In days gone by, we would compile a Bundesliga team of the Hinrunde (the first half of the season) at this time of the year, but considering there are still two rounds to go in the campaign’s first half, we’ll have to go with the more cumbersome August-December XI. These are personal choices based on form and a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Very often, a standout keeper dazzles us with superb individual performances of reflexes, leaving them as the undoubted No. 1 of No. 1s. So far this season, there is no one in the world-class category, but at 35, Gulácsi continues to impress by saving more than the normal share of shots fired at him. The Hungary international, whose contract is up in the summer, wants and deserves another season.
Although not signed as a right back and still well capable of filling multiple roles, the Austrian Pressingmonster has found a semi-permanent address on the right-hand side of Bayern’s back four. The past few months have represented Laimer’s most impetus filled since joining from Leipzig, and his confidence level has soared. A key figure in his country’s first successful World Cup qualification since 1978, Laimer is a player who could take it to an even higher level in North America next year.
Jonathan Tah | Center back | 29 | Bayern Munich
There are never any guarantees when a player signs for Bayern, not even for a seasoned Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal winner like Tah. But the 29-year-old, after a less satisfying final season in Leverkusen, genuinely looks as though he has been playing in Munich for a lifetime. He has slotted in seamlessly, and if anything, made his central defensive partner Dayot Upamecano that bit better and more consistent.
It might seem strange to pick a player who missed the first four weeks of the Bundesliga season due to recovery from cruciate surgery, but that’s how important Schlotterbeck is to Dortmund, and his ability to spot and execute a pass with the left foot sets him apart from other central defenders. Yes, the game of poker continues over his future in the Ruhrpott, and he might have been too critical of his teammates for some in a recent postmatch interview, but as a footballer, the 26-year-old exudes class.
A slightly incongruous selection as Grimaldo doesn’t play as a left back in a four-man defense, and indeed has morphed into a modern hybrid of left wingback and playmaker, with both roles sometimes carried out in the same game. It’s no secret that he has designs on some day returning to play in LaLiga, but the Barcelona-trained 30-year-old remains crucial to Leverkusen’s UEFA Champions League qualifying hopes. Grimaldo’s two goals from two direct free kicks in the September win over Eintracht Frankfurt — coach Kasper Hjulmand’s debut — remains one of the highlights from the past few months in the Bundesliga.
Joshua Kimmich | Midfielder | 30 | Bayern Munich
The most consistent player in the Bundesliga, and by a long way. I don’t remember in any match this season thinking that Kimmich played poorly, indeed he mostly bossed things from his central strategic position. You also have to take into account the fact that he frequently was operating while not feeling 100%. Sometimes he’s taken for granted, but no one gets on the ball more often than the man from Rottweil, home of the famous dog, and Kimmich provides bite as well as substance for the Rekordmeister.
A second Austrian inclusion, and there was simply no way to keep Baumgartner out of the side. A perfect example of a talented player finally stepping out of the shadows of bigger names and arguably more inflated egos. Baumgartner has six league goals to his name, many of them the result of perfectly timed runs from midfield, and now six assists after a crafty throw-in to Xaver Schlager at the weekend. Still only 26, Baumgartner is showing us the player he always had the potential to be, based on earlier years with TSG Hoffenheim.
Michael Olise | Attacking midfielder | 24 | Bayern Munich
Has there been a better Bayern signing in recent years? It’s difficult to think of one. Olise frequently «does the Robben» from the right, cutting in on his left foot, and while we know what he’s striving for, actually trying to stop him is a different matter. Olise, who began the season in such style against Leipzig, has hardly missed a beat since and is on pace to be even more productive than he was in his maiden campaign if you go by sheer numbers.
Luis Díaz | Attacking midfielder | 28 | Bayern Munich
Flexibility calls for the Colombia international to be shifted into the middle in this constellation, but I feel it would be a mere bagatelle for such a gifted and entertaining footballer. Díaz, now 28, must be wishing he had joined Bayern earlier in his career. He fits what Vincent Kompany is trying to achieve like a glove and brings obvious joy to the Allianz Arena whenever he steps out on to the pitch. Florian Wirtz was Bayern’s primary target earlier this year, but no one is disappointed that Díaz ended up in Bavaria.
There is currently more than a bit of consternation in the Domstadt (cathedral city) what with Cologne having taken just two points from their past six games, but there are no concerns about the prodigiously talented El Mala, who has rocketed to fame at 19 and already has his first experience of the Germany national team setup. On a recent guest appearance on the Cologne-focused «Thekenphilosophen» podcast, I made the point, which I’m happy to repeat, that his goals tend to be of the spectacular variety. His future is bright.
Harry Kane | Striker | 32 | Bayern Munich
The old Carly Simon hit «Nobody Does It Better» was written for English actor Roger Moore playing the part of James Bond. No one would bat an eyelid if it were to be played to fete Kane. In the autumn of his career, the England captain has found the perfect team and environment for him and his family. In Munich, you’re allowed a certain space that is simply not a part of life for a footballer in London. On the pitch, Kane’s constant commitment to refining his game is admirable. Indeed, nobody does it better.
Substitutes: Oliver Baumann (goalkeeper, Hoffenheim); David Raum (left back, RB Leipzig), Waldemar Anton (center back, Borussia Dortmund); Wouter Burger (midfielder, Hoffenheim); Grischa Prömel (midfielder, Hoffenheim); Aleix García (midfielder, Bayer Leverkusen); Yan Diomande (attacking midfielder, RB Leipzig); Serge Gnabry (attacking midfielder, Bayern Munich); Deniz Undav (striker, VfB Stuttgart).
Thanks for reading all the Bundesliga columns this season. Now that we’re into the three-week Winterpause, wishing you frohe Weihnachten und einen guten Rutsch, the traditional German greetings at this time of year.
