Bundesliga Bulletin: Borussia Dortmund still undefeated

Good week for: Niko Kovac, Marco Reus, Vedad Ibisevic, Stuttgart (finally), Mainz, fan protests

Bad week for: Andre Breitenreiter, Manuel Neuer, Heiko Herrlich

The lowdown:

- Bayern Munich got the win they so desperately needed in Bremen, and Niko Kovac will be pleased that it came thanks to a brace from the returning Serge Gnabry but also thanks to a relatively strong second half defensive display. Back from injury, Gnabry showed his importance and Bayern got one of those rare, hard-fought for victories. Jerome Boateng and Manuel Neuer didn't look at their best for Yuya Osako's header, but largely the defensive kept the hosts at bay. Kovac will be hoping the win was enough to keep rumors of his departure at bay too.

- Marco Reus and Paco Alcacer continued their scoring form, and along with a bit of luck that Jerome Gondorf's free kick hit the crossbar rather than the back of the net, that was all Dortmund needed to beat Freiburg. It was another unspectacular win that any championship-winning side needs, and Dortmund are now seven points clear at the top.

- Markus Weinzierl is a happy man. Stuttgart got their second win in three games, narrowly edging out Augsburg. One goal, a clean sheet and a home win - three things that made Weinzierl and Stuttgart's one of the best of the winter so far. The result lifts them out the relegation zone, and that's where they'll want to be at the end of the season.

- Hannover didn't just lose at home to Hertha Berlin, they looked bad in the process. Sporting director Horst Heldt said afterwards that "things couldn't continue like this." Defeat in Mainz next week could be the end of Andre Breitenreiter's time at the club.

- Julian Nagelsmann took on coaching class teammate Domenico Tedesco, but Hoffenheim against Schalke was dominated by penalties rather than players. VAR took a penalty away from Schalke in the first half (correctly), then awarded one against them in the second half (dubiously) and then one was awarded for them just ahead of the final quarter of an hour. It finished in a draw, which helps neither side really. Hoffenheim stay on the edge of the top six, while Schalke continue to languish in mid-table.

- Mainz beating Düsseldorf by a single goal in a less-than-classic game on Friday night is not spectacular news, but it does mean that Sandro Schwarz has guided a side that many tipped for relegation to mid-table, with a noticeable 18 points from their first 13 games.

- On a rain-drenched night in Nuremberg, fan protests and not football took center stage in the first Monday night game of the season against Leverkusen. The home side's ultras' decision to only watch the second half proved a wise one though as Der Club overturned a one-goal deficit after the break to pick up a precious point in the relegation battle.

The quotes:

"Borussia Dortmund's incredible tempo is hard to defend against."

- Christian Streich after Freiburg's defeat in Dortmund

"I can't cut off my hand."

- Bastian Oczipka on the referee's decision to give a penalty against him for handball

"The first half was perhaps the worst since I've been here."

- Andre Breitenreiter on Hannover's performance against Hertha Berlin

"It was perhaps not the best time to face this top team."

- Florian Kohfeldt after Werder Bremen's loss to Bayern

"We want to win every game until Christmas."

- Niko Kovac said after the win in Bremen

The stats:

- Marco Reus has scored or assisted in 8 of his last 10 Bundesliga games.

- Paco Alcacer now has 10 Bundesliga goals in 281 minutes.

- Vedad Ibisevic scored his 116th Bundesliga goal on his 300th league appearance. There also milestone moments for Christian Streich (200th Bundesliga game as head coach) and Jerome Boateng (250 Bundesliga appearances).

- Lucien Favre is the first ever Borussia Dortmund head coach to go undefeated in his first 13 Bundesliga games (10 wins, three draws).

The fans:

There were plenty of protests across Germany on the weekend, most of them directed towards unfriendly kick off times. Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich fans were particularly clear about how they felt on the matter. In the third division, all 20 of Germany's teams protested the DFB's league reforms over promotion to and relegation from the third division. How? By not playing the first 60 seconds of their games. It made for strange viewing, but it shows that the third division sides mean business.

The weird:

There was much intrigue surrounding Bayern Munich's annual general meeting this season. Uli Hoeness gave plenty of vocal support to Niko Kovac, and added giving up didn't exist in the club's vocabulary. Hoeness, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge were also met with whistles though, a response Hoeness was not expecting. Criticism from club members were surprisingly strong, with some even demonstrating their feelings in banner form - see tweet below.