Bayern Munich may no longer be in the Champions League, but they are still well on course toward clinching their ninth consecutive Bundesliga title.
The still-shorthanded Bavarians pulled off another big 3-2 win over Wolfsburg this weekend thanks to 18-year-old Jamal Musiala’s brace. That win, coupled with RB Leipzig’s goalless draw at home with Hoffenheim, has once again extended Bayern’s lead at the top to seven points with just five games left to play.
Meanwhile, both Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach continued their recent resurgence as they look to end the season strong.
Read on below as SBOTOP shares its three key takeaways from the latest round of Bundesliga action.
Musiala provides bright spot amid Bayern turmoil
There has been a lot going on at Bayern over the last few days. They exited in the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain as they were without key players such as Robert Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry, and Leon Goretzka.
Then coach Hansi Flick made massive Bundesliga 2021 news as he revealed his plan to leave his post at the end of the season amid a feud with sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic. Flick made his announcement after his side beat Wolfsburg 3-2, with Jamal Musiala scoring a brace for the champions.
The 18-year-old’s performance provided a bright spot for Bayern fans amid an unusually tumultuous time around the club. Musiala has been brilliant this season with seven goals in 33 appearances for the German giants and looks like a genuine star in the making.
Competition for places at Bayern will remain fierce with the likes of Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, and Douglas Costa in the wings and Thomas Muller locked into the No. 10 role.
But clearly, Musiala’s play this year should earn him a more significant role in the side next season, regardless of who replaces Flick as Bayern boss.
Leverkusen bouncing back after Bosz firing
Bayer Leverkusen made the big decision to sack coach Peter Bosz at the end of last month. That came after a disastrous run which saw Leverkusen crash out of the Europa League to Swiss club Young Boys. Meanwhile, their league form, which has been dreadful since the start of the new year, remained poor.
But it seems as if that decision is paying off as they are getting a new manager bounce with interim boss Hannes Wolf. Leverkusen beat relegation-threatened Koln 3-0, their second win in three games under Wolf. Although, their other win was against last-placed Schalke, so they haven’t exactly beaten impressive competition.
Nevertheless, those two wins have moved Leverkusen back up to fifth, one point above Borussia Dortmund in sixth.
While a Champions League spot might be a bridge too far – they are six points back of Eintracht Frankfurt with five games to go – the Leverkusen job should still be quite an appealing one for managers.
As they showed during the first half of the season, this side can challenge for the top four with the right leadership. And with a talented young core of Leon Bailey, Moussa Diaby, Patrik Schick, and 17-year-old Florian Wirtz, Leverkusen should be a dangerous side once again next season.
Rose’s Gladbach making a run at Europe
Leverkusen aren’t the only side looking to make a late-season run. Borussia Monchengladbach are also getting back to form after a disastrous spell following the announcement of Marco Rose’s impending exit.
Gladbach produced one of the Bundesliga 2021 results of the season as they thrashed fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 at home. The Foals became the first team since Bayern Munich to keep Frankfurt’s excellent forwards from scoring this season.
Gladbach have now gone unbeaten in their last four games, with three wins, and are now back up to seventh place.
The last few games have served as a reminder that whoever succeeds Rose will inherit quite a strong Gladbach side. Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea are terrific forwards, and captain Lars Stindl is among the most underrated players in the entire league.
Getting into the European places will be tough; they are three points adrift of Dortmund, who have a game in hand, and face stiff competition from eighth-placed Union Berlin, who are also at 43 points. The Foals also still have to face Bayern away.
But regardless of whether they return to Europe, Rose will still be shooting for a strong end to the season so that leave Gladbach on a somewhat happier note.
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