1. King Franck returns to the throne

He looked like many an ageing footballer in the last three seasons but since the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti, Franck Ribery has returned to the form of his glory days. So far this season he has two goals and seven assists - he managed virtually the same in the whole of last season. His movement looks better, mentally freer than last season. At 33, it looked like he and Arjen Robben (who also scored after returning from a six-month injury absence) were facing the hard truth of time but so far this season the Frenchman has done everything to suggest that he'll be retiring dahoam (Bavarian for at home).

2. Cologne show Schalke how

There were signs last weekend that Cologne were enjoying the next step of their development, and in Gelsenkirchen they showed their opposition that change takes a long time to work out. Cologne have steadily been building towards European qualification and now the pieces appear to be falling into place. Four matchdays is far too soon to say that they will definitely be in Europe next season and Cologne tend to start well and fade, but the balance is there this time.

Some sort of balance is what Schalke fans longed to see, but once again they were let down by a weak performance. Defensively inept, offensively sporadic, it's baffling that a Schalke team coached by Markus Weinzierl can play without any sort of plan. Sporting director Christian Heidel has and will continue to keep things calm inside the club, but the storm outside is growing by the day. If three points don't come against Hoffenheim on Sunday, even Heidel will be pushed for answers.

3. Nightmare for Nouri

Having acknowledged that the decision to keep Viktor Skripnik on was a mistake, Werder Bremen's search for a new head coach continues. In the meantime, former second team coach Alexander Nouri took charge and for 87 minutes, the XI he had on the field looked to have done enough to win their first game of the season. Five minutes later, and Bremen had lost 2-1. Despite a positive start, they dropped off in the second half and a savvy Mainz team punished them. Football can be so cruel sometimes, but 14 goals conceded in four games is the reason Bremen are struggling to get started whoever is in charge.

4. Borussia Bonanza

Against Wolfsburg the 5-1 scoreline did not reflect what was a much closer game and Dortmund's defense looked exposed at times, but 17 goals in three games is exactly what Dortmund's dynamic attack was assembled for. Not since 1982 have Dortmund scored so many goals in three matches.

It's the perfect atmosphere for Mario Götze to rediscover dormant qualities, for Marco Reus to eventually return and for Raphael Guerreiro to continue to be outstanding. The loss of Marc Barta to an adductor injury could be a concern, but with Dortmund's attack converting their chances at a ruthless rate (and Roman Bürki playing well again) there is no need to panic about defensive gaps just yet.

5. Kovac getting Frankfurt to work

There was just enough evidence at the end of last season to show that Nico Kovac was the right man for the job at Eintracht Frankfurt. Although they only picked up three points in his first five games, Frankfurt then amassed nine in their next four. It was enough to give themselves a chance and win the relegation playoff and now, after a whole offseason of work, Frankfurt are slowly becoming more and more consistent.

The only blip so far has been a defeat to Darmstadt, which was more by poor luck than performance. Otherwise Frankfurt have been winning and while it's still early days, Kovac still deserves some credit for getting Frankfurt back on track.