2020–21 Bundesliga
58th season of Bundesliga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2020–21 Bundesliga was the 58th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football competition. It began on 18 September 2020 and concluded on 22 May 2021.[1] The season was originally scheduled to begin on 21 August 2020 and conclude on 15 May 2021,[2] though this was delayed due to postponement of the previous season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fixtures were announced on 7 August 2020.[3]
30th Bundesliga title
31st German title
Schalke 04
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 September 2020 – 22 May 2021 |
| Champions | Bayern Munich 30th Bundesliga title 31st German title |
| Relegated | Werder Bremen Schalke 04 |
| Champions League | Bayern Munich RB Leipzig Borussia Dortmund VfL Wolfsburg |
| Europa League | Eintracht Frankfurt Bayer Leverkusen |
| Europa Conference League | Union Berlin |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 928 (3.03 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Robert Lewandowski (41 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Munich 8–0 Schalke |
| Biggest away win | Dortmund 1–5 Stuttgart Köln 0–4 Leverkusen Schalke 0–4 Munich Bielefeld 1–5 Frankfurt Schalke 0–4 Dortmund |
| Highest scoring | Munich 8–0 Schalke Wolfsburg 5–3 Bremen |
| Longest winning run | 7 games Dortmund |
| Longest unbeaten run | 12 games Leverkusen Munich |
| Longest winless run | 14 games Schalke |
| Longest losing run | 7 games Bielefeld Bremen |
| Attendance | 160,321 (524 per match)[A] |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
Bayern Munich were the defending champions and successfully defended their title, winning their record-extending 9th consecutive title and 31st title overall (30th in the Bundesliga era) on 8 May with three games to spare.[4] By winning their thirtieth Bundesliga title, Bayern Munich are honoured with a fifth gold star on their team badges and shirts.[5]
Bayern's Robert Lewandowski set a new record for goals scored in a season with 41, surpassing the previous record of 40 goals set by Gerd Müller in 1971–72.[6]
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
On 3 September 2020, the DFL General Assembly voted to extend the use of five substitutions in matches to the 2020–21 season, which was implemented at the end of the previous season to lessen the impact of fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] The use of five substitutes, based on the decision of competition organisers, had been extended by IFAB until 2021.[8] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season began with matches behind closed doors or at reduced capacity due to restrictions across German states. Leipzig allowed up to 8,500 spectators to begin the season, while regulations in Berlin allowed for up to 5,000 supporters.[9]
Summary
Bayern Munich began the season less than a month after defeating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, as the match had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In their first game, they beat Schalke 04 8–0, and were the dominant side early on in the season. After a 3–2 away victory over title contenders Borussia Dortmund in November, many pundits praised Bayern as the best team in Europe.[10][11][12][13] This praise continued all season long, with former Bayern manager Pep Guardiola proclaiming them the best club in Europe in March.[14] Bayern mathematically confirmed their ninth consecutive Bundesliga title on 8 May 2021 with three matches to spare, following closest contender RB Leipzig's 2–3 loss to Dortmund.[15] The title was Bayern's 30th Bundesliga and 31st German championship overall, which would see them add a fifth star to their badge in the following season.[16]
Meanwhile, Schalke 04 endured a disaster season, failing to win a game in nine consecutive months dating back to the previous season, before defeating a fourth-tier club in the German Cup.[17] They failed to win thirty Bundesliga matches in a row, falling one short of the all-time record set by Tasmania Berlin in 1965–66, before a 4–0 win against 1899 Hoffenheim in January.[18] Schalke had announced before the season that they had debts of over 200 million, which led them to slash spending.[19] The poor results led to departures for executives and managers.[20] Former Schalke star Klaas-Jan Huntelaar returned to Schalke from Ajax in January in an attempt to stave off relegation, but he was unable to prevent Schalke from being relegated for the first time in over thirty years.[21][22]
A hot start to the season for Robert Lewandowski led to early talk that he could break Gerd Müller's 49-year-old record of 40 goals scored in one Bundesliga season, with teammate Thomas Müller suggesting it could happen back in October.[23] Lewandowski capped off a successful year in December by winning his first FIFA Men's Player of the Year award.[24] As Lewandowski continued his strong performances, interest in him overtaking Müller's record grew from various media outlets.[25] However, a knee injury suffered whilst on international duty on 31 March threatened Lewandowski's record-chase and kept him out of action for a month.[26] Lewandowski returned to action in April, just five goals away from equalling the single-season goal record.[27] On 15 May 2021, Lewandowski scored his 40th goal of the season against SC Freiburg with one match to spare, therefore equalling Gerd Müller's record tally from 1971–72.[28] In the last match of the season the following week, Lewandowski scored his 41st league goal in the final minute of the match against FC Augsburg to break Müller's record.[6]
Teams
A total of 18 teams participated in the 2020–21 edition of the Bundesliga.
Team changes
| Promoted from 2019–20 2. Bundesliga |
Relegated from 2019–20 Bundesliga |
|---|---|
| Arminia Bielefeld VfB Stuttgart |
Fortuna Düsseldorf SC Paderborn |
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Augsburg | Augsburg | WWK Arena | 30,660 | [29] |
| Hertha BSC | Berlin | Olympiastadion | 74,649 | [30] |
| Union Berlin | Stadion An der Alten Försterei | 22,012 | [31] | |
| Arminia Bielefeld | Bielefeld | Schüco-Arena | 27,300 | [32] |
| Werder Bremen | Bremen | Wohninvest Weserstadion | 42,100 | [33] |
| Borussia Dortmund | Dortmund | Signal Iduna Park | 81,365 | [34] |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | Frankfurt | Deutsche Bank Park | 51,500 | [35] |
| SC Freiburg | Freiburg im Breisgau | Schwarzwald-Stadion | 24,000 | [36] |
| 1899 Hoffenheim | Sinsheim | PreZero Arena | 30,150 | [37] |
| 1. FC Köln | Cologne | RheinEnergieStadion | 49,698 | [38] |
| RB Leipzig | Leipzig | Red Bull Arena | 42,558 | [39] |
| Bayer Leverkusen | Leverkusen | BayArena | 30,210 | [40] |
| Mainz 05 | Mainz | Opel Arena | 34,000 | [41] |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | Mönchengladbach | Borussia-Park | 54,057 | [42] |
| Bayern Munich | Munich | Allianz Arena | 75,000 | [43] |
| Schalke 04 | Gelsenkirchen | Veltins-Arena | 62,271 | [44] |
| VfB Stuttgart | Stuttgart | Mercedes-Benz Arena | 60,449 | [45] |
| VfL Wolfsburg | Wolfsburg | Volkswagen Arena | 30,000 | [46] |
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing | Manner | Exit date | Position in table | Incoming | Incoming date | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced on | Departed on | Announced on | Arrived on | ||||||
| 1899 Hoffenheim | End of caretaker spell | 9 June 2020 | 30 June 2020 | Pre-season | 27 July 2020 | [48][49][50] | |||
| Schalke 04 | Sacked | 27 September 2020 | 18th | 30 September 2020 | [51][52] | ||||
| Mainz 05 | 28 September 2020 | 17th | 28 September 2020 | [53] | |||||
| Borussia Dortmund | 13 December 2020 | 5th | 13 December 2020 | [54] | |||||
| Schalke 04 | 18 December 2020 | 18th | 18 December 2020 | [55] | |||||
| End of caretaker spell | 22 December 2020 | 27 December 2020 | [56] | ||||||
| Mainz 05 | Sacked | 28 December 2020 | 17th | 28 December 2020 | [57] | ||||
| End of caretaker spell | 4 January 2021 | 4 January 2021 | [58] | ||||||
| Hertha BSC | Sacked | 24 January 2021 | 13th | 25 January 2021 | [59][60] | ||||
| Schalke 04 | 28 February 2021 | 18th | 2 March 2021 | [61][62] | |||||
| Arminia Bielefeld | 1 March 2021 | 16th | 2 March 2021 | [63][64] | |||||
| Bayer Leverkusen | 23 March 2021 | 6th | 23 March 2021 | [65] | |||||
| 1. FC Köln | 11 April 2021 | 17th | 12 April 2021 | [66][67] | |||||
| FC Augsburg | 26 April 2021 | 13th | 26 April 2021 | [68] | |||||
| Werder Bremen | 16 May 2021 | 16th | 16 May 2021 | [69] | |||||
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich (C) | 34 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 99 | 44 | +55 | 78 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | RB Leipzig | 34 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 60 | 32 | +28 | 65 | |
| 3 | Borussia Dortmund | 34 | 20 | 4 | 10 | 75 | 46 | +29 | 64 | |
| 4 | VfL Wolfsburg | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 61 | 37 | +24 | 61 | |
| 5 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 69 | 53 | +16 | 60 | Qualification for the Europa League group stage[a] |
| 6 | Bayer Leverkusen | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 53 | 39 | +14 | 52 | |
| 7 | Union Berlin | 34 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 50 | 43 | +7 | 50 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League play-off round[a] |
| 8 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 49 | |
| 9 | VfB Stuttgart | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 56 | 55 | +1 | 45 | |
| 10 | SC Freiburg | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 52 | 52 | 0 | 45 | |
| 11 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 52 | 54 | −2 | 43 | |
| 12 | Mainz 05 | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 39 | 56 | −17 | 39 | |
| 13 | FC Augsburg | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 36 | 54 | −18 | 36 | |
| 14 | Hertha BSC | 34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 41 | 52 | −11 | 35 | |
| 15 | Arminia Bielefeld | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 26 | 52 | −26 | 35 | |
| 16 | 1. FC Köln (O) | 34 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 34 | 60 | −26 | 33 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 17 | Werder Bremen (R) | 34 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 36 | 57 | −21 | 31 | Relegation to 2. Bundesliga |
| 18 | Schalke 04 (R) | 34 | 3 | 7 | 24 | 25 | 86 | −61 | 16 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored; 6) Away goals scored; 7) Play-off.[70]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Since the winners of the 2020–21 DFB-Pokal, Borussia Dortmund, qualified for the Champions League based on league position, the Europa League group stage spot was passed to the sixth-placed team, and the Europa Conference League play-off round spot was passed to the seventh-placed team.
Results
Relegation play-offs
Overview
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. FC Köln (B) | 5–2 | Holstein Kiel (2B) | 0–1 | 5–1 |
Matches
| 1. FC Köln | 0–1 | Holstein Kiel |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
1. FC Köln won 5–2 on aggregate, and therefore both clubs remained in their respective leagues.
Statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[71] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 41 | |
| 2 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 28 | |
| 3 | Borussia Dortmund | 27 | |
| 4 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 20 | |
| VfL Wolfsburg | |||
| 6 | VfB Stuttgart | 16 | |
| 7 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 14 | |
| 8 | Bayer Leverkusen | 11 | |
| Union Berlin | |||
| Bayern Munich | |||
| VfB Stuttgart |
Hat-tricks
| Player | Club | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayern Munich | Schalke 04 | 8–0 (H) | 18 September 2020 | |
| 1899 Hoffenheim | 1. FC Köln | 3–2 (A) | 19 September 2020 | |
| Werder Bremen | Schalke 04 | 3–1 (A) | 26 September 2020 | |
| Bayern Munich | Hertha BSC | 4–3 (H) | 4 October 2020 | |
| Bayern Munich | Eintracht Frankfurt | 5–0 (H) | 24 October 2020 | |
| Borussia Dortmund | Hertha BSC | 5–2 (A) | 21 November 2020 | |
| Mainz 05 | SC Freiburg | 3–1 (A) | 22 November 2020 | |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | Eintracht Frankfurt | 3–3 (A) | 15 December 2020 | |
| Schalke 04 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 4–0 (H) | 9 January 2021 | |
| Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund | 4–2 (H) | 6 March 2021 | |
| Bayern Munich | VfB Stuttgart | 4–0 (H) | 20 March 2021 | |
| Union Berlin | Werder Bremen | 3–1 (H) | 24 April 2021 | |
| VfL Wolfsburg | Union Berlin | 3–0 (H) | 8 May 2021 | |
| Bayern Munich | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 6–0 (H) | 8 May 2021 |
- 4 Player scored four goals.
Assist providers
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists[72] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 18 | |
| 2 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 14 | |
| 3 | 12 | ||
| 4 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 11 | |
| Borussia Dortmund | |||
| 6 | 10 | ||
| Bayern Munich | |||
| Bayer Leverkusen | |||
| SC Freiburg |
Clean sheets
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Player of the Month | Rookie of the Month | Goal of the Month | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | ||
| September | 1899 Hoffenheim | Borussia Dortmund | Bayern Munich | [74][75][76] | |||
| October | Bayern Munich | VfB Stuttgart | RB Leipzig | ||||
| November | Borussia Dortmund | Borussia Mönchengladbach | |||||
| December | Borussia Mönchengladbach | Bayer Leverkusen | |||||
| January | Eintracht Frankfurt | Schalke 04 | |||||
| February | Borussia Dortmund | VfB Stuttgart | RB Leipzig | ||||
| March | Eintracht Frankfurt | Arminia Bielefeld | Hertha BSC | ||||
| April | Borussia Dortmund | Bayern Munich | 1. FC Köln | ||||
| May | N/a | N/a | Bayern Munich | ||||
Annual awards
| Award | Winner | Club | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Borussia Dortmund | ||
| Rookie of the Season | VfB Stuttgart | [75] | |
| Goal of the Season | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| Team of the Season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Player | Club |
| GK | Bayern Munich | |
| DF | ||
| RB Leipzig | ||
| Borussia Dortmund | ||
| VfL Wolfsburg | ||
| MF | Bayern Munich | |
| FW | Eintracht Frankfurt | |
| Bayern Munich | ||
| Borussia Dortmund | ||
Notes
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, each local health department allowed a different number of spectators.
- The relegation play-offs are being played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.