DW's Bundesliga team of the week - Matchday 16
Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin dominate Deutsche Welle's team of the week for matchday 16. Several players from each club helped them achieve statement wins in the second-to-last round of 2015.
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
Przemyslav Tyton may feel hard done by after his stellar performance against Mainz, but Manuel Neuer showed again why he is the best goalkeeper in the world. He fended off chances from a relentless Ingolstadt, single-handedly keeping Bayern in the game. Robert Lewandowski will get the accolades for scoring the crucial opening goal, but Bayern's victory was down to Neuer more than anyone else.
Defender: Philipp Lahm
Bayern Munich's captain is not having his best season, but he rose to the occasion in the defending champions' 2-0 victory against Ingolstadt. He worked dillegently on the right flank, providing a presence in both halves. He also sealed the victory with a class left-footed strike, his first goal since October of last season.
Defender: Sebastian Langkamp
Goals may have been the dominant feature of Hertha Berlin's match against Darmstadt, but Langkamp's performance still stood out. He was a ball hawk in the air, and Darmstadt rarely found a way through. Though Pal Dardai has lifted everyone's game, Langkamp's shifts in defence are a big reason why Hertha are currently in third place.
Defender: Jannik Vestergaard
Werder Bremen inched away from the relegation zone on Saturday, and Jannik Vestergaard was part of the reason why. He poked Bremen in front early with a set piece header - or was it a shoulder - and helped keep Bremen fairly tight at the back against Cologne. But for a scrambled Cologne goal, Vestergaard would have helped Bremen secure their first win in a month.
Defender: Marvin Plattenhardt
Hertha Berlin had a big helping of goals over the weekend, but the one everyone will remember is Marvin Plattenhardt's scrumptious free kick. His curling effort was his first goal in a year and a half, and it put the game away early for Hertha. Plattenhardt's performance on the left kept Hertha balanced in attack, and he also helped the defense keep its sixth clean sheet of the season.
Midfielder: Lukas Rupp
Stuttgart did not come away as victors when they hosted Mainz, but Lukas Rupp was the best player on the field. His combination play and service gave Stuttgart some great chances and helped Stuttgart keep possession in midfield with his ball-winning skills. If Stuttgart do end up getting relegated at season's end, someone will be trying to pry him away from the club.
Midfielder: Maximilian Arnold
Wolfsburg had an embarrassing blunder of a performance against northern-rivals Hamburg, but Maximilian Arnold salvaged the result with a top midfield effort. He got in great scoring positions when Wolfsburg attacked and had one of his better defensive efforts tracking back. His equalizer was his reward for his efforts, and the goal may be the key to earning more playing time.
Midfielder: Christoph Kramer
His striking colleagues may have stolen the show, but Christoph Kramer dominated his former Gladbach teammates in midfield. He snuffed out several buildups before they could even start, making it very difficult for Gladbach to get anything going. He was a box-to-box midfielder in true form, and Leverkusen's clean sheet had a lot to do with his performance.
Forward: Javier Hernandez
Hat-tricks are usually a first-class ticket to the team of the week, but historical significance of Chicharito's makes for an even more enticing storyline. It was the third straight match in all competitions in which he had scored a goal, and he is the first Mexican footballer to ever notch a triple in the Bundesliga. Leverkusen definitely hit the jackpot with the former Manchester United man.
Forward: Vedad Ibisevic
Vedad Ibisevic's third brace of the season may not have been the most exceptional, but it kept overachievers Hertha Berlin soaring. The Bosnian used his footballing smarts to get in good positions to score, hard to do against a Darmstadt side that likes to restrict space in the middle. No one's writing off the 31-year-old forward any more.
Forward: Stefan Kiessling
Stefan Kiessling was a motivated man on Saturday night, and he ran the show during Leverkusen's 5-0 lambasting of Gladbach. His two goals and two assists were only the most obvious of his contributions. In what may be his last home game for Leverkusen, Kiessling ran all over the park, as if to show just how much the club may miss him if he leaves in January.