“I thought we got off to a good start until the thunderstorm.” In context it was a standard, anodyne, flat-batted answer by Köln’s Marius Bülter as he strove to analyse his team’s efforts. Quite unwittingly, it captured the chaos of the afternoon perfectly. It was an afternoon that was supposed to be about VfL Wolfsburg as the club celebrated their 80th birthday with as much flourish as this industrial corner of Lower Saxony could muster, with billowing clouds of green and white smoke accompanying club legends including 2009 champion Grafite and iconic defender Naldo leading the team on to the pitch in front of a (rare) sold-out crowd.
The 40-year-old is entering a different realm of expectation and pressure here, not just because of Grafite, Edin Dzeko and a glorious past, but because of everything here being on a different scale. Simonis has a budget, big names and egos to manage, with Mohammed Amoura licking his wounds after a move to Benfica failed to become concrete (though he did head the opener here).
After a crazy early season game like this, disrupted by prolonged VAR checks and referee Bastian Dankert ordering the players off to take cover from a thunderstorm for more than 10 minutes, it’s best not to draw any definitive conclusions. Köln, readapting to the top league, are grateful to be able to make transfers at all, and it will have given them pleasure to see newbies such as substitutes Ísak Jóhannesson (who scored the goal for 2-2) and Ache (who set up Kamniski’s goal) weigh in. Pleasure that, as always, they are more than happy to submit to. The weather can turn at any moment, as Köln know only too well, so it’s best to make the most of clear skies while you can.
Few are more delighted to see Hamburg back in the top flight than Bayern Munich after seven years away; on their previous eight visits to the Allianz Arena before this weekend, HSV had shipped an astonishing 50 goals. So they might be feeling chipper this Monday that they only conceded five in their latest drubbing, with a larger shellacking looking likely when they were hit by a Serge Gnabry rocket in the third minute and when they trailed 4-0 at half-time. It was a baptism of fire for 18-year-old Luka Vuskovic, on loan from Tottenham, who debuted having not yet met a couple of his teammates due to the international break, though the connection of his currently suspended elder brother Mario with the club has aided his early adaptation.
Dortmund gobbled up a routine 2-0 win at 10-man Heidenheim but their travelling fans weren’t happy, mainly on account of their new away jersey, or Das Grausamste Trikot der Liga (the most horrible shirt in the league) as it was described by a huge banner in the visitors’ section. “Borussia will stay black and yellow,” said another of the grey shirt (with just splashes of black and yellow). It has, according to club figures, already sold over 5,000 from the club megastore, roughly in line with previous away kits.
Leipzig have lost a lot of top line talent this summer but it felt as if there was renewed spirit in the camp as they won 1-0 at Mainz with a first goal for the club by Johan Bakayoko, one of the new generation. Post-Benjamin Sesko and Xavi it feels like there is a weight lifted from Leipzig shoulders – perhaps recalling their former coach Julian Nagelsmann’s words about potentially calling up players “with less quality who will give everything on the pitch” for Germany after the loss in Slovakia. Not that Ole Werner’s side are short on ability (and the opening games of teenage winger Yan Diomandé have been very promising) but this is a fascinating work-in-progress.
No goals and no wins so far this Bundesliga season; Borussia Mönchengladbach already look in big trouble and Sunday’s 4-0 home defeat by Werder Bremen could have been much worse, with debutant Victor Boniface only ready for a cameo (though already providing an assist for Justin Njinmah) for the visitors. Gladbach dismissed the head coach Gerardo Seoane on Monday evening. .
