RB Leipzig Shocking the Bundesliga
The newly-promoted club are shaking up the order of the Bundesliga.
Typically, teams that have just been promoted struggle to adapt to life in their new, higher-level league. This fact is common knowledge and can be proven in just about every level of league in every country across the globe. However, German club RB Leipzig are putting this common wisdom to a test with their unexpected and impressive start to their Bundesliga season in which they currently sit in 5th place and a Europa League spot.
Leipzig are a club that carry a bit of controversy with them because there are many football fans who despise the fact that they are sponsored by such a big name company as Red Bull. However, I feel as though this is a foolish argument because Bayer Leverkusen are sponsored by Bayer and Wolfsburg are sponsored by Volkswagen and are in the exact same boat as Leipzig. Another argument against them is that they share owners with the New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg. This allows them to loan out players to Salzburg frequently, but Chelsea does essentially the same thing with Vitesse in the Netherlands it just isn't quite as blantant as having very similar club names. Nevertheless, Leipzig didn't let what some believe to be a questionable existence to deter them from excelling in the 2 Bundesliga last season in which they finished 2nd and secured an automatic promotion spot.
The team hit the ground running with a solid 2-2 draw with Hoffenheim. What really proved that they weren't just content with having been promoted was their shocking 1-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. Although Leipzig did get fairly lucky with a 89th minute winner, they certainly displayed their ability in shutting out a Dortmund squad that employs attacking geniuses like Aubameyang, Gotze, Schurrle, and more. Leipzig didn't just content themselves with that one win either, as they destroyed Hamburg 4-0 and drew with Borussia Monchengladbach since then.
The squad indicates that this is a team capable of sticking around in the Bundesliga for a long time because it is filled with exciting and young players. They have a promising striker duo of Timo Werner from relegated Stuttgart and David Selke who moved from Werder Bremen over the summer. Just like these two, the whole squad is young. In their starting lineup this past weekend in a 2-1 win over Augsburg, the oldest player was 31-year-old Marvin Compper. This almost excessive amount of youth would pose a major issue for nearly every team but for some reason it hasn't been a hindrance at all for Leipzig.
Despite the controversy that will always be associated with the team, many fans will be rooting for Leipzig this since of course because of the underdog factor, but also the fact that a large part of the future of the Bundesliga are players on this season's roster.
