Three matchdays have been played in the new Bundesliga season, and the standings present an unusual picture. Although FC Bayern has earned seven out of a possible nine points, it currently sits in fourth place.
At the top of the table are SC Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund, each with nine points. FC Augsburg, with seven points, is also ahead of Bayern, who are tied on points. After a 5-1 win over Stuttgart, a 0-0 draw at Schalke, and a hard-fought 2-1 victory at SV Elversberg, Bayern’s point total is still respectable.
A look at the individual Bundesliga statistics also shows that several FCB players are already back among the league’s best. Alphonso Davies, in particular, is putting up impressive numbers following his long injury layoff.
Davies is the Bundesliga’s dribbling king
After three matchdays, the Canadian has nine successful dribbles. No other Bundesliga player has managed more so far. Davies shares the top spot with Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa. Brajan Gruda follows behind with eight successful dribbles.
This statistic is particularly remarkable in Davies’ case. The left back first had to find his rhythm again after his long injury layoff. The early numbers clearly show that his dynamism in one-on-one situations is once again a real weapon.
There are also two notable figures in Bayern’s midfield. When it comes to forward passes, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Joshua Kimmich are among the league leaders.
Leverkusen’s Aleix García leads the statistic with 212 forward passes. Pavlovic follows close behind with 207. Kimmich also ranks among the leaders with 193. What’s particularly interesting is that the 31-year-old hasn’t even started every Bundesliga match recently.
This underscores just how important both players are to Munich’s build-up play. Kompany has two players in the center who not only control the ball but also consistently look to move forward.
Kane is still missing from the top of the scoring charts
The scoring leaderboard, on the other hand, presents an unusual picture. After three matchdays, Harry Kane is still nowhere to be found at the top. The Englishman scored his first Bundesliga goal of the season in the 2-1 win at Elversberg.
Instead, Igor Matanovic, Maurice Krattenmacher, and Michael Gregoritsch lead the standings with three goals each. From Bayern’s perspective, Krattenmacher’s appearance at the top is particularly interesting.
The former Munich player scored a spectacular goal—against his former club, of all teams—to tie the game at 1–1. Bayern holds a buyback option for the youngster and is likely to be closely monitoring his development with the newly promoted team.
Elsewhere, another former Bayern connection is drawing attention. Schalke goalkeeper Loris Karius clearly leads the league with 22 saves. The 33-year-old was already a decisive factor in the 0-0 draw against Munich.
For Bayern itself, the first three matchdays thus paint a mixed statistical picture. In the standings, the record champions are not yet where they want to be by the end of the season. Individually, however, Davies, Pavlovic, and Kimmich are already making a strong impression.
And Kane likely wouldn’t mind climbing back to the very top of one of the Bundesliga’s most important rankings in the coming weeks.