3) RB Leipzig: 2nd in Bundesliga
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In 2013/14, RB Leipzig celebrated promotion from the third tier to the second tier of German football. Last season saw them finish second and gain promotion to the Bundesliga. This year, they topped the Bundesliga table for three weeks.
Playing like Leicester City sure has become quite fashionable these days but the club have not been welcome in most Bundesliga grounds thanks to their sponsors – a stark contrast to the way other community-run clubs in the country.
Ralph Hasenhuttl came in last summer and he has run a tight ship. The team were unbeaten in the first 13 games that saw them top the table before losses to FC Ingolstadt and Bayern Munich brought them back down to earth.
A lot of their success has been down to Timo Werner (21) who has led the line and scored 17 goals so far in the league. He is yet to grab a hat-trick this season but he has consistently found the net. He is also the youngest among the top 10 goalscorers in Bundesliga this season, sitting behind only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Robert Lewandowski and Anthony Modeste – all of whom have scored more than 20 goals.
Naby Keita (22) in central midfield and Marcel Sabitzer (23) – who has played in the front three and in midfield – have also impressed even though Hasenhuttl has deployed different formations, including the outrageous 4-2-2-2 formation that has been standard formation this season. Bernardo (21) at right-back has also been integral to the formation while Werner’s occasional strike partner Yussuf Poulsen (22) can also not be ignored.
Having qualified for the Champions League in their first attempt and pushing Bayern in the title race that is usually wrapped up in April by the Bavarian giants, Leipzig are a breath of fresh air in the league even if the other teams take their time to adapt to the ever-changing economy of football club ownership.
