Bundesliga midway roundup: Bayern duo sparkle despite troubled title defence

The winter break is upon us in Germany and, at the midway stage of the 2019/20 season, Bayern Munich are not enjoying it all their own way as the Bavarian powerhouse strive for the title once more...

Best Player: Robert Lewandowksi (Bayern Munich) - 8.06 rating

Bayern may not top the Bundesliga, but star striker Robert Lewandowksi is the top performing player with a WhoScored rating of 8.05. The Polish hitman has scored more goals (19) than any other Bundesliga player and more than two of the division's 18 teams. The champions are faltering, yet the 31-year-old remains at his rampant best for the Bundesliga giants. If they are to secure domestic glory this season, it'll be largely down to Lewandowski maintaining his rich goalscoring form, with the forward failing to score in just four of his 17 league outings thus far.

Best Signing: Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.44 rating

Borussia Dortmund invested well over the summer and while they would expect to be higher than fourth in the table as a result - a run of two wins across eight games from September to November saw them lose ground in the title race - Lucien Favre's side remain in with a chance of glory. Crucial to that has been summer arrival Thorgan Hazard. The Belgian may have started just 13 of 17 matches, but only two players have more assists than Hazard (7) this season and it's helped return a WhoScored rating of 7.51.

Breakout Star: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) - 7.45 rating

There are a number of Bundesliga youngsters excelling this season, but Alphonso Davies has been wonderful to watch from left-back. The Canadian was a beneficianry of Bayern's defensive injury woes and despite playing out of position, the teenager has been outstanding. He landed his second assist of the season at Freiburg last week, finding Lewandowski after some fine work down the Bayern left, with his 3.9 successful dribbles per 90 minutes ranking second of regulars in the Bundesliga. It's helped Davies return a WhoScored rating of 7.45.

Surprise Package: Gladbach

Despite losing key attacker Thorgan Hazard to Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund over the summer, Gladbach haven't let up in their quest to secure a first Bundesliga title since 1977. Marco Rose has excelled on the back of his summer appointment after a six-year stint with Salzburg and the Foals are benefitting from the tactically astute boss at the helm. Marcus Thuram and Ramy Bensebaini have proven to be inspired captures, while Alassane Plea and Denis Zakaria continue to impress. It's further proof that, even if a club sells their best player, it isn't the be all and end all.

Underachievers: Bayern Munich

Despite strengthening the defence and adding two more attacking players in Ivan Perisic and Coutinho, Bayern have already dropped points in seven league matches this season. For context, they dropped points in just seven games in the entirety of the 2017/18 campaign, and just 10 times last term. The sacking of Niko Kovac was a long time coming as they suffered their heaviest league defeat in 10 years following a 5-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen earlier this season and despite some hefty investment, they don't go into the break as league leaders. Even at this point, a league title may merely paper over the cracks in what is a transitional season for the defending champions.