After VfB Stuttgart opened matchday 13 of the Bundesliga with a comeback 3-2 win against Union Berlin, the afternoon kick-offs saw Bayern Munich hold off Heidenheim to win 4-2, Bayer Leverkusen beat St Pauli 2-1, RB Leipzig returned to winning ways as they beat Holstein Kiel 2-0, Werder Bremen beat Bochum 1-0 and Eintracht Frankfurt faulted in their chase down of Bayern as they drew 2-2 with Augsburg.
So here is what we learnt:
Bayern Munich are TOO reliant on Jamal Musiala:
After Bayern’s 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, Musiala was given a well-deserved rest as Bayern should of comfortably pushed aside Heidenheim. However, this was not the case. After Dayot Upamecano gave Bayern the lead but then the Frenchman gifted the visitors their equaliser in the second half.
Enter Jamal Musiala.
The 21-year-old made an immediate impact giving Bayern the lead. Leon Goretzka would then make it 3-1, before former Bayern player Niklas Dorsch provided a brief scare. Musiala would then make it 4-2.
This result showed that no matter how strong the opponent is, Bayern struggle without Musiala. This is obviously not sustainable as shown earlier on this season when Bayern struggled against Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Barcelona.
It is entirely feasible to say that without the impact of Musiala, Bayern would only have a small margin of a lead on the likes of Frankfurt and Leverkusen, or even in the pack of teams below them in the table.
RB Leipzig return to winning ways:
After their disastrous result last weekend, Leipzig bounced back in midweek with a convincing win against Frankfurt while this weekend they beat Holstien Kiel. Granted, it is Kiel, but a win is a win and it helps Leipzig move in the right direction as they look to end the year on a high and two tough games against Frankfurt and Bayern on the horizon to round of the year.
The big positive for Leipzig is the fact that Benjamin Seško is finally finding his scoring boots once again. His goal in the North of Germany was not as impressive as his goal in midweek as Kiel keeper Timon Weiner saved his initial shot but he would score the rebound. The lesser spotted André Silva would then make it 2-0 for Leipzig from the penalty spot.
Another positive is the slow introduction of Xaver Schlager. On his day, the midfielder is key to how Leipzig play when they are at their best and he has slowly been building his match fitness as he returns from a ACL injury. It is possible that he could make his first start back against Bayern.
Eintracht Frankfurt fail to make use of their dominance:
Frankfurt have been one of the early-season contenders in the Bundesliga this season and has at times looked unstoppable, today should have been one of those days as well, but they struggled to make use of their dominance.
A quiet day for Omar Marmoush but strike partner Hugo Ekitiké gave die Adler the lead, however, Augsburg would score two in 11 minutes with the second being gifted by Kevin Trapp. Can Uzun scored a well-taken effort to equalise for Frankfurt. The draw means Frankfurt are now six points behind Bayern, but no one ever thought they could truly challenge for the title.
This type of result shows Frankfurt’s lack of experience. They are the youngest team in the league, and teams that compete at the top usually find a way to win, whether they deserve it or not, and Frankfurt were unable to do this today. Die Adler will have to pick themselves up and go again next weekend as they face Leipzig.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
