The Monday Bulletin: Wirtz better than ever, Heidenheim formidable at home and Mainz bounce back
Hello and welcome to the sixth edition of the Gegenpressing Monday Bulletin. This newsletter will hopefully prove to be a vital source of information for any serious Bundesliga fan, as we look to round up some of the most intriguing aspects of the matchday thanks to snippets of insight from our writers. Let us know what you think of the format and the talking points in the comments section below.
This weekend’s results
Darmstadt 1-2 Bochum
Union Berlin 0-3 Eintracht Frankfurt
Mainz 2-0 RB Leipzig
Hoffenheim 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Freiburg 3-3 Borussia Mönchengladbach
FC Köln 1-1 Augsburg
Borussia Dortmund 0-4 Bayern Munich
Wolfsburg 2-2 Werder Bremen
Heidenheim 2-0 Stuttgart
Wirtz (and Leverkusen) are getting better and better
So far this season Hoffenheim have proved to be more than a handful for plenty of Bundesliga sides and when Bayer Leverkusen made the trip to Sinsheim on Saturday they were certainly forced to work hard for all three points. Fortunately for Xabi Alonso, his side have a certain trump card by the name of Florian Wirtz. Although it was a brace from Alejandro Grimaldo that technically won the game for the visitors, the 20-year-old attacking midfielder was once again the star of the show. With the kind of frictionless jolts and sudden turns of pace that once saw Lionel Messi light up the Camp Nou, Wirtz glided through the Hoffenheim defence before playing a one-two with Victor Boniface to open the scoring at the PreZero Arena. It was the German international’s third goal in his last three games, not to mention the four assists he picked up in those fixtures too. If it seems like Wirtz is only getting better at Leverkusen, that’s because he is. Following the weekend’s action, the midfielder is now sitting on 1.36 goals and assists per 90 minutes in all competitions. Or, in other words, he’s either scoring or creating a goal every 66 minutes of football. That’s twice the rate he managed last season and even a 46% hike on his numbers from the 2021/22 season. Whether the young midfielder can keep this going for the entire season remains to be seen, but while he continues to pounce in the final third it’s hard to see Leverkusen relinquishing their spot at the top of the Bundesliga table. (Stefan Bienkowski)
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Significant progress on and off the field in Frankfurt
It was yet another victory for Eintracht Frankfurt under head coach Dino Toppmöller this weekend. The Eagles beat Union Berlin 3-0 in convincing fashion and remain in seventh place, in touching distance of the top six and perhaps even more. My colleague Matt Ford already touched on some of the on-field progress in the bulletin last week, and I also plan to do something more in-depth on the club soon. But while Frankfurt were winning yet another game on the road, their home stadium, the Deutsche Bank Arena, hosted the first of two NFL Frankfurt games on the weekend. Gegenpressing was at the stadium as the Kansas City Chiefs, who have a partnership with Bayern Munich, beat the “visiting” Miami Dolphins 21-14. Ahead of the game, Gegenpressing visited the new Frankfurt HQ just outside the stadium and noticed some of the renovations that have taken place around the facility. Although the city technically still owns the stadium, a new leasehold agreement means that Eintracht now control all commercial aspects of the facility, including a significant revenue generated by the NFL coming to town. We were also told that Frankfurt are yet to dip into the Champions League and Randal Kolo Muani money, which means there is even more room for structural and squad improvements. Indeed, exciting times for Frankfurt fans. (Manuel Veth)
Heidenheim making progress in the Bundesliga with established routes to success
Heidenheim certainly surprised most Bundesliga fans on Sunday, with a 2-0 win over Stuttgart. Although the visitors missed a penalty and certainly had enough chances to take at least a point from the game, it was yet another match in which Frank Schmidt’s side overcame expectations in front of a roaring crowd at the Albstadion. The result now means that the Baden-Württemberg side have picked up three wins from their first five home - the tenth best record in the Bundesliga this season. Of course, fans of the club may not be entirety surprised by this seemingly unexpected turn of events. Last season Heidenheim were also excellent in front of their own fans in the 2.Bundesliga, finishing the campaign with the best home record in the division. In fact, you’d have to go all the way back to the 2016/17 season to find a 2.Bundesliga campaign that didn’t see Heidenheim finish in the top five for points won at home, with the club finishing second or first in four of the five seasons leading up to their promotion. Of course, winning home games in the Bundesliga is a much taller task, but there’s little doubt at Schmidt’s side look formidable when they get just about anyone in front of their own fans. (Stefan Bienkowski)
Mainz back on track, and Jan Siewart a candidate to take over?
It was an emotional goodbye by Bo Svensson earlier this week. The 44-year-old Dane stepped down as Mainz’s head coach after his side was eliminated by Hertha Berlin (3-0) on Wednesday. “Nobody is bigger than the club,” Svensson said in an emotional goodbye video published on the club’s social media platforms. Svensson was appointed in 2021 and has averaged 1.38 points per game in 104 matches across all competitions. Although he had a brief stint in the Red Bull system, Svensson has been with the club as a player and coach in various roles since 2007. It is, therefore, understandable that the separation was difficult for Svensson. But perhaps it was exactly what the team needed. After all, Mainz responded with a sensational performance as they beat RB Leipzig 2-0 thanks to goals by Jae-Sung Lee (76’) and Leandro Barreiro (80’). Mainz’s first victory after 14 games without a win could be a big boost for interim Jan Siewart. The 41-year-old is now a serious candidate to take over in a full-time role. Siewart has been with the club in various roles since 2020 and is considered internally as a potential Bundesliga coach. Of course, he wouldn’t be the first coach to emerge at Mainz, whether it is Jürgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, or Bo Svensson; all those coaches were Mainz products. (Manuel Veth)