Outside90’s Ari Papas selects the best performers from the second round of German Bundesliga action for our Matchday 2 team of the week.
Timo Horn – FC Cologne
FC Cologne fought well to earn a point at home against Vfl Wolfsburg. The team operated as cohesively as they could against the Bundesliga runners-up, but could only muster 30% possession for the match. Yet this alarming stat was countered with an excellent display from Timo Horn. The custodian made five key saves to keep Cologne in the game until the death. Wolfsburg’s goal came from a deflection off Horn, but he redeemed himself by stopping a shot on the line to keep the final score as 1-1.
Ulisses Garcia – SV Werder Bremen
Garca made his second Bundesliga appearance for Werder away to Hertha Berlin. At only 19-years-old, he is already Bremen’s first choice left-back after an injury to Santiago Garcia. Straight from the Swiss Super League’s youth ranks, he proved to coach Viktor Skrypnyk that he wanted to keep his spot on the starting XI with a great performance. Garcia provided the vital assist to Bremen’s equalizing goal and his attacking displays on the left-flank were promising. Skrypnyk will be feeling that he should have taken three points, but a draw away from home is nothing to sneer at.
Johan Djourou – Hamburg SV
Hamburg’s 3-2 win over VfB Stuttgart did not feature the best defensive moments. While the centre-backs on both sides made mistakes they would be happy to forget, Djourou put in a good display and was crucial to Hamburg’s victory. Despite conceding four fouls and a yellow card, the Swiss forward’s passing accuracy of 75% helped Die Rothosen to two goals. His long ball led to the equalizer, then Djourou popped up to score the vital winner himself.
Mats Hummels – Borussia Dortmund
FC Ingolstadt were far from a pushover, despite the 4-0 scoreline with BVB. Matthew Leckie and company doggedly pressed the Black and Yellows, causing a few issues around the 18-yard area. Mats Hummels was crucial in keeping Dortmund’s clean sheet, the World Cup winner won 75% of all duels and made sure Nevan Subotic was kept in line after a patchy start to the game. The captain’s communication and timing was always spot on and helped Dortmund return from Bavaria with three hard earned points.
Matthias Ginter – Borussia Dortmund
Ginter stepped in as a makeshift right-back in the absence of veteran Lukasz Piszczek. Despite his unfamiliarity with the role, the 21-year-old filled the position excellently, finding attacking synergies with Ilkay Gundogan and Marco Reus that eventually broke down a tough Ingolstadt defence. The German was rewarded for his performance with his first ever goal in Dortmund’s colours.
Julian Draxler – FC Schalke
Schalke’s wunderkind has put his injury woes behind him by opening his Bundesliga account against SV Darmstadt. The Veltins Arena was shocked when Schalke were down a goal within the first 10 minutes, and the players were struggling to respond. Draxler’s free kicks threatened, but the Royal Blues were missing that cutting edge in attack. As soon as the second-half started, the Schalke youth product dragged his team back into the game by scoring a fine goal, a shot from just inside the box placed delightfully into the bottom corner. It was not enough for them to take three points, but Draxler played a big part in earning a draw for new coach Andre Breitenreiter.
Hakan Calhanoglu – Bayer Leverkusen
The free kick master of the Bundesliga was at it again on Matchday 2. Leverkusen’s 1-0 away win against Hannover 96 was an affair bogged down in the midfield, games like these require special players to step up and take the initiative, which is exactly what Calhanoglu did. In the 18th minute, the Turkish midfielder’s dead ball strike was exquisitely curled past Hannover goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler to steal all three points.
Vladimir Darida – Hertha Berlin
Darida’s ex-club SC Freiburg were relegated but he stayed in the Bundesliga with a move to Berlin and the Czech midfielder looked to cement his position in the line-up with a well-rounded display against Bremen. Hertha only managed a point, but Darida was a key cog in their midfield, controlling the tempo and launching attacks. The 25-year-old had a passing accuracy of 83% and is surely a mainstay in the middle of the park for Berlin.
Konstantin Rausch – SV Darmstadt
The 25-year-old German is usually a left-back, but featured in role higher-up the pitch against Schalke, a decision that paid-off. Darmstadt could not get a hold on the game with a measly 22% possession, but Rausch was a breath of fresh air for the rare chances to attack, using his limited time on the ball to create seven crosses and maintain a passing accuracy of 80%. A smartly taken curling shot from outside the penalty box was one of the visitors’ few attempts on goal, but Rausch made sure it hit the back of the net and Darmstadt took a well-earned point from their visit to Gelsenkirchen.
Daniel Ginczek – VfB Stuttgart
Ginczek showed his striking capabilities against Hamburg despite a 3-2 defeat. With less possession, Stuttgart had to work hard to get back into the game after going a goal down and Ginczek proved to be a big game striker when he bamboozled Hamburg’s defence twice to put Stuttgart in front. It was not enough to win the game, but coach Alexander Zorniger will be hoping that the 24-year-old can keep scoring.
Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich
The Polish international started as a substitute against Hoffenheim, but made a game winning impact in his 30 minutes on the pitch. After Kevin Volland scored the quickest goal in Bundesliga history, Bayern had to dig deep to fight their way back. Thomas Muller equalized, but countless attempts on Hoffenheim’s goal were squandered and it seemed as though the Bavarians would have to settle for a draw after Jerome Boateng saw red. As the final minute of the game approached, Douglas Costa skinned his marker and played a loose pass into the penalty area that Lewandowski did not waste, snatching a 2-1 victory.
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