2008–09 Bundesliga

The Bundesliga 2008/ 09 was the 46th season of the German top flight football in the men. The season began on 15 August 2008 with a home game of the reigning champions FC Bayern Munich vs Hamburger SV ( 2-2) and ended on 23 May 2009 with the 34th game day. Simultaneously with the elite class of the DFL also launched the 2nd Bundesliga in the season 2008 /09.

Just three weeks before the premiere of the new Round 3 League was held, with the introduction it was for 16 years the first time to a significant change in the mode of the Bundesliga. So end of the season as already took place 1982-1991 relegation matches between the Sixteenth table in the Bundesliga and the third table of the Second Division, whose winner will be eligible to play in the season 2009/ 10 for the Bundesliga.

German champion VfL Wolfsburg, who with a 5-1 win at home to Werder Bremen secured first to the 34th game for the title. The Wolves is the first club in 39 years, who was able to enter a new one in the list of German soccer champion. Descent had to Arminia Bielefeld, Karlsruher SC and FC Energie Cottbus, the 1st FC Nuremberg defeated in the relegation games.

• 2.1 Final Table
• Table 2.2 History
• 2.3 Relegation
• 2.4 Cross table
• 2.5 scorers
• 2.6 Scorer List
• 2.7 Most Assists
• Table 2.8 spectators

Course of the season

Cup decision

Master of the season 2008/09 VfL Wolfsburg, which was seen by many as a surprise. This success was closely linked with the coach Felix Magath, who had led the Lower Saxony him a year earlier in fifth place in the UEFA Cup - in the two seasons before the Wolfsburg were almost relegated respectively as 15. Few games left Magath, however, had announced, despite the title fight to work in the coming season for Schalke 04. After the end of the first round Wolfsburg finished only ninth, as the best team back round they took the debris, and won the title. Similarly ambivalent, the VfL ​​showed in other ways: in the Away Table, he finished only eighth place, in their own stadium but he missed just two points. There were the highest wins 5:1 against FC Bayern Munich, the 5-1 win over Werder Bremen and 4-0 against 1899 Hoffenheim.

Classified by many as a favorite FC Bayern Munich played by the double of the previous year under the expectations of many. Without once to have been the leader, had the Munich who had their new coach Jürgen Klinsmann replaced five games remaining by Jupp Heynckes, in the last game still chances for the championship, the season ended then but without the title.

VfB Stuttgart was measured by our own forecast a weak start to the season, leading to the dismissal of the Master Trainers of 2007, Armin Veh, led. Was succeeded Markus Babbel, who still had no coaching license. Under him, the Swabians could work your way up in the championship battle, but lost the final game the direct duel for second place and one - depending on the result of Wolfsburg - Bayern Munich 1-2.

Another surprise was next to the VfL ​​Wolfsburg Hertha BSC. For the first time in the club's history led the trained by Lucien Favre of Berlin in the second half even more game days the table. At the last match days but it playful to qualify for the Champions League and were ranked number four ( 0-0 against Schalke 0:4 at Karlsruher SC).

Midfield

Hamburger SV under the come start of the season coach Martin Jol played for a long time for the championship with. As a special highlight of the season were the so-called North German festival weeks, as Hamburg four times within 19 days had to compete in various competitions against arch-rivals Werder Bremen, the HSV was eliminated in both the DFB Cup and the UEFA Cup. At the end of Bremen also won the Bundesliga home game on May 10, 2-0. However, Hamburg for six years was the first time in the league before the people of Bremen. The 3:2 in Frankfurt in the 90th minute on the final day meant fifth place ahead of Dortmund, which could be significantly improved under new coach Jürgen Klopp with the sixth place in the table, even if the hoped-for international launch site not forthcoming. It meant the 59 points of Borussia the highest number of Premier League history, with the ever fifth place in the table was missed.

The Movers 1899 Hoffenheim had won in the first round with great media attention the autumn championship. In the second round, the team of Ralf Rangnick then showed much weaker, however, and slipped to seventh place. Led by Fred Rutten FC Schalke 04, who had started with some title aspirations, remained from the beginning behind many expectations and demands, which led to the dismissal of the coach. With the eighth Schalke reached for the first time in nine years no European competition. Bayer Leverkusen also, which had previously changed the coach already one year for the seventh place, under Bruno Labbadia did not reach the goals. The team of Werder Bremen, however, was weak from the start and finished in tenth place at the end with the worst place for ten years. However, the UEFA Cup they came up in the final, and after winning the DFB Cup succeeded in the end was the entry into the international competition. Also Hannover 96 could be objective, qualifying for the Europa League, not reach. The Lower Saxony suffered this season at a slightly above-average home record, especially among their away weakness.

Relegation battle

Table was Arminia Bielefeld; the dismissal of Michael Frontzecks and employment Jörg Berger for a game had this can not prevent the contrary, the East Westphalia were long time on the 16th place in the table, the right to relegation. On the final day they slipped through a 2-2 draw against Hannover 96 on the last place. The second direct relegation was as table Penultimate Karlsruher SC under coach Edmund Becker. Bojan Prašnikar who could save the FC Energie Cottbus in the previous year before the descent, occupied with his team at the end of the relegation place and was defeated in the two playoffs 1.FC Nürnberg ( 0:3 and 0:2 ), the coach already after the first leg announced his resignation. More successful was Hans Meyer, who had already succeeded in the first round Jos Luhukay as coach of the current bottom club Borussia Monchengladbach and the " foal " led at No. 15, his contract was, however, dissolve after the season. Also, VfL Bochum, the Fourteenth was at the end was located on some days the relegation zone. Little spectacular season for Hannover 96, the first FC Cologne Eintracht Frankfurt was run, which places eleven to thirteen revenue in the final table, which is especially true for the upstart Cologne as a success.

Noteworthy were the low scores of the relegation candidates: Never before has a team with less than 34 points managed since the introduction of the third Absteigers 1974 ( calculated according to the three-point rule) in the league. This season, however, it reached the same three teams: Frankfurt, Bochum and Mönchengladbach. (In the following season, this should create two more teams: Hannover and (via the play-offs ) Nuremberg, 2012/13, then the FC Augsburg. )

Statistics

Final Table

Table History

Expulsion

Energie Cottbus reached the 16th place in the 2008/ 09 season and met on 28 and 31 May 2009 compared to the third-placed 2nd Bundesliga 1 FC Nuremberg on. Energie Cottbus succumbed to the "club" in both games and dismounted.

Cross Table

The cross table presents the results of all games this season represents the home team is listed in the left column, the visiting team on the top line.

Top scorers

In the first round of Hoffenheim's Vedad Ibišević had caused a stir with 18 goals, which, however, during the winter break drew upon a serious injury and turned out for the rest of the season. Scorer Grafite from champions Wolfsburg with 28 goals. Grafite and Edin Džeko broke his teammate this season several Bundesliga records: They made it for the first time in Bundesliga history that two players from the same club each shot over twenty goals. With their hits on the last day they were also the most successful strike duo in Bundesliga history. With a total of 54 goals scored by striker 80 both were instrumental in the title victory at VfL Wolfsburg. Enttrohnte record holder were the Bayern Gerd Müller and Uli Hoeness 40 with 13 goals in the 1971 season / 72nd

Scorer list

Most Assists

Zvjezdan Misimović presented with his 20 assists set a new record. The kicker recorded since 1988, the number of templates to date the record was 17

Viewers table

With 1,272,108 visitors throughout the season Borussia Dortmund had the most viewers, surpassing its own record from the 2007 /08 season with 1,232,669 viewers.

Venues

The champion team of VfL Wolfsburg

• Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (31 / - ); André Lenz ( 5 / -)
• Defense: Andrea Barzagli (34 / - ); Sergei Karimov (1 / - ); Alexander Madlung (24/ 3); Peter Pekarik (16 / - ); Daniel Rich (1 / - ); Ricardo Costa ( 11/3); Sascha Riether (28/ 2); Rodrigo Alvim (2 / - ); Marcel Schäfer ( 34 / -); January Simunek (17 / - ); Cristian Zaccardo ( 14/1)
• Midfielder Ashkan Dejagah (27/ 3); Christian Gentner (34/ 4); Makoto Hasebe (25 / - ); Josué (33 / - ); Jacek Krzynowek (4 / - ); Zvjezdan Misimović (33/ 7); Jonathan Santana ( 6 / -); Sebastian Schindzielorz (6 / -)
• Attack: Caiuby (9/ 1); Edin Dzeko (32/ 26); Alexander Esswein (4 / - ); Grafite (25/ 28); Yoshito Okubo (9 / - ); Mahir Saglik ( 8/1)
• Coach: Felix Magath

Coaches and officials

Hans Meyer ( since 18 October 2008)

Jürgen Raab Christian Goat (19 October to 15 December 2008 )

Max Eberl (since 19 October 2008)

Jupp Heynckes (since 27 April 2009)

Hermann Gerland (since 27 April 2009)

Christian Kolodziej Rainer Widmayer ( since 23 November 2008)

Used referee

Kick-off times

In the 2008 /09 season, the individual encounters game day were usually as follows kicked off:

• A meeting on Friday at 20:30 clock
• Six meetings on Saturday at 15:30 clock ( as well as all meetings of the last two days)
• Two meetings on Sunday at 17:00 Clock

In English weeks, there were also on Tuesdays and Wednesday games.

To ensure that no club has only one day of rest between national and international games, the first time it was possible this season, a Saturday game on Sunday or a Sunday game to take place on Saturday.