Wolfsburg made it two wins in two with a victory away to Hertha Berlin on Saturday and they lead the early Bundesliga table, but 4-0 victories for both Leipzig and Leverkusen lit up the weekend on another great round of German football.
Red Bull got the first win in Jesse Marsch’s reign while Bayer Leverkusen hammered Borussia Monchengladbach by the same scoreline. Meanwhile, FC Bayern won a five-goal thriller against Cologne.
Maybe Lewandowski does need a new challenge
After a goalless first half in which Bayern had nine shots to Cologne’s four, but only one on target, they rectified matters five minutes into the second half; and it was that man Lewandowski tapping in from close range, easy as you like. We all expected that to be that, but within four minutes of madness, the score was 2-2. Serge Gnabry doubled Die Bayern’s lead but Cologne hit back through Anthony Modeste and Mark Uth. Gnabry made it 3-2 before Lewandowski crashed a shot against the crossbar and then had a close-range header saved.
Die Bayern started the campaign with a draw away to Borussia Monchengladbach. Of course, Lewi scored Bayern’s goal against Die Fohlen and he bagged a brace in midweek against Borussia Dortmund in the Bavarians Supercup victory. He’s recently said he needs a new challenge and I’m inclined to agree with him.
Trigger happy Red Bull can blow teams away
Red Bull Leipzig started the season with a poor result, a 1-0 loss away to Mainz, but they responded with a thumping 4-0 victory over Stuttgart thanks to a scintillating attacking display and an impressive debutant. They simply destroyed Stuttgart, registering 28 shots, one every three minutes, and 12 on target. Dominik Szoboszial scored twice on his full Leipzig debut and he could be one of the standout stars of this side; he’ll no doubt be a big feature in the Bundesliga 2021 highlights this term. The 20-year-old Hungarian hitman scored 26 goals and made 35 assists in 83 matches for sister club Red Bull Salzburg, and he has a very cool head on young shoulders, taking his two goals in style.
He joins a side blessed with attacking talent and two other strikers were on the mark. Portuguese star Andre Silva scored a penalty and made an assist while skipper Emil Forsberg was also on target. The pre-season Bundesliga 2021 betting odds pitched BVB as the most likely team to challenge FC Bayern, but on this showing Red Bull Leipzig will be right up there too.
Their next two games are against pacesetters Wolfsburg and champions Bayern and those matches will tell us a lot more.
Seoane’s Leverkusen already in good shape
Head coach Gerardo Seoane arrived at Leverkusen in the summer in the hope of improving on last term’s sixth-placed finish and he’s made an impressive start. Seoane has offloaded young strikers Leon Bailey and Demarai Gray but his side blew Borussia Monchengladbach apart in a 4-0 victory. On the back of a solid 1-1 draw away to FC Union Berlin this was a great result which puts them up among the early season leaders.
Here at SBOTOP we tipped Die Werkself to win this one, but it was the manner of this victory that was so telling. Moussa Diaby scored for the second week running while also providing an assist for Euro 2020 star Patrik Schick. With two goals in each half Die Werkself were dominant throughout and worked the Die Fohlen’s keeper Yann Sommer hard, forcing him into an own goal which set them on their way. Sommer’s opposite number Lukas Hradecky had a better day, saving a penalty from Lars Stindl; and Nadiem Amiri scored a late fourth to make it a perfect day for Leverkusen.
Bellingham could be Dortmund’s future
BVB fell to a surprise defeat away to Freiburg, which leaves them with three points from their first two games, but there was cause for optimism as England starlet Jude Bellingham put in another impressive performance. His shot was deflected in for Dortmund’s goal in the 2-1 loss and he also hit a post, but Die Schwarzgelben’s man of the match couldn’t inspire his team to victory. All credit to Freiburg who won the game with two outstanding goals courtesy of Vincenzo Grifo and Roland Sallai which ended Borussia Dortmund’s eight-match winning run.
The visitors controlled much of the game but couldn’t find the cutting edge, but that responsibility lies with the likes of Marco Reus and Erling Braut Haaland. Bellingham impressed in his cameo appearances for the Three Lions at Euro 2020 with a calm assurance, willingness to get stuck in and abundant talent; and at 18 years of age he has a sparkling future ahead of him. BVB will do well to keep hold of their young star and if they do, they will be well advised to build the team around him, on this evidence.
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