Bundesliga roundup: 5 takeaways from Saturday’s action

The Bundesliga’s second Saturday back in action featured strong performances from leaders Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Kai Havertz and more.

Something about the second weekend of Bundesliga’s return felt a little more normal, despite all the things still deeply abnormal about it.

The empty stadiums are still quiet and jarring, despite some club’s efforts to fill the stands in creative ways. The play is still a little sloppy, but there were some quality goals Saturday. It still feels jarring to watch new, unpredictable action after months of reliving classics. It still feels odd to have games concurrent with a pandemic.

But it all seemed at least a little more normal this week than last.

After Hertha won the Berlin Derby on Friday to kick off Matchday 27, here are five things we took away from the second Saturday with live Bundesliga action back in our lives.

Bayern are still Bayern

The seven-time defending champions and current league leaders looked every bit their dominant selves in a 5-2 win over Frankfurt.

Canadian phenom Alphonso Davies had a goal and an assist, continuing to make his case as the best left back in the world at just 19. Thomas Muller also had a goal and an assist (his league-best 17th), continuing rejuvenation after a poor start to the season.

After scoring five on Saturday, Bayern have now tallied 80 goals in 27 matches this season, a Bundesliga record.

Basically, they are we thought they were. They’ve got a four-point lead atop the table, their chances of an eighth-consecutive title are in their own hands and they don’t look like a side vulnerable to tripping up right now.

Dortmund’s wing backs doing the damage

Borussia Dortmund are the only team with a real chance of catching Bayern and for the second straight week back on the field, BVB looked like a well-oiled attacking machine. If the layoff had any negative impact on one of Europe’s most entertaining attacks, it hasn’t manifested yet.

Both goals in Dortmund’s 2-0 win over Wolfsburg on Saturday came from the Black and Yellow’s wing backs, Raphael Guerreiro and Achraf Hakimi.

Since the league has returned, four of Dortmund’s six goals (three by Guerreiro) have been scored by the wide men. Their involvement has highlighted Dortmund’s free-flowing attack, with the pair not only linking play and putting in crosses but getting into the box and finishing moves as well.

Kei Havertz is demanding your attention

It’s too late for Bayer Leverkusen to make any real charge into the title race, but Kei Havertz has cemented his status as not just an up-and-coming wunderkind but one of the league’s absolute best players.

Havertz scored a pair in Leverkusen’s 3-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach, delivering an important three points that pushed Bayer one point past Gladbach into third place.

It was impossible to take your eyes off the 20 year old, who has now been involved in a goal (either scoring or assisting) in six consecutive league games.

Suitors will be lining up for Havertz in the summer, though a likely deflated transfer market could mean Leverkusen try to hold onto him a little longer. Either way, it’s clear Havertz not only has a bright future ahead of him bu deserves your attention right now.

Werder Bremen got a big win

Werder Bremen, notable for U.S. fans as the home of USMNT forward Josh Sargent, have been terrible this season. Bremen have shipped 59 goals this year, the worst in the league, and scored only 29, the second-fewest in the league.

Somehow though, on Saturday, Werder managed to make a 19th minute goal hold up for the rest of the match and hang on for a 1-0 win. Of course, they didn’t make it easy, going down to 10 men in the 88th minute and being saved by VAR ruling out an equalizer in the 89th minute, but still, they held on.

While Sargent didn’t do much in his 63 minutes on Saturday, Werder Bremen’s survival is a storyline for American fans to watch as it could have an impact on the development of the 20-year-old with a bright future and top-flight minutes are valuable beyond the scoresheet.

Der Klassiker is going to be great

This is not so much an observation about this weekend’s matches but a look ahead that was made all the more exciting by points No. 1 and 2 from above.

The gem of the next slate of games is Der Klassiker – between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. No. 1 vs. No. 2. The two teams who have split the last 10 Bundesliga titles (though Bayern would remind you they own a lopsided seven of that “split”).

If Dortmund want to keep the title race alive, they need to take points – most likely all three – off of Bayern. Even with a loss to Dortmund, Bayern would still be in control of their fortunes, but what kind of margin for error they have will depend largely on this Tuesday’s match.

Matches are about to start coming hot and heavy in an effort to finish off the season, with just a day between weekend matchdays, midweek rounds and then the weekend again.

Last week it felt almost criminal to have a usually cracking fixture like the Revierderby with no fans as we were just getting used to the game coming back. On Tuesday it will feel strange to see the title-deciding clash of giants played on short rest in a quiet stadium, but make sure you’re paying attention, it will likely be the best, and most important, game of this “new” season.