Looking Around the League: Freiburg Tops the Table as Bayern Drop Points and Frankfurt Decimate Leipzig

It’s always a bit more exciting when Bayern Munich isn’t top of the table, isn’t it?

Five rounds of the Bundesliga have been played and to many a fan’s delight, the table looks competitive. SC Freiburg continued their superb start to the season, overcoming a bolstered Leverkusen side in a thrilling encounter which saw them rise to the top of the table. Meanwhile, Union Berlin impressed with their defensive display, holding the record champions to draw in an entertaining top-of-the-table clash which saw both teams fall in the table. Borussia Dortmund’s mature win against in-form Hoffenheim meant they leapfrogged several teams into second, and under-the-radar Mainz saw off Borussia Monchengladbach in Borussia-Park to rise into the top five. Can they maintain it?

Here’s how it stands after the Matchday 5:

Results

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 TSG Hoffenheim

Bayer Leverkusen 2-3 SC Freiburg

Union Berlin 1-1 Bayern Munich

VfB Stuttgart 1-1 Schalke

VfL Bochum 0-2 Werder Bremen

Wolfsburg 2-4 FC Köln

Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 RB Leipzig

FC Augsburg 0-2 Hertha Berlin

Borussia Monchengladbach 0-1 Mainz

Standings

Dominant Frankfurt

Perhaps the most surprising result of the weekend was Eintracht Frankfurt’s thrashing of RB Leipzig. The hosts outshot their opponents 14-4 and held Leipzig’s xG to .18, despite the Red Bull’s majority possession. Frankfurt new boys Randal Kolo Muani and Mario Gotze lead the squad to their second successive Bundesliga victory. Leipzig’s woes continue as returning striker Timo Werner failed to impress and midfield talisman Dani Olmo was forced off after just 11 minutes with an ankle injury that will see him out of action for at least six weeks, leaving his World Cup hopes in doubt. With Leipzig’s heavy summer spending and sub-par results, Manager Domenico Tedesco might be on thin ice. You could say that Redbull is not giving this team wings at the moment.

Undefeated Union!

Bayern Munich were left frustrated for the second weekend in a row as Julian Nagelsman’s side were held to a 1-1 draw. Sheraldo Becker’s 12th minute strike was equalized by Joshua Kimmich a few minutes later, but Union held strong through ninety minutes. 75% possession and 21 shots weren’t enough for Bayern to triumph on Saturday. These two clubs remain undefeated in league play. The only other team yet to taste defeat is FC Köln.

Elsewhere in the league, Hertha Berlin picked up their first win of the season, while Stuttgart, Schalke, Bochum and Wolfsburg remain winless. Niko Kovac’s Wolfsburg have looked especially dreadful and his name could be on the chopping block soon. Stuttgart managed a second successive draw after finishing a second successive match with 10 men. Bochum nearly earned their first point of the season, but Werder Bremen’s Niclas Füllkrug once again scored late to seal a victory. (86’ & 90+2) Bochum’s Thomas Reis should also be wary of his job as Bochum sit in dead last.

Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images

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