of the season, Schalke will only have two more duels with direct competitors (Hoffenheim (A) on matchday 27, Hertha BSC (H) a week later), but many games against top teams. Especially the final sprint against the Champions League representatives FC Bayern, Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig has it all.
Forecast: On the one hand the best form in the basement, on the other hand probably the toughest remaining program – hard to say where the journey for promoted Schalke is going. According to the latest impressions, however, there is a lot to be said for the sensational rescue. If necessary via relegation.
VfL Bochum | 19 points | 24:56 goals
Shape: Worrying! An intermediate high, caused by a great home series, was followed by the nasty crash to the bottom of the table with the provisional low point against Schalke, when their own fans went on the barricades and insulted the team.
Defensively, the team of coach Thomas Letsch has been playing in the second division for a long time, but recently nothing has gone forward, as four bankruptcies in a row show.
Letsch announced a tougher game after the S04 game (“Now it’s time for a whip”), but Bochum is running out of time.
Remaining program: Cologne away, Leipzig at home, Frankfurt away – the VfL supporters have to be brave in the coming weeks. The home game against Stuttgart on Matchday 27 could become an all-or-nothing duel.
Forecast: It probably won’t be enough. VfL cannot survive in the upper house without a resilient back team, and the home reputation is also history. The club has to be careful that the mood in Bochum doesn’t change completely.
Heiko Lütkehus