RB Leipzig have, slowly but surely, become one of the most consistent teams in the German Bundesliga and the Champions League.
But the Red Bull franchise hasn’t quite been at the races in 2024/25 so far… leaving their Hungarian ace and club captain, Willi Orbán, at a loss to explain their low-key start to the campaign.
However, the 32-year-old has vowed to do all he can to help the club unlock its ‘full potential’, and his performances so far this term confirm he’s leading from the front heading into a crucial chapter of the season.
Crisis on the Continental Front
One of the main casualties of RB Leipzig’s sluggish start has been their results in the revamped Champions League.
They lost all of their opening five games in the competition, leaving them trailing in the Champions League betting market to the likes of Liverpool (+450), Manchester City (+550), and Arsenal (+550).
Indeed, Champions League winner odds of +25000 suggest that Leipzig’s hopes of advancing in the continental showpiece are all but over.
And so attention will turn to domestic matters, where Die Rotten Bullen have their eyes fixed on another top-four finish… or better.
Bundesliga table after matchday 13 pic.twitter.com/YD0lVYcOWU
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) December 8, 2024
After 13 rounds of action, Leipzig find themselves in fourth place, albeit nine points behind the leaders Bayern Munich. However, a win – and other results going their way – could see Orbán and co leap as high as second in the table, which is more in-line with their ambitions.
However, the Expected Points table – which subtracts Expected Goals (xG) yielded from xG created – shows Leipzig’s ‘true’ position, based upon their performances, as a lowly ninth in the Bundesliga.
At least in Orbán they have a captain leading from the front…
Captain Fantastic
Increasingly these days in modern football, central defenders are athletic ball-players with an eye for a pass.
But that genre of player can sometimes struggle with the physicality of defending, which is why centre backs like the Hungarian are still worth their weight in gold.
Orbán prides himself on doing the ‘dirty work’ of defending, from making last-ditch tackles and blocks, to putting his head in where it hurts. No wonder his Leipzig teammates consider him to be such an inspirational leader.
After 13 rounds of Bundesliga games, Orbán ranks third amongst the division’s players for aerial duels won, third for successful blocks, and fifth for clearances made. He is, statistically speaking, the best defender in German football right now.
The powerhouse is also a handful in the opposition’s penalty area at set pieces, scoring four times in the Bundesliga so far this term.
But the Leipzig captain appreciates that there’s more work to be done, and while he was feeling bullish after his side’s 2-0 victory over Holstein Kiel early in December, Orbán confirmed that he and his teammates still had higher levels to strive for.
“We didn’t manage to play to our full potential in November, both as a team and as individual players,” he said.
But the belief is still there… and why wouldn’t it be, with Orbán leading from the front.