As leagues go, most people anticipate that seasons would pass and current title holders Bayern Munich would be at the helm constantly. This is simply not true. In crisp bumblebee-esque attire, Borussia Dortmund is often another team to surpass the expectations of many, but even they don’t always come out on top. After two weeks of fairly smooth play, the Bundesliga is unfolding to be anybody’s game. Neither Bayern nor Dortmund have superseded their usual outstanding trickery, but it’s only a fortnight in. As of 2010/2011, Bayern and Dortmund have been tangled in a web of footballing rivalry and destruction, with no other side even semi-meeting the appropriate criteria for table leadership. At that point, Dortmund were mid-season leaders and stole the title, whereas Bayern fared better halfway through the next season, then Dortmund pipped them to the post. Since 2012/2013, Bayern have delivered as giants from middle to end, and will certainly be looking to oust the competition once again. But with Pep Guardiola’s squad in slight disarray at joint fifth place thus far, they must battle on.
So, just who is in pole position currently?
The Bold and the Brave: Bundesliga Table Top 5
1) Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen is the only team to win both of their games so far and hold their place with a tight two points ahead of SC Paderborn. Their league campaign started swimmingly after sweeping a 2-0 victory against feisty Borussia Dortmund, which rolled into another win the following week against Hertha Berlin, a team rather lagging behind in the division. The meeting between Leverkusen and Dortmund started and finished with the league toppers grabbing goals; Karim Bellarabi shot one into the back of the net within the first minute, whilst Stefan Kießling whipped the second in as 95 minutes chimed. Match week 3 is set to bring Leverkusen a whopping fixture against Werder Bremen, in which Lars Bender will be back after injury, and Australian Robbie Kruse will also return following his eight-week lay-off. Leverkusen seem extremely content at the top, and will undoubtedly give any opposing team a little hell.
2) SC Paderborn
This is the first team to sit fairly pretty with one win, one draw to their name. Initially, they endured a close 2-2 with FSV Mainz, which was a tough fight, with both sides getting a point ahead and then equalising, twice over. Latterly, Paderborn won a stonking 3-0 against Hamburger the week after, which unveiled Elias Kachunga as an important chess piece, especially after sneaking a goal in each of their games. FC Köln will be the next fierce contenders for Paderborn, and given that they have also gained themselves a spot in the Top 5, it could be a rather hot contest.
3) Hoffenheim
Match week 1 brought Hoffenheim a cosy 2-0 win over FC Augsburg, with goals from Adam Szalai and Tarik Elyounoussi in the 33rd- and 35th-minute respectively. Their second game bid was not so successful; an infuriating 1-1 draw was borne out of the match against Werder Bremen, who also seem to be seeking a decent place in the table. Hoffenheim is a typical team in the Bundesliga, in that it comprises a rich amount of German players, who will all be feeling rather chuffed following their World Cup glory (though this current third place team does not harbour any international heavyweights). Despite being mid-season heroes in 2008/2009, their fortune altered for the worse and consequently failed to win the Bundesliga that year. Could this be their attempt to better themselves?
4) FC Köln
Again, it seems another team is stuck in a brief win-and-draw rut presently. Hamburger drew a saddening 0-0 with Köln in their opening division campaign, but managed to haul things up a notch against VfB Stuttgart. Their 2-0 triumph was seized by Yuya Osako and Anthony Ujah within the first half, keeping Stuttgart both on their toes and feeling bitter throughout the remainder of the game, but to no avail. Köln haven’t clutched the Bundesliga trophy since 1977/1978, so this fourth place achievement is rather encouraging, and could be the start of a mighty charge up the league (or so they will probably be aiming for).
5) Eintracht Frankfurt (tied)
Completely neck-and-neck with the wonderfully uniform blue and red stripes that intertwine to make Bayern Munich stands Frankfurt, desperately clawing at a position that they can hold fully. Historically, Frankfurt has never topped the German league charts, but is certainly speeding ahead now. Against SC Freiburg, Haris Seferovic landed one in the net within the opening 15 minutes of play, but couldn’t quite muster up enough to prosper in their second match; 2-2 against VfL Wolfsburg was hardly a shoddy score, but Frankfurt would have been further up the scale than Bayern, which would have been a step in the right direction, surely.
5) Bayern Munich (tied)
Fifth place isn’t that shabby, and they shouldn’t be despondent. With so many Bayern fans slapped into the middle of a glorious Venn diagram of success with the German international team, Bayern should be as elegant as per and on extraordinary form. However, their colourful stream of mid-season prowess and overall silverware lifting is remarkable and something not to underestimate. 2-1 against Wolfsburg in Match week 1 was courtesy of Mr. Underrated, aka Thomas Müller (who else?) and Holland’s true speed demon, Arjen Robben. That’s quite characteristic and to be assumed, really. However, their progress in the following week wasn’t so sensational, grabbing an unfortunate 1-1 against FC Schalke; Robert Lewandowksi and Xabi Alonso displayed their calibre, indicating that these are another two not to be cast aside, for their sheer faultless skill will bring Bayern great rewards. Fifth place won’t be it.
(With thanks to the Bundesliga website for facts and stats).
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