While the Premier League, La Liga and Ligue 1 fixtures are underway, the Germans join the mould this weekend.
If you’ll recall, the Bundesliga was the first to resume following the lockdown. With the players rested and back from holiday, we have a lot more football to look forward to.
In all honesty, the Bundesliga doesn’t get the praise it deserves. And in an attempt to change that, we take a look at the best teams in the top flight of German football and how their season might turn out to be.
Starting with today’s team-in-focus: RB Leipzig.
Key Players:
- Christopher Nkunku
- Dayot Upamecano
- Peter Gulacsi
- Marcel Sabitzer
Upamecano is one of the most highly-rated young centre backs in the world, whereas Gulacsi has impressed between the sticks as well.
Going forward, Marcel Sabitzer and Christopher Nkunku have shown real quality on the pitch and can deliver under pressure as well.
Nagelsmann’s team did manage to make it to the Semis of the Champions League last season. While they bowed out against PSG, they could come back strong this season as well.
Winning Points
Arguably the biggest strength of Leipzig lies in their tremendous adaptability on the pitch. As seen in previous seasons, Leipzig can change formations at the drop of a hat.
On top of that, Julian Nagelsmaan has proven that he is one of the most innovative tacticians in the world right now.
His creative approach to games will only get better as time goes on, and the coach could deliver big results this season.
Challenges
As good as they are, Leipzig do have some work to do this season. Their biggest challenge lies in showing consistency against oppositions that sit back and defend.
While the players are still young, they make errors from time to time. There are a lot of things to learn and the experience from competing in the dying stages of the Champions League will surely help them this season.
However, their biggest challenge lies in replacing star forward Timo Werner who left for Chelsea at the end of last season. While it will be no easy task, one can put their faith in the young manager to pull a few more tricks out of his hat.
Transfer Activity
Timo Werner’s departure will surely have an impact on the club. South Korean forward Hee Chan Hwang has been brought into the club from sister club Salzburg to replace the German striker.
Hannes Wolf has joined Gladbach, whereas Patrik Schick has joined Leverkusen from Roma after his loan spell.
Jean Kevin Augustin (AM) has rejoined Leipzig after a loan spell at Leeds. Lastly, Ben Henrichs (RB) has been signed on loan from Monaco.
Predicted Finish: 3rd
Although they possess a vast amount of talent on and off the pitch, it is hard to see Leipzig finish in the top two.
That is not to say they lack the ability or the talent, but the odds seem stacked against the Bulls to be in contention for the title this season. Especially on the back of losing one of their best players ever.
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