Bundesliga

2021-05-26T15:45:00Z

Bundesliga top 5s in 2020/21

Robert Lewandowski was the best of the best for shooting and scoring over 2020/21, but who performed best in other areas?
Robert Lewandowski was the best of the best for shooting and scoring over 2020/21, but who performed best in other areas?

Robert Lewandowski made history with his 41 goals and a fourth straight top scorer crown, but which other players came top of the class in other areas during the 2020/21 Bundesliga season?

bundesliga.com looks at the best five players in various categories beyond pure goals and assists, and some may surprise you…

Shots

It is, however, little surprise that the five players to top the scoring chart also had the most shots throughout the season, but not completely in the same order, with Hoffenheim's Kramaric and Borussia Dortmund's Haaland swapping places. Wolfsburg's Weghorst finished some 15 efforts clear of the next best, RB Leipzig's Dani Olmo - the highest ranking non-forward.

Watch: All 41 of Lewandowski's goals

Shots created

In contrast to the goalscorers, there are different names in the top five for shots created compared to the top five assisters, with only Bayern Munich's Müller, Eintracht Frankfurt's Kostic and Dortmund's Sancho featuring in both. Kostic also created the most clear-cut chances in the league with 13, but Müller still had the most outright assists with 18, only three short of his (and the league's) record of 21 from last season. Amazingly, Freiburg captain Günter only got three assists, but has still earned his place in Germany's Euro 2020 squad, alongside Müller.

Distance covered

Despite missing two games, Cologne's Skhiri covered more ground than any other player in the league as the Billy Goats avoided automatic relegation on the final day. He was followed by two players who did go down, though, with Werder Bremen. Eggestein is once again at the top end of this list, starting all but one game due to suspension. Gebre Selassie started every match in his final season with the club. The top five is completed by two centre-backs from Union Berlin, who as a club always averaged more distance than their opponents in 2020/21.

Run, Ellyes, run! Even goal celebrations counted towards Skhiri’s league-leading mileage.

Top speed

Everyone knows about the speed of Haaland, Davies and Coman, but would you have expected Mainz centre-back St. Juste to be the fastest player in the Bundesliga season just gone? Well done if you did. It's slightly short of the league record of 36.51 km/h (22.69 mph) set by Davies in 2019/20, but you’ll still struggle to catch these speedsters on the run.

Watch: The best Bundesliga players for pace on FIFA 21

Pass completion

This consists of outfield players who featured for at least two thirds of all possible playing minutes. Borussia Mönchengladbach's Elvedi has become a regular at the top of this ranking and is joined by four more centre-backs, which says a lot about distribution from the back. It features Bayer Leverkusen duo Tah and Tapsoba. The latter had the most touches (3204) and passes (2677) of all players in the league in 2020/21.

No player saw more of the ball in 2020/21 than Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba.

Crosses from open play

The first thing that's noticeable here is that the top five are all left-footed and, with the exception of Diaby, played exclusively on the left wing all season. Kostic is top for crosses for the second year in a row, even going four better this time. His seven leading to goals is also the most in the division. Third in that regard (behind Ihlas Bebou's five) was Angelino on four. His 105 crosses was 70 more than the next best at Leipzig.

Attacking take-ons

No player took on their man with the ball at their feet more times in 2020/21 than Hertha Berlin's Cunha. He was followed by Schalke's Harit and Arminia Bielefeld's Doan, which is perhaps surprising given the three teams' struggles over the season. The top five is completed by two players we know love to dribble, in Englishman Sancho and Leverkusen's Jamaican sprinter Bailey.

Matheus Cunha (c.) took on his man more than any other player over the season just gone.

Aerial duels won

Although it's the centre-backs with the better success rate in aerial challenges, Bielefeld striker Klos threw himself into headed duels and emerged victorious like no one else in the Bundesliga. Hummels was the most successful in the air as a proportion, coming out on top in 75 per cent of cases. Not far behind was American centre-back Brooks at touching 72 per cent. He was also second in the league in terms of the difference between the number of aerial challenges won and lost (+81).

Mats Hummels displayed his famous aerial prowess again at both ends of the pitch for Borussia Dortmund.

Clean sheets

It's no surprise to see the goalkeepers behind the league's two meanest defences - Leipzig's Gulacsi and Wolfsburg's Casteels - also kept the most clean sheets. Nine for Bayern's now nine-time champion Neuer saw him equal Oliver Kahn's all-time record of 204 shutouts in the Bundesliga, but the big shock for the unassuming is Bielefeld's Ortega. Although finishing fourth from bottom, Arminia conceded fewer goals than fifth-placed Frankfurt, thanks to Ortega (see below). Dortmund's Marwin Hitz would likely have made the top five if he'd been first choice all season, keeping seven clean sheets in only 16 appearances.

Save ratio

These are the men you wanted in net for your Fantasy team, as saves mean points. Ortega, Freiburg's Müller and Augsburg's Gikiewicz were in the top four for outright saves made and also have the best rates for repelling shots. Ortega and Gikiewicz faced the most efforts in the league with 184 each, while Müller denied the second-most clear-cut chances (13). Casteels set a club record for minutes without conceding with Wolfsburg (673), which has only ever been bettered by Timo Hildebrandt, Kahn and Neuer in the Bundesliga.

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