Dortmund are a mess ahead of Spurs visit
Four league defeats in five. One win in eight in all competitions. 16 goals conceded in that time. First to fifth in the space of five Bundesliga games. Borussia Dortmund are in crisis.
Matchday 12 started disastrously for BVB when a pantomime mix-up involving defender Marc Bartra and goalkeeper Roman Bürki gifted Stuttgart the opening goal as the newly-promoted Swabians went on to win 2-1.
And it got even worse on Sunday when they were leapfrogged by local rivals Schalke – a club Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watze once insisted they had “long left behind.”
The next visitors to the Westfalenstadion are Spurs in the Champions League on Tuesday followed by Schalke on Saturday. The mood is more black than yellow in Dortmund.
Ten-man Leverkusen looking good
Bayer Leverkusen had never recorded a single point against RasenBallsport Leipzig – which isn’t actually that alarming given the Red Bull franchise was only created in 2009 and is only in its second Bundesliga season.
When Leverkusen defender Benjamin Heinrichs was correctly sent off for a deliberate handball on the goal-line early in the second half and Swedish winger Emil Forsberg converted the penalty to put RB 2-1 up, that record looked set to continue.
But Leverkusen, unbeaten at home under new coach Heiko Herrlich, were undeterred and piled forward as if they were the team with the extra man. They were rewarded for their efforts when Kevin Volland smashed home an equaliser, keeping them ninth in the table.
Record-breaking Bayern six points clear
Unlike Dortmund, Bayern Munich capitalised on RB’s slip and moved six points clear thanks to a straight-forward 3-0 win at home to Augsburg on a day of broken records for the Bavarian giants.
Veteran coach Jupp Heynckes, still with a 100 per cent record since taking over from Carlo Ancelotti, celebrated a record 500th Bundesliga victory, 326 as a player and 174 as a manager.
Meanwhile, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski scored his 16th and 17th goals in all competitions – more than any other Bundesliga player.
Finally, it was a 50th Bundesliga victory for 22-year-old Joshua Kimmich – in only his 62nd game. No other German player has ever reached that landmark so quickly.
Gladbach goals galore
The weekend’s other big movers were Borussia Mönchengladbach as the Foals jumped from eighth to fourth thanks to a rollercoaster 4-2 win away at Hertha BSC on Saturday night.
Dieter Hecking’s men flew into 3-0 lead after just 20 minutes in the Olympic Stadium, Brazilian forward Raffael stealing the headlines with a 30-yard rocket into the top corner.
But captain Lars Stindl was also on target again after his goal for Germany against France in the week – goals which will surely put him in contention to make Joachim Löw’s squad in Russia.
Calamitous Cologne feeling “cheated” by VAR
They’re disorganised at the back, they struggle to put two passes together in midfield and they’re toothless up front. But now, after yet another video refereeing assistant (VAR) decision cost them against Mainz, Cologne are starting to feel cheated as well.
When referee Felix Brych pointed to the spot after a blatant dive by Mainz forward Pablo de Blasis, the VAR failed to intervene – despite the complete lack of contact being obvious to fans watching both on television and in the away end, right behind the incident.
Rock bottom of the Bundesliga with a measly two points and four goals after 12 games, Cologne fell further adrift on Sunday night after Werder Bremen, previously the only other team still without a win, hammered Hannover 4-0.
