Bundesliga matchday 9 review: Gladbach finally win, Köln and Hoffenheim impress, much-changed Bayern Munich win | OneFootball

A weekend of firsts in the Bundesliga. That’s correct, Borussia Monchengladbach have finally won a Bundesliga game again! Elsewhere in matchday 9, there were two clubs keeping up their impressive early-season form, Bayern may not be stopped anytime soon, and much more. Here is your review for matchday 9 in the Bundesliga. 

Glad-they’re-Bach!

Borussia Monchengladbach have won their first Bundesliga game of the season and their first in the league since March 29th. It’s been a rare week at the club, a win in the DFB Pokal midweek against 2. Bundesliga side Karlsruhe, and then a thumping 0-4 win away at St. Pauli. 

Haris Tabakovic scored twice and assisted once, to continue his recent hot streak, meaning he now has five goals in eight games. Shuto Machino scored his first Bundesliga goal for the club, and Oscar Fraulo scored his first-ever goal for the club. 

Florian Neuhaus also continued his revival under head coach Eugen Polanski. After the Mallorca incident, the midfielder was exiled to the under-23s, but since Polanski’s promotion to interim head coach, Neuhaus has been reintegrated, and today he looked at his best. 

Not only did he provide an assist for Tabakovic’s opener, but he also played a great long ball into the path of the Bosnian, who teed up Machino to make it 3-0. 

It could be a turning point in Gladbach’s season under Polanski as they move up to 16th and are just two points from struggling Wolfsburg in 12th. For St. Pauli, it’s now six consecutive losses in the league as they drop to 15th. 

Happy Hoffenheim & Köln

Hoffenheim and Köln continue to impress and are currently mingling with the big boys at the top of the table. Both sides won again this weekend and look like they’re already comfortable at this level, despite the two clubs being tipped to struggle down the other end of the table this season. 

Hoffenheim played out a thrilling 2-3 win away at Wolfsburg on Sunday, with the victory putting them on 17 points and up to 6th. TSG and Kosovo forward  Fisnik Asllani is grabbing all the headlines right now and is currently the team’s top scorer in the league (5). So much so, Bayern Munich and Barcelona are currently keeping tabs on the forward for future transfer windows. 

In Köln, they swept aside fellow newly-promoted side Hamburg on Sunday, coming out 4-1 winners – the win putting the Billygoats on 14 points and in 7th place. 

While the scoreline conveys a convincing league win for the Kölner hosts, the match was not without its fair share of controversy. Match official Daniel Schlager found himself the target of marked criticism from the losing side. 

Schlager and the refereeing team disallowed what could have been a crucial HSV comeback goal from Arsenal loanee Fabio Vieira. Schlager would later send Vieira off for two yellow card offences.

“[A referee] should have the flow of a match in mind,” Hamburg head coach Merlin Polzin explained during the post-match press conference last night. “It’s not right to take the momentum out of a match and kill the potential future prospects of a match. I don’t think it’s right [for a ref] to exert so much influence on a match.” 

Much-Changed Bayern Win Again

Bayern Munich made several changes from their DFB Pokal win in midweek as they took on Bayer Leverkusen in the Allianz Arena on Saturday. Despite the changes, Bayern once again looked unstoppable and took a 3-0 lead at halftime, Nicholas Jackson scoring his first goal in the Bundesliga. 

The starting XI, excluding the likes of Harry Kane and Michael Olise, included youngsters Lennart Karl (17) and Tom Bischof (20). 

Many different coaches deserve credit for making converted fullbacks out of Bayern Munich players who previously played different positions. It was Niko Kovac who once fashioned Canadian attacking winger Alphonso Davies (currently injured) into a left-back

Current Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany has, nevertheless, taken things to a whole new level. Immediately after moving Laimer from the right-hand side over to the left without explanation, Tom Bischof received an audition at left-back. The 20-year-old – fighting for minutes in a crowded midfield full of talented players – has started Bayern’s last two league fixtures at a position he’s never featured in before. Nevertheless, Bischof put a good case forward for future games. 

A 3-0 win and Bayern Munich have now had the best start ever to a season than any other club in Europe’s top five leagues. Period. 

Around The Grounds

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund go up to 3rd after a 0-1 win at FC Augsburg. No team has more clean sheets in the league this season than Niko Kovač’s side. 

RB Leipzig also continue to keep up with the pace after a well-earned 3-1 against VfB Stuttgart. 

Elsewhere, there were draws between Mainz 05 / Werder Bremen (1-1), Union Berlin / SC Freiburg (0-0), and Heidenheim / Frankfurt (1-1). 

GGFN | Jamie Allen