Bakr: What to watch for in Bundesliga return
May 13, 2020
After a pause in play for a little over two months, the German Bundesliga is the first major European league to schedule a return in play, with games resuming this weekend. The title race was heating up as the season was about to go into the final nine games, and with only seven points separating first from fifth, five teams were in with a shot for the title, some more realistic than others.
Being the first major sport to return, the Bundesliga may have an expanded audience, so here’s a reminder of where the teams sit coming out of the break and reasons to support each one if you do not already have a team.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich again leads the way, currently four points clear at the top of the table. The team was in great form going into the hiatus, winning 10 of the last 11 league games and 12 of the 15 since appointing Hans Flick as interim manager. Bayern has also won all seven of its Champions League fixtures and is currently in the German Cup semi-final.
Bayern has been flourishing on both sides of the ball. Robert Lewandowski leads Europe in goals with 39 and Thomas Muller leads in assists with 19. The defense has been in stellar form, conceding just 10 goals since Flick was appointed.
The league is currently in Bayern’s hands, but it’s not an easy schedule to close out the season for the reigning champions. They still have to go to Dortmund later this month and have back-to-back games against Leverkusen and Gladbach in mid-June. Wins in any of those fixtures will likely see the respective teams’ title run all but over, but the schedule could see Bayern slip up in the final stretch.
Why you should support Bayern:
Siding with Bayern guarantees trophies and relevance. If the DFB Pokal and Champions League return, Bayern has a shot at the European treble this season. You’ll be supporting the best striker in the world in Robert Lewandowski and one of the best midfielders in the world in Thiago Alcantara, as well as plenty of other talented players across the roster.
Results against the top 5:
RB Leipzig 1-1 Bayern
Bayern 4-0 Dortmund
Bayern 1-2 Leverkusen
Gladbach 2-1 Bayern
Bayern 0-0 RB Leipzig
Still to play:
Dortmund (A)
Leverkusen (A)
Gladbach (H)
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund is the closest pursuers, winning seven of the eight games since the winter restart. They have also won 10 of the 13 games since switching to a 3-4-3, with a mix of late-game collapses and errors at the back preventing them from winning three games they largely controlled. Blown leads have been the Achilles’ heel of Dortmund’s season, and they could have been in control of the title race had it not been for a collection of late slip-ups.
Fortunately for Dortmund, they still find themselves in reach. They have little room for error to close the season, and they have a tough return to the season against arch-rivals Schalke. Despite not playing in two months, Dortmund is dealing with a handful of injuries, mainly on the defensive side of the ball but also to captain Marco Reus. Fortunately, the recent stars of Dortmund’s season (Julian Brandt, Jadon Sancho, and Erling Haaland) are all fit to resume the season. If they can get through the derby, it’s likely a majority of the squad will be likely ahead of the potential title decider against Bayern.
Dortmund is out of the Champions League and DFB Pokal, making the Bundesliga the only chance for any real success this year, excluding the German Super Cup they won in August. This may be Dortmund’s most talented team since 2013, and after seeing last season’s title campaign slip away the pressure is on manager Lucian Favre to not blow another season.
Why you should support Dortmund:
Dortmund has a collection of young stars that are easy to root for, and a captain in Marco Reus who is easy to sympathize with through his loyalty to the club and never-ending battle with injuries. On the field they are one of the most entertaining sides in Europe and have always been the team that looked like they could end Bayern’s run of seven straight championships.
Results against the top 5:
Dortmund 4-0 Leverkusen
Dortmund 1-0 Gladbach
Bayern 4-0 Dortmund
Dortmund 3-3 Leipzig
Leverkusen 4-3 Dortmund
Gladbach 1-2 Dortmund
Still to play:
Bayern (H)
Leipzig (A)
RB Leipzig
Leipzig sits just one point behind Dortmund in third and was top of the table not too long ago. A poor run of form which saw them win just two of the last seven games saw them fall down in the table. It’s not a terrible run of form when you consider that they drew against Bayern, Gladbach, and Leverkusen in the run, but it also emphasizes Leipzig’s inability to win the big games this season. Fortunately for them, the lone top-five fixture they have is a home meeting against Dortmund in the penultimate matchday of the season, and they have been largely dominant against the remainder of the Bundesliga.
Timo Werner has far and away been Leipzig’s star of the season, and with a move to Liverpool in the summer looking likely, this would be Leipzig’s last chance to win a trophy with its star forward. Werner has 21 goals and seven assists so far this season, leading the team in goals and just behind Christopher Nkunku in assists.
Leipzig has been flirting with a title run since its promotion in 2016, and the appointment of Julian Nagglesmann as manager in the summer was what the team needed to make a run toward contention. They have a favorable schedule to close the season, and may not have a chance as good as this one to bring home its first-ever league title.
Why you should support Leipzig:
On the field, they are an explosive counter-attacking side that are highly entertaining to watch. They have one of the fastest teams in Europe and are rarely shut out. Timo Werner is an electric young striker who is exciting to watch. The club was also founded in 2009, climbing from the non-leagues to the title picture in just 10 years. Plenty of people hate the way they worked around the system to do it, but you may be a fan of a team that can finesse league regulations.
Results against the top 5:
Gladbach 1-3 Leipzig
Leipzig 1-1 Bayern
Leverkusen 1-1 Leipzig
Dortmund 3-3 Leipzig
Leipzig 2-2 Gladbach
Bayern 0-0 Leipzig
Leipzig 1-1 Leverkusen
Still to play:
Dortmund (H)
Borussia Monchengladbach
Gladbach has been the surprise contender of the season, sitting on top of the table for a large stretch early in the season. Recently, however, the season has taken a turn for the worst. Gladbach has won just five of its last 11 games going back to the first half of the season and lost to Dortmund at home in a pivotal match just before the season was paused. With games against Leverkusen and Bayern still on the horizon, a return to form is crucial for any chance of a title to stay alive.
Scoring has been distributed among the attack, with no scorer in double digits in the Bundesliga. The defense has been solid, but nothing historic, conceding 30 times in 25 games, good for the second-best record behind Bayern. The biggest contributor to Gladbach’s success has been manager Marco Rose, who is in his first season with the club. Rose already has his side six points off of last season’s total, with nine games still left to play.
Gladbach crashed out of the Europa League and DFB Pokal early, so the Bundesliga is all they have left to play for. Given the preseason expectations, it’s not quite title or bust for them, but it’s not guaranteed that they will find themselves back in this position in the upcoming seasons.
Why you should support Gladbach:
Gladbach was not expected to be in the mix at the start of the season and it has been a dark horse throughout the season. The success has been off of team play and coaching due to the absence of a true star in the squad. They probably have the least amount of flare of the five teams, which could push you away or make you respect what they have been able to do.
Results against the top 5:
Gladbach 1-3 Leipzig
Dortmund 1-0 Gladbach
Leverkusen 1-2 Gladbach
Gladbach 2-1 Bayern
Leipzig 2-2 Gladbach
Gladbach 1-2 Dortmund
Still to play:
Leverkusen (H)
Bayern (A)
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen is on the outside looking in, and winning every game down the stretch would not even guarantee them the title. Still though, its recent run of form deserves recognition and has kept them in the mix. They have won seven of the last nine, including a late comeback win against Dortmund.
Similar to Gladbach, scoring has been balanced in the Leverkusen team. Kevin Volland leads in goals and assists with nine and eight respectively. Kai Havertz is second in both categories, and if Leverkusen is to go on a run when the season returns he would likely be at the face of it.
After losing Julian Brandt in the summer, Leverkusen went through some issues to start the season, but have since put together a quietly good season. They are currently in the DFB Pokal semi-finals and are in pole position to qualify for the Europa League quarter-finals to go with the outside shot at the title. Finishing in the top four and qualifying for next season’s Champions League is probably the more realistic goal, but it would still go down as a success.
Why you should support Leverkusen:
Leverkusen is an entertaining young side that always seems to produce young talented players. Kai Havertz is the best example of this and is an entertaining star who could grow into one of the world’s best players. They are an entertaining side, and you are in for a show one way or another as you never know what you’ll get out of them. This was shown heavily in the complete opposite results they had in the two matches against Dortmund this season.
Results against the top 5:
Dortmund 4-0 Leverkusen
Leverkusen 1-1 Leipzig
Leverkusen 1-2 Gladbach
Bayern 1-2 Leverkusen
Leverkusen 4-3 Dortmund
Leipzig 1-1 Leverkusen
Still to play:
Gladbach (A)
Bayern (H)
Adam Bakr is a beat reporter for Impact 89FM WDBM who primarily covers men’s soccer. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamBakr14.
