Borussia Dortmund have set the standards in the Bundesliga this season. 15 games unbeaten and five wins in a row meant that many thought that run would continue against Fortuna Dusseldorf. How wrong we all were! Friedhelm Funkel’s men upset the odds to beat BVB 2-1, which saw their counter-attacking gameplan perfectly executed.
With the leaders dropping points, it presented the perfect opportunity to the chasing pack to take advantage. And they duly did. Borussia Monchengladbach beat strugglers Nuremberg 2-0, whilst Bayern dispatched RB Leipzig thanks to a single, late Frank Ribery goal. The gap to the Dortmund is now just six points and, with the two Borussias facing off in matchday 17, that lead could be cut even further.
This was a peculiar “Englische Woche”, the second of the season. We saw four draw overall, including 2-2s between Hertha Berlin and Augsburg and Mainz and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively. Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim also shared the points, and it was a familiar story for Julian Nagelsmann’s side. They impressed early on and took the lead but at that point, they allowed their opponents to come on to them, as has so often been the story this year. In the end, Florian Kohfeldt and co will be disappointed not to have come away with more.
The in-form side at the moment in the Bundesliga is undoubtedly Wolfsburg. Their 2-0 win against Stuttgart is their fourth win from five, and they now have 13 points from a possible 15. They sit in sixth position, and a Europa Legaue place may well be up for grabs.
Schalke 04 can only dream of such heady heights. They continue to struggle to string results together, with a 2-1 loss against Bayer Leverkusen the latest disappointment. Domenico Tedesco’s side face Stuttgart in the last game of the year. They will be hoping to end 2018 on a positive note.