The Bundesliga season started off with a bang this weekend, featuring 30 goals, three clean sheets, and only two draws in the nine matches. Every game was decided by a margin of two goals or less, showcasing the competitive parity of the league.
This series will recap each team’s performance and rank the Bundesliga teams following each matchday. The ranking system is based on the quality of performances, opponents, and recent matches.
Disclaimer: Bayer Leverkusen will be awarded the #1 spot until somebody actually beats them. Based on Leverkusen’s unique 35-game unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga, outplaying them or earning a draw isn’t sufficient to knock them off the throne.
1) Bayer Leverkusen
Result: 3-2 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach
The first 60 minutes of Leverkusen’s title defense were absolute stunning, but the wheels came loose as Leverkusen blew their 2-0 lead. A controversial penalty was awarded in stoppage time and even blocked, but Florian Wirtz calmly scored the game winning rebound.
2) Borussia Dortmund
Result: 2-0 win vs Eintracht Frankfurt
In Nuri Şahin’s debut, Dortmund dominated Frankfurt from start to finish by controlling possession (70%) and completing 708 passes. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens scored his first career brace on a pair of individual efforts, turning defenders inside out.
3) Bayern Munich
Result: 3-2 win at Wolfsburg
Bayern played a fantastic first half, but found themselves down 2-1 after careless mistakes by Sacha Boey and Kim Min-jae. Two strong plays on the ball by Harry Kane delivered consecutive goals as Bayern stole three points on the road.
4) RB Leipzig
Result: 1-0 win vs VfL Bochum
Leipzig struggled to generate offense but Antonio Nusa scored the game’s only goal after a chaotic sequence. Willi Orbán’s game saving tackle on Myron Boadu cost him a red card but ultimately saved Leipzig two points.
5) Freiburg
Result: 3-1 win vs Stuttgart
For a team that struggled to score goals last season, Freiburg came out firing on all cylinders. Freiburg’s counterattack gave Stuttgart all sorts of trouble and probably could have scored another goal or two.
6) Heidenheim
Result: 2-0 win at St. Pauli
Heidenheim spent the first 60 minutes on their heels, narrowly avoiding a few decent chances from St. Pauli. Then Bayern loanee Paul Wanner buried a breakaway in the 66th minute and Jan Schöppner tapped in a corner kick that somehow made it through the box.
7) Hoffenheim
Result: 3-2 win vs Holstein Kiel
Hoffenheim’s all-time leading scorer, Andrej Kramarić, opened the season with a hat trick to ruin Holstein Kiel’s return to the top flight. The match was never really in doubt, but Hoffenheim’s porous defense allowed Holstein Kiel to hang around and make things interesting.
8) Borussia Mönchengladbach
Result: 3-2 loss vs Bayer Leverkusen
Gladbach bravely clawed back from a 2-0 deficit to even the match in the 85th minute. It looked to be a successful evening for Gladbach before the stoppage time goal. Kevin Stöger was fantastic in the midfield, but the defense will need to clean up its mistakes to avoid another 14th place finish.
9) Wolfsburg
Result: 3-2 loss vs Bayern Munich
Fighting through a number of key injuries, Wolfsburg overcame an early goal from Jamal Musiala to storm back and take a 2-1 lead over Bayern Munich behind a pair of gift wrapped goals for Lovro Majer. But Wolfsburg was unable to hang on for the upset and went home empty handed.
10) Eintracht Frankfurt
Result: 2-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund
Failing to generate any sort of consistency, Frankfurt stretched its winless streak in the Bundesliga to five consecutive games. The squad is mostly unchanged from last season which looks to be resulting in some complacency.
11) Stuttgart
Result: 3-1 loss at Freiburg
New signee Ermedin Demirović scored an acrobatic volley in the 2nd minute, but that would be Stuttgart’s only real opportunity on the day. Stuttgart dominated possession but the attack was toothless without Serhou Guirassy. Seb Hoeneß has his work cut out for him if he wants to replicate last season’s second-place finish.
12) Werder Bremen
Result: 2-2 draw at Augsburg
Felix Agu gave Bremen an early lead, but Justin Njinmah had to salvage a draw in the 58th minute. Mitchell Weiser was the man of the match with two assists but Marvin Ducksch was relatively ineffective.
13) Augsburg
Result: 2-2 draw vs Werder Bremen
Elvis Rexhbecaj and Samuel Essende both scored and Augsburg will be content with the opening day result. Augsburg’s defense struggled again but it was enough for today.
14) Union Berlin
Result: 1-1 draw at Mainz
László Bénes’ return to the Bundesliga was cemented with a fantastic turn and finish from the top of the box. It wasn’t a complete performance from Union Berlin, but they’ll be satisfied with the earned point on the road.
15) Mainz
Result: 1-1 draw vs Union Berlin
Nadiem Amiri scored a beautiful free kick in the 53rd minute to give Mainz the lead. Robin Zentner made a few big saves but was ultimately done in by a deflected shot. Mainz was the better team but is still struggling to score goals.
16) VfL Bochum
Result: 1-0 loss at RB Leipzig
Bochum created three big chances but ultimately failed to find the back of the net. If Bochum wants to avoid relegation, Myron Boadu’s speed might be the solution.
17) Holston Kiel
Result: 3-2 loss at Hoffenheim
The 1912 German champions fell short of triumph in their debut in the Bundesliga’s top division. Alexander Bernhardsson and Shuto Machino both scored, showing that Holstein Kiel won’t roll over either.
18) St. Pauli
Result: 2-0 loss vs Heidenheim
St. Pauli’s first game back in the Bundesliga went better than expected but an inability to convert in the final third ultimately cost them the game. Once Heidenheim took the lead, St. Pauli lost their focus and conceded another late goal.
Looking for more analysis of Kompany’s Bundesliga debut? We’ve got you covered — INNN and Samrin go in-depth with a discussion of the lineups, tactics, substitutions, individual performances. PLUS we also compare and contrast Vincent Kompany’s start at Bayern Munich to what Hansi Flick has done at FC Barcelona thus far. Listen to it below or on Patreon or Spotify.
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