One unique 2021/22 stat for every Bundesliga team
Something each team does better, or worse, or more, or less, or just different to all others after the first seven matchdays of the season
With the international break over, the Bundesliga returns this weekend.
We’re now seven games into the new season, an interesting point to reach. The league table has just started to look roughly how you’d expect it to but it still isn’t enough games to make many really solid judgements, especially when you think of how things as simple as a couple of injuries or the kindness of the fixture list can influence teams.
Nonetheless, it’s still fun to scroll through the numbers from time to time and we do at least have seven games to pick through and see how different teams are approaching games and what is or isn’t working. So here’s one thing that each Bundesliga team has been either the best or worst at so far this season.
All stats per Statsbomb via FBRef
1. FC Köln
Steffen Baumgart has transformed Köln. Threatened with relegation last season, that doesn’t look like it’ll be a worry this time around. And some relatively agricultural football is to thank. Köln have attempted (128) and completed (28) the most crosses in the league.
1. FSV Mainz
Mainz have played intense, high-energy football under Bo Svensson and it’s no surprise to learn they have committed the most fouls (111) in the league so far. A real nuisance to play against.
Arminia Bielfeld
80 shots but just three goals. Nobody in the Bundesliga needs as many shots to score as Bielefeld’s 26.67 this season.
Bayer Leverkusen
Florian Wirtz has been the breakout star of the campaign so far and embodies Leverkusen’s direct attack with quick decision making. He has contributed heavily to die Werkself playing the most through balls (15) in the league so far.
Bayern Munich
Let’s keep it simple here. We all know Bayern are very good and their 2.96 expected goals per 90 minutes is the best in Germany … and in any of Europe’s top five leagues, 0.4 xG higher than the next best (Liverpool) from those divisions.
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund spent a fair amount of money to sign goalkeeper Gregor Kobel in the summer and he has been a big improvement on Roman Bürki and Marwin Hitz, especially when it comes to dominating his area. Kobel has the highest percentage of crosses stopped in the Bundesliga (11.1%) and fit into Marco Rose’s build-up plans perfectly with the shortest average pass length (30.1m) of any Bundesliga goalkeeper so far.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Gladbach are intense to play against. They have won the most tackles (159), the most tackles in the final third (23) and the most tackles in the middle third (74) so far.
Eintracht Frankfurt
This was a tricky one to find but I got there in the end. Frankfurt have had 11 successful dribbles directly preceded a shot, the joint-most in the league with Hertha.
FC Augsburg
Do not watch Augsburg if you dream of flowing football. They have attempted (2454) and completed (1723) the fewest passes in the league.
Hertha BSC
And don’t watch Hertha if you want exciting attacking football. No team has taken less than their 100 touches in the opposition penalty area. No wonder they’re struggling for goals.
RB Leipzig
A quirky one: just 18.5% of passes attempted by Leipzig players have been with their left foot. The lowest such ratio in the league.
SC Freiburg
Freiburg have perhaps been the most interesting team in the league so far, with Christian Streich reinventing his side once again. They’ve conceded the joint fewest goals in the league (five) while applying the fewest pressures (883) and having the fewest successful pressures (270). Pressing isn’t everything when you aren’t in possession.
SpVgg Greuther Fürth
Goalkeepers facing Fürth have the best save ratio (87%) in the Bundesliga so far. Bad luck or bad finishing? Their post-shot xG suggests it’s the latter, goalkeepers aren’t pulling off more spectacular saves against Fürth than other clubs and they could only reasonably expect to have scored six goals, not five, from the quality of their shooting.
TSG Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim have managed to post an average shot distance of 14.6 metres, the lowest in the league, which is good for the second best xG per shot (0.14) as well. That's some pretty impressive shot selection.
Union Berlin
Anyone who has watched Union in recent years will nod when they learn they have the most aerial duels (341) and most aerial duels won (177) of any Bundesliga side so far.
VfB Stuttgart
No team has had as many dribbles attempted as Stuttgart’s (169), and that’s without Silas Katompa Mvumpa available yet. Orel Mangala and Roberto Massimo has been the most successful of the club’s prolific dribblers, with Tanguy Coulibaly and Omar Marmoush more erratic. Ultimately, it’s just another stat that underlines that Stuttgart always entertain.
VfL Bochum
Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann has made the most saves (29) in the league yet they still sit in the relegation zone. That doesn’t bode well.
VfL Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg lead the way for most long passes attempted (851) and completed (564) under Mark van Bommel. Now that’s not very Dutch of him, is it?