The fight for points on the 15th matchday of the Bundesliga was carried out with great precision but also with a lot of mentality. The entire spectrum can be found in the sports show’s matchday eleven.
Goal – Robin Zentner (1.FSV Mainz 05): Especially in the second half it was always said: Frankfurt against Zentner. Whether against Can Uzun from close range or against headers or shots from Igor Matanovic, Zentner was always there and secured the away win for Mainz with nine saved shots on his goal. The 30-year-old is playing his best season for the Zero Fives.
Defense – Alphonso Davies (FC Bayern Munich): “Fonsi” has returned to his old performance level: The Canadian was the fastest man on the pitch (together with Lois Openda, 34.3 km/h each), a goal from a center forward position as well as an assist – and a mega tackle against super sprinter Openda (52 .). Strong defensive skills paired with plenty of offensive power: the current, in-form Davies makes Bayern even stronger.
Defense – Ko Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach): The 27-year-old won a whopping 90 percent of his duels and had by far the best rate of all players on the field. The central defender also had 71 ball contacts – the most of all Gladbachers. But Itakura’s pass rate of 91.49 percent was also impressive. And: He didn’t commit a single foul. A very strong afternoon from the Japanese.
Defense – Felix Passlack (VfL Bochum): Felix Passlack was a real driving force in the bottom team’s first win of the season in the “six-point game” against Heidenheim. He impressed with good positional play and excellent running (11.9 kilometers). As a right full-back, the 26-year-old also had the third most ball contacts of all Bochum players and was very important in building up the game. He initiated numerous attacks. As a man for the dead balls, he almost sank a free kick, but he was denied a goal.
Midfield – Shuto Machino (Holstein Kiel): With two assists and two goals, he was the man of the day in Kiel. The 25-year-old Japanese repeatedly boosted the KSV’s game on the offensive and was unstoppable by the Augsburg team. He already has six goals to his name. It was his second brace this season. Thanks to Machino, the Kiel team also kept their hope of staying in the league.
Midfield – Florian Wirtz (Bayer 04 Leverkusen): If football is a mixture of great art and childlike joy, then Florian Wirtz comes into play. In the 5-1 win against Freiburg, it wasn’t just his goal and three assists that made him player of the evening. It was also the many fine receptions and take-aways, the seemingly easy passes, the sweeping turns and all the other extraordinary things that the 21-year-old showed on the pitch that made him look like a real magician.
Midfield – Josuha Kimmich (FC Bayern Munich): A real “mentality monster” – Kimmich’s performance against Leipzig was simply strong. Not only his 12.2 kilometers covered are evidence of this, but also the two goal preparations and his goal from distance. All of this together was the result of concentrated, combative directing work with a great overview.
Midfield – Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund): – BVB coach Nuri Sahin decided to start Wolfsburg with five purely offensive players. That meant: Felix Nmecha had to close the center defensively on the six all by himself. Nmecha did not disappoint his coach: he was the man who dominated the game centrally with his enormous range (11.61 kilometers) and his good eye.
Midfield – Paul Nebel (1.FSV Mainz 05): ): Paul Nebel, who comes from near Frankfurt, recorded his scorer points seven and eight against Eintracht in the last eight games and scored two of the three goals, albeit with kind help from Frankfurt. As an outnumbered fighter who loves to run, the 22-year-old (13.1 km mileage, 39 tackles) was a crucial support for the Mainz team in their away coup in Frankfurt. The home team almost alone compensated for the loss of striker Jonathan Burkhardt.
Attack – Patrik Schick (Bayer 04 Leverkusen): A lob, a header, a shot and another header – with his four goals against Freiburg, Patrik Schick put in an exceptionally successful performance. The efficient, 28-year-old Schick needed just seven shots to score his four goals. The Czech is now back in top form, has scored nine goals in the last five Bundesliga games – and has almost forgotten his rival striker Victor Boniface.
Attack – Marco Grüll (Werder Bremen): With his first brace for Bremen, which he scored within just four minutes, the 26-year-old attacker from the Hanseatic League laid the foundation for his team’s fourth competitive win in a row. The Austrian, who was transferred to Werder in the summer, is just getting into the swing of things after a somewhat longer period of adjustment and is becoming a factor for the Green-Whites in the fight for Europe
The eleven from the 11th Bundesliga matchday from sportschau.de: