BUNDESLIGA
5 things we learned from the Bundesliga this weekend
What did we learn with Bayern Munich winless in their last three games, Schalke suffering a fresh injury blow and a refugee scores 'a dream' goal in Germany's top flight? Here's what...
After the seventh round of games in the Bundesliga, we look back on five things we learned with Bayern Munich winless in their last three games, Schalke suffering a fresh injury blow and a refugee scores 'a dream' goal in Germany's top flight.
German juggernaut drops a gear, or two
Coach Carlo Ancelotti slammed Bayern Munich's 'bad attitude' as Saturday's 2-2 draw at ten-man Eintracht Frankfurt left them winless in three games, which chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge branded 'unacceptable'. "That wasn't Bayern in the first-half, we can't play like that," fumed Rummenigge. "It was unacceptable, we have to go out on the pitch with a different attitude." Bayern host PSV Eindhoven in a key European match on Wednesday needing a win following last month's 1-0 Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid and their 1-1 draw with Cologne a fortnight ago in the Bundesliga. Having won the Bundesliga title for each of the last four seasons, Bayern have set high standards, which Rummenigge feels some players are not meeting. "We have to show a different attitude on Wednesday or we will have problems," added Rummenigge.
Club vs country for Müller
With four goals in his last three games for Germany, Thomas Müller is enjoying a purple patch on the wing for his country, but he has yet to score for his club in seven league games, despite a tactical switch. The Germany hot shot was moved in from the wing to play as a striker in a 4-3-3 formation against Frankfurt with wingers Kingsley Coman and Arjen Robben either side of him. But he could still not break his duck for the defending German champions and was unimpressed with the team display at Eintracht. "We're making too many mistakes as a team, the fact we conceded the equaliser in the closing stages was the icing on the cake," he fumed.
Shocking Schalke suffering
Schalke have seen two new signings sidelined by long-term injury in the first two months of the season. Having netted his first two league goals in their shock 4-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach a fortnight ago, Breel Embolo is facing six months out with a fractured ankle. The 19-year-old Swiss international was stretchered off in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Augsburg and surgery revealed a fractured fibula and tore ligaments. "This injury has shocked all of Schalke," said director Christan Heidel, who signed Embolo from FC Basel for 22 million euros ($24.5m) in June. The news comes after Spanish defender Coke, who Schalke signed from Sevilla in July for five million euros, suffered a serious knee injury just a week after joining the German club.
Manneh-live! Dreams do come true for refugee
It's a tale straight out of a 'Roy of the Rovers' comic. Werder Bremen striker Ousman Manneh was close top tears after scoring his first Bundesliga goal, two years after the teenage refugee fled Gambia. The 19-year-old netted Bremen's winner in Saturday's 2-1 shock victory over Bayer Leverkusen to cap his fairytale rise having made his league debut last month. "One of my biggest dreams has come true. Is this real or am I dreaming?," he asked after scoring Bremen's 59th-minute winner. Having fled Gambia in early 2014, Manneh sought political asylum in Germany and settled in a home for refugees in Bremen, where he started playing football. He netted 15 goals for local club Blumenthaler SV, rejected approaches from Bundesliga clubs Schalke, Wolfsburg and Hamburg, opting to stay in Bremen and joined Werder's reserves in March 2015.
Red Bull gives Leipzig wings
They have no stars, their squad's average age is 23 and they are making their debut in Germany's top flight, but RB Leipzig are up to third after claiming another scalp against Wolfsburg. Their 1-0 win, thanks to Emil Forsberg's curling thunderbolt shot from outside the area, means Dortmund, Hamburg, Augsburg and now Wolfsburg have all been beaten by the new kids. RB Leipzig are sponsored by energy drinks giants Red Bull and have made no secret of their desire to qualify for the Champions League. They face tough matches against Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke and Hertha Berlin in the coming weeks, but the acid test will be away to Bayern on December 20.