Three things we learnt from the Bundesliga afternoon kick-offs | OneFootball

Bundesliga Matchday 24 began with Bayern Munich’s 3-1 win against VfB Stuttgart to send them 11 points clear. Today the race for the final Champions League took centre stage with RB Leipzig lost to Mainz 2-1, Borussia Mönchengladbach saw off Heidenheim 3-0, Borussia Dortmund overcame St Pauli 2-0, Wolfsburg beat Werder Bremen 2-1 as well as an important game in the relegation fight with Hoffenheim overcame Bochum 1-0.

Here is what we learnt:

The relegation fight is shaken up once again:

Losses for Heidenheim and St Pauli as well as Hoffenheim beating Bochum now pulls the Kraichgauer side away from the relegation zone and gives them a comfortable lead over the relegation playoff spot. In their next two games, Hoffenheim plays St Pauli and Heidenheim and winning both of those games will more than likely guarantee their safety (faint booing). However, it was always likely that Hoffenheim would stay up as compared to the teams around them, their player quality is far, far better. On top of this, Hoffenheim can reach into the pockets of Sugar Daddy Dietmar Hopp and spend close to what will rise to €90m this season, compared to Bochum and St.Pauli’s spending of nothing and €2.25m this season.

With regards to who will be in which positions come May, it is increasingly likely that Holstein Kiel will be relegated, while Heidenheim’s performances on the pitch do not spark any kind of feeling that they will be able to turn their situation around, despite now being out of the Conference League. That leaves the relegation playoff spot which looks like it will be a three-horse race between Bochum (again), St Pauli and Union Berlin.

RB Leipzig’s rebuild is approaching:

Leipzig is like a can of Red Bull at the moment; if the drink was sugar-free and had zero caffeine in it. Then you are basically drinking something that has no benefit to it and from its colour, it looks a bit like wee. This is Leipzig. An underwhelming performance once again, this time they were outplayed by Mainz and deservedly lost, unlike in midweek.

You sense that even if Leipzig win the DFB-Pokal (God help us all), this is the end of Marco Rose’s time as head coach, but it’s not only him, it’s the players. There is a fair argument to make that apart from Xavi Simons, if Leipzig miss out on the Champions League, none of the other players deserve big moves in the summer. Benjamin Seško and Loïs Openda have especially been underwhelming this season.

Considering Leipzig wants to be a team to challenge for the title in the future, they look a long way off it at the moment. They will most likely need to rebuild the team and bring in a coach (Sebastian Hoeneß) who could potentially help the team break the glass ceiling they have struggled to break since gaining promotion to the Bundesliga.

Borussia Dortmund take a positive step forward:

Two wins in a row for Dortmund this season and two starts in a row for Giovanni Reyna, neither of these things are related.

Today’s win against St Pauli was far from pretty, especially compared to the win last weekend against Union Berlin, but this is how you develop character, something that Dortmund lacks. The pick of the goals was Karim Adeyemi’s where he ran half the length of the pitch, solo, after a St Pauli corner, before slotting past the keeper. The winger looked back to his best today as he also played a part in Serhou Guirassy’s opener. When Adeyemi is fit and firing, he is a real asset to Dortmund as he offers things that the rest of the squad does not, pace and directness.

Back to Reyna, who was once again unable to put his stamp upon the game, like against Union last week, but because of Carney Chukwuemeka yet to be fully fit and Julian Brandt not in his stride, Reyna got the start through depoll. I doubt that the American will start against Lille, come to think of it, Reyna is a bit like a can of Red Bull…

Anyway.

After a poor start to his time in charge at Dortmund, Niko Kovac’s influence is becoming more prominent. Dortmund’s Champions League game against Lille in midweek will probably be his biggest test as the French side have proven a tough side in Europe this season.

What nearly made the cut:

GGFN | Jack Meenan