Outside90’s Ari Papas selects the best performers from the fourth round of German Bundesliga action for our matchday four team of the week.
Christian Mathenia – SV Darmstadt – Goalkeeper
It is almost unsurprising to see Darmstadt put in another sensational performance, but a 1-0 win away to Leverkusen is simply incredible. Needless to say, the underdogs were on the backfoot for most of the match, with only 27% possession, and Christian Mathenia was called into action more than his team would have liked. The 23-year-old pulled off a number of smart saves to keep Leverkusen scoreless, including a close range stop to rob Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez of his debut Bundesliga goal.
Matthias Ginter – Borussia Dortmund – Right back
The 21-year-old, still out of his natural position at centre-back, put in a man of the match performance in Dortmund’s record-breaking 4-2 win against Hannover. Nine straight matches won in all competitions means that Thomas Tuchel now has the best start of any coach of Die Schwarzgelb. Ginter was constantly alert down the right-wing, abusing open spaces and getting two assists to lead the black and yellows to a table-topping win.
Fabian Lustenberger – Hertha Berlin – Centre-back
Fabian Lustenberger had to produce an early contender for goal of the season in order to beat lowly Stuttgart 2-1, however, his influence far exceeded his stunning volley. The 27-year-old won 100% of all his tackles and 75% of his aerial interceptions.
Aytac Sulu – SV Darmstadt – Centre-back
The Turk was another standout performer in Darmstadt’s smash-and-grab win at Leverkusen. Defensively the 29-year-old wasn’t exactly jaw-dropping, winning 50% of all challenges and duels, but it was enough to keep a high-intensity Leverkusen side at bay. Most importantly, it was Sulu’s goal that had an incredible impact on the game. The club captain neatly headed home a set piece taken by Konstantin Rausch and somehow stole the points for the newly promoted side.
Ricardo Rodriguez – VfL Wolfsburg – Left back
The Swiss provided the Wolves with a breath of fresh air on the left flank of attack. Dieter Hecking would be disappointed that his side failed to breach the defence of newly-promoted FC Ingolstadt and had to settle for a goalless draw. Despite the score line Rodriguez put in a fantastic performance, picking up the dead weight on the left side caused by a dip in form from Andre Schurrle. The 23-year-old created nine crosses and won 80% of all challenges as he peppered Ingolstadt’s defence while adeptly protecting his own side of the pitch.
Thomas Muller – Bayern Munich – Right wing
Muller makes his second appearance in the Team of the Week, but this time showing his versatility in a right-wing position. Robert Lewandowski assumed the role of striker in Bayern’s unconvincing 2-1 win over FC Augsburg at the Allianz Arena while Muller moved back to take a more creative role in the game. Die Roten dominated proceedings as expected, but were unable to find a breakthrough after going a goal down. The German missed a few golden opportunities himself and was not at his usual best but still managed to leave a mark on the match. The Bavarian provided the assist for Lewandowski’s goal after a neat one-two with the Polish international, as well as slot home the winner from the spot after Douglas Costa won a penalty in highly controversial circumstances at the death.
Shinji Kagawa – Borussia Dortmund – Central Midfield
Kagawa has been the quiet achiever of Dortmund’s vicious attacking front. He has yet to open his Bundesliga account, but his quick feet and sharp mind as a playmaker harks back to his glory days in his first few years at BVB. The Japanese international had a 100% dribble success rate and a pass completion rate of 82%, his composure in the attacking third is one of the key parts in Tuchel’s well-oiled black and yellow machine.
Leon Goretzka – FC Schalke – Central Midfield
Goretzka and his team mates helped Schalke get back on track after failing to win their past two games. The Royal Blues were no doubt heartbroken by the loss of their star man Julian Draxler to Wolfsburg, but life moves on in football and they earned three points at home to Mainz in a 2-1 win. Goretzka was influential in the midfield winning 90% of all his duels and tackles,. The young German forged a classy partnership with 22-year-old Johannes Geis, showing wisdom well beyond their years.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Borussia Dortmund – Left wing
It was an historic matchday for Borussia Dortmund and Thomas Tuchel, as well as for the league. Now with four wins from four, 15 goals scored and three conceded, it was the best start a team has had to a Bundesliga season in its 53 year history. Mkhitaryan led his team to this momentous win by harassing Hannover’s defence and was rewarded with a truly stunning half-volley. Defensive errors from Mats Hummels saw Artur Sobiech score a brace for Hannover 96, but these were amended by the tireless efforts of Mkhitaryan and BVB leaving the final scoreline as 4-2 for Die Schwarzgelb.
Alexander Meier – Eintracht Frankfurt – Striker
Last season’s top scorer returned from injury with style, scoring a hat-trick in Frankfurt’s 6-2 rout of FC Cologne. Despite being at the pointy end of his career at age 32, Meier got back into the swing of things with two trademark looping headers and a beautifully placed volley. Having now scored ten goals in their past two games, Frankfurt will be a formidable side if the German can stay injury free.
Pierre-Michel Lasogga – Hamburg SV – Striker
Borussia Monchengladbach’s woeful start to the season was made even worse after Pierre-Michel Lasogga snatched two goals from Gladbach’s awful defence. The 3-0 scoreline looked comfortable, but Lasogga’s first half brace single-handedly dragged Bruno Labbadia’s team to a win. The 23-year-old scored his first by picking up a stray pass to put him one-on-one with Yann Sommer and he scored his second by outmuscling three defenders to head the ball home on a corner kick. Hamburg didn’t play particularly good football, but the individual efforts of the young striker were vital in this unlikely win.
