Best of Bundesliga: Bayern Munich retake top spot
October 29, 2017
Everything you need to know about Matchday 10 in the Bundesliga.
Good week for: Leverkusen, Ihlas Bebou, defending champions, Vincenzo Grifo, long balls
Bad week for: Dortmund, defending, the title race, Alexander Nouri
Best bits
— It took them 10 games, but Bayern Munich have returned to the top of the Bundesliga table. Their nine-matchday-hiatus from the top spot this season was their longest such streak since the 2011-12 season — the last time the Bavarians did not lift the Bundesliga title.
— RB Leipzig had to play the Bavarians with 10 men for the second time in four days. Leipzig captain Willi Orban was sent off after 13 minutes for a foul on Arjen Robben, which denied the Dutch winger a goal-scoring opportunity. Naby Keita had been sent off in the second round of the German Cup on Wednesday for a second yellow, though Bayern needed penalties to beat Leipzig in the end.
— Dortmund's defense had another rough game as they conceded four in Hanover. They have now conceded nine goals in their last three league games and have lost the top spot in the league as a result.
— Werder Bremen lost again. It's the first time ever the club have gone through the first 10 games without a win and they're currently enduring their longest run without scoring a goal since 1999. Alexander Nouri is on very thin ice.
— For the second straight week, Leverkusen turned a one-goal deficit at halftime into a convincing victory. After smashing five past Gladbach last week, Cologne were dispatched this week as Leon Bailey and Sven Bender turned the game around for the home side.
— Vincenzo Grifo made the most of his first start for Gladbach, setting up two goals (one for Thorgan Hazard and one for Matthias Ginter) to help his new team turn a 1-0 deficit against Hoffenheim into a 3-1 win.
— If Wolfsburg coach Martin Schmidt knows one thing, it is how to get a point. Wolfsburg collected their sixth consecutive draw in the Bundesliga when they tied Schalke on Saturday, making Schmidt the first head coach with six draws in his first six Bundesliga games with a new club.
Best quotes
"I think everyone thought the red card destroyed the game a little bit."
Emil Forsberg to DW after Leipzig's 2-0 loss.
"We could have gone home at halftime."
RB Leipzig head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl on the Bayern game
"After the break, it was a little boring for the neutral viewer."
Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich after the 2-0 win vs. RB Leipzig
"When the sun shines, everyone can give their all. The really good players impress when the sky is cloudy and it's raining."
Leverkusen' head coach Heiko Herrlich
"That was sluggish, complacent and for long periods, we played alibi football."
Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc after the 4-2 loss in Hanover
"We won't make an emotional decision today. I can't decide who will be sat in the dugout on Friday."
Werder Bremen's sporting director Frank Baumann on Alexander Nouri's future
"It's getting a little bit absurd now... I had hoped that video evidene would make the game fairer. What I have experienced in the last few weeks, it's beyond belief. I am speecheles. I can't talk about it."
Freiburg head coach Christian Streich on the VAR decision that saw his team down to 10 men after 12 minutes
"Salif [Sane] said to me: 'You take it and find the back of the net.'"
Hannover's Felix Klaus about his free kick goal in the 4-2 win vs. BVB
"There's always something missing, and so in the end there's a lot missing."
Cologne head coach Peter Stöger after the 2-1 derby defeat
"What's it called again? Whatever. I hate it."
Leverkusen's Leon Bailey on VAR
Injuries
— Mark Uth and Kaderabek picked up muscle injuries and are questionable for Hoffenheim's Thursday Europa League game.
— Gladbach's Jonas Hofmann had a partial ligament tear in his right knee and will be out for the rest of the year.
— Robert Lewandowski came off cautiously with a thigh injury in Bayern's win against RB Leipzig, but is expected to return for the midweek clash against Celtic.
Bizarre Bundesliga
Julian Nagelsmann was not a happy coach on Saturday as he saw his Hoffenheim side lose to Borussia Mönchengladbach despite leading 1-0 at the break. His frustration boiled over when Thorgan Hazard scored the equalizer, so much so that he accidently hit a fan with a water bottle he threw in dismay. "It was a dumb and silly thing for me to do, that shouldn't happen and won't happen again," he said afterwards. The head coach also went over after the game to apologize to the spectator.