5 takeaways from a memorable Matchday 11
Harry Kane set a new Bundesliga record, as Bayer Leverkusen equalled one. bundesliga.com walks you through five things to take away from Matchday 11...
1) Bayern and Kane scoring for fun
How do you stop Kane? That is a question few in the Bundesliga have yet found an answer to as the England captain continues to put the German top-flight to the sword. Considering the rate at which he has scored this term, there may have been a twinge of disappointment as the 30-year-old narrowly missed out on a third consecutive hat-trick in all competitions against Heidenheim, but the brace he did manage means he has now found the back of the net 17 times in the league already this campaign.
Robert Lewandowski remains one of the best strikers Germany has ever seen, but even he was unable to match that tally after 11 matchdays. In all fairness, no other player in the competition’s history has been so prolific at this point of a season either, with Kane’s latest efforts taking him beyond the Poland centre-forward’s previous historic lead of 16.
It is not just Kane who is enjoying himself this term. Bayern’s 4-2 triumph this weekend means they have now found the back of the net on 42 occasions, which is a new league record. They have been particularly dangerous at home, netting an astonishing 22 strikes in their last four Allianz Arena outings, winning on each occasion. The way Kane and his teammates are rumbling along right now, you wouldn’t bet against more records falling in the coming weeks and months.
Watch: Is Kane on course to break Lewandowski's record?
2) Guirassy picks up where he left off
Stuttgart’s results in recent weeks are obvious proof of how important Serhou Guirassy is to their fortunes. Die Schwaben won eight of their opening nine matches in all competitions, with the 27-year-old striker scoring a barely believable 15 goals, including a record 14 after eight games in the Bundesliga. However, the last of those strikes, the opener in a 3-0 win away at Union Berlin, was bittersweet, as the Guinea star was forced off with an injury soon after.
He missed the subsequent two Bundesliga matches, both of which Stuttgart lost. They were drawing at home against Borussia Dortmund, too, when Guirassy was brought on to replace Jamie Leweling, but it wasn’t long before he made his mark, scoring with aplomb from the penalty spot to give his side all three points.
The former Cologne man’s incredible season has been overshadowed only by Kane, but he has actual scored at a faster rate than his Torjägerkönig (top goalscorer) rival – he has struck 1.66 times per game so far compared to the Bayern number nine’s 1.55. The win versus Die Schwarzgelben keeps Stuttgart third in the table, and if Guirassy can stay fit, anything is possible for Sebastian Hoeneß’ men.
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3) Leverkusen make record-breaking start
It was another supreme afternoon at the office for Leverkusen on Sunday as they defeated Union Berlin 4-0 at the BayArena. Die Werkself were dominant from start to finish, with goals from Alejandro Grimaldo, Odilon Kossounou, Jonathan Tah and Nathan Tella securing three points that took Xabi Alonso’s men back to the summit of the Bundesliga.
Leverkusen have now amassed 31 points from their opening 11 matches this term, which is a joint-record along with Bayern Munich’s 2015/16 champions. They have also scored at least twice in each of their games, also a record at this point of a campaign, alongside Bayern’s 2023/24 class. They are in supreme form at the moment, and many will be starting to wonder who will be able to stop them?
Pep Guardiola’s Bayern team clinched the title in dominant fashion seven years ago, beating Dortmund to the title by 10 points as they racked up 88 themselves. Of course, it would be silly to expect Leverkusen to match that total and, considering they are currently just one point ahead of a Bayern side that is dispatching all before themselves at the moment, they will need to produce something special to clinch the Meisterschale. On this form, though, you wouldn’t bet against them.
Watch: Highlights of Leverkusen 4-0 win against Union
4) Xavi magic underlines talent
After losing 2-0 to Mainz, a side that went into their clash without a Bundesliga win this campaign, on Matchday 10, Marco Rose will have been demanding a response as Die Roten Bullen hosted Freiburg at the Red Bull Arena. And a reaction is what he got, with his team securing a 3-1 victory to move back into the top four.
Their win was started off by Xavi, who broke the deadlock after just eight minutes with a lovely strike, winning the ball himself in midfield before surging forward and caressing an effort beyond Noah Atubolu’s desperate dive from outside the area. It was the beginning of another impressive display from the young Dutchman, as he also provided the assist for Christoph Baumgartner to complete the scoring.
The on-loan Paris Saint-Germain ace now has 11 Bundesliga goal involvements in 11 games – a team lead alongside Loïs Openda – while he also co-leads the assists charts across Europe's top five leagues, with seven. He has played a key role in most of Leipzig’s positive play this term and, if Rose and Co. are to challenge for the title, they will need their creator-in-chief to continue his rich vein of form.
5) Gladbach get the win they deserve
Football is a results-based business, but they do not always show the full picture. Borussia Mönchengladbach went into their clash with Wolfsburg at Borussia Park on Friday night with 10 points to their name from 10 matches and were in the bottom half of the table.
However, their form has suggested a major win was just around the corner. They were unlucky not to pick up all three points away at UEFA Europa League side Freiburg on Matchday 10, conceding a 96th minute Vincenzo Grifo penalty as they had to instead make do with a share of the spoils, while they pushed Bayern and Leipzig all the way earlier in the campaign before suffering narrow defeats. Also, the 19 goals they had managed before kick-off was more than every outfit in the division outside the top six.
Unfortunately for Die Wölfe, the stars finally aligned for Gerardo Seoane’s side this weekend as they triumphed 4-0. It was a dominant display from start to finish, as Die Fohlen raced into a 2-0 half-time lead before finishing the job after the interval. Tomáš Čvančara, Rocco Reitz, Franck Honorat - who netted the fastest-struck effort of the season so far at 80m/h (127 km/h) - and Alassane Pléa were all on the scoresheet, and there were opportunities for the margin of victory to be even larger as they made it three successive games unbeaten in the Bundesliga. Supporters will now be hoping that this is a catalyst for a run that will see them pick up the points their displays have arguably deserved.
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