120 million euros. Philippe Coutinho would be that expensive if Bayern decided to permanently sign him after this season. The Brazilian is still on loan, under contract with FC Barcelona. After the past few weeks, people thought: It will stay that way. Too rarely did Coutinho flash his class.
In the 6-1 win against SV Werder Bremen, however, his class could no longer be overlooked. His result: three goals, two assists. For the first time you felt: In times of completely overheated football prices, this Coutinho could actually be worth the money.
Coutinho even managed a very special feat: he is twice in the eleven of the week. This has to do with a special feature of SPIX, our rating system for players. The SPIX rates players based on their statistical values. Different values are used for each position; a central defender must perform other tasks on the field than a striker.
Coutinho played against Bremen in two positions: In the first half he acted as a left winger, after the break he switched to Bayern's attacking midfield. His statistical values were outstanding in both positions, and he achieved the top grade on this match day. So it comes to the curious that Coutinho is twice in the top eleven - and deserves it completely after his performance.
Will this strong game convince Bayern to pay 120 million euros? Who knows? It definitely proves that Coutinho is one of the most technically strong players in the league - no matter what position he plays in.
Timo Horn should never appear twice in our top eleven. The Cologne player can only play one position: goalkeeper. In the 2-0 derby win against Bayer Leverkusen, he performed well, conceded no goals and held two balls. This is enough on this matchday to be voted the best keeper of the day. Matchday 15 was not a showcase day for the goalkeeper guild given 29 goals conceded.
Sebaastian Bornauw is the second Cologne player to make the leap into the top eleven. Against nine Leverkusen he scored the decisive 2: 0. In the first half, however, Bornauw was lucky that referee Manuel Gräfe decided on Schwalbe after a duel with Kai Havertz. Bayern Munich's David Alaba did not need any support from the referee: defensively he did not burn much against Werder, he convinced offensively with a goal preparation.
Many clubs kept an eye on Robert Skov before the season. In Copenhagen, Skov scored 30 goals this season as the right wing winger. It is all the more surprising that Hoffenheim coach Alfred Schreuder uses the 23-year-old Dane as a left-back. In the 2: 4 loss to Augsburg, Skov was particularly notable for his advances, he scored a goal. An application for a more offensive role? Leipzig's Marcel Halstenberg also demonstrated his offensive drive at the weekend. In the 3-0 win in Düsseldorf, he prepared five chances. The international also won eight second balls. His outstanding values in preparing for chances and in conquering the ball qualify him for the top eleven.
Bayern Munich's Thiago has set some SPIX records. No player has been in the eleven of the day more frequently in the past two years. This season was not going well for the Spaniard. Only on match day 9 was he nominated for the top eleven. Against Bremen, he came back with a strong performance. 94 percent of his 106 passes arrived at the teammate, and he dribbled an opponent three times. Thiago returns to the eleven of the week.
Two Bayern stars, one position: Coutinho scored the top mark as left winger in the first half against Bremen. After the break, Ivan Perisic took over this position. His performance was no less strong: Perisic scored a goal, and he also prepared four more chances. Probably the coach, who can choose between several players in a position, who bring top performances.
Maximilian Arnold showed a strong performance in the 2-1 win over Mönchengladbach. The Wolfsburg player was directly involved in nine shots on goal, either as a preparer or a shooter. No other Bundesliga player was involved in more goalscoring this weekend. In added time, Arnold scored the winning goal for his wolves. However, an almost flawless SPIX of 99 is not enough for the top eleven when Coutinho takes off . VfL Wolfsburg remains the only Bundesliga club that has not yet played a field player in the team of the day this season.
Nothing has changed in the storm compared to last week. Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho again achieved top marks this week. The Dortmund team met once in the 4-0 win in Mainz, Sancho prepared another goal. Reus also convinced in the game against the ball, winning three out of four duels. The system change that Favre made a few weeks ago seems to be bearing fruit: Since Dortmund has played in the 3-4-3 system, they have scored more goals and are also defensively stabilized. Reus and Sancho are symptomatic of this.