Niklas Stark, Marcel Halstenberg continue sensational seasons

RB Leipzig’s Marcel Halstenberg and Hertha’s Niklas Stark have been two of the Bundesliga’s standouts this season.

In two weeks, RB Leipzig will look to run their unbeaten streak to 10 games. That rich vein of form has everything to do with their impenetrable back four keeping standout goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi clean.

Leipzig once again won ugly on matchday 26, scraping by a floundering Schalke side on the road 1-0. Yet again, left-back Marcel Halstenberg was at the heart of it all. Per WhoScored.com, Halstenberg finished with four key passes, five tackles and five clearances in an all-action display. He’s been a critical playmaker on the left for RB Leipzig, leading the team with six assists and 2.2 key passes per game, making him one of the best chance creators in the Bundesliga regardless of position.

Another player who stood out defensively on matchday 26 was Niklas Stark, who has been brilliant for Hertha Berlin all season long. It’s hard to see this team qualifying for Europe without Stark’s consistently tidy displays on defense. He cuts out counter-attacks with ease, and after pulling double-duty on Franck Ribery and Robert Lewandowski weeks ago, he consistently got the better of Christian Pulisic against Borussia Dortmund while doing his best to keep superstar Marco Reus at bay.

Stark has been linked to Bayern Munich, and they’d be lucky to snag the 23-year-old, who has the potential to be one of the very best center-backs in the Bundesliga — if he isn’t at that level already.

There’s little doubt Stark has stepped up against bigger clubs, and he and Halstenberg are now in an important position internationally. Germany will take on Serbia on March 20 during the upcoming International “break,” and Joachim Low has named both players on the squad, which clearly has a youthful theme.

Halstenberg, at 27, is a veteran in comparison to peers like Stark, but with the way he’s played this season, he could be Germany’s best left-back in years. That position has historically been the weak link in an exceptional squad, as the likes of Jonas Hector and center-back fill-in Benedikt Howedes have attempted to call that position home on the national team.

As Halstenberg and Stark continue to shine brightly this season for their club teams, Low will likely have eyes on them as potential contributors for the Germany squad. Though Stark is the bigger star in the long-term, Halstenberg’s chance creation and solid defending alongside Willi Orban, the tremendous Ibrahim Konate and fellow Germany call-up Lukas Klostermann could make him a key option for Low on the left.

Christian Pulisic has become a last resort option

Dortmund should consider themselves lucky to have beaten Hertha Berlin 3-2, regardless of how fluky Hertha’s two goals were. They failed to take advantage of the chances that came their way and were sloppy in the midfield, needing their most talented players in Manuel Akanji, Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho to bail them out for the full three points.

The margin for error is extremely slim for Dortmund with Bayern blowing teams out 6-0 with ease, especially with technical wizard James Rodriguez in the form of his life. Though Sancho and Reus have been plenty impressive, combining for a slick winning goal, the lack of squad depth has been an issue.

Certain players aren’t stepping up, and no fill-in was as disappointing as Pulisic, who won’t be missed by the Dortmund faithful. Pulisic has shown plenty of positive moments in his career, including a neat finish to seal three points against Stuttgart on matchday 25, but this match against Berlin highlighted all his flaws.

For as hard-working as Pulisic is and for as impressive as his stamina is, none of that matters if he continues to play selfishly. Dortmund’s attack is all about lay-offs, tricks, togetherness and the type of chemistry that has allowed the trio of Sancho-Reus-Alcacer to spellbind defenses into a possible first-place finish.

Pulisic, however, rarely looks to pass to opponents, has trouble beating defenders laterally, and ruins counter-attacks with his horrendous decision-making. He’s a shoot-first player on a pass-first team with much better players technically, and while Pulisic can become a star one day, the 20-year-old isn’t yet intelligent enough to combine and start for a team like Dortmund.

He’s also not Dortmund’s player to develop, as Chelsea took a 64 million Euro gamble on him. Pulisic is now a last resort option for Dortmund when injuries strike, as his woeful performance against Berlin sealed his spot on the bench behind the improving Jacob Bruun Larsen and the innovative Raphael Guerreiro — two players who are far less selfish than Pulisic and have much better chemistry with Dortmund’s actual star players.

Quick hits

• Max Kruse had a masterful performance against Schalke on matchday 25, but he truly outdid himself against Bayer Leverkusen. Outside of Dortmund’s attack and Bayern’s Kingsley Coman, there may not be a better player on the counter-attack in the Bundesliga right now than Kruse, even if pace isn’t his strength. His trademark left-footed strikes into the bottom right corner have been deadly, too.
• If Schalke don’t get relegated this year, they’ll have Salif Sane to thank. Playing behind arguably the worst midfield in the league — and with the inept Jeffrey Bruma as one his  partners — Sane has been cleaning up Schalke’s messes all season long. He was quietly excellent against Leipzig this week and deserves far more praise than he receives.
• With five goals in his last five games, Stuttgart’s Steven Zuber is in fantastic form and is now just one behind Mario Gomez for the team lead. His strike against his old club Hoffenheim was crucial in giving Stuttgart a point as they fight for survival in the top flight.