Last week’s round of Bundesliga fixtures were filled with goals aplenty. Four teams found the net four or more times, with Bayern Munich’s 5-0 home win over Hamburger SV firing Jupp Heynckes’ side into the top three. Elsewhere, MGladbach continued their positive start to the new campaign with a comprehensive home victory while Schalke 04 capped a memorable comeback away to Mainz 05. There’s no surprise, then, to see our round-up of the star performers mainly filled with players from those three sides- as many as nine find a way into the Bundesliga All Star XI for Matchday 2. Here are some of the standout performers:
Defence
Benedikt Höwedes, Schalke 04. WhoScored rating 8.27
Schalke’s win at Mainz 05 saw three of the visitors’ back four find the net but it was centre-half Höwedes who was the most impressive of the trio. Although he grabbed a goal with his only attempt, Höwedes’s WhoScored.com match rating of 8.27 was mainly down to his defensive contribution.
He made 4 tackles and an incredible 6 interceptions at the weekend- compare this to central defensive partner Joel Matip, who made 2 tackles and 2 interceptions, and it’s clear just how important a role Höwedes played in the victory. He also made 7 clearances and won 100% of his aerial duels as Ralf Rangnick’s side, inspired by the half-time introduction of Jefferson Farfan, clawed back a 2-0 half-time deficit to win 4-2 and pick up their second win in a row.
Philipp Lahm, Bayern Munich. WhoScored rating 8.31
The arrival of Rafinha this summer has seen Lahm switch flanks and take his place as Bayern’s left-back. The two full-backs had 102 touches apiece in the 5-0 drubbing of Hamburg, but Lahm’s contribution in possession proved far superior. He made 67 passes with a fantastic 93% accuracy and played 14 long balls – 12 of them accurate – from the back.
Lahm’s ability to beat an opponent is highlighted by his 5 successful dribbles, the second highest tally of any Bayern player, and he also threatened the Hamburg goal with 1 shot. Bayern had 66% possession, which meant he didn’t have too much defending to do, but Lahm still made 1 tackle and 3 interceptions on his way to a WhoScored.com rating of 8.31.
Midfield
Marco Reus, Borussia MGladbach. WhoScored rating 10
The right-winger scored a perfect 10 as he led his side to a 4-1 home win over Wolfsburg. MGladbach now sit top of the Bundesliga after the first three rounds of fixtures and the memory of last season’s relegation play-off is already a distant one.
Reus has been an inspiration for MGladbach and his display last Friday evening was indicative of his form right now. He had 2 shots against Wolfsburg and scored with both efforts in the emphatic win, although he was far from just a goal threat. Reus was brilliant in possession, with a 91% pass accuracy, and made 2 key passes for the league leaders.
He made 6 successful dribbles from out wide and also fired in 6 crosses as he tormented Wolfsburg left-back Marcel Schafer throughout. Reus also made 2 tackles and 1 interception on his way to picking up the match rating of 10, the highest-rated player in last week’s Bundesliga, according to WhoScored.com.
Thomas Müller, Bayern Munich. WhoScored rating 9.01
Müller can count himself highly unlucky not to have found the net last weekend. Preferred to Toni Kroos in the role just behind Mario Gomez, he had 7 shots at goal, with 3 on target and 1 hitting the woodwork, but somehow failed to score in the 5-0 win over Hamburg.
Müller also proved a significant creative presence throughout the match, as he made 3 key passes on his way to picking up 2 assists. Time and again, his trickery left an opponent standing- Müller had 6 successful dribbles, more than Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery combined and he also drilled in 4 crosses for a WhoScored.com rating of 9.01.
Attack
Raul Bobadilla, Borussia MGladbach. WhoScored rating 9.74
Bobadilla opened his goal account for the season in fine style. Playing up front for MGladbach in a 4-4-2, the Argentine had 4 shots at goal, second only to Juan Arango, and with 3 on target, found the net once. His trickery was a real standout; Bobadilla made a fantastic 7 successful dribbles, more than any other player on the pitch and he also won 2 aerial duels, an indication of his strong, all-round performance.
He also impressed as a creative force, too, firing in 3 crosses and making 3 key passes over his 81 minutes of action. Bobadilla also picked up an assist to go with his goal and was awarded 9.74 by WhoScored.com for a fantastic performance.
