For more about this weekend’s football from Germany, listen to ‘Going Deutsch’ wherever you get your podcasts.
The first month of the season is now in the books, with two matchdays gone in the Bundesliga and four completed in the Zweite (with one game in July which I’m just adding here). Neither is enough to really know where your side’s season is going, but it is enough to hand out awards on how the season has gone so far for clubs and players. This is the first of those monthly awards which will look at the best player, manager, and goal in the top two leagues.
Bundesliga
Player of the Month – Jonas Wind (Wolfsburg)
It was hard to pick between Wind and two Union players: Robin Gosens and Kevin Behrens, but Wind has been the deciding factor in both of Wolfsburg’s games so far. On the opening weekend, he scored both of Die Wolfe’s goals as they beat newly promoted Heidenheim 2-0, and then he did the same as they won 2-1 away at Köln. I know what’s about to follow is a reductionist argument, but take him away and that’s a 0-0 draw and a 1-0 defeat, one point from two instead of the 100% start they’ve had. Wind has started the season as the league’s joint top goalscorer and arguably it’s most important player, it probably won’t continue, but he has to be credited.
Manager of the Month – Urs Fischer (Union Berlin)
Does anyone doubt Union Berlin anymore? Union may have not had the hardest two games on paper, but they demolished Mainz 4-1 with a great performance, and then won by the same score against Darmstadt despite playing the majority of the game with ten men. Union are once again top of the Bundesliga, allowing us to dream the impossible dream for at least a week.
Goal of the Month – Jan-Niklas Beste, Heidenheim vs Hoffenheim
Jan-Niklas Beste didn’t have the best(e) start to matchday two’s game against Hoffenheim, with a poor penalty in the 16th minute that was easily saved by Oliver Baumann. Ten minutes later however he would make up for it with this amazing free kick from out wide which went straight into the top corner.
2. Bundesliga
Player of the Month – Luca Schuler (Magdeburg)
Magdeburg are perhaps surprisingly fourth in the league after four games and the biggest reason for their success is Luca Schuler. He has scored in all but one game: with goals against Wehen, Braunschweig, and Kiel. Not scoring against a St. Pauli side who have only allowed one goal past their keeper so far is not a bad thing. Magdeburg may not finish fourth, but they wouldn’t even be close to that position now if it wasn’t for Schuler.
Manager of the Month – Markus Kauczinski (Wehen)
Wehen weren’t just meant to be relegated, they were meant to be comfortably relegated, having lost most of their best players without being able to properly replace them. However, Wehen have made a great start to the season and that’s because of Kauczinski. They had two great wins so far, away in the Olympiastadion against Hertha Berlin, and at home to Karlsruher. Add to that a point against Magdeburg and Wehen’s seven points from four is about six more than anyone was expecting them to have at this stage. Granted they have had three red cards so far, so if they could cool it on that front, that would really help.
Goal of the Month – Phil Neumann (Hansa vs Hannover)
Forget the fact that he scored an own goal later in the same game, Neumann’s chip from the very edge of the right-hand side of the box is a goal many of the great strikers wouldn’t be able to replicate.
The Sports Blitz 