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Robert Lewandowski
Photo:
LUKAS BARTH-TUTTAS / POOL / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
1. The Bavarians are careless.
That could take revenge
Things have usually been the same in the Bundesliga for years: two teams play 90 minutes of football and in the end Bayern win.
It was no different on Sunday in the 5-2 draw against Mainz.
But the circumstances of this victory should make the Munich sit up and take notice.
They could become a problem for the season when it's not just about wins, but titles.
Bayern were 2-0 down against Mainz before they increased the intensity significantly and turned the game around.
This has often been the case with the record champions for the past two months: first they fall behind, then they gain.
In the past twelve competitive games, they conceded the 0: 1 ten times.
On the one hand, this shows a defensive that is unusually vulnerable for Bayern conditions.
On the other hand, the people of Munich are able to usually score more goals than they concede.
It wasn't really close against Mainz either.
In this respect, the team may seem more unstable than in the previous second half of the season, but it is still the leader of the table.
But: Constantly having to catch up may have its price.
Last season, FC Bayern benefited twice from Corona-related breaks.
From the first, from March to May, the team came out with a remarkable level of fitness.
The intense pressing of the opponents became the Bavarian trademark.
Before the Champions League final tournament, Munich had a second break to recharge their batteries.
In the upcoming knockout games (without the return leg) they simply pressed their opponents down and won the title.
There couldn't be a break this time.
The schedule is tightly timed.
Doing aggressive pressing every few days becomes a challenge.
Bayern would actually be well advised to win their games with as little effort as possible in order to save energy for the hot season.
Such start-to-finish victories were the exception at Bayern recently.
The coming months will show whether this will pay off.
2. The team of the hour is called SC Freiburg
It can happen quickly in the Bundesliga.
Freiburg had not won nine games, it looked like the SC was facing a tough relegation battle.
That was the situation on Matchday 10.
Since then, coach Christian Streich's team has won every game.
In a form table that only includes the last five games, Freiburg would be in first place, ahead of Bayern.
The team that initially struggled is largely the same as the one that has now put down the winning streak.
Where is the upturn coming from?
On the one hand, this is due to the game plan: the lack of victories against strong opponents apparently did not cause the Freiburg team to be unsettled, the successes are now achieved against teams that were 12th to 18th.
The victories are also related to the fact that key players have improved.
Vincenzo Grifo, for example, who has already scored eleven goals, seven of which he has achieved in the past six league games.
Perhaps a greater success factor, however, is Baptiste Santamaria.
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Baptiste Santamaria after his debut goal for Freiburg
Photo: Frey-Pressebild / Deines / imago images / Thomas Frey
Santamaria, 25, came from Angers in the summer, the Frenchman is the most expensive entry in Freiburg's club history with more than ten million euros.
He made his debut on matchday two, but the playmaker had to wait a long time for his first win with the SC.
Streich indicated that this could also have something to do with communication problems.
“Language is a factor, especially in the central midfield, where you have to coach a lot.
Where the defenders coach you, where you have to coach the strikers, ”said Streich about Santamaria.
He couldn't speak German yet, but he was learning it and was very hard-working.
That was at the beginning of December.
A week later, Santamaria and Freiburg achieved their first joint victory.
Later, in the 2-0 win against Schalke, you could see him directing his teammates in the pressing.
And in the 3-1 win against Hoffenheim, he scored the first goal for Freiburg.
It will also depend on Santamaria whether Freiburg's soaring will continue.
He is already Freiburg's key player.
3. Haaland has taken the Bundesliga by storm
Something unusual happened on Sunday: Erling Haaland did not score a goal for Borussia Dortmund.
Almost exactly a year ago, BVB signed the Norwegian, who was then a future world-class striker.
And Haaland increased the hype by scoring five goals in his first 60 minutes wearing the Dortmund jersey.
Of course, he couldn't keep the quota.
In the meantime, the "coming" can still be deleted.
In his 33 appearances for Borussia, he scored 33 goals and six assists.
Extrapolated to 90 minutes (because Haaland didn't always play the full distance), he achieved an average of 1.41 goal participations.
For comparison: exceptional striker Robert Lewandowski is a bit better (1.51 in the same period).
However, he also plays in the better team.
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Erling Haaland in the game against Wolfsburg
Photo:
Lars Baron / Getty Images
Against Wolfsburg, Haaland was in the starting line-up for the first time after his muscle injury.
And although he could see the month-long break, he indicated what makes him special.
For example, on his way before a big chance in minute 53. Haaland first trotted next to guard John Brooks in the direction of Wolfsburg goal, then he anticipated a through pass by orienting himself away from Brooks, running parallel to the offside line in the direction of the second Wolfsburg central defender, and then at the perfect moment to start from his back into the depths.
That second defender, Marin Pongracic, didn't even know then that he suddenly had to defend Haaland.
So he ran towards the gate too late.
Haaland missed the chance.
Nevertheless, his runs and his instinct speak for the fact that he will at least be able to keep his goal rate.
The 14th matchday also showed Haaland what he is still missing compared to Bayern's Lewandowski.
In Munich's 5-2 win against Mainz, he wasn't just responsible for scoring goals and preparing (two goals, one assist).
Lewandowski also created spaces, combined, orchestrated.
His game seems more holistic than Haaland, he sees the big picture, where Haaland is primarily looking for the shortest route to scoring.
But that can still be.
Lewandowski is twelve years older.
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