The Bundesliga is now whistling like a kettle on the hob; we are at boiling point, but the international break now signals an 11-day pause in proceedings. Who have been the winners and losers over the last four weeks, and what joyous events are just over the horizon?
By Chris Williams, our Bundesliga expert
Four become two
It may have been a question of when not if, but the league’s two big clubs look set to fight it out over the remaining nine matchdays to see who holds the Meisterschale aloft come Saturday 27 May.
Season-long surprises Union Berlin and Freiburg have eventually dropped their phenomenal pace, something that should not be held against them but it was always going to be a massive ask for either to mount a sustained challenge to Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund.
For the club from Germany’s capital, it has been a tough challenge to balance the rigours of Europen football with that of domestic necessity. Dropping out of the Europa League came amongst a run of five Bundesliga games that yielded only one victory.
That set of results has left them off the pace of the top two but it keeps them in third, Champions League qualification for next season is very much in their hands. The only worry that brings is the step up in quality they would then face with automatic qualification to the group stages.
Step forward Dortmund
Since the league restarted in January, the Schwarzgelben have kicked into a different gear, ahead of any other club around them. Edin Terzić’s side were sixth post-World Cup and looked like a team nowhere near a title challenge.
But, with an all-important fixture against Bayern due in 12 days, they now sit atop of the league edging out a one-point gap to the Bavarians in second.
It’s a run of form that has seen them take 28 points from the last 30, whilst scoring 30 goals in the process. Having dispatched Freiburg and Hertha with ease already this season, Matchday 25 saw FC Köln make the short trip to the Westfalenstadion, it turned out to be an absolute mauling for the Billy Goats.
A 6-1 rout showed Dortmund flex their title-dreaming muscles. Smashing four goals inside 45 minutes they were simply too hot to handle and the night belonged to Marco Reus. Netting twice the captain sailed past one-time player and now Sporting Director, Michael Zorc, on the Black and Yellow scoring charts.
His second was the 161st goal for the club while also reaching the milestone of 150 Bundesliga goals, not bad for a player who frequently finds himself as a left winger.
But, it’s not just Reus who Dortmund can thank for their recent set of results – Raphaël Guerreiro’s performance has been off the charts. His showing at Schalke and Köln typified his quality and his 9.0 and 9.2 ratings were no fluke.
Scoring the opening goal in the Köln crushing he went on to put in a man-of-the-match performance while also creating the most chances over the 90 minutes.
The only mark on Dortmund’s recent run of Bundesliga results has been a 2-2 draw with struggling Schalke, but the Revierderby is well known for ripping up the formbook. Whilst defeat to Chelsea saw their Champions League exploits come to an end at the Round of 16.
Yet none of that will matter now, the title lies in their own hands – you cannot ask for more than that with nine games to play.
Step backwards Bayern
Championships aren’t won in January but many are lost, and Julian Nagglesmann will be thinking long and hard about a New Year period that has left Bayern looking upwards.
The Rekordmeister’s recent results haven’t been too bad, but such is the run Dortmund are on, only taking four points from the 12 available at the turn of the year now sees them playing catch up.
Defeats to Borussia Mönchengladbach, and this weekend at Bayern Leverkusen, have left staff at the club fuming. Sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic blasted them as “inferior in all areas” while Nagglesmann suggested post-Leverkusen that their 1 April fixture against Dortmund has become season-defining.
“If we don’t win, or in the worst case we lose, then it will be difficult to win the title considering their current form,” the head coach prophesied.
Even with the temporary doom and gloom around Säbener Straße, Bayern still have quality in depth.
Jamal Musiala has 19 goals and assists combined (11 and 8 respectively) while Joshua Kimmich has an average rating of 7.86 from his 24 league matches and tops the charts as the Bundesliga’s highest-average rated player on FotMob.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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