16 match days have been completed and players like Kane, Boniface, Wirtz and Guirassy are causing a sensation in the Bundesliga. And otherwise? A look at the “silent” heroes of the season so far.
The first 16 matchdays have been played and the Bundesliga is entering its three-week Christmas break. Players like Bayern’s Harry Kane have hit the ground running so far, while Florian Wirtz and colleagues are creating a spectacle for league leaders Bayer Leverkusen. However, in the shadow of the big stars, numerous other players show strong performances. A look at a selection of the “quieter” stars.
Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart)
Angelo Stiller and Sebastian Hoeneß – that works. In 2020, the two became third division champions with FC Bayern II, and a year after Hoeneß, Stiller also moved to TSG Hoffenheim in 2021. Now the 41-year-old coach and the 22-year-old midfielder are working together again – probably more successfully than ever before.
At the end of August, Stiller’s path led from TSG Hoffenheim to VfB Stuttgart. And suddenly the Stuttgart team played a brilliant round, collected 34 points in 16 games and, as a former relegation candidate, now found themselves in third place. Right in the middle: Stiller, who often takes on the more offensive role on the double six with Atakan Karazor and who plays the role Liverpool FC Wataru Endo, the midfielder who has migrated, can be forgotten.
At his new club, Stiller was able to establish himself as a regular starter in the Bundesliga without any teething problems: Since his move, he has only been out of the VfB starting line-up once, and he played the full 13 games in the remaining 13 games. Stiller impresses with his pass security (93.55 percent, best value in his position) and was able to score two goals in the last game of the year, the 3-0 win against FC Augsburg.
Patrick Osterhage (VfL Bochum)
VfL Bochum’s annual financial statements failed. Bochum lost 4-0, but their opponent was also the undefeated league leaders Leverkusen. Previously, which better describes Bochum’s recent developments, VfL had only lost one of its last seven games. This trend runs parallel to the rise of Patrick Osterhage.
The central midfielder, who had previously mostly sat on the bench as a joker, slipped into the starting line-up in the autumn. Muscular problems briefly sidelined him, but Osterhage no longer gave up his place in Bochum’s regular lineup: he always played the last seven games from the start and for the full 90 minutes.
In the VfL center, the 23-year-old established himself as Anthony Losilla’s partner in the double six, which combines defense and offense. Osterhage also gets involved in the latter again and again: Among other things, he scored the important and remarkable 1-0 win against VfL Wolfsburg, his first Bundesliga goal.
Odilon Kossounou (Bayer Leverkusen)
Can you even be a “silent” star at Bayer Leverkusen these days? Given the Werkself’s current soaring, that’s difficult, but in the end the attention is primarily on offensive wizards like Florian Wirtz, enforcers like Victor Boniface or free-kick artists like Alejandro Grimaldo. In their shadow, Odilon Kossounou is having a strong season.
Kossounou is a central defender by profession. The Ivorian carries out his tasks there very solidly: he is part of the three-man chain that allows the fewest goals conceded in the league (an average of 0.75 per game), and he also impresses with his strength in one-on-one situations. But Kossounou expanded his task profile this season.
The 22-year-old also plays an important role for the Leverkusen team when playing with the ball, often moving forward and thus regularly ensuring a personnel overlap on his right side. His advances repeatedly result in dangerous attacks, for example when playing with rail player Jeremie Frimpong, whom Kossounou regularly finds with his passes.
Robert Skov (TSG Hoffenheim)
In the season so far, Robert Skov developed from a farewell candidate to a regular player. In the summer it was anything but certain that Skov would stay at TSG Hoffenheim. The rail player is now set and has only been out of the starting line-up twice since matchday 4.
The 27-year-old Dane also regularly converts his playing time into something countable: Skov has collected three goals and three assists over the course of the season so far. Only the two attackers Maximilian Beier and Andrej Kramaric as well as Grischa Prömel have better scorers.
Hugo Larsson (Eintracht Frankfurt)
This transfer was a success: Hugo Larsson moved from Malmö FF to Frankfurt in the summer and, despite being only 19 years old and the fact that this was his first stop outside his home country of Sweden, he had no teething problems on the Main.
At Eintracht, Larsson has been in central midfield since matchday 3. He only came off the bench in the last game before the Christmas break against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Normally, Larsson is in the starting line-up, usually alongside Ellyes Skhiri, but also alongside Mario Götze in the furious 5-1 win against FC Bayern.
The interaction works with both, and Larsson can learn from both. In terms of running strength, he has long been able to hold a candle to his regular partner on the number six: with 163 kilometers run, Larsson is only eight kilometers behind Skhiri with slightly less playing time – and the second strongest runner in Eintracht.
Brajan Gruda (1. FSV Mainz 05)
At 1. FSV Mainz 05, at least Brajan Gruda regularly causes unrest for the opponents. The 19-year-old dribbling artist managed to establish himself in the Mainz team. He goes into one-on-one duels with a certain carefree attitude and is one of the few convincing players in the second-weakest offense in the league (an average of 0.8 hits per game).
Gruda has contributed one goal and one assist so far. In Mainz this is the second best value behind Karim Onisiwo (four scorer points). Word has long since gotten around that Gruda is an exciting footballer: Thomas Müller secured the young offensive player’s jersey after his FC Bayern game in Mainz (1:3).
Merlin Röhl (SC Freiburg)
In the summer of 2022, Merlin Röhl came to SC Freiburg from FC Ingolstadt. First of all, the midfielder should arrive in the 2nd team in the 3rd league. But Röhl probably also moved to Freiburg knowing that there is permeability between the professional and third division teams in Breisgau.
Röhl celebrated his Bundesliga debut in March and has been an integral part of Christian Streich’s team since this season. He has become a regular there over the course of the season so far – also because he expanded his portfolio. Originally used primarily as a replacement for the two starting six Maximilian Eggestein and Nicolas Höfler, he recently moved up on Streich’s tactics board.
In recent appearances, Röhl has primarily acted behind the front. This more offensive positioning is also reflected in the numbers: Röhl has collected four scorer points in his last six Bundesliga games. The 21-year-old also made his debut for the U-21 national team in September.
Omar Traoré (1. FC Heidenheim)
Last season Omar Traoré played in third division. With VfL Osnabrück he was promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga, but the full-back skipped this league without further ado. Traoré moved to 1. FC Heidenheim.
Because Marnon Busch was injured on the first day of the game against Wolfsburg, the 25-year-old was moved into the first eleven and has since played his way into the right-back position. Traoré was in the starting line-up in 13 of 16 games and is busy contributing to the young Bundesliga history of the newcomer from Heidenheim.