GOALKEEPER:
Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt): Kevin Trapp dealt with all of Freiburg’s 7 attempts on target. He was a commanding presence inside his box and made 2 brilliant saves from Jonathon Schmid to deny the Schwarzwälders an equaliser. Trapp had a pretty consistent last season, with some pundits calling for his inclusion into die Nationalmannschaft. Surely a call up isn’t too far away if he can continue this rich vein of form.
DEFENDERS:
Uwe Hünemeier (SC Paderborn): The Paderborn skipper won’t forget this game in a hurry. Had a fairly sensational game up until the final couple minutes of the game. Climbed highest to head home and put his side 2-1 up with only 3 minutes of regular time to go. Unfortunately was the culprit of the penalty which was awarded to Mainz after he brought down Shinji Okazaki in the box. Hünemeier still had a rather impressive game, keeping the likes of Okazaki quiet for the most part (even though he was involved in Mainz’s 2 goals) and made a massive 10 interceptions in this Bundesliga opener.
Jens Wemmer (SC Paderborn): Wemmer was one of Paderborn’s most consistent performers last season in the 2. Bundesliga before missing his side’s last 10 games due to injury. He didn’t seem at all phased with the transition to the top flight and put in a rather impressive performance at the right side of defence. He wasn’t all too successful when crossing the ball in when venturing forward, but it was his defensive work which was so decisive in keeping Mainz at bay. Wemmer managed a whopping 8 tackles and 4 interceptions in this match. He just needs to work on the delivery of his crosses, with the 4 that he made, going well astray of its intended targets.
Holger Badstuber (FC Bayern): Hats off to Holger. I was as pessimistic as anyone whether he could return after two consecutive knee reconstructions. He fit in so well in Bayern’s ‘new’ three man defence; it appeared as if he had been playing in this system for the last couple of seasons. Badstuber defended admirably, but the most impressive thing for me was his ability to switch the play with his long diagonal balls down the field. A technically gifted player for a strong centre back who is extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet. Maybe FC Bayern won’t miss Javi Martinez after all.
MIDFIELDERS:
Arjen Robben (FC Bayern): Had to bare the majority of responsibility in the front third due to the absence of Ribery and the omission of Shaqiri. As always, looked a constant threat on the counter and always looked to cut inside, giving headaches to the Wolfsburg defenders. Robben was the catalyst in FC Bayern’s opener, beating Luiz Gustavo before placing a pinpoint cross for Thomas Müller to tap home. He then was able to stretch his side’s lead early on in the second half as he rounded off after an impressive counter attacking move. He could and should have got his second late on, but was cruelly denied by the crossbar.
Edgar Prib (Hannover 96): The standout player in what was a fairly scrappy affair. Prib just seemed as if he was determined to be the difference in this fixture. He scored his side’s equaliser by making a barraging run past Matip to tap home Bittencourt’s fine cross, and then showed character by initialising the counter-attacking move which gave Hannover the lead just 2 minutes later. He opened up the defence before playing a nice through ball for Joselu to smack home from 20 yards out. Prib showed enormous courage throughout, being fouled a total of 5 times in this game and also noticeably throwing his weight around. Prib also completed the most dribbles past opposing defenders with a number of 5 to his credit.
Karim Bellarabi (Bayer 04 Leverkusen): Bellarabi was absolutely outstanding in this match. Bayer fans had always believed this boy had promise, but last season he was unable to impress on-loan with FC Braunschweig. I wasn’t aware of his aerobic capacity; covering a staggering 12.8 kilometres. He was always at the forefront of Leverkusen’s counter-attacking moves, and posed as a real threat to the Dortmund defence. He was on the scoresheet after just 7 seconds and played the critical assist for Leverkusen’s second.
Tarik Elyounoussi (1899 Hoffenheim): Elyounoussi was no more than a bit-part player last season. It’s hard to understand why on performances like this one. Has a real turn of pace and linked incredibly well with Roberto Firmino. Elyounoussi was involved in both of Hoffenheim’s goals and was the goal scorer of his side’s second. His menacing runs were a constant threat to Augsburg’s defence and he could be considered a little unlucky that he didn’t win a penalty in the second half.
Christoph Kramer (Borussia Mönchengladbach): Didn’t start for Gladbach due to fitness concerns, but was pivotal after coming on in the 73rd minute. He ran the show for the short time he was on. He nearly pulled his side back by playing a well weighted, chipped through ball for Hazard, but unfortunately the young Belgium international was only able to smack the upright. Soon after, Kramer was able to find himself costless in the centre of the box, and he was able to stay composed and place the ball into the back of the net, giving his side a well deserved equaliser. I’m so impressed with the improvement Kramer has shown over the last 12-15 months. Before that time he was just seen as an average Leverkusen player, but in the last season he has improved so much that he was even given a starting birth in the World Cup Final.
STRIKERS:
Julian Schieber (Hertha BSC): I honestly thought that Hertha BSC would struggle to find goals this season seeing as they lost both Lasogga and Ramos in the recent transfer period. Schieber never really showed much at Dortmund, mind you, he was never was presented with repeated opportunities. Two real poacher efforts, the first coming from a close-range header, and the second from a tap in from a deflected cross. Schieber may not be the most technical of strikers, but he is physically one of the strongest. Standing at 186cm and with a frame to suit, it’s not surprising he came away with winning the most aerial duals with 8.
Stefan Kießling (Bayer 04 Leverkusen): One of only a few ‘old-school’ strikers we have left in the Bundesliga. His hold up play was first class as he constantly battled with Sokratis and Ginter throughout. May not be the fastest, nor have the greatest technique for that matter, but always knows where to position himself and find a way to be dangerous. He was able to get on the scoresheet in extra time by placing the ball high into the back of Mitch Langerak’s net.