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Bundesliga Matchday 1: Top Five Talking Points

Jonathan HardingAugust 27, 2016

The Bundesliga returned and with it joy, disappointment and frustration for football fans. Here are some of the top five talking points from matchday 1 in Germany's top flight.

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Bundesliga Schalke 04 vs Eintracht Frankfurt
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D.Roland

1. Dortmund slow, but steady

It might not have been as devastating as Bayern, but Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 win against Mainz was still worth three points. Andre Schürrle delivered a strong performance, suggesting that head coach Thomas Tuchel has already had a positive impact on a player he first nurtured. Ousmane Dembele's skill left Mainz's defense trembling, while Dortmund were solid but still looked a little stretched at times. Julian Weigl's introduction settled the home side as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang followed up his tweet to Robert Lewandowski saying "the race had started" with a brace. At least the Golden Boot competition will be exciting again this year. It should have been more for Dortmund, but it's a winning start for Tuchel and his men and that's encouraging for both BVB and the Bundesliga.

2. Same old Schalke

Typically, having spent all summer giving their fans plenty of reason to believe this season would be different, Schalke flopped on the opening day. Defeat to a Frankfurt side that will likely be in the relegation battle again is an awful start to Markus Weinzierl's tenure as head coach. Sporting director Christian Heidel won't have been happy either, as the men he helped sign didn't deliver. Wasteful at times, sloppy at others, Schalke's performance was a huge disappointment. Maybe once the likes of Nabil Bentaleb and Benjamin Stambouli have settled and Max Meyer has recovered from his exertions at the Olympics, Schalke might have more to show. Sadly for them, they'll have to do so against Bayern in their next outing. Still, there's an international break in between now and then.

3. Wary of Wolfsburg

One superb team move and a quality free-kick later, and it turns out Wolfsburg can win away from home in the Bundesliga. Daniel Caligiuri showed the same kind of form that Kevin de Bruyne brought out of him, crossing for unsettled striker Bas Dost. The Dutchman laid off brilliantly for debutant Daniel Didavi to curl home. It was the kind of assist Mario Gomez rarely provides. After failing to impress from dead-ball situations (or even generally) last season, Ricardo Rodriguez's return to form is another timely boost. Perhaps it's because Augsburg always struggle on the opening day - they haven't won at home in the Bundesliga in six attempts - but Wolfsburg looked good. It's just one game, but it's the start they needed. Even Julian Draxler looked interested.

4. Ingolstadt impress, Darmstadt don't

With new head coaches and some squad changes, both Darmstadt and Ingolstadt are going to face difficult second seasons in the Bundesliga. Darmstadt's defending in Cologne on Saturday was a real cause for concern. Without Sandro Wagner, it is hard to see where the goals will come from. Without captain and defensive leader Aytac Sulu (injured), they couldn't keep them out either. Ingolstadt were unable to stop Bobby Wood, but they didn't lose and that, along with their performance, should give them hope.

5. Bayern mean business

For anyone concerned - and there weren't many - that Bayern Munich wouldn't be the same under new head coach Carlo Ancelotti, the answer was emphatically delivered on Friday night. Bayern destroyed Werder Bremen in a familiar and yet frightening manner. Robert Lewandowski scored three, Arturo Vidal was majestic in midfield and even Philipp Lahm scored as Werder suffered a damaging defeat. In fact, the only thing missing for Bayern on the night was a Thomas Müller goal. The Germany man was still short of the luck that evaded him at Euro 2016, but even though Müller couldn't find the back of the net, he did set up three goals. Not bad for a man out of form.