Rasen Ballsport Leipzig.

Do we have the next Leicester City, and that too in the Bundesliga this time? This might be early days and even if Leipzig manage to go toe to toe with Bayern as they've done until now, it should be nothing short of remarkable. Despite the problems off the pitch and being infamous among the fans due to some ownership issue, Leipzig have still managed to put up one good performance after the other. And, this high intensity pressing game has reaped them rich rewards [Vlookup Bundesliga table]. The fact that, they've done this just after being promoted from the lower tier is some achievement.

Leipzig like all German teams do, play with a very high intensity from the off. Most of the credit should go to Hattenhusl. The way Leipzig play generally gives the opposition very little options to exploit. They generally tend to clog the middle and force the opposition to play from the wider areas. This not only channels the oppositions attacks and making them predictable, it enables Lepizig to prepare well for these games knowing what to expect from the opposition. They generally line up with a 4-man back line at the base of staggered multiple 2-man lines. 

In essence their shape translates to a 4-2-2-2 as soon as they lose possession. Their front-6 forms a well connected hexagon which makes sure their players are connected to each other during this counter-pressing phase. 

Leipzig play some what a mid-block press, where-in the opposition center-backs are free to hold possession with the pressure only beginning when the opposition are in transit into midfield. This was very evident during their latest upset of Wolfsburg. While one of their midfield 2 kept close to the opposition central midfielder while Luiz Gustavo who drops between his center backs wasn't tracked very much. Luiz Gustavo was let to be the responsibility of the pressing shadow of the two strikers.So even if they managed to play it through to someone in the middle he is immediately under pressure from the RB Hexagon thereby forcing a turnover. This gave Leipzig control of the center, despite Wolfsburg having possession. Wolfsburg were forced to rely on the flanks to generate any meaningful attacks.

During the oppositions's build up, the ball near winger presses the full-back while the Leipzig full-back stays tight to the opposition winger, thereby taking him out of the game. This is accompanied by a lateral shift by the midfielders while the ball near midfielder cuts out a passing option while the other midfielder provides support. The ball-far winger also comes in to clog the midfield further. All, this happens as the center backs are being covered by the Leipzig attackers. The only options left for the opposition are to either go back to the goalkeeper or launch it long toward their center-forwards.

As for their own build-up, Leipzig look to progress mainly through the middle. One of the midfielders drops in between the Center-backs with the full-backs advancing alongside the other central midfielder. Their wingers and forwards make up a front four which would enable frequent overloads by the full-backs and the central midfielder. Although they still seem like a work in progress on the attacking front. Their high speed attacking falls short when it comes to the players being in sync with each other's movements.

All in all, Leipzig have made many teams suffocate by playing their brand of football. This forces the opposition to build-up through the flanks thereby making it easier to win the ball back. This high intensity mid-block style with disciplined transition has what has lead to many big teams including Borussia Dortmund to succumb to Leipzig. Although, its a long shot to call them title contenders in a league dominated by the bavarian giants. But, hey if Leicester can so can Leipzig.