Another local derby beckons – BVB against Bochum
"ill be back" - (Sebastian Kehl 2009) maybe he didn't actually say it in those terms but it could have been implied.. any way fact is and probably a good needed boost for BVB , the club and its fans is the return of Sebastian Kehl. who after a long term injury stepped foot back onto the pitch for the first team in the ill fated game against rivals Schalke.
he replaced his heir apparent Sven Bender in the 86th min in what was a maybe more symbolic substitution than any other in the game , in that it represented the return of someone who embodied the fighting spirit of a player who played in the BVB shirt for pride and honour of the club... its captain.
While he didn't have a huge impact on the ending result it remarked a return to first team football for Kehl who had been out since at least last July with injury, and his return and presence couldn't have come at a better time for the club who after their bright start to the season have been recently struggling for form and suffering injuries.
More recently they have lost Mats Hummels and Sven Bender to short term injuries that will keep them out for a good few games.
Against Gladbach last weekend he made his first start and helped inspire the team to a 3-0 win, you could say he is a good omen , the return of Kehl to spark a return of form? who knows but what is known is that his leadership will prove a valuable tool for team morale and strength for the rest of the season.
Most pending is the game against yet another local rival Bochum this weekend in which fans will be looking to Kehl and the rest of the team to try and restore some local pride with a solid performance and another win..
While Bochum are below BVB in the table and having lost the last 2 meetings between the 2 clubs it would look like they would be cannon fodder but they will not prove to be an easy ride for they could have some inside knowledge that maybe will not win them the game but will give them an idea of what to expect from some players on the current BVB roster.
That knowledge is in the form of ex player and now current coach of Bochum - Heiko Herrlich who won both domestic and European honours with BVB and coached them at u19 level.. he will know more than most just how much pride and desire will go into winning this game and will know how hard a task his current club face and thus instill this knowledge into his players.
It will to also see another old BVB player line up for Bochum in Diego Klimowicz who is expected to start only on the bench , other than that Bochum are set to start with a near full strength Squad.
BVB on the other hand will be missing Dede ,Hummels, Bender, Goetze and Oztekin to various injuries all of which are not expected to be too long term , but still out for the long term are Tinga and Feulner , and while Valdez is listed as doubtful he is expected to make the bench.
The starting 11 is expected to be as follows :
Weidenfeller - Owomoyela, Subotic, Santana, Schmelzer - Kehl, Sahin - Kuba, Zidan, Großkreutz , Barrios.
Expected Subs : Ziegler - Koch, Hünemeier, Hajnal, Valdez, Rangelov
Kick off @ Saturday, 13. March 2010, 15.30 (CET) 14:30 (GMT) @ (rewirpowerSTADION)
The future is bright … the here and now is Bender
When the doom and gloom kicked in over the news Sebastian Kehl was going to miss much of the 09/10 season with injury .. maybe a few hearts sank at the though of who on earth was going to step into his boots ?, who was going to slot into that defensive mid position? ok .. not that gloomy but there was debate and contemplation ... ah Mats Hummels or Nuri Sahin ..
And for the first few games of the season they both shared DM duties and both held their own proving more than capable , but it seems as much as Sahin had progressed his skills were better off used elsewhere and Hummels seemed to excel more when he was teamed up with Subotic at CB , and while various injuries and tactical changes forced Klopp to alternate between the 2 ..
But there was one other player who was to become a contender for that position it was Sven Bender who originally was brought from 1860 Munich in the summer and expected to be tried and tested with the Amateurs - BVB II .. he had his first dalliance at the DM position against Gladbach in October 09.
Far from having a nervous start you would expect he seemed to just slot in as if he had played at that level for many games than he had .. he played with good composure and authority , more injuries and the loss of Kehl ensured Bender to play more and establish himself as first choice , it wasn't only his defensive skills that were catching the eyes and attracting plaudits but his passing and control of the ball in the game and his emerging command of play in midfield.
he also seemed to have a good ability in distributing the ball in creating chances going forward .. being able to make that little pass that could lead to a chance and or a goal .. he had the touch of young Kehl about him, and the more and more he played i think the less worried fans and maybe Klopp alike became worried about the long term future of that position and while Kehl is sorely missed Sven has taken the chance and made the position his own and so much so that in the games he has missed it has been noticed what an impact and value he has on the team.
the surprise package i guess of the team so far he as become integral part to the first half season form of BVB and put the question that when Kehl returns to full fitness as he is now able to play in games for the Amas and train again .. will his captains armband alone be enough to displace the rising stock and form of Bender or will he just have to settle for a place on the bench and earn his place back.
were not saying Kehl is out and over but i think one thing is for sure is that when he first came Bender was tagged as one for the future but has proved he is most definitely the eyes of many not just one for the future of the club but also one for the here and now.
Dortmund Captain Kehl back in training
Sebastian Kehl has made his return to the training ground after months of abdominal injury troubles. The Captain for Dortmund held an individual training session with coaching staff and the results were positive. Juergen Klopp, "Everything is forward from here." Kehl however, will not be expected on the bench or in the team this weekend as BVB medical staff want to take their time with the long injured defensive midfielder. Kehl has been out since the beginning of the season, and training staff would prefer to take his recovery slow.
Bender to miss clash with Stuttgart
Borussia Dortmund defensive midfielder Sven Bender will miss this weekends clash with Stuttgart due to a nagging knee injury. Bender has irritation of the tendon that is located near his knee joint. Bender bit his lip through the pain last week and was vital in bringing victory home for Dortmund against Hamburg. Bender has been a key signing for Dortmund this year and has filled the shoes of the long absent team captain Sebastian Kehl. Bender has been placed on day to day rest, with trainer Juergen Klopp hoping to see him back on the pitch next week pain free. Klopp has said he already sees "a few options" in order to plug the gap.
Bender came in the summer from 1860 Munich and has played a vital role this season for the Westfalen.
Dortmund Held To A Draw At Home
Energie Cottbus today held Dortmund to their 10th draw of the season. But the 1-1 draw saw Borussia Dortmund move up to 8th place in the table.
Cottbus broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute after Ervin Skela hit the post and Cagdas Atan converted the rebound from close distance.
The lead only lasted three minutes, Sebastian Kehl was fouled in the box and Alexander Frei slotted home the awarded penalty.
Dortmund were unable to break down the Cottbus defence during the second half, with both keepers pulling off some fine saves to hold the draw. Dortmund lost left-back Lee Young Pyo after he was sent off in the last minute. Also Tinga had to be replaced after suffering an injury, more news on that will follow.
BVB Injury News Update
Tuesday is set to be the day that will see the team training sessions welcome back the duo of , Sebastian Kehl and long term absentee Dede.
There is also the possiblility of a return to training on tuesday for Polish star Jakub Blaszczykowski but to quote Juergen Klopp "He´s currently on his way from Poland to Dortmund and he was able to complete the last rehab sessions free of pain," .
Though his return will depend on him passing a medical before any return to training.
Any return of defender Mats Hummels is not expected to happen before at least 2 weeks , by then it is hoped that Hummels will have been able to return fighting fit from his ankle injury.
Owomoyela expected to return to the squad
In something that can be seen as good news in terms of team fitness and options , the return of defender Patrick Owomoyela is expected to give the injury troubled first team of BVB a much needed boost.
With Owomoyela was quoted as saying "he is free of pain and thinks he can play" after recovering from a bout of the flu. His return is sure to give coach Klopp an extra option to choose from for the game against Leverkusen on saturday.
The current BVB squad absentee list stands at Dede , Sebastian Kehl , Jakub Blaszczykowski , and Mats Hummels all out with various injuries , not to forget missing for saturdays game against Bayer Leverkusen will be Tamas Hajnal who will be out due to a suspension not an injury.
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