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There has never been a season in these conditions. Due to the corona pandemic, the season didn’t start until September. However, the associations passed all national and international competitions until the end of May; the European Championship is waiting there.
The players have to pay for the busy schedule: national players from the best clubs run from match to match. On matchday eight of the season it was clear how the load affects the top clubs. In view of some of the best struggling teams, a Berlin club suddenly found themselves in fifth place – and it’s not Hertha! These are the results of the eighth day of the Bundesliga:
1. The busy schedule casts its first shadow
Julian Nagelsmann tested a new form of division of labor in 1-1 against Frankfurt. Even before the match, the Leipzig manager had decided to replace center-back Dayot Upamecano at half-time. The 22-year-old Frenchman had just recovered in shape after a muscle injury. Prior to his injury, he had played thirteen games in seven weeks. A breakup wouldn’t hurt Upamecano. He still had to play and shortly before the goal he broke down 0-1.
The impression has consolidated: in the Bundesliga the first signs of wear appear after grueling weeks. There are some pointers for this:
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RB Leipzig fought against compact Frankfurters. Especially in the first few games of the season, the grass sport impressed with its quick combinations and strong center. Against Frankfurt they bounced off the opponent’s physically massive midfield. Leipzig have shot on goal less often than ever this season.
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Also Bayern Monaco awarded points in the title fight. In the 1-1 draw against Werder Bremen, coach Hansi Flick’s tactical castling didn’t work. With six Javi Martínez and new outside positions, Bayern remained offensively pale. National team players Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sané and Serge Gnarby should indeed be spared – and they still had to work to somehow increase the pressure against Bremen’s brave defense.
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Games of Borussia Monchengladbach This season often follows a pattern: over long periods of play, the Gladbachers are superior and give the best chance to score, only to receive the bitter draw just before the end. Against Augsburg they took the goal in the 88th minute to score 1-1 – and this despite the majority. In the last few minutes, the team has lost concentration, no wonder considering the large number of games. It was already the fifth advantage that Gladbach has played in the last quarter of an hour.
There will be no breaks in the coming weeks. Anyone who plays in Europe and has qualified for the second round of the DFB Cup can play nine games in the four and a half weeks until Christmas. (Bayern are the exception here; their cup match against Holstein Kiel has been postponed to January.) After a week of “winter break”, it’s going straight. Given this schedule, the best teams will rarely show dream football. More mistakes can be expected from the title favorites.
2. The number one in Berlin is called Union
Berlin must also be counted among the best teams of this young season. Mind you, this doesn’t mean Hertha, who was filled with millions of transfers before the season. Union Berlin is surprisingly in fifth place. The Union’s winning streak also continued against 1. FC Köln. The 2-1 win was the third in a row and the Union are seven games unbeaten.
Not only the results of the Union are surprising, but also the performances. Against Cologne, the team was superior on the pitch for long stretches. In defense, the two chains of four defended compactly and aggressively, especially the behavior when you got out of the defensive chain was right. After the Cologne draw, meanwhile, the Union took over the game, collected 60% of the ball and combined to win. Max Kruse’s converted penalty streak has failed. But on the sidelines he scored the Union’s winning goal.
What about the other Berlin club? Still looking for defensive stability. In the 2: 5 against Borussia Dortmund this was given only for a while before Berlin central defense of four-point shooter Erling Haland despaired. While the Union have the fourth best defense in the league, Hertha are fourth from the bottom in terms of goals conceded.
The Hertha gap over the Union has increased to eight points. It is also clear that when the Berlin derby arrives on Friday in two weeks, the Union will be in front of Hertha at a table.
3. Curious Bielefeld: no shot on goal
Arminia Bielefeld against Bayer Leverkusen has been a match for centuries. Certainly not for the brilliant performances of both teams: Leverkusen have collected 70% of ball possession, but rarely have found solutions against the low 4-1-4-1 of Bielefeld. Whoever started the game on TV saw twice as many dirty games as shots on goal.
Then came the 47th minute. A slow backward pass comes to Bayer goalkeeper Lukáš Hrádecký. The Finn missed the ball when it was accepted and it ended up on goal. To enter the box of moths of TV commentators: this own goal will not fail in any annual review.
The goal was curious from another point of view: it gave Bielefeld a goal, even if they did not fire a single shot for the entire 90 minutes. You read that right: the Leverkusen defenders didn’t have to block a rebound, and the Bielefeld forwards didn’t even dare a desperate action from thirty meters.
These curious statistics are the symbol of the Bielefeld season. Uwe Neuhaus’s playing style is completely defensive. Arminia defends deeply, even her ball possession game is designed to hold the ball and not to gain space; the ball could possibly be lost. So they don’t have a dangerous target. Only Augsburg had the lowest number of shots on goal by the Bielefeld team (59). Given just five goals in eight games, the path to Bielefeld’s relegation will be difficult.
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