Königsblauen slowly becoming common

Three weeks into the Rückrunde, it is a sad realization die Königsblauen have slowly becoming common but far worse, management seems glued to watching the slide down continue. Early season hopes of a championship are long forgotten, as well as mention of the Champions League and the club is drifting from match to match like a mid-table team willing to accept their fate.

Yesterday facing VfL Bochum, a club hampered with considerable injuries and in a fight for relegation it was die Königsblauen that were outplayed in route to a 2-1 loss. Considering the fall in goal production this year and that they last three matches resulted in only one victory, that being against fellow "crisis mode" Werder, what precisely is management doing to halt the slide.

Against Bochum, Fred Rutten took action with a more aggressive lineup pairing Jefferson Farfán, Kevin Kurányi and Gerald Asamoah up top with Halil Altıntop and Ivan Rakitić pressed behind them and Orlando Engelaar into defensive midfield. Clearly the Dutch manager was going with an attack minded vision and is owed credit, yet what transpired was far short of the goals.

Not quite twenty minutes in Jefferson Farfán and Halil Altıntop played a smooth one-two before providing Kevin Kurányi a shot on Bochum 'keeper Daniel Fernandes. The Canada born keeper saved the attempt but the rebound quickly came to Kurányi who slotted it home.

With the one goal lead, die Königsblauen attack embarrassed itself but not having the nerve to go forward. Bochum, worried about the drop but nothing else and pushed forward with Mimoun Azaouagh driving the ball into the top right-hand corner from twenty metres with a minute left in half. Three minutes past the hour, Bochum took the lead off the counter when Christoph Dabrowski slotted the ball in from close range after Diego Klimowicz' shot was blocked on the line by Levan Kobiashvili.

In the last twenty minutes Vicente Sánchez, Christian Pander and Danny Latza were brought in but they could not find the path to another goal and die Königsblauen lost 2-1. This was Danny Latza first appearance in the Bundesliga and I suspect he will begin to figure more in the lineup given his potential and the intensity he shows on the pitch.