Bundesliga top 11 of Matchday 26
A trio of players from Hertha Berlin and Bayern Munich feature in the DW top 11 of Matchday 26. We also have a super fan from Darmstadt, the lesser known of the Hazard brothers and a talented keeper from Cologne.
Goalkeeper: Timo Horn (Cologne)
Cologne were outplayed in the first half of their match against cellar dwellers Hannover, but Timo Horn came up with a number of fine saves. The Billy Goats would end up winning 2-0. That was largely thanks to Horn, who is rumored to be attracting the interest of Liverpool in the Premier League.
Defense: Jonathan Heimes (Darmstadt)
A 26-year-old cancer sufferer, Jonathan "Johnny" Heimes, was known in Darmstadt as the Lillies' No. 1 fan. After years of fighting, he finally succumbed to the disease. Darmstadt fans paid tribute to Heimes before their 2-2 draw with Augsburg. We do as well.
Defense: Niklas Stark (Hertha Berlin)
Niklas Stark scored his first-ever Bundesliga goal in Hertha's 2-0 win over Schalke. But what was more impressive was the 20-year-old's rock-solid performance at the back. He and John Anthony Brooks form the league's youngest central defense, but they're playing with a maturity beyond their years.
Defense: Niklas Süle (Hoffenheim)
Matchday 26 was a good one for young central defenders named Niklas. Niklas Süle was beyond reproach as strugglers Hoffenheim pulled off a potentially very valuable 1-0 upset over Wolfsburg. No wonder the Wolves are interested in poaching the 20-year-old next season.
Defense: Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin)
Against Schalke, Hertha's Marvin Plattenhardt was something of a clearance machine. In addition to completing three-quarters of his passes and winning a fantastic 86 percent of his challenges, the left back formed a latter-day Berlin airlift with forward Salomon Kalou, aerially bypassing Schalke's pressing.
Midfieler: Thiago (Bayern Munich)
Amazingly enough, Thiago Alcantara hadn't scored a single goal in the league before Saturday. The Spaniard broke his duck in Munich's 5-0 thrashing of erstwhile rivals Bremen and decided he liked the feeling so much that also scored a second.
Midfield: Thorgan Hazard (Mönchengladbach)
Mönchengladbach's Thorgan Hazard seemed to have channeled a bit of his more famous brother Eden against Frankfurt. He completed nearly 80 percent of his passes and won half of his challenges - not bad for an offensive midfielder. He also assisted on the third goal in the Foals' 3-0 win.
Midfield: Genki Haraguchi (Hertha Berlin)
He came, he saw, he ran. And ran and ran and ran. Nearly 12 kilometers - quite a distance for someone playing out on the wing. Genki Haraguchi hassled Schalke over the complete 90 minutes, forcing turnovers and providing a clever assist for Vedad Ibisevic to open the scoring in Berlin's 2-0 victory.
Midfielder: Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich)
The speedy young French winger is known as a force to be reckoned with, but against Bremen, Kingsley was Coman the Bavarian. He supplied a hattrick of assists, as the league leaders handed down a 5-0 clubbing to the northern Germans. Bien fait!
Forwards: Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich)
Thomas Müller is the most common name in Germany, but there nothing ordinary about this TM. He scored two of his trademark goals as Bayern Munich veritably filleted poor Werder Bremen 5-0. Müller is on 19 goals for the season - only five behind current leader and teammate Robert Lewandowski.
Forward: Dario Lezcano (Ingolstadt)
Ingolstadt's winter arrival, Dario Lezcano, had yet to score in the Bundesliga, but against Stuttgart, the Paraguayan was a constant threat. So it was no great surprise when the forward struck pay dirt with a free kick shortly after the hour mark. The score at that point was 3-1, but unfortunately for Ingolstadt, Stuttgart recovered to earn a draw.