Eight weeks in and the Bundesliga is starting to take shape, and it’s a rather familiar shape at that! FC Bayern have taken the top spot after a thumping 1-5 win at the Bay Arena, while Borussia Dortmund climb to second place as Erling Braut Haaland inspired a victory over Mainz.
Elsewhere the struggles continue for the other title hopefuls, Wolfsburg and Red Bull Leipzig, on a great weekend of results for Bayern and BVB.
Bayern puts Leverkusen in its place
In a Sunday afternoon shootout between the two teams which started the weekend in first and second place, there was only going to be one winner from the moment Robert Lewandowski gave Bayern a third minute lead. The reigning champions went on to blow Leverkusen away, scoring five goals in the opening 37 minutes, Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry both helping themselves to a brace while Thomas Muller rounded off the scoring.
Leverkusen sharp-shooter Patrik Schick scored for the hosts early in the second half but it was scant consolation as they were comprehensively beaten by a team, quite simply, in a different class. Die Werkself drop a place to third and will just have to go and lick their wounds before returning to fight again.
Lewandowski’s opener was a moment of sheer brilliance when the Pole back-heeled a cross from Dayot Upamecano into the net to open the floodgates. He doubled the lead himself before Muller and Gnabry got in on the act as the Bavarians ran riot.
The Bundesliga title odds here at SBOTOP held Julian Nagelsmann’s team as strong favourites to win the league from the get-go, and this was just the sort of performance to justify the odds. Next up Bayern take on Benfica in the Champions League, another trophy they have their eyes on.
Haaland’s going to push Lewandowski all the way
While FC Bayern have taken a march in the league, now a point clear of Borussia Dortmund, Lewandowski might have a battle on to keep hold of his coveted Golden Boot. BVB delivered Mainz a reality check on Saturday as Haaland scored twice in a 3-1 win, to make it three defeats on the bounce for Mainz and back-to-back victories for die Schwarzgelben.
The win took BVB to the top of the table on Saturday and Haaland’s goals took him three clear of Lewandowski, only to see the lead cut to one on Sunday. But with nine goals to his name this season Haaland is setting the pace. In his six games so far the Norwegian scoring phenomenon has taken 30 shots, 15 on target. He’s an all action player, making three assists as well as winning 69 tackles and 20 aerial duals, and his return from injury is a huge boost to Dortmund. He opened his account with a penalty early in the second half and added a second deep into injury time.
The Wolves have lost their bite
After a strong start to the 2021/22 campaign the wheels have come off in Wolfsburg and Mark van Bommel’s team has dropped to sixth in the Bundesliga table after losing a third consecutive league match. A 3-1 loss away to Hoffenheim and a home defeat, by the same score line, at the hands of Borussia Monchengladbach were punctuated only by a Champions League draw with Sevilla.
A win away to new boys Greuther Furth, back on 11th September, was die Wolfe’s last victory and they have now gone six games, in all competitions, without a victory. That’s a set of Bundesliga 2021 results which will set alarm bells ringing in Saxony as star striker Wout Weghorst is struggling for goals but top scoring with two. On Saturday, Wolfsburg went down to FC Union Berlin, falling to two second half goals, the victors leap-frogging their victims up to fifth.
And Leipzig look a little lost too
Before the season started the Bundesliga 2021 betting odds held Red Bull up, alongside Borussia Dortmund, as one of the two sides capable of pushing FC Bayern in the title race but, on current form, they look anything but title challengers. Defeats to Wolfsburg and Bayern early in the season preceded a 6-3 Champions League mauling at the hands of Manchester City. But, after drawing with Cologne, die Roten Bullen exploded into life beating Hertha Berlin 6-0, before another defeat in the Champions League, to Club Brugge, took the wind from their sales; and on Saturday Leipzig had an underwhelming draw away to Freiburg.
They conceded possession, and lost the shot count to a side they were expected to beat and they can think themselves a little lucky to escape with a point.
A first half lead thanks to an Emil Forsberg penalty was cancelled out as Freiburg hit back through Woo Jeong, and the hosts came close to winning the game but a point was enough to lift them to fourth.
Leipzig are dogged by inconsistency and, unless they can rectify that problem, they will be also-rans this season.
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