Julian Brandt was one of the only Germans to emerge with any credit from the World Cup and his ability is clear. But he's stagnating at a club lacking direction and a move would do him good, says DW's Matt Pearson.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Bratic
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With his side a goal down and an injury forcing a break in play just before half time, Heiko Herrlich summoned Julian Brandt over to the touchline. What the Leverkusen boss said was unclear, but Brandt looked confused before making a few comments of his own. They did not appear to be utterances of agreement.
Whatever pearls of wisdom Herrlich had to offer, both to Brandt and the rest of his players, they didn't work as Leverkusen fell to a 2-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt that leaves them closer to the bottom of the table than the Champions League places.
The Germany winger was less culpable than the majority of his teammates but after a bright start, where he twice showed fine footwork before testing Kevin Trapp in the Frankfurt goal, his influence waned. Once Leverkusen went behind to Danny da Costa's 28th minute strike, the whole side slumped and Brandt was no different. It was particularly telling that he ended up at right back before being removed with five mintues remaining and an equalizer still required.
Fragile confidence
A brief fightback after Herrlich went gung-ho following Filip Kostic's second didn't amount to more than a Karim Bellarabi strike, and it's becoming increasingly clear that the confidence of both Leverkusen and Brandt is far too fragile to breed consistent performances.
For flair players like Brandt that confidence is a critical commodity, and the nature of his club isn't helping him improve. In fact, it's difficult to think of a single Leverkusen player who has enhanced his reputation this season, with the exception of Kai Havertz.
Herrlich hasn't imposed a style in the way that Adi Hütter has at Frankfurt and few of his enviable collection of attacking players have really fired. Both Brandt and Leon Bailey have scored just once in the league this season, while Kevin Volland is top scorer with just five goals.
When Joachim Löw named Brandt in his squad for Russia, it was clear he was ahead of Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry in the pecking order of young German wingers, though Gnabry also had some injury concerns. Both now appear to be above Brandt in Löw's thinking.
Leroy Sane (left) has moved above Julian Brandt in the German pecking orderImage: Reuters/A. Yates
Both of those players have kicked on this season in a way that Brandt simply has not. Sane has a goal involvement every 64 minutes in the Premier League and Gnabry every 105 minutes while settling in at Bayern. Brandt's figure this term is 273 minutes (or three full games) per goal or assist.
What price loyalty?
A significant chunk of that disparity in output can beb attributed to playing in stronger sides under coaches with a track record of improving players.
With a gap of 10 points to Leipzig in fourth and Leverkusen having failed to string more than two consecutive league wins together all season, can Brandt really afford another season outside the Champions League?
That, of course, is a question for him. Brandt has only ever played for the Werkself and may very well feel a strong sense of loyalty as a result. But a player of his class surely shouldn't be playing in the bottom half of the Bundesliga without a goal or assist since October.
By the end of this season, Brandt will be 23, approaching the time where players expect to peak. It's difficult to see him reaching the heights of which he appears capable at a club who appear content to drift.
Bundesliga Matchday 15 roundup
There were big wins at the bottom of the Bundesliga, Dortmund stayed in control, and Bayern Munich extended their unbeaten run with a thumping win away from home. All the latest from the Bundesliga on matchday 15.
Image: Getty Images/B. Streubel
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen
After two defeats on the bounce against Wolfsburg and Hertha, Eintracht Frankfurt returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga. Two well-worked goals either side of half-time from Danny Da Costa and Filip Kostic gave the Eagles a two-goal lead over Bayer Leverkusen, who halved the deficit through Karim Bellarabi. But Frankfurt held on for three points which see them keep in touch with the top four.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Roland
RB Leipzig 4 - 1 Mainz
Braces from Yusuf Poulsen and Timo Werner (pictured) helped the hosts consolidate fourth. The Red Bulls showed no ill effects from their midweek European exit early on but allowed Mainz back in to the game, with Karim Onisiwo scoring after Poulsen notched the first two. Mainz had their moments in the second half but Werner rounded the keeper on 74 minutes before lashing one in a minute from time.
Image: Getty Images/B. Streubel
Augsburg 1-1 Schalke
An injury-stricken Schalke picked up a point and more frustration in Augsburg. Ralf Fährmann's poor punch gave Michael Gregoritsch a free header in the first half and Schalke looked out of it until Daniel Caligiuri fired home a long-range effort to level the scores. Haji Wright thought he had scored the winner, but was offside. The result leaves both sides stuck in the lower half of the table.
Image: picture-alliance/G. Kirchner
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Werder Bremen
First half goals from Paco Alcacer and Marco Reus kept Borussia Dortmund's nine-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga intact. Max Kruse's fine volley from distance cut Dortmund's lead in half, but Werder Bremen couldn't build on that as Lucien Favre's side pulled off an important win and look set to go into the winter break with a healthy lead over their rivals.
Image: Reuters/L. Kügeler
Stuttgart 2-1 Hertha Berlin
A Mario Gomez brace helped Stuttgart make big strides in their quest to move away from the relegation zone. The visitors dominated the first half, with Maximilian Mittelstädt finishing off a neat team move for the opener. Stuttgart battled back though. Mario Gomez poked home his first goal since October 6 and then powered in a headed second not long after to lift Stuttgart out of the drop zone.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/
Hannover 0-4 Bayern Munich
It might have only been against a struggling Hannover team, but Bayern Munich got back in their groove. Joshua Kimmich's volley into the far corner gave Bayern the perfect start after just 65 seconds, and not long after David Alaba smashed a stunning half volley into the top corner. Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski added goals as Bayern stayed brilliant.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Pförtner
Düsseldorf 2-0 Freiburg
What looked a good chance for Freiburg to pull away from the bottom of the table, turned into a game that Düsseldorf could have won by more. Having missed a host of chances and been bizarrely denied a penalty for a handball, two set-pieces won the day for Fortuna. Kaan Ayhan powered home a header and flicked in a second as the hosts climb into the relegation playoff spot.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Hitij
Hoffenheim 0-0 Gladbach
On a cold day, Gladbach fans warmed themselves with quite the showing. On the pitch, the visitors didn't look as hot. Hoffenheim looked the more active and likely to score, despite the fact they played in Manchester midweek. Joelinton curled in a superb strike but was ruled out for offside by VAR and Adam Szalai blazed over in added time as both ended up having to share the points.
Image: Imago/Jan Huebner
Nuremburg 0-2 Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg extended their unbeaten run to four games after picking up their fourth away victory of the season in Nuremburg. After a scoreless first half, Daniel Ginczek put the Wolves ahead with his third goal in as many games and Josip Brekalo added another in second half stoppage time. The loss for Nuremburg extended their winless run to nine games.
