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Following every round of Bundesliga fixtures, Pulse Sports presents the most impressive performers of the matchday.
Just when it seemed like Borussia Dortmund were finally about to knock Bayern out of the title race, the Bavarians regrouped, and were the big winners of matchday 26. Here are some of the best performers of the Bundesliga weekend
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Goalkeeper
Lennart Grill (Union Berlin)
Union continue to punch above their weight, staying within touching distance of the top with a comprehensive victory over Stuttgart. The 3-0 scoreline does not tell the whole story, however: not only did Stuttgart outshoot their hosts, but they had more of the ball and created six big chances. In goal for Union, back-up goalkeeper Grill was nigh-on unbeatable, making seven saves and keeping a clean sheet despite facing a sizable 1.45 xGOT*.
*(A measure of the likelihood of an on-target shot resulting in a goal, based on the combination of the underlying chance quality (xG) and the end location of the shot within the goalmouth.)
Defenders
Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen)
In the dictionary entry for the word ‘dynamic’, there ought to be a picture of Jeremie Frimpong. The Netherlands international was ravenous in his occupation of the right side, and opened the scoring for Xabi Alonso’s side in their consummate 3-0 win over Schalke on Saturday. What’s more, he created four chances, won the most duels and completed the most dribbles at Veltins-Arena.
Timo Hubers (Koln)
Holding one of the league’s best attacking sides scoreless is impressive however you slice it. Timo Hubers marshalled the Koln backline with aplomb, defending proactively and keeping Borussia Monchengladbach at arms’ length all through the proceedings. The 26-year-old was dominant in the air and on the ground, winning 75% of his duels in both categories and accumulating three tackles and interceptions apiece.
Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen)
At his best, there are few more impressive defenders than Edmond Tapsoba. Contrary to what the 3-0 scoreline might suggest, hosts Schalke did not merely lie down, but Tapsoba's composed defending turned a tricky game into a comfortable win for Leverkusen. The 24-year-old won 4 of 5 duels on the ground, got his head to pretty much every flighted delivery into the box and was ambitious with his distribution as well.
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Jerome Roussillon (Union Berlin)
Roussillon's supreme cross for Sheraldo Becker's opener against Stuttgart was masterful, a snapshot of what makes the Frenchman so good. He is not the most defensively efficient, but what you get from him is a powerful engine and consistently strong delivery into the danger area. Good thing Union are set up to optimise this attacking weapon: in all, he created three chances and won four of seven duels on the ground.
Midfielders
Ellyes Skhiri (Koln) and Christoph Kramer (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Koln v Borussia Monchengladbach was a difficult game to love, with both defences on top and a stalemate in the midfield battle. No surprises then that both Ellyes Skhiri and Christoph Kramer have gotten in here, as both delivered composed performances for their respective sides. Tunisia international Skhiri is enjoying a strong campaign with the Billy Goats, acting as the team's metronome but still capable of breaking forward and posing a set-piece threat. Kramer is all action and all business, utterly impassable in the middle of the park and carrying the ball against pressure with impressive poise time and again.
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Maximilian Arnold (Wolfsburg)
A quite bizarre performance by Maximilian Arnold here, but impressive nonetheless in that, despite missing a penalty and scoring an own goal, he still emerged with credit from Wolfsburg’s come-from-behind 2-2 draw with Augsburg. He completed over 100 passes in the game, assisted Gian-Luca Waldschmidt’s goal to spark the late comeback, created four chances and was perfect with his deliveries into the box. It was truly a performance that had everything from the 28-year-old.
Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
There is something inevitable about Thomas Muller. Just when it seemed like his relevance was beginning to wane, he was handed a pivotal role against Borussia Dortmund and delivered mightily. The goals were of the scruffy, opportunistic variety, but that is just Muller all over: the 33-year-old has made a career out of being in the right place at the right time and scoring gnarly goals. His brace effectively put paid to Der Klassiker as a contest.
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Forwards
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Everyone wondered what version of Florian Wirtz we would get back after his long injury lay-off. The good news is that he does not seem to have lost much of his genius. He scored on the hour to double the lead against Schalke, created six chances in the game (three of them of the big variety) and completed five dribbles. Performances like these justify his billing as the premier German talent of his generation.
Ludovic Ajorque (Mainz)
You know what you are getting with Ludovic Ajorque every time. The 6ft 5in striker does what it says on the tin, providing a physical platform for his team’s attacking. RB Leipzig had no answers at the weekend as the Frenchman ran roughshod over them on their own patch, accruing five shots and scoring from one of them, creating two chances, and winning an eye-watering 12 duels combined on the ground and in the air.
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