On the fifth Bundesliga matchday, Bayern Munich finally dropped points but stayed undefeated, along with RB Leipzig. St. Pauli pulled off an unlikely upset, Hoffenheim blew a 3-0 lead, and Frankfurt is the only Bundesliga squad to win both of its last two matches.
As the top teams dive into European competitions, the hectic schedule is creating unexpected results. Bayern’s depth keeps them better suited to handle the workload than the other title contenders, but the rotational players need to find a way to have a larger effect late in the game.
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.
1) Bayern Munich
Previous Ranking: 1
Bundesliga Form: WWWWD
Result: 1-1 draw vs Bayer Leverkusen
With 69% possession and 18 shots, it’s truly shocking that Bayern only scored one goal. Leverkusen parked the bus and kept Bayern’s front four held in check the entire night. Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović patrolled the midfield and kept the ball moving, plus Pavlović scored an absolute cracker of a volley to tie the game in the 39th minute.
2) Eintracht Frankfurt
Previous Ranking: 4
Bundesliga Form: LWWWW
Result: 4-2 win vs Holstein Kiel
Frankfurt forfeited a lead on two different occasions but Omar Marmoush dragged his team across the finish line with a brace and an assist. Marmoush’s game winner also puts him alone at the top of the Golden Boot race with six goals on the season. Frankfurt definitely played down to the opponent’s skill level but ultimately did enough to earn three points.
3) Bayer Leverkusen
Previous Ranking: 2
Bundesliga Form: WLWWD
Result: 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich
Leverkusen didn’t play like the defending champs, instead playing a passive formation that virtually eliminated Victor Boniface and Florian Wirtz from the match. In the 31st minute, Robert Andrich scored off Leverkusen’s only corner kick. In hindsight, claiming points at Bayern will be unusual outcome for opponents this season.
4) RB Leipzig
Previous Ranking: 6
Bundesliga Form: WWDDW
Result: 4-0 win vs Augsburg
After a lifeless draw against St. Pauli last weekend, Leipzig came out firing on all cylinders. The attack was dangerous from all sides, and Benjamin Šeško had a brace in the first 15 minutes. Loïs Openda continues to be the talisman for Leipzig, adding a goal of his own in the 46th minute. After an assist earlier in the match, Xavi Simons closed out the scoring account in the 57th minute.
5) Borussia Dortmund
Previous Ranking: 7
Bundesliga Form: WDWLW
Result: 4-2 win vs VfL Bochum
Things were looking grim for Dortmund before Guirassy scored for the third consecutive match right before halftime. Guirassy went on to earn a penalty and finish off his brace in the second half. This is the kind of resilient win that Dortmund has failed to produce since winning the league in 2011.
6) Stuttgart
Previous Ranking: 5
Bundesliga Form: LDWWD
Result: 2-2 draw at Wolfsburg
After captain Atakan Karazor was sent off with his second yellow card, Stuttgart played the final 30 minutes down a goal and a man. Luckily Deniz Undav found himself unmarked in stoppage time and Stuttgart stole a valuable point on the road. Ermedin Demirović was unusually quiet while the left flank of Maximilian Mittelstädt, Angelo Stiller, and Jamie Leweling delivered another solid outing.
7) Freiburg
Previous Ranking: 3
Bundesliga Form: WLWWL
Result: 3-0 loss vs St. Pauli
Murphy’s Law was in full effect in the biggest upset of the weekend. Freiburg’s sturdy defense was lost in the box. Noah Atubolu gave up a howler on the third goal. Reliable and unpredictable penalty taker Vincenzo Grifo got stonewalled. Freiburg dominated possession (73%) but still managed to losing the shooting battle. An awkward day all around for the home team that they’ll want to forget quickly.
8) Heidenheim
Previous Ranking: 9
Bundesliga Form: WWLLW
Result: 2-0 win at Mainz
Heidenheim got back on a track with a grueling victory. In the 15th minute, Marvin Pieringer scored an acrobatic goal. Heidenheim played about half of the match up a man, but weren’t able to take full advantage. Niklas Dorsch picked up an unlucky red card of his own in the 80th minute, but Heidenheim responded well and Jan Schöppner powered in a header in the 86th minute to seal the victory.
9) Wolfsburg
Previous Ranking: 10
Bundesliga Form: LWLLD
Result: 2-2 draw vs Stuttgart
Jonas Wind and Mohamed Amoura both had calm finishes and looked to do enough to steal three points. Despite being outplayed, the narrative will still be that Wolfsburg gave away another lead and had to settle for the draw.
10) Union Berlin
Previous Ranking: 8
Bundesliga Form: DWDWL
Result: 1-0 loss at Borussia Mönchengladbach
Union Berlin’s defensive shell held up for the majority of the game but wasn’t enough. The inability to score was the biggest culprit. In the 86th minute, Yorbe Vertessen barely got behind Gladbach’s defense, but his shot bounced off the post. The undefeated season is over, but Union Berlin’s style will keep them in every game.
11) Borussia Mönchengladbach
Previous Ranking: 13
Bundesliga Form: LWLLW
Result: 1-0 win vs Union Berlin
In a game devoid of decent finishing, Tomáš Čvančara bullied his way to a header in the 6th minute of stoppage time to earn the victory. Gladbach dominated possession (64%) but only forced Union Berlin to save one shot all match. It wasn’t pretty, but Gladbach will be satisfied to steal the late points.
12) Werder Bremen
Previous Ranking: 14
Bundesliga Form: DDWLW
Result: 4-3 win vs Hoffenheim
Only 12 minutes into the match, Bremen had dug themselves into a 3-0 hole. Thanks to a Hoffenheim red card in the 18th minute, Bremen tied it up by halftime and scored the game winner in the 49th minute. Despite only having scored a brace once in his career, 27-year old Jens Stage picked the perfect night to find his first career hat trick.
13) Mainz
Previous Ranking: 11
Bundesliga Form: DDLWL
Result: 2-0 loss at Heidenheim
Andreas Hanche-Olsen drew two yellow cards in the first 30 minutes and Mainz played behind and down a man for the majority of the game. Robin Zentner made four key saves but Mainz only mustered two shots on goal. Mainz hasn’t posted a clean sheet all season and need to get the backline on the same page.
14) St. Pauli
Previous Ranking: 17
Bundesliga Form: LLLDW
Result: 3-0 win at Freiburg
Elias Saad picked apart the Freiburg defense twice with clever dribbling to complete his brace. Nikola Vasilj delivered another clean sheet. Things are starting to look up for the newly promoted club.
15) Hoffenheim
Previous Ranking: 12
Bundesliga Form: WLLLL
Result: 4-3 loss at Werder Bremen
Hoffenheim shot out of the gate and overwhelmed Bremen with three goals in 12 minutes. As the last line of defense, Stanley N’Soki dragged down an attacker in the 18th minute and was immediately sent off. Hoffenheim was abysmal the rest of the match, allowing Bremen to tie the match before halftime. At this rate, Pellegrino Matarazzo might be regretting his decision to reject the US men’s national team job that eventually went to Mauricio Pochettino.
16) Augsburg
Previous Ranking: 15
Bundesliga Form: DLWLL
Result: 4-0 loss at RB Leipzig
On the left flank, Dimitrios Giannoulis was the lone bright spot for Augsburg. Augsburg earned five corner kicks but only one shot on goal. Augsburg’s defense continues to be a broken dam, conceding multiple goals in four out of five matches this season.
17) VfL Bochum
Previous Ranking: 16
Bundesliga Form: LLLDL
Result: 4-2 loss at Borussia Dortmund
The first half was nearly perfect for Bochum as they stormed out to a 2-0 lead in the first 21 minutes. In the 33rd minute, Myron Boadu nearly made it 3-0 but his breakaway attempt barely missed wide. Dortmund scored right before halftime and spent the entire second half pounding on Bochum’s net. Two poor save attempts from Patrick Drewes ended up being the difference.
18) Holstein Kiel
Previous Ranking: 18
Bundesliga Form: LLLDL
Result: 4-2 loss at Eintracht Frankfurt
Shuto Machino’s brace wasn’t enough to overcome another poor performance from Holstein Kiel’s defense. Timon Weiner got a decent chunk on three of the goals. That simply won’t cut it in the Bundesliga when Holstein Kiel needs every possible advantage to go their way to earn points.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen? Then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show where we cover everything from the starting XI selections, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, observations from the match, and where things go from here. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
