There is currently a nearly three-week break in the Bundesliga with Germany’s top-flight not due to resume until January 7.
Yet there is plenty to ponder on as we reflect on the first half of the 2021/22 campaign.
Firstly, as far as I am concerned, the title race is all but run.
Bayern Munich are clear favourites to make it 10 titles in a row – their lead already nine points after beating Wolfsburg 4-0 last week and then watching their biggest rivals fall flat on their faces.
It’s actually difficult to see the Bavarians giving that many points away in the final 17 games. Indeed, the latest SBOTOP Bundesliga 2021 betting odds are concentrating on the race for a top-four place and a relegation battle which includes two of the biggest names in the top tier.
As 2021 draws to a close though, it’s worth pointing out that this has been another vintage year for Bayern
Against Wolfsburg, Robert Lewandowski set a new Bundesliga goals record, while Thomas Müller marked his 400th Bundesliga appearance with a goal and assist – he has produced 133 goals and 151 assists in that time.
Furthermore, Bayern have scored at least once in 64 successive Bundesliga matches, one short of the league record.
What fitting records for Bayern in the year they and the German game in general lost a true legend.
Elsewhere, we have been treated to Bundesliga 2021 highlights.
They included Bayer Leverkusen and Patrik Schick laying down a marker with the Czech striker scoring four as Die Werkself made light work of promoted Greuther Fürth in the Bundesliga’s only eight-goal game so far this term.
However, the highest-scoring game of 2021/22 saw nine goals netted the previous week. Fürth were again the unlucky recipients, although they did score three themselves for the very first time in a Bundesliga home game.
The problem was that they shipped six at the other end to Hoffenheim, including a hat-trick from Ihlas Bebou – one of only four three-goal hauls or better across the league this season – and a brace from Georginio Rutter.
Leverkusen also discovered what it felt like to be on the end of a thrashing at the BayArena as they suffered their joint-heaviest home defeat in the Bundesliga. And all the damage on Matchday 8 was done in 37 bruising first-half minutes as blistering Bayern scored five unanswered goals from – who else – Lewandowski,
Matchday 15 looked like being the Schick Show once again after he scored twice to put Leverkusen 2-0 up in the first 22 minutes away at Frankfurt. But Eintracht hit back a minute later and added a further four more without reply from five different players to completely turn the game on its head.
A few statistics may surprise you and certainly are worthy of mention.
For example, that SC Freiburg are third should be cause for celebration. Were a comparable provincial team with limited resources in such a lofty position, say in England, we would doubtless be hearing about it as a measure of the league’s greatness.
Manager Christian Streich is about to celebrate 10 years in charge of the club, and his stamp is everywhere.
That they have just concluded the first half of this Bundesliga season in their highest position in their history at this stage of a top fight season tells its own story.
Their 10th-place finish last year was a decent return, with a relegation battle well avoided, a new stadium on the horizon and a platform for Streich to build upon. But what has since followed has not been expected.
And the final word should go to Arminia Bielefeld.
They may be second from bottom but since Frank Kramer took charge in March, they have kept 11 clean sheets in the Bundesliga – more than any other team in the division in that period.
Back them to stay up.
With a defensive record like that, they will give themselves every chance.
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