However, it is not out of the question that for the first time since 2012, a new name could end up raising the trophy at the season's end. That team is RB Leipzig. In their most recent league match, Leipzig continued to apply pressure to league leaders Bayern by beating Union Berlin 1-0. Emil Forsberg scored the only goal of the match which saw Die Bullen remain within four points of Bayern.
Even though only half of the season has concluded, every challenger other than Leipzig has fallen by the wayside. Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund - all three are now too far behind Bayern to mount a serious title challenge. If any team is going to be the one to deny Bayern a ninth consecutive Bundesliga title this season, it would surely have to be Leipzig.
As has so often been the case in recent years, Leipzig's off-season went well. Their most notable signing was Spanish left-back Angeliño, brought in on loan from Manchester City. Remarkably, despite his position, Angeliño is the club's leading goalscorer this season as of this post. After years of either being consigned to City's reserves or being sent out on loan to a host of lesser clubs, he has had a breakout season and become one of the key pieces in Leipzig's title push. Perhaps the only full-backs in the Bundesliga who have been better than him this season have been Bayern duo Alphonso Davies and David Alaba.
Leipzig's front office deserves plaudits for their construction of this team. Despite not having any truly elite players, every piece that they have brought together fits perfectly. A team built around the likes of Angeliño, Dani Olmo, Dayot Upamecano, Marcel Sabitzer, and Nordi Mukiele does not, on paper, seem like one which would be making league title challenges and deep Champions League runs. However, this team's impressive chemistry and cohesion have allowed them to once again exceed expectations. On top of all of this, they do have a player with genuine superstar potential. Although Upamecano did not make the leap to that level as some had expected him to do this season, his ceiling remains sky-high. At just 22, there is no reason why the Frenchman cannot develop into one of the world's best centre-backs before too long.
Of course, the largest part of the credit for Leipzig's success must go to head coach Julian Nagelsmann. Nagelsmann has continued to build his reputation as one of the world's best coaches with another outstanding season. As has been the case in almost every season of his coaching career, Nagelsmann has Leipzig overachieving in relation to what had been expected of them. Despite reaching the semifinals of last season's Champions League, many expected them to be behind teams such as Dortmund, Leverkusen, and Borussia Mönchengladbach this season. While still unlikely, a league title this season would be by far the crowning achievement of a coaching career which has already seen remarkable success even in just a few short years.
All this being said, Leipzig still have to overcome the psychological effect which Bayern exert over all other Bundesliga contenders. Many teams over these past eight seasons have faltered after taking the lead or coming close to Bayern simply because of the mental block which Bayern's sheer dominance has imposed. On top of that, Bayern have the obvious advantage of having the best player on the planet in Robert Lewandowski, who has already scored an astonishing 22 league goals - almost double the tally of nearest competitors André Silva, Wout Weghorst, and Erling Haaland. Clearly, it's going to be an uphill task for Leipzig to unseat the Bavarians and claim a historic first league title.
Leipzig have finished in the top three in three of the last four Bundesliga seasons. However, over those three seasons, they ended the season behind Bayern by an average of 14 points. This season, though, the fact that they are just four points behind at the halfway point is encouraging. It will be difficult, but it could very well be possible.
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