Bodrum FK
Ç. Rizespor
Esenler Erokspor
Keçiörengücü
Not. Forest
Crystal Palace
Valencia
Las Palmas
Hellas Verona
Monza
Bayern Munich reclaimed the top spot in the Bundesliga table with their impressive 3-0 win over Union Berlin after Borussia Dortmund had provisionally gone top earlier in the weekend by virtue of their 1-0 win over TSG Hoffenheim. Goals from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Kingsley Coman and Jamal Musiala, all in the first half, did the damage for Bayern in what was well and truly a deserved three points in front of a snowy Allianz Arena.
On the overall balance, the encounter didn’t quite fit its billing of 2nd versus 3rd in the Bundesliga, as Bayern was clearly the dominant side. They out-shot Union 9-0 with chances on frame and very easily could’ve scored more than 3 goals, had it not been for some decent saves from Frederik Rønnow. Additionally, Bayern had the lion‘s share of possession, 71% to Union’s 29%, as Urs Fischer’s side truly struggled to gain any sort of foothold in the match at any given point.
Speaking after the match, Julian Nagelsmann didn’t want to get too ahead of himself in terms of ramifications the win had to the Bundesliga title race, but the convincing fashion of the win was certainly a statement.
“Nothing has been decided in the table today. But we set a certain benchmark for ourselves. I’m very happy with the performance, we only conceded two chances. The boys trained very well this week and implemented everything on the pitch today,” he told DAZN (via @iMiaSanMia).
After last week’s slip-up against Borussia Monchengladbach, question marks were raised, and Nagelsmann was under fire for post-match comments he made to the officiating crew to vent his frustration at the Dayot Upamecano red card decision. The pressure hasn’t been eased with how perfect Dortmund has been in the calendar year of 2023, but Nagelsmann knows that his side can win every match from here on out if they put forth performances like they did against Union.
“If we play like we did today, it will be difficult to catch us. A lot was talked about off the pitch during the week. But it’s about our own aspirations and what it means to be a Bayern player or coach. The medicine at Bayern is quite easy – if you win, it’s quiet,” he said.
