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Five things we learned as Germany's Bundesliga returns

:Headline: Five things we learned as Germany's Bundesliga returns:
5 things we learned from the return of Germany's Bundesliga

Major European football returned this weekend but the German Bundesliga was a long way from its usual self as play resumed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

With fixtures staged in empty stadiums and with social distancing regulations applied to the extent they could be, the rest of Europe got a glimpse of what could be on the way for their own leagues in the coming weeks and months.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at five things we learned from the weekend

Every echo reverberates

Shirts of fans unable to attend hang over the seats at the match between Cologne and Mainz (Lars Baron/AP)

If you were hoping for some better insight into the instructions managers bark at their players during a match, now might be your chance. Every echo reverberates around the empty cavernous stadiums, every shout and kick is heard as games are played out in an unfamiliar, largely sterile atmosphere. Players did their best under the circumstances, many goalscorers pointing to the empty stands as though they were still full of shouting fans, though the novelty of this can be expected to quickly wear off. Coaches could be heard encouraging and admonishing their players throughout the games though sadly, the one thing many fans would still love to hear – the interaction between referees and players – remained out of earshot.

Quality still shines through

Dortmund's Erling Haaland saluted the empty stands after scoring on Saturday (Martin Meissner/PA)

After all the debate over how the unique circumstances might affect the product on the pitch, the answer seemed to be not too much. Players may have only had a few weeks to get back up to speed after several in lockdown and unable to train with one another, but games were played at high speed and with plenty of quality on show, particularly from Borussia Dortmund who turned on the style in their 4-0 win over rivals Schalke. Four away wins from the eight games played over Saturday and Sunday might help feed the theory that home advantage has taken a hit, though none of those results taken on their own would constitute a big upset.

Social distancing maintained

Bayern Munich's substitutes sit spread out in the stands to maintain social distancing (Hannibal Hanschke/PA)

Players wore facemasks during warm-ups and in the stands – where substitutes sat at least two metres apart – while the coin toss was undertaken with a safe distance between all involved. Some teams took the precaution of changing into their kits at the team hotel before heading to the stadium. Given players then got fully stuck in as soon as the whistle was blown, there was then some criticism that all of the above had only been done for show. But then given the spotlight shone on them not only in Germany but around the world, there is no real harm in football trying to set a good example, is there?

Players still face scrutiny

Whatever else has changed, there is still a place for VAR to cause controversy as it made major interventions in two of Saturday's closely-fought games. Augsburg lost 2-1 at home to Wolfsburg, but only after Felix Uduokhai thought he had put the hosts 2-1 up before seeing the goal chalked off, but the bigger controversy came as Freiburg were denied an upset 2-1 win away to RB Leipzig, with Robin Koch's stoppage-time goal ruled marginally offside.

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Bundesliga Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Bayern MunichBayern27194480285261
2Borussia DortmundDortmund27176474334157
3Bayer LeverkusenB. Leverkusen27165652322053
4Borussia MonchengladbachBorussia M'bach27164753341952
5RB Leipzig26149363273651
6Wolfsburg2710983633339
7Freiburg27107103537-237
8Schalke 04Schalke2691073340-737
9Hoffenheim27106113647-1136
10Hertha Berlin2797113948-934
11FC Koln26103134147-633
12Union BerlinUnion Berlin2793153247-1530
13Eintracht FrankfurtFrankfurt2684144149-828
14Augsburg2676133754-1727
15Mainz 052683153655-1927
16Fortuna DusseldorfDusseldorf2658132750-2323
17Werder Bremen2656152959-3021
18SC PaderbornSC Paderborn2746173155-2418
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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29271166214582
2Manchester CityMan City28183768313757
3Leicester CityLeicester29165858283053
4Chelsea29146951391248
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd29129844301445
6Wolverhampton WanderersWolves29101364134743
7Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd28111073025543
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs29118104740741
9Arsenal2891364036440
10Burnley29116123440-639
11Crystal Palace29109102632-639
12Everton29107123746-937
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2998122541-1635
14Southampton29104153552-1734
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton29611123240-829
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2976163550-1527
17Watford2969142744-1727
18Bournemouth2976162947-1827
19Aston Villa2874173456-2225
20Norwich CityNorwich2956182552-2721
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