Bundesliga Bulletin: Bayern and Dortmund lose, Wagner fired
September 27, 2020
Bundesliga Matchday 2 headlines:
- Bayern beaten
- Schalke fire Wagner
- Dortmund downed
- New boys get first wins
Bayern beaten: For the first time since December 7, 2019, Bayern Munich lost. Hoffenheim, inspired by Andrej Kramaric, sealed a stunning 4-1 win against a Bayern team that looked tired after their midweek Super Cup victory. Sebastian Hoeness, Bayern Munich's former reserve coach, delivered a tactical masterclass and for all the talk about Bayern being tired, Hoffenheim deserve a lot of credit for being aggressive, risky and, for the most part, clinical.
Schalke fire Wagner: Conceding 11 goals in the first two games of a league season means this is Schalke's worst league start ever. David Wagner's firing the morning after the club's 3-1 loss to Werder Bremen was no surprise. Mark Uth appealing for offside despite being the man keeping goalscorer Niclas Füllkrug onside was perhaps the epitome of where Schalke are at the moment. Ozan Kabak apologized after appearing to spit on Bremen's Ludwig Augustinsson, but will likely face retrospective action.
Dortmund downed: After just two games in the new season, Dortmund will be faced with questions after a disappointing loss in Augsburg. Heiko Herrlich and his side deserve credit for a well-executed approach, but Dortmund have to be frustrated at both the manner and the timing of the loss. They failed to stop Augsburg or find a way through.
New boys get first wins: After a week of drama at Mainz surrounding the future of fan-favorite Adam Szalai that saw players strike and serious questions arise about communication at the club, the team fell apart, had a man sent off and deservedly conceded four against newly-promoted Stuttgart. There's trouble brewing on Bruchweg ...
Bielefeld got the better of Cologne thanks to a misjudgement by goalkeeper Timo Horn. Bielefeld keeper Stefan Ortega's long ball made its way through to Faroe Island midfielder Joan Simun Edmundsson, who snuck it inside the near post with Horn out of position. Four points after two games for Arminia!
Player of the week: Niclas Füllkrug (Werder Bremen)
In a team not famous for scoring goals, Niclas Füllkrug proved Werder Bremen's hero in their win against Schalke. For the fifth time in his career, Füllkrurg scored a hat trick: a header, a penalty and a flick was a lovely way to do it too. If the 27-year-old can stay fit, he might be the difference for Bremen this season.
Young player of the week: Silas Wamangituka (Stuttgart)
After scoring in the opening day defeat to Freiburg, Silas Wamangituka went one better scoring the equalizer and assisting the decisive third in a 4-1 win against Mainz. The 20-year-old was both hot and cold for Stuttgart last season, but the man from the DR Congo has hit the ground running in the Bundesliga.
Coach of the week: Sebastian Hoeness (Hoffenheim)
Augsburg head coach Heiko Herrlich deserves credit for his excellent game plan that stopped Borussia Dortmund, but it is hard to look past Sebastian Hoeness after guiding his side to a statement win against the defending champions. Hoffenheim exposed Bayern's high line, played plenty of vertical passes and were physical from start to finish. Hoeness might just be getting started as head coach, but these are the sort of wins that saw Julian Nagelsmann's aura grow.
Five-a-side team of the week