Bundesliga Power Rankings | The Winners and Losers of Matchday 2 | OneFootball

Just three teams have maximum points from the opening two Bundesliga matchdays: Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and 1. FC Koln. As we enter the September international break, Get German Football News takes a look at the winners and losers of week two.

Winners

St. Pauli

After drawing against Borussia Dortmund on opening weekend, St. Pauli went one better on Friday night against rivals Hamburg. Adam Dźwigała opened the scoring before summer signing Andréas Hountondji added a second to secure a 2-0 win for St. Pauli, in what was the first Hamburg derby in the Bundesliga in 14 years.

Under Alexander Blessin, St. Pauli are one of Germany’s best coached clubs. Resilient at the back, the Kiezkicker boasted the third best defence in the Bundesliga last season, and they look strong again this campaign. Only this season, they’ve added goals to their repertoire with five goals in two games, something which was unthinkable last year. With the signing of Joel Chima Fujita – who excelled against HSV – St. Pauli have a player on their hands, and fans have every right to be excited.

1. FC Koln

With two wins from two to mark their return to the Bundesliga following a year’s absence, 1. FC Koln are turning heads. After beating Mainz 1-0 on the opening weekend, the Billy Goats managed to put four past Freiburg on Sunday evening, winning 4-1, meaning the Rhein club have six points from two European participants. A €1m signing from Hoffenheim, Marius Bülter in particular excelled with a goal and two assists. They certainly wouldn’t have wanted the international break to come this soon, but signs look promising from the Bundesliga returnees.

Serhou Guirassy

There’s no doubt that Serhou Guirassy is one of Europe’s most under-appreciated strikers. The Guinean forward is a quiet personality, but one that plays with a huge heart and a massive smile. In Borussia Dortmund’s 3-0 win against Union Berlin on Sunday, Guirassy scored two – his second a sublime goal with a flick into Maximilian Beier before receiving the ball back and dinking the ball over the oncoming Union goalkeeper. Guirassy is expected to challenge Harry Kane for the Bundesliga’s Topscorer again and with the clinical finishing he’s showcased in the opening two games, there’s little evidence to suggest why he wouldn’t challenge.

Losers

Erik ten Hag

Where do you start? Bayer Leverkusen’s appointment of Erik ten Hag was a catastrophic failure. Signs were there from pre-season and after a 2-1 loss against Hoffenheim on opening weekend, it was imperative that Leverkusen put in a good performance against Werder Bremen. But despite being 3-1 up against 10-men, Bayer 04 somehow threw the game away from a comfortable position, drawing 3-3. Following his dismissal, Ten Hag took aim at Bayer Leverkusen bosses: “The management was never prepared to give me the necessary time and trust. I feel that this was never a relationship built on mutual trust.”

Freiburg

After losing Ritsu Doan to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, Freiburg had a rather large outlay when it came to signing attacking players. But while their defence leaked four goals against 1. FC Koln, Freiburg’s attack also looked less than inspiring. It’s still early days, but there’s worrying signs at the club for the coach that was Coach of the Season last campaign. Julian Schuster will use the international break to work with the players that haven’t been called up, while fans will expect a better performance against Stuttgart on September 13.

Heidenheim

It’s worrying times ahead for Heidenheim. After two years in the Bundesliga, you would expect the club to kick on after some stability but even after beating Elversberg in the playoff, FCH’s recruitment has been a cause for concern. They’ve spent no money with Diant Ramaj and Arijon Ibrahimovic arriving on loan deals from Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, while Leart Pacarada joins to strengthen left-back. On deadline day, prized asset Leo Scienza left for Southampton for €9m and with two defeats from two to start their season, Heidenheim are early favourites for the drop.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder