Bundesliga Bulletin: Players take a knee, Bayern Munich close in on eighth title

June 07, 2020

Good week for: Europa League race, relegation battle, Christian Streich

Bad week for: The title race, Julian Nagelsmann, Bremen

The headlines:

— Bayern strolling to eighth straight title

What is there left to say about Bayern? More records fell, as is customary every weekend with this Bayern. Robert Lewandowski has 30 goals now in the league this season after scoring in the win against Leverkusen, 44 in all competitions. Despite going down a goal early, Bayern eventually took control and look destined to win the Bundesliga under Hansi Flick. The question is increasingly becoming whether that is all they will win under him.

— Bremen in big trouble as relegation battle heats up

Things are getting tight at the foot of the table. Fortuna Düsseldorf picked up a point against Hoffenheim, but might have felt more was there for them playing against 10 men. Union Berlin will likely have felt the same after their draw with Schalke.

Mainz took a huge step towards safety with a big win away in Frankfurt, but Werder Bremen suffered a huge setback when they lost by one goal in the rain to Wolfsburg. After Timo Horn gave away but then saved a first-half penalty, Cologne thought they had stolen a big three points against Augsburg when Anthony Modeste scored with four minutes left. Philipp Max equalized two minute’s later though, to make sure the points were shared.

With four games to go, Bremen need a miracle to make the relegation playoff, but who will be in that spot come July looks like it will go down to the wire.

— Can can be the man

Emre Can, filling in for Mats Hummels, played a decisive role in Borussia Dortmund’s one-goal win over Hertha Berlin. After a slow first half, one beautiful flowing move decided the game as Jadon Sancho’s dink was flicked on by Julian Brandt and finished off by Can. The win all but officially secures Dortmund Champions League football next season.The title though, remains a distant dream.

— Fantastic Freiburg

Christian Streich’s joyful celebration after his side’s one-goal win against Gladbach might have been a viral hit on social media, but his work over the last nine years as head coach of Freiburg is worthy of equal acknowledgment. Despite a smaller budget and rarely the chance to hold onto their best players, Freiburg have become a Bundesliga mainstay. Nils Petersen’s goal off the bench – another familiar sight at Freiburg – was the difference against a blunted Gladbach team that saw Alassane Plea sent off. While Gladbach will be sweating about a top-four finish, Freiburg are dreaming of being in Europe next season.

Freiburg celebrate another big win in the Bundesliga

— Werner rumors spark Leipzig wobble

With all of the rumors about Timo Werner closing in on a move to Chelsea, it was perhaps no surprise that RB Leipzig didn’t get the win expected of them against Paderborn. Dayot Upamecano was sent off for two yellow cards and from that point on, Leipzig wobbled. Timo Werner missed a couple of chances that might have sealed the game, and Paderborn punished him with an injury-time equalizer. All this left Julian Nagelsmann fuming and Paderborn deservedly with a point to travel home with.

The quotes:

“It [racism] shouldn’t be an issue anymore, but unfortunately it is because there are still many idiots.”
Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick

“If we want to beat Bayern then we need eleven players that are all in top form. Sadly, we made too many mistakes.”
Leverkusen head coach Peter Bosz

“I don’t think that he’s doing it on purpose to cause a scandal, but he needs to be smarter, more grown up. Everyone has to go to the hairdressers at some point, but he has to be smarter.”
Emre Can on Jadon Sancho’s haircut drama

Emre Can scores the winner for Dortmund

“This weekend was important for us. Gladbach lost, Leverkusen lost and RB Leipzig drew. We knew we had to win.”
Julian Brandt on the win against Hertha

“We have got onto the tables and had a look. That is naturally fantastic and at this time really nice.”
Union Berlin’s Robert Andrich on Union fans singing from the forest

“I call him chef Thomas Müller.”
Alphonso Davies on what nickname he has for the man who nicknamed him ‘The Roadrunner’

“I would have liked to see him stay in the Bundesliga. I think we should keep our best players here and do all we can to keep them here.”
Paderborn’s Steffen Baumgart on Timo Werner’s reported departure to Chelsea

Timo Werner wasn't at his best for RB Leipzig

Timo Werner wasn’t at his best for RB Leipzig

“We haven’t had an exchange with Chelsea yet. So far, Timo Werner has not drawn the clause, nor has a club sent a transfer contract. We have nothing to report and do not take part in daily speculation.”
RB Leipzig’s Oliver Mintzlaff on Timo Werner’s reported departure

“What Kaan Ayhaan makes of the situation is a scandal. It takes the fun out of football for me.”
Hoffenheim’s Benjamin Hübner after being sent off after VAR deemed him to have elbowed Ayhaan

The stats:

– Bayern Munich have won 9 in a row in the Bundesliga. They also set a new record for the number of goals scored after 30 games in a season – 90 goals. Oh, and they have so far recorded the second best second half of the season ever. Not bad.

– Thomas Müller has equaled Kevin de Bruyne’s record of 20 assists in a season from the 2014-15 season. With four games to go, it seems likely that Müller will break it.

– Paderborn’s Klaus Gjasula equaled Duisburg’s Tomasz Hajto mark from 1998-99 for the most yellow cards in a season (16). With four games left, he will probably break it.

– Hertha Berlin’s Vladimir Darida set a Bundesliga record for most distance covered in a game. Darida ran an incredible 14.7km against Dortmund. Just reading that makes for heavy legs.

– Florian Wirtz became the youngester goalscorer in Bundesliga history, aged 17 years and 34 days. His consolation goal in Leverkusen’s defeat by Bayern Munich was nevertheless a beauty, and broke Nuri Sahin’s 2005 record in the process.

Many teams took a knee before their games

The message: The Bundesliga’s support of the fight against racism continued on the weekend, but this time it was team protests that were in focus.

The funny: For the first time in a long time, a football game was accompanied by the sound of cheering fans. It was not the sound of atmosphere being played on the stadium’s PA system, but rather the sound of a handful of fans singing for Union. According to Sky, 10 Union fans were standing, with the necessary distance between them, singing from the forest behind the stadium. A+ for effort.

Bundesliga records

Most championships

Franck Ribery was able to hoist the Bundesliga trophy one more time in May 2019 before his 12-year stint at Bayern Munich came to an end. It was the ninth time the Frenchman was a German champion, the most league titles for a single player. For clubs, Bayern have won the most league championships with 29.

Bundesliga records

Most games, player

Karl-Heinz “Charly” Körbel took the field 602 times in the Bundesliga from 1972 to 1991. What’s more? He made all of his appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bundesliga records

Most games, head coach

No Bundesliga coach led as many clubs as Otto Rehhagel, and no one was more successful. At Offenbach, Bremen, Dortmund, Bielefeld, Düsseldorf, Bayern and Kaiserslautern, “King Otto” coached in 832 Bundesliga games. He won two league titles with Bremen and one with Kaiserslautern.

Bundesliga records

Most goals

In his 427 Bundesliga games for Bayern Munich between 1965 and 1979, Gerd Müller scored a remarkable 365 goals — a record for the ages. He scored more than once in 87 different games, including 32 hat tricks, 10 four-goal games and four five goal games — all league records. Müller’s single season mark of 40 goals, which he achieved in 1971-72, has stood for nearly half a century.

Bundesliga records

Fastest goal

This record is shared by two Leverkusen players. Karim Bellarabi (right), scored a goal just nine seconds after the opening whistle against Dortmund in August 2014. One year later, Kevin Volland (left), then still playing for Hoffenheim, scored one just as quick against Bayern Munich.

Bundesliga records

Fastest five-goal performance

Despite being subbed on at halftime, Bayern Munich goalscorer Robert Lewandowski scored five goals in a 5-1 win over Wolfsburg in September 2015. He scored all of them in a span of 8 minutes and 59 seconds. That goal onslaught also set records for the fastest hat trick and fastest four-goal performance in Bundesliga history.

Bundesliga records

Most goals in one game

Cologne’s Dieter Müller scored one more than Lewandowski did in August 1977 against Werder Bremen. It remains the only six-goal game in Bundesliga history. Müller scored the six goals between the 12th minute and 85th minute of a game that ended 7-2.

Bundesliga records

Biggest margin of victory

Borussia Mönchengladbach was in second place — tied on points with Cologne and 10 goals behind in goal difference — before the last game of the season on April 29, 1978. The Foals did everything they could against Borussia Dortmund to close the gap — Jupp Heynckes accounted for five of the goals by himself. But Cologne still became league champions after winning 5-0 over St. Pauli.

Bundesliga records

Most yellow cards

16 yellow cards: This single-season record is held jointly by Paderborn’s Klaus Gjasula (right) and Duisburg’s Tomasz Hajto. Gjasula in 2019-20 has equaled Hajto’s mark from 1998-99, and the Paderborn midfielder has a good chance of breaking it with four games still to play this term. Steffen Effenberg holds the career record, seeing 114 yellow cards during his 370-game career.

Bundesliga records

Most red cards

Jens Nowotny (second from left) and Luis Gustavo hold this negative record. Both were sent to the dressing room early eight times in their Bundesliga careers. Nowotny, who played for Karlsruhe and Leverkusen in the German top-flight, was shown straight red five times and a second yellow three times. Gustavo, who played for Hoffenheim, Bayern and Wolfsburg, saw only one straight red.

Bundesliga records

Fastest red card

Subbed on, came onto the field, stopped suddenly, red card, sent off. That was the day for Frankfurt’s Marcel Titsch-Rivero (left) in Dortmund on May 14, 2011. His was on the field for 43 seconds, and no player in the Bundesliga has seen a red card faster. The earliest red card was shown to Cologne’s Youssef Mohamad; in August 2010, he was sent off 93 seconds after kickoff against Kaiserslautern.

Bundesliga records

Most career own goals

Nikolce Noveski (256 Bundesliga games for Mainz) and Manfred Kaltz (581 for Hamburg) each scored six own goals in their Bundesliga careers. Noveski (pictured) put the ball in his own net twice over a span of 132 seconds against Eintracht Frankfurt in 2005, but scored at the correct end in the 2-2 draw. His assessment: “Nevertheless, my first hat trick!”

Bundesliga records

Longest stretch without conceding

Stuttgart goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand didn’t allow a goal for the first 884 minutes of his 2003-04 season. It wasn’t until Matchday 9 that he finally fished a ball out of his own net. Werder Bremen’s Angelos Charisteas was the one who broke the streak, but Stuttgart won the game in the end 3-1.

Bundesliga records

Oldest player

On May 21, 1988 at the spry age of 43 years and 184 days, Klaus “Tanne” Fichtel took the field for the last time in the Bundesliga for Schalke. Fichtel, who played for the Royal Blues and Werder Bremen, made his first of 552 Bundesliga appearances on August 14, 1965.

Bundesliga records

Youngest player

Nuri Sahin (middle) was just 16 years and 355 days old when he played in Borussia Dortmund’s opening game of the 2005-06 season against Wolfsburg. It wasn’t long before Dortmund coach Bert van Maarwijk made the teenager a fixture of his starting lineup.

Bundesliga records

Youngest goalscorer

On the same matchday when Paderborn’s Klaus Gjasula equaled the record for most yellow cards (16) in a season, Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz became the youngest Bundesliga scorer, aged 17 years and 34 days. Although Leverkusen lost their game to Bayern, Wirtz’s goal in the final minutes was superbly taken and broke Nuri Sahin’s record from 2005 in the process.

Author: Andreas Sten-Ziemons