Leaders Bayer Leverkusen showed mettle in Munich, Serhou Guirassy is on fire and history in Heidenheim... - © DFL

bundesliga

Leverkusen, Guirassy and Xavi all shine during Matchday 4

18.09.2023

Leverkusen looked the real deal as they held Bayern at the Allianz Arena, while Serhou Guirassy's stunning start to the campaign could see him challenge Harry Kane and Victor Boniface at the top of the goalscoring charts this term.

1) Leverkusen look the real deal

Bayer Leverkusen travelled to Bayern Munich on Friday having won three out of three Bundesliga games so far - no mean feat considering those victories came again fellow high-flyers RB Leipzig, local rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach and a potential banana skin in promoted Darmstadt. It was first versus second at the Allianz Arena, and Leverkusen twice came from behind to take a share of the points.

Harry Kane's header was replied to by an Alex Grimaldo free-kick which has to be seen to be believed, before Exequiel Palacios cancelled out a Leon Goretzka goal with a late penalty. "I think today we have played on the same level," said Leverkusen coach and former Bayern midfielder Xabi Alonso after the game. "We showed personality, quality, and mentality, and that's the main thing that we want to build on."

Watch: Highlights of Leverkusen's 2-2 draw at Bayern

It might be premature to suggest Die Werkself will shake their 'Neverkusen' moniker picked up after a desperately unlucky end to the 2002 season, when they were runners-up in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League, but the early signs are promising.

2) Guirassy could push Kane and Boniface all the way

Victor Boniface is Leverkusen's top scorer with an impressive four goals - alongside two assists - from his four appearances so far, but VfB Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy has scored twice as many following his hat-trick in the Swabian's 3-1 win at Mainz on Saturday. The French-born Guinea international has been ruthlessly efficient too - his eight goals have come from eight shots on target.

Stuttgart have scored the most goals in the division, with 14 set against the 13 claimed by Bayern and Leipzig, and with 57 per cent of those claimed by Guirassy, it wouldn't be safe to bet against him pushing Harry Kane and Boniface hard for the Torjägerkanone at the end of the campaign.

3) No Nkunku, no problem for Leipzig as Xavi shines

Last season's (joint-) top scorer Christopher Nkunku has left Leipzig for Chelsea, but Marco Rose and Co. appear to have picked up the perfect replacement in Xavi Simons, who arrived on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

The midfielder added another goal and assists as Leipzig beat Augsburg 3-0 on Saturday to take his season tallies to three and four in each column, with a goal-involvement of one every 44 minutes he has played in the Bundesliga. "I enjoy working with the boys and the staff every day, and after just a short time, I feel very much at home here," said the 20-year-old after the Augsburg game - and so must every onlooker be, fan and neutral alike.

Xavi was on the scoresheet again as Leipzig breezed past Augsburg. - IMAGO/Picture Point LE

Leipzig take on Swiss champions YB in the Champions League on Tuesday. With the form Xavi's in, only one Young Boy looks likely to come out on top.

4) Dortmund show their resilience

Borussia Dortmund have endured a stuttering start to the campaign, and after edging Cologne 1-0 on the opening day, stumbled into Saturday's meeting with Freiburg in the Black Forest after back-to-back draws with Bochum and Heidenheim.

Things didn't look like they were about to get much better when Lucas Höler and Nicolas Höfler drowned out Mats Hummels' early opener in first-half injury time. But BVB dug deep, with Hummels completing his brace either side of goals from Donyell Malen and Marco Reus.

Watch: Highlights of Dortmund's comeback victory over Freiburg

It may have been a dash more Schwarz than Gelb from Edin Terzic's side, but they got the job done and now find themselves only two points off Leverkusen and Bayern, who remain the top two.

5) Schmidt marks milestone with... another milestone

For Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt, Sunday’s clash with Werder Bremen was already a milestone. Sixteen years to the day since he first sat on the Heidenheim bench, he became the longest-serving coach in German football history – and he marked it with Heidenheim’s first ever win in the Bundesliga.

FCH took the lead within five minutes through Tim Kleindienst's penalty before on-loan Bremen forward Eren Dinkci doubled his side's advantage before the break and, although the visitors recovered to peg Heidenheim back, a second effort from Dinkci and Jan-Niklas Beste's strike clinched all three points. The victory sees Heidenheim move up to 11th and, while there is still a long way to go this term, Schmidt's special day will live long in the memory.

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