Bundesliga Recap – Mid-November 2020

After 7 match-weeks, the Bundesliga is taking an expected shape and basically confirming the values expressed in the last season. Bayern Munich continues to lead the ranking in first position with 18 points supported by the goals of a superb Robert Lewandowski, 11 so far. Behind Bayern we find the two top contenders of the Bavarians: Leipzig, second at 16 points and Borussia Dortmund, third with 15 points together with Bayer Leverkusen.

Unlike, Serie A, English Premier League and LaLiga, so far, the situation of the Bundesliga in line with the previous season. Bayern Munich is grinding goals, victories and titles: the Bavarian season started with the victories in the European Super Cup against Seville and the German Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund. Hard to stop the German powerhouse and we can predict another successful year for Bayern Munich. With 27 goals scored in 7 games, Bayern travels at an average of 3.85 goals per game, a pace that, if confirmed, would project it to beat the record of 101 goals scored in a Bundesliga (record which belongs to Bayern in since the 1971-72 season).

In this regard, the protagonist is always him: Robert Lewandowski. The Polish player is performing even higher than his stratospheric records in last season. Lewandowski scored 47 goals in 55 matches last year (34 goals in the Bundesliga). In 2019-20 Lewandowski had become the first player in the history of the Bundesliga to reach 10 goals in the first 6 league games. In this season, he has already improved himself: 5 matches were enough to go into double digits. 457 minutes played, 11 goals total, an average of one goal every 41 minutes: unstoppable. Gerd Müller‘s record of goals in a single season (40 marks in ’71-’72 season) may be beat if Lewandowski kept this pace.

From one recordman to another one, Thomas Müller also added a record to his collection: with his success over Borussia Dortmund, he crossed the finish line of 261 Bundesliga victories with the Bayern jersey, surpassing Oliver Kahn in the ranking of the players with the most matches won in the club in the league. The overall record of Manfred Kaltz, who won 291 games in 581 played with the Hamburg jersey, is not that far.

Leipzig is second with 16 points, two point behind Bayern. Nagelsmann’s team (so far 5 wins, a draw and a defeat) has lost in the summer Timo Werner. However, the team keeps scoring and bringing important points home.

Morale of Borussia Dortmund must be extremely low after losing once again against Bayern Munich. The Bavarians won in Dortmund 3-2 against Lucien Favre’s men for the fourth time in a row. Last year, Borussia lost each Bundesliga matches against Bayern saying goodbye to the title. Last September, again, Borussia lost against Bayern for the German Super Cup. Borussia Fans can only pray that Erling Haaland would remain at Dortmund: 6 goals so far with impressive performances.

Excellent start for Bayer Leverkusen, 15 points so far. Bayer is still unbeaten in this Bundesliga (3 draws and 4 consecutive victories). Lucas Alario with 7 goals is just behind Lewandowski. Union Berlin can smile too; Urs Fischer’s team has put 6 consecutive useful results in series (3 victories and 3 draws) that are worth the current 5th place alone.

After losing Andrej Kramaric who has been quarantined for covid-19, Hoffenheim went in free-fall. Without Kramaric, who scored 6 goals in the first 3 games, Hoffenheim does not know how to win (1 draw and 3 defeats).

Another team which is poorly performing is Schalke 04: Rhur’s club is going through a deep corporate and sporting crisis. With 3 draws and 4 defeats as well as worst defense (22 goals conceded), second worst attack (5 goals scored), Schalke 04 is in the second-last place in the standings and the German football club seems a lost cause.

Even more complicated the situation of the Mainz: the team from Lichte scored the first point last Saturday, drawing just against Schalke 04, getting the first useful result after 6 consecutive defeats.