Looking Around the League: Bayern Stumble, Hand Dortmund the Initiative

Bayern Munich love to prove that they’re better than Dortmund at everything. Lately, they have proven that they’re even better at blowing leads. The Bavarians’ bafflingly poor form continued this weekend with a shocking 3-1 loss at the hands of Mainz 05, who overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit with three straight goals within the final half-hour of the game.

With this win, Mainz pushed Bayern into second place, meaning Borussia Dortmund is firmly in control of their destiny. If BVB can close out the season’s final five games, they will be Bundesliga champions.

Results
Augsburg 1-1 VfB Stuttgart

TSG Hoffenheim 1-3 FC Köln

VfL Bochum 1-5 VfL Wolfsburg

Hertha Berlin 2-4 Werder Bremen

Mainz 05 3-1 Bayern Munich

Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

SC Freiburg 4-0 Schalke

Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 RB Leipzig

Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-1 Union Berlin

Bayer Leverkusen’s Good Vibes Continue
Good vibes? Bayer Leverkusen? That’s an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one, but there may just be something to it. Xabi Alonso is riding so high as the new manager at Leverkusen that he has risen to the highest honor that a non-Bayern Bundesliga manager can achieve, which is to be linked to a move to Liverpool by the Tabloids.

How has he done it? Well, not only are Die Werkself in the Europa League semifinal, but they’re running hot in the Bundesliga as well, and with five games to go, are still within range of a spot in the top four. Xabi’s boys picked up a vital win against RB Leipzig:

This, incidentally, knocked Marco Rose’s RB Leipzig out of the Top Four. The next team in Leverkusen’s sights are SC Freiburg. It will be difficult for Leverkusen to make up six points in five games, but crazier things have happened, and the vibes simply cannot be denied right now.

Meanwhile, down at the bottom, poor old hapless Schalke once again found themselves the butt of too many “Schalke 0-4” jokes, this time after Freiburg served them their behinds. The win was not only huge for the relegation chase but for Freiburg, who are battling to stave off Leverkusen and Leipzig for the final spot in the Top Four.

Drama, drama everywhere! It’s in the relegation zone, the top four, and at the very top, where Borussia Dortmund are searching for the club’s first Bundesliga title since 2012. The final five weeks of this season are going to be epic.