There were goals galore in the Bundesliga in the weekend just gone by, with four teams scoring 3 goals or more as the league slowly starts to take shape. Bayern Munich hit Freiburg for seven, while Hoffenheim hammered Mainz 05 4-0 away from home. Hamburg stay rooted to the bottom as Werder Bremen beat them 2-0 at home to stay level with Jupp Heynckes’ side after five rounds of matches. Here are some of the weekend’s stand-out performers:
Tony Jantschke, MGladbach. WhoScored rating 8.35
MGladbach kept up their great start to the season with a 1-0 home him over Kaiserslautern and the right-back was crucial to his side’s victory, both in defence and going forward. With 102 touches, Jantschke saw more of the ball than any player and made 63 passes with an 89% accuracy.
He delivered 2 crosses and played 9 long balls and was also his side’s second-top creator, with 2 key passes leading to the assist for Juan Arango’s crucial winner. Jantschke also excelled at the back; his 5 tackles were the most of any MGladbach player and he broke up the opposition play with 3 interceptions and 1 clearance in a solid all-round performance.
Aleksandar Ignjovski, Werder Bremen. WhoScored rating 8.34
The left-back played a crucial role in helping Bremen chalk up a clean sheet in the 2-0 home win over Hamburger SV. Ignjovski was outstanding defensively, making two crucial interventions; a last man tackle and six-yard block stopped the visitors finding their way back into the match. His 7 tackles were the most of any player on the pitch and he also made 2 interceptions and 5 clearances to prevent Hamburg breaching the home defence.
In possession, Ignjovski saw more of the ball than any Bremen player, with 74 touches, and he also made 41 passes, joint-top for the home side- a clear indication of his importance to the team. Ignjovski had an 85% pass accuracy and played 5 long balls out of defence, as well as making 1 key pass. From out wide, he also supplied 1 cross and made 1 successful dribble, with 1 shot on goal also to his name, as Bremen continued their winning ways to stay level on points with Bayern at the top.
Bastian Schweinsteiger, Bayern Munich. WhoScored rating 9.59
Pulling the strings from the centre of midfield, Schweinsteiger put on a Xavi-esque performance in Bayern’s 7-0 hammering of Freiburg. He had an incredible 136 touches –Franck Ribery (102) was next best – and made 113 passes, with a 91% accuracy, in the Allianz Arena rout. Schweinsteiger also delivered 4 crosses, played 13 long balls as he looked for the Bayern front four time and again, and made 2 key passes, leading to 1 assist.
Defensively, he also broke up the Freiburg play with 2 tackles and 4 interceptions- the most of the home side- and he also managed 3 successful dribbles and fired off 2 shots in a quite sensational performance. Despite this, he failed to pick up the man of the match for Bayern- Mario Gomez, with 4 goals and 1 assist, deserved that accolade for a devastating show of clinical finishing.
Raffael, Hertha Berlin. WhoScored rating 9.20
Playing in the hole behind a lone forward in Hertha’s 4-2-3-1 clearly suits the Brazilian. Raffael picked up a man of the match award- his third of the season already- as his side defeated champions Dortmund 2-1 away from home.
Raffael had 4 of his side’s 12 goal attempts –the most of any player on the pitch- and with 3 on target, scored 1 goal in addition to hitting the woodwork. He also demonstrated an ability to beat his opponent; 4 successful dribbles troubled Dortmund throughout. Raffael had 61 touches, as Hertha looked to find their attackers as much as possible, and played 33 passes with a 79% accuracy.
He also indicated a willingness to battle, too; impressive defensive stats show Raffael made 4 tackles and 2 interceptions in the victory, and he also won 100% of aerial duels to help dent Dortmund’s early season momentum ahead of their midweek Champions League showdown with Arsenal.
Mario Mandzukic, Wolfsburg. WhoScored rating 9.20
The forward had a key role in his side’s 2-1 home win over Schalke. Playing up front in a 4-4-2, Mandzukic had 3 shots at goal, all on target, and scored both goals for Wolfsburg, helping his team end a run of three straight defeats. The Croatian demonstrated his ability with 4 successful dribbles, joint-top for Wolfsburg, and was a target for the opposition throughout- he was fouled 5 times, the most of the home side.
Mandzukic saw little of the ball, though; just 48 touches, and made 25 passes with a lowly 60% accuracy. Defensively, made 2 tackles and 1 clearance but it was his crucial brace that saw him pick up the man of the match award as Wolfsburg grabbed their second win of the campaign.
