Flicking through the papers you might be forgiven for thinking it’s April Fools Day: Michael Jackson is doing a concert comeback series and Hertha BSC Berlin are four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. If you had made either prediction at the beginning of the season you’d have been a good candidate for a tight-fitting white jacket. Yet whereas the King of Pop topped the charts less than two decades ago and an avoiding bankruptcy comeback attempt was actually imaginable – Berlin topping and even winning the league never even entered the realms of consciousness.

Hertha BSC finished 10th last season and 10th the season before. Last time Berlin won the championship Jacko hadn’t even been born and Berlin’s famous currywurst had yet to be invented. Even a raving optimist would have struggled to put his team down for UEFA Cup qualification, let alone the championship. Berlin have only ever spent 13 match days at the top of the Bundesliga in their entire history, three of which have come this season.

Yet the chance of Berlin winning their first title since 1931 suddenly looks like a distinct possibility. Berlin have opened up a four-point gap at the top and are looking good. And their loan signing Andrey Voronin is looking even better.

The blonde pony-tailed Ukrainian striker scored a hattrick to help his team win 3-1 away against Energie Cottbus. Shunned by Liverpool, he is fast becoming hot property. With seven goals in his last five league appearances, including both goals in a 2-1 win against Bayern Munich, he is on an impressive run.

His hattrick on Saturday was a one-man virtuoso performance. 0-1 behind and struggling he equalized with a header, before scoring his second just before half time. But he had saved his best for last: Voronin received the ball with plenty of space on the left wing and began his run. He cut inside dashing across the penalty box, as he escaped two defenders and one sliding tackle. Then he darted into the box cutting inside to beat a third defender and cut back out to the right to take out the fourth Cottbus player. The Ukrainian finished off the move with a low right foot drive across the face of goal.

A few minutes later the Berlin team had gathered at the center circle and began dancing and celebrating. Even Berlin manager Dieter Hoeneß was dragged in to join in the fun. “One could see he hasn’t done that for a while,” said defender Josip Simunic, who is no stranger to discos himself. Berlin’s Swiss coach Favre indicated that he might know have a few more dance moves stating “I like to dance too.”

Chasing Berlin

Following their mid-week exit from the cup at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen and fifth place position in the league, Bayern Munich were under considerable pressure to beat Hannover 96 at home. But they responded in style landing a 5-1 home win. A rare Lukas Podolski start produced a goal, as he scored one of four headed Bayern goals.

Meanwhile Hoffenheim hosted Bremen at home. After Werder Bremen’s thrilling 5-4 win in the first half of the season, this was expected to be a goal-fest. And it should have been. Bremen’s on-loan striker Sanogo hit the post three times for Hoffenheim, Claudio Pizzaro missed a couple of sitters for Bremen and countless other chances were squandered by both sides. The match finished a 0-0 draw with Hoffenheim climbing back into second position, while Bremen are stranded in 11th.

Hamburg had lost 3-1 at home to Wolfsburg the previous week and were expected to bounce back against bottom of the table Mönchengladbach. Yet German international Marko Marin put in a brilliant performance to lead his team to a surprise 4-1 home win and to lift them off the bottom spot.

That position is now occupied by Karlsruhe SC, who despite playing well, lost 1-0 to VfL Wolfburg away. Wolfburg are the best team in the second half of the season and are one of four teams poised within striking range of Berlin on 42 points.

Who’s bad?

Bayer Leverkusen had beaten Bayern in the cup and offered a glimmer of hope to their fans, that they could perhaps haul themselves back into the title race. Yet a 1-1 home draw against Bochum buried any remaining hopes. Meanwhile in the other Sunday match the home fans at Bielefeld were not much happier, as their team played out a boring 0-0 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Schalke fans were not a happy bunch either. Although their team beat 1 FC. Köln 1-0, it was far from a spectacular performance and calls for the manager’s ahead along with a cacophony of jeers and whistles reigned down from the stands. Schalke are 8th and out of all cup competitions. News of manager Andreas Müller’s sacking came as no surprise today, but fans are surely asking how long their coach Fred Rütten will survive?

AH

Results

FC Schalke 04 – 1. FC Köln 1:0
1899 Hoffenheim – Werder Bremen 0:0
Borussia Mönchengladbach – Hamburger SV 4:1
Bayern München – Hannover 96 5:1
Energie Cottbus – Hertha BSC Berlin 1:3
VfL Wolfsburg – Karlsruher SC 1:0
VfB Stuttgart – Borussia Dortmund 2:1
Arminia Bielefeld  -  Eintracht Frankfurt 0:0
Bayer Leverkusen  -  VfL Bochum 1:1

Table

1 Hertha BSC Berlin      46 P
2 Bayern München      42 P
2 1899 Hoffenheim       42 P
4 VfL Wolfsburg       42 P
5 Hamburger SV        42 P
6 VfB Stuttgart      39 P
7 Bayer Leverkusen     37 P
8 FC Schalke 04     37 P
9 Borussia Dortmund     33 P
10 Werder Bremen    29 P
11 1. FC Köln   29 P
12 Eintracht Frankfurt    24 P
13 Hannover 96    24 P
14 VfL Bochum     22 P
15 Arminia Bielefeld    21 P
16 Energie Cottbus     20 P
17 Borussia Mönchengladbach   19 P
18 Karlsruher SC     17 P