Surprise team of the season so far - Part III: the attack
No player in Europe’s major leagues has outscored 1.FC Köln's Anthony Modeste as we head into the international break; FC Bayern München’s Joshua Kimmich has gone from stopgap centre-back to goalscoring midfielder; and the champions are undefeated - yet so are RB Leipzig and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim…
It has been a thrilling season in Germany’s top flight so far and, refreshingly, incredibly difficult to predict. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring and Manuel Neuer keeping clean sheets will have raised few eyebrows, but that the following players have also starred is rather more surprising.
bundesliga.com takes a closer look with Part III of the surprise team of the season so far. Next up, the attack!
Striker:Timo Werner(RB Leipzig)
Expected: Big things, once upon a time. Widely regarded as the natural long-term successor to the recently-retired Miroslav Klose for Germany, Werner’s progress had slowed in recent seasons, and he was relegated with VfB Stuttgart last term having managed only six goals.
Reality: Fast-forward a few months and Werner has already managed five goals - one fewer in 10 games than he managed in 33 last season. The 20-year-old has also added a selfless streak, adding two assists, to help Leipzig to the top of the table.
Watch: Timo Werner played a starring role as RB Leipzig beat 1. FSV Mainz 3-1 on Matchday 10:
Striker:Anthony Modeste(1. FC Köln)
Expected: More of the same. Modeste managed a respectable 15-goal return last term, but few expected heroics from 28-year-old who last passed the 20-goal mark with Angers SCO in France’s second tier back in 2009/10.
Reality: Modeste has lit up the 2016/17 campaign, with his 11-goal haul taking him to the top of the scoring charts in the Bundesliga - and indeed the rest of Europe. A missed penalty against Hamburger SV on Matchday 9 didn’t faze him either - Modeste went on to bag his first Bundesliga hat-trick in a 3-0 win.
Watch: Anthony Modeste's incredible early-season 11-goal haul:
4-4-2: Hradecky - Chandler, Orban, Mavraj, Schmelzer - Demirbay, Kimmich, Keita, Fabian - Werner, Modeste