From moments of sublime skill to explosive counter attacks, Leipzig's front line is one of the Bundesliga’s most feared despite an average age of just 22. The rest of Europe is already taking note as well.
Advertisement
As Leipzig's stature in world football has grown, so too has the appreciation of their on-the-pitch exploits and the plethora of smartly sourced talent, especially in their front line.
While the club's success has been built on the foundation of a collective effort, talented individuals have produced plenty of must-see moments.
Last season, two forwards stood out from the crowd as the city of Leipzig celebrated having a club back at the pinnacle of German football. Timo Werner, the highest-scoring German striker in the Bundesliga and Emil Forsberg, the leading assist provider in the top flight.
Forsberg, signed from Malmo while Leipzig were still in the second tier, is almost an elder statesman at the age of 26 compared to his teammates, while Werner is on the way to becoming the finished article since signing from Stuttgart.
That's not to mention Marcel Sabitzer and Yussuf Poulsen, two regulars for their respective national teams, whose contributions last season caught less headlines, but were just as important in making Leipzig's debut season one for the history books.
Coming into the current campaign though, the key was ensuring that the rate of progression was maintained and the early signs are promising. "Last year we were all new in the league," Sabitzer told German mass-circulation daily Bild. "There were always new situations developing in which we didn't really know what was coming at us or how strong we really were. We’ve matured a lot."
Strong across the board
In light of their growing reputation and rising expectation levels, Leipzig were big winners in the summer transfer window for two reasons. They managed to add strength in depth ahead of competing on three fronts for the first time in the club's history, but perhaps more importantly, successfully avoided becoming another flash-in-the-pan selling club. Only Naby Keita was sold to Liverpool, but remains at Leipzig for the rest of the season.
With several rumors linking Forsberg with a number of different Premier League clubs and Real Madrid supposedly interested in star striker Werner, keeping hold of the irreplaceable duo was essential.
By further bolstering their attacking options with two valuable signings in Bruma and Jean-Kevin Augustin, Leipzig were able to add two dynamic players that were in keeping with the club's philosophy both on and off the pitch.
"We've made big strides forward in several areas in the last 10 months," club chairman Oliver Mintzlaff told German sports magazine kicker earlier this month. "The team have grown up a little and the level of competition in our squad has been raised by our new signings."
That level of competition has not only played its part in Leipzig sitting just behind Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich at the top of the table, but also in Bruma and Augustin hitting the ground running.
Sporting director Ralf Rangnick referred to Portuguese winger Bruma as "difficult to stop" following the impressive 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund, while 20-year-old Augustin feels "me and RB, it works."
Signing the two rising stars to support the aforementioned quartet not only helps coach Ralph Hasenhüttl cope with the difficult balancing act of working with a more intense schedule, but also keeps opponents guessing when trying to solve Leipzig's turbo-charged puzzle.
The six rising stars have accounted for 20 of Leipzig’s 25 goals in all competitions so far this season and their contributions will be pivotal in the club maintaining their trajectory.
Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Bayer Leverkusen turned on the style in Mönchengladbach, while Eintracht Frankfurt produced a brilliant comeback to hold Borussia Dortmund. Catch up with the news from each of the weekend's Bundesliga games.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
Gladbach 1-5 Leverkusen
Leverkusen had a big day when they visited Borussia Park on Saturday. Sven Bender (middle), Leon Bailey, Kevin Volland (far left), Julian Brandt (second from left) and Joel Pohjanpalo all found the back of the net as Leverkusen scored five goals in the second half. Fabian Johnson had given the Foals the lead after seven minutes, but Gladbach's early advantage counted for very little.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
Wolfsburg 1 - 1 Hoffenheim
Julian Nagelsmann's Hoffenheim were looking for a win that would keep them in touch with the top three, but could only manage a draw at Wolfsburg. Maxi Arnold missed an early penalty for the hosts and Kerem Demirbay put Hoffenheim ahead from the spot with 17 minutes to play. But Hoffenheim were denied the win when an injury time header from Uduokhai ensured Wolfsburg's fifth successive draw.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. MacDougall
Freiburg 1 - 1 Hertha
Hertha Berlin still haven't won since September 20. Freiburg's Janik Haberer scored from the spot early in the second half after Christian Günter was taken out in the box. Hertha missed a penalty of their own as Salomon Kalou blazed it over the bar, but the Ivorian atoned for that with an 88th minute spot kick, salvaging a much-needed point.
Image: Imago/J. Huebner
Cologne 0 - 0 Werder Bremen
The Bundesliga's bottom two sides are still without a win between them after a Sunday game high on tension but desperately low in quality. The struggles of both teams were summed up with five minutes to go when Sehrou Guirassy, who replaced Claudio Pizarro after he was injured in the warm up, managed to strike the ball backwards from two yards out with no goalkeeper to be seen.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
Hamburg 0-1 Bayern Munich
Jupp Heynckes' perfect start to his return from retirement continued on Saturday as Bayern topped Hamburg. The Dinosaurs kept Heynckes' side at bay for most of the first half until Gideon Jung saw straight read for a challenge on Kingsley Coman. Corentin Tolisso (pictured) scored the only goal of the game as Bayern kept their third-straight clean sheet.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/O. Hardt
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund blew a two goal lead in Frankfurt. Nuri Sahin put Peter Bosz's side in charge and Maximilian Philipp doubled the score shortly after the break. But Roman Bürki conceded a penalty after colliding clumsily with Ante Rebic, Sebastien Haller converted from the spot. Marius Wolf then scored the equalizer, the first goal of his professional career, before a thrilling finish.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
Augsburg 1-2 Hannover
Hannover returned to their winning ways as they completed a 2-1 comeback against Bundesliga surprise-package Augsburg. Michael Gregoritsch scored the opener after his shot deflected off Julian Korb, but Korb later redeemed himself by picking out Niclas Füllkrug from the right wing for the equalizer. Füllkrug also scored the winner just before the final whistle after Jonathas set him up.
Image: Imago/Philippe Ruiz
Leipzig 1-0 Stuttgart
RB Leipzig's October surge continued as they won their third game in a row. Marcel Sabitzer (right) scored the only goal of the game, finishing a curling effort after Timo Werner, who came through Stuttgart's academy, served him the ball. Stuttgart might have got a draw, but couldn't score. Both teams honored the recently deceased Thomas Albeck, who ran the academy system of both clubs.
Image: Imago/Picture Point LE/K. Kummer
Schalke 2-0 Mainz
Schalke started the matchday with a tough home win against Mainz, mainly thanks to another fine performance by Leon Goretzka. The Bochum youth player scored the first goal of the game before Guido Burgstaller poached a decisive second in the second half. Mainz huffed and puffed but were well short of the quality needed to challenge Schalke, who moved into the top four ahead of Saturday's games.