The Bundesliga returned from its winter break this weekend with drama on and off the pitch – eventually.
Bayern Munich got the ball rolling in fairly predictable manner with a 3-1 win away at Bayer Leverkusen on Friday night. James Rodriguez starred for the champions, but it could have been a different story had Leon Bailey and Bayer Leverkusen been more ruthless up front.
The answer to the Keita question
The frantic transfer speculation surrounding Naby Keita was ended this weekend as RB Leipzig produced strong statements both on and off the pitch.
Media reports had suggested that Liverpool were on the verge of securing the dynamic Guinean midfielder’s services six months earlier than planned, but they ultimately couldn’t meet the Red Bull club’s demands for an extra €20 million (£17m).
Keita was key to RB’s success last season, the midfielder contributing eight goals and eight assists as the controversial club finished second. But since agreeing to join Liverpool in the summer, he has so far failed to produce the same performances and has stood out for his poor disciplinary record as much as his football, having been shown two red cards already this season.
Off the pitch, teammates are said to have been less than impressed with his attitude and the player is also in trouble with the local authorities in Leipzig after twice submitting a “fake” Guinean driving license in an attempt to acquire a German license, for which he has been fined €415,000 (£368,000). He is also alleged to have given up on his German language lessons as he prepares to head to England.
But on Saturday evening, he produced a performance worthy of last season as RB beat high-flying Schalke 3-1, leapfrogging the Royal Blues into second, Keita with the opening goal. On Sunday, RB confirmed that Keita will remain in Leipzig until the summer, putting an end to the speculation.
Aubameyang suspended (again) as Wolfsburg hold Dortmund
After a tumultuous 2017 involving a bomb attack, a cup win, a derby collapse and two managerial sackings, a sense of serenity looked to have returned to Borussia Dortmund after new head coach Peter Stöger ended the year with back-to-back wins.
But, ahead of kick-off against Wolfsburg on Sunday evening, the peace was shattered by the news that star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had been omitted from the matchday squad “for disciplinary reasons” – for the third time in 14 months.
The decision was taken after the Gabonese forward left training early on Saturday evening and failed to appear for a team meeting. “Team spirit is very important to us,” said Stöger. “We had an important meeting and he missed it. If he’s not focussed, there have to be consequences.”
On the pitch however, Dortmund clearly suffered from Aubameyang’s absence as Andriy Yarmolenko and youngsters Alexander Isak and Jadon Sancho, both making their first Bundesliga starts, all spurned chances in a goalless draw.
Post-match, BVB sporting director Michael Zorc suggested that the club have run out of patience with the striker, who has made no secret of his desire to one day leave Dortmund. “You eventually reach a point where you can’t tolerate it anymore and that’s where we are today,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going through his head.”
Elsewhere, Aubameyang also made headlines when he accused a Kicker magazine reporter of racism after he described the striker’s behaviour as an Affenzirkus, literally translating as “monkey circus.” The term is a commonly used German expression meaning “a madhouse” or “mayhem” and is not considered racist but, after Googling the term, Aubameyang discovered a cartoon of a monkey making a Nazi salute. The Kicker reporter has apologised for any offence caused by the misunderstanding.
Derby day drama in Cologne
After one win, three draws, 13 defeats and a goal difference of -22 in the first half of the campaign, Cologne have already started planning for life in division two next season – but they also had their eyes on the visit of bitter Rhineland rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach this weekend.
Cologne took a shock first half lead when defender Frederik Sörensen scrambled the ball over the line from a free-kick but Gladbach, the superior team despite lacking a proper striker, equalised in the second half through Raffael. But the drama was still to come as debutant striker Simon Terodde nodded home a winner 4 minutes and 59 seconds into the five minutes of added time to send the RheinEnergieStadion into ecstasy.
There were fun and games at half-time too when three Cologne ultras, disguised as stewards in orange vests, stole a prominent Gladbach flag from the fence in front of the away end before sprinting the length of the pitch to the safety of the home end. The Gladbach ultras tried to give chase but were stopped by police, before going into a sulk in the second half and refusing to sing.
