Bundesliga Title Race: Recapping the Performances of the Top 4 This Weekend

In world football, the English Premier League and La Liga are generally the two leagues that receive the most attention from football fans around the world.  

However, if you're looking for the most competitive league and well-run in the world, the Bundesliga is where you'll want to turn your attention to.

Nearly every team in the Bundesliga has a number of internationally-capped players, and at the top, only three points separate first through fourth in the title race. Things are incredibly tight at the bottom as well, as only eight points separate eighth place from 18th place.

Most teams have a steady stream of income, very healthy stadium attendance and financial stability unrivaled by most teams in the top leagues of the world.

But I digress. This slideshow isn't about which league is the most competitive or well-run; it's about this week's developments in the very tight Bundesliga title race.

Let's see how each of the top four fared in their respective matches this weekend. 

FC Nuremburg vs. Borussia Dortmund: 0-2

Borussia Dortmund went into this game in good form, having been undefeated in the league since mid-September and having won 11 out of their last 14 games.

FC Nuremburg meanwhile were in decent form; they'd lost their last game, but had won their previous two against Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha BSC.

In the end, Borussia Dortmund would triumph over FC Nuremburg two goals to nil, but it was not an easy victory.

The game was still deadlocked at 0-0 at halftime, and it took a beautiful through-pass from substitute Moritz Leitner in the 48th minute to start the play that captain Sebastien Kehl finished well from close range.

Even after the opener, though, the game still didn't really open up until in 82nd minute when forgotten striker Lucas Barrios was in the right place to convert Kagawa's rebounded shot, and the game was put to bed.

After the match, Lucas Barrios credited the fans for convincing him to stay with the team despite the lack of playing time he has received this season.

With the win, Borussia Dortmund temporarily climbed to the top of the table ahead of Bayern Munich, as well as Schalke who had also been tied on points with Borussia and Bayern.

FC Schalke 04 vs. Mainz 05: 1-1

Like Borussia Dortmund, Schalke went into this match in fine form. They'd won their last five matches, with their last loss coming at the hands of title rivals Borussia Dortmund.

Mainz's form meanwhile almost mirrored that of Nuremburg. They'd won their last match against SC Freiburg, but had two losses and two draws before that match. The team sat only three points above the drop zone going into this game, and needed a good result

Although Schalke dominated possession (62 percent to 38 percent), they were unable to register very many shots on goal, and were surprised early when Mohamed Zidan, Mainz's new signing from Borussia Dortmund, opened the scoring in his first game back with his old club.

Zidan was given bags of space out wide, and Schalke were punished when Radoslav Zabavnik found him at the back with a perfect cross, which Zidan duly converted.

After the goal, neither side managed to truly take hold of the game, and the first half ended 1-0 to Mainz. In second half, a brilliant effort from on-loan Nigerian striker Chinedu Obasi allowed Schalke to equalize, but despite the team's best efforts, the game ended 1-1.

The result causes Schalke to drop two points behind Dortmund, but allowed the team to stay comfortably in the title race and among the top three. Borussia Monchengladbach now had the opportunity to jump ahead of them however...

VfL Wolfsburg vs. Borussia Monchengladbach: 0-0

...Unfortunately, it was not to be.

Despite going into the game with three consecutive wins and seven consecutive wins in games in which Marco Reus was available to play, Borussia Monchengladbach could not find the back of the net against Wolfsburg, and the game ended in a boring 0-0 draw.

To Wolfsburg credit, even though they were out-possessed on the ball, they prevented Borussia Monchengladbach from registering even a single shot on target, while they themselves registered three on target and six off target.

Borussia Monchengladbach left the game as they had entered it: in fourth place, well clear of fifth-place Bayer Leverkusen. They were now a full three points behind Borussia Dortmund, however, instead of one point as they were at the start of Matchday 20.

Hamburg SV vs. Bayern Munich: 1-1

Bayern Munich went into this match needing a win. The German title favorites were in relatively poor form, having lost four of their last nine matches, and needed to kickstart a good run of form that would put space between them and the rest of the Bundesliga's title contenders.

However, Hamburg were no easy opponents. Since recovering from their disastrous start to the season, Hamburg had become fairly consistent, and had only lost once in their last 11 matches. Getting all three points was not going to be an easy task.

And so it proved. Hamburg opened the scoring through midfielder Jacopo Scala, who was only making his second start for the team.

Jerome Boateng's inability to clear a long lob up-field created chaos in Munich's penalty box and gave Paolo Gerraro the opportunity to find Scala unmarked just outside the box. The young Italian proceeded to volley the ball excellently on goal, and Manuel Neuer could do nothing to stop it.

Bayern Munich proceeded to bombard Hamburg's goal after conceding, and although they picked up an equalizer off slopping corner defending through Ivica Olic, that was all they managed to get before the final whistle.

The result saw the Bavarian giants fall behind Borussia Dortmund for the first time since Matchday 14, and left Jupp Heynckes rather displeased with his team's performance.

Opinion

Given the rich form that all four title chasers have been in this season, three draws and only one win from the top four was not expected.

Furthermore, it was highly surprising that none of the Bundesliga's top scorers from the top four managed to get on the score-sheet this weekend.

Mario Gomez was well-constrained against Hamburg, while neither Klaas Jan-Huntelaar nor Robert Lewandowski managed to add to their tally for their respective teams.

The same applies to Marco Reus, who had been in good form prior to this match.

In truth, this weekend changes little in the Bundesliga title race. Borussia Dortmund are clear of their title rivals, but three points is hardly a comfortable lead in world football.

However, if Borussia Dortmund can extend that to five or six points over the next couple of weeks, they'll be in a much more comfortable position as the end of the season comes nearer and the schedule becomes more hectic.

As for Bayern Munich, Jupp Heynckes needs to identify what is wrong with his team very soon. Four losses and a draw in your last 10 matches is not the form of champions, no matter what league you're playing in.

Bayern Munich fans may well have the right to be upset as the defensive flaws on show today could likely have been rectified with a new defensive signing, which Bayern Munich can easily afford with their big budget.

Leave your comments on the Bundesliga title race in the comments section below, and let me know if you'd like to see more such articles in future weeks. Constructive criticism on how to make the Bundesliga title race recap more entertaining is also welcome! As always, thanks for reading.