After matchday 7, just two points separate the top four teams in the Bundesliga. It was a weekend which saw new records being set, early season six-pointers near the bottom of the table, and derby days. Here are your winners and losers from matchday 7 in the Bundesliga.
Winners
VfB Stuttgart
Where else would you start than VfB Stuttgart? The Swabians made it five consecutive Bundesliga wins on the bounce against VfL Wolfsburg on the weekend and currently sit 2nd (18 points) going into the October international break.
Stuttgart’s 3-1 home win on the weekend was made all the more impressive with in-form forward Serhou Guirassy scoring a hattrick. This also set a new Bundesliga record for most goals after the opening seven matchdays. Guirassy has scored a staggering 13 goals in the opening seven rounds. To put it into context, the Golden Boot winner from last season scored just 16 goals. For a team that was facing relegation last season, it’s been a remarkable turnaround.
SV Darmstadt
You wouldn’t think that SV Darmstadt would feature much on the winning side of these types of articles. However, Die Lilien made it two wins from two as they beat FC Augsburg 1-2 away from home.
What makes this all the more impressive is that Darmstadt and Augsburg know that they will be in similar positions this season. They are direct rivals near the bottom of the table. If Darmstadt stands any chance of surviving this campaign, they have to grind out a result in these types of games. Having beaten Werder Bremen the week before and now following it up with a win away from home, you have to give them the spotlight they deserve. This was Darmstadt’s first Bundesliga away win since 2016.
Bayer Leverkusen
The Xabi Alonso and Leverkusen show continued on matchday 7 as they swept aside neighbours FC Köln 3-0 at home. Earlier in the week, B04 looked uninspired against FK Molde in the Europa League despite winning. However, Alonso’s side put it right against a struggling Köln side, who remain winless this season.
There is a swagger to B04’s play at the moment. This was perfectly summed up in the build-up to the first goal on the weekend. A lovely ball across the box, a gorgeous back-heel by Florian Wirtz, and there was Jonas Hoffman to put the ball away. B04 looked like they could have scored at will on the weekend. The depth and confidence in the side is something to behold. If it wasn’t for Köln’s Marvin Schwäbe between the sticks, it may very well have got embarrassing for the away side. Having already played RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich while remaining unbeaten in both games, B04 are ones to watch out for.
Losers
RB Leipzig
After an impressive display against Bayern Munich the week before (albeit in the first half), many would have anticipated the Saxons to brush aside VfL Bochum in matchday 7. How wrong we were…
As expected, Leipzig had almost all the ball but couldn’t make their chances count. To make matters even worse, the home side saw two penalties saved by Manuel Riemann! The Bochum number one has saved twice as many penalties than any other keeper in the Bundesliga since their promotion to the top flight in 2018.
Leipzig drop to 6th going into the international break and although it’s still early doors in the season, this was an opportunity missed by Marco Rose’s side.
FC Köln
It’s getting a bit repetitive to put Köln in this section, but route at the bottom of the table with zero wins and playing lifeless football on the weekend, it’s hard not to.
On the face of it, Köln were never really given a chance before a ball was kicked against Bayer Leverkusen. However, the gulf in class was there for all to see. Make no mistake, Köln are in big trouble this season.
Though only four points from safety, it’s hard to see where the first win is going to come from. The next month is crucial in their season. After the international break, Köln play Borussia Monchengladbach (12th) before facing RB Leipzig (6th) and then a massive two weeks against FC Augsburg (15th) and VfL Bochum (16th). Should head coach Steffen Baumgart be given that much time, those results will make or break his time at the club.
Union Berlin
After a rather self-imploding week in Europe, Union Berlin’s misery continued domestically as they let a 1-2 lead slip, losing 4-2 at the hands of Borussia Dortmund.
Union’s bubble has officially burst. Currently 13th after seven games and on just six points, head coach Urs Fischer his work cut out.
After a fairytale couple of years, the Irons are up against it. Not the fans haven’t seen this before, but it may come as a reality shock to some of the players. Union will need to do it the hard way after the break as they play high-flying Stuttgart before playing Napoli in the Champions League. Europe is very much a second thought right now and perhaps a distraction they could do without.
GGFN | Jamie Allen
