The final Bundesliga fixtures of 2022 have taken place and they didn’t disappoint. Borussia Mönchengladbach beat Borussia Dortmund 4-2 on Friday night as Edin Terzic’s side end their year with successive league defeats, Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of Union Berlin dropped down the table as they suffered a loss at Freiburg. 26 goals were scored across 9 games as the Bundesliga enters a two month break due to the 2022 World Cup, but let’s look at some standout players of the weekend.
Marcus Thuram (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Jonas Hofmann also deserves a mention with two goals and an assist as Borussia Mönchengladbach beat Borussia Dortmund 4-2 at home but it was the Frenchman who constantly terrorised Dortmund’s backline throughout the game. Thuram only scored once on Friday night, but had another goal disallowed for a foul on Mats Hummels as well as missing several good chances on the night. His goal sees him sit second in the goals tally, two behind countryman Christopher Nkunku – both of whom will be representing France at the World Cup.
Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
Jamal Musiala once again put on a show as he provided two assists for Bayern Munich as they beat Schalke 2-0. Musiala has been in the form of his life this season and finishes the year with 15 contributions in the Bundesliga. This will definitely give Hansi Flick a headache for the opening game of the World Cup, as Thomas Müller has been a key player for Germany for over ten years now, but with the form Musiala is in it practically makes him undroppable and will be a key asset if Germany were to go far.
Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich)
Serge Gnabry has experienced a rough few weeks and has struggled to reach the heights he reached three years ago but over the past two games Gnabry has looked back to his best. Three goals in midweek against Werder Bremen was then followed by another goal at the weekend against Schalke sees Gnabry hitting form just at the right time. With the striker situation so up in the air with the German national team, the winger who has played striker before, could see himself start ahead of the likes of Kai Havertz (out of form), Niklas Füllkrug and Youssoufa Moukoko (unproven).
Vincenzo Grifo (Freiburg)
A hat-trick against high flyers Union Berlin sees Freiburg finish the year in second place which just goes to show the continued rise of the team from the Black Forest. With the hat-trick, Grifo has already matched his best goalscoring season and we have only reached the halfway point of the season. He has been crucial for Freiburg ever since his return from Hoffenheim and both him and Freiburg do not look slowing down anytime soon.
Chaos in the 2. Bundesliga on Saturday
Not a player but it still needs highlighting. On Saturday, the 2.Bundesliga saw a total of 24 goals scored in the four games played and 23 of them were scored earlier on in the day. The high scoring games saw Heidenheim beat Jahn Regensburg 5-4 with a late winner by Stefan Schimmer to win it for Heidenheim. Hamburg beat Sandhausen 4-2 to see them stay second in the table as they look to once again gain promotion to the top tier. While Karlsruher SC drew 4-4 with St Pauli at the BB Bank Wildpark Stadion, both teams are languishing above the relegation zone so a point doesn’t really do either of them any favours – this game was also delayed as a tifo by the Karlsruhe fans smoked up the pitch.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
