Schalke began Bundesliga Matchday three with a 3-1 win away against Union Berlin to record their first win since returning to the top flight this summer.
Saturday afternoon in the Bundesliga saw league leaders heading into the day, Augsburg against Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund hosted Paderborn, Freiburg played Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hoffenheim vs Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt travelled to Mainz.
Here are the three things we learnt:
Borussia Mönchengladbach are in trouble:
On the opening day, Gladbach lost 3-0 to RB Leipzig, an understandable result at the time; then last weekend they threw away a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 to newly promoted Elversberg. What better way to top all of that than losing 5-0 to Freiburg, meaning they are currently bottom of the Bundesliga.
To make matters worse, after last weekend’s criticism of the team, captain Tim Kleindienst was sent off.
This result then raises serious questions about the future of head coach Eugen Polanski. A very strong argument could be made that he should have been dismissed at the end of last season, as during his eight-month spell in charge, Gladbach were still dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Then in the summer, Rouven Schröder heavily invested in the squad and decided to stick with Polanski too, and not only have some of the players who were brought in suffered long-term injuries (this was unforeseen), but sticking with Polanski has proven to be the wrong decision, and Gladbach are heading into a similar position to last season when Gerardo Seoane was in charge and would ultimately be sacked in the September international break.
While Schröder has come out in support of Polanski after last weekend’s loss, it is becoming increasingly clear that something needs to be done, or Gladbach are going to be actually fighting for their Bundesliga survival this season.
Fabio Silva hits his stride:
Last weekend, Dortmund made it difficult for themselves, having to come from behind to beat Hoffenheim, while in midweek against Villarreal they did allow the Spanish side to come back into the game late on.
But today, they comfortably beat Paderborn 3-0 thanks to a Felix Nmecha double and an early goal from Fabio Silva.
The 24-year-old has started the season off strongly and has four goals in six games. What has helped him has been the absence of summer signings Giannis Konstantelias and Konstantinos Karetsas, which means he can play in his preferred ‘9.5’ position, and he has proven that this is his best position with his form in recent games.
Since joining Dortmund last summer for €22.5m, Silva struggled as he was mainly used as a backup to Serhou Guirassy, but now getting to play alongside die Schwarzgelben’s talisman has allowed him to flourish, and he has already matched his goal tally from last season.
Augsburg’s party is over:
After wins against Schalke and Eintracht Frankfurt, Augsburg faced their first tough opponent in Bayer Leverkusen and were unable to extend their winning run in the Bundesliga.
Die Werkself took the lead through Christian Kofane in the first half, but then a Michael Gregoritsch double gave Augsburg the lead, and it looked like they would stay joint top of the Bundesliga (Freiburg’s win meant they were overtaken on goal difference). However, a late Patrik Schick goal meant Manuel Baum’s side were unable to maintain a 100% record.
For Leverkusen, this was a performance where they probably should have won more convincingly if they were effective in front of goal, only having five shots on target from a total of 30.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
