Yussuf Poulsen is RB Leipzig’s most important player

RB Leipzig have moved into third place after a 5-0 drubbing of Hertha Berlin that was punctuated by a Yussuf Poulsen hat-trick.

While RB Leipzig’s defense leads the league with just 20 goals allowed and attacker Timo Werner looks poised to be Bayern Munich’s next big transfer target, it’s his attacking partner Yussuf Poulsen who stands out as the next Bundesliga powerhouse’s most important player.

Poulsen recently signed a contract extension through 2022 — a critical move given the rampant rumors surrounding Werner’s future — and he rewarded Leipzig with a world-class performance against a bamboozled Hertha Berlin defense.

Normally, Berlin are solid at the back, especially since they have the dependable Rune Jarstein in goal and the exciting Niklas Stark, another Bayern target, as one of three center-backs.

They were, however, thoroughly outclassed by Leipzig’s attack. Poulsen was at his confident, clinical best on Saturday, even chipping Jarstein for his third goal after a lovely full-field pass from American international Tyler Adams.

Although Poulsen’s role in Leipzig’s attack isn’t primarily as the goalscoring option, he’s become one of the Bundesliga’s most clinical players. In fact, after dropping three goals on Berlin, Poulsen’s 15 goals now move him into fifth-place in the Bundesliga (Werner has 12). Furthermore, Poulsen is first in the league with 31 percent of his team’s goals.

That alone would be sufficient to argue in favor of his importance to the Bundesliga’s third-place side, but the shoe-ins for Champions League qualification in 2019-2020 benefit even more from his other assets. Poulsen creates so many chances with his hold-up play, intelligent passing, dangerous movement and speed.

Werner is the raw athlete with the potential to be the world’s next elite striker, whereas Poulsen is the more polished player who can contribute in so many different ways. He’s a more versatile, modern-day take on the target-man, but given his 15 goals this year, Poulsen can stand toe-to-toe with the best strikes in his league; the man is having a special season.

Ishak Belfodil continues to play key role for Hoffenheim

Though Andrej Kramaric became Hoffenheim’s all-time goalscorer, it was Ishak Belfodil who once again stole the show. Bayer Leverkusen’s defense, which desperately needs upgrades in the summer, simply couldn’t handle Belfodil’s athleticism and eye for goal.

Belfodil has become one of the Bundesliga’s most devastating finishers this season, and after punishing the likes of Borussia Dortmund in this calendar year, he produced one of his best individual performances against another top side, scoring two goals. He should have had a third, but Kramaric essentially poached the hat trick from Belfodil.

Currently in ninth place following the 4-1 drubbing of Bayer, Hoffenheim are looking to make a push for European football again. Belfodil is one of a number of talented attackers — the others being Joelinton, Kramaric and the silky smooth Kerem Demirbay — on Hoffenheim, yet he tends to fly under the radar despite having 10 goals on the season after notching a brace against Bayer.

Hopefully fellow attacker Joelinton is healthy after suffering an injury, because this Hoffenheim attack has become appointment television for Bundesliga fans.

Don’t forget about Filip Kostic

Sebastian Haller is Eintracht Frankfurt’s best player (and one of the leading goal-scorers and assist-providers in the Bundesliga), Luka Jovic is nearly every top club’s target at striker, and Ante Rebic has plenty of buzz around him. But one player who shouldn’t get overlooked at a critical piece in Frankfurt’s own march to Champions League qualification is Filip Kostic.

Like Poulsen and Belfodil, Kostic grabbed two goals this weekend, playing a critical role in Frankfurt’s 3-0 win over bottom-feeders Stuttgart.

But, in general, Kostic is more of a provider than a scorer for Frankfurt. He’s the man usually creating chances and taking defenders on tirelessly, working to pick apart the opposition for the full 90 minutes. His stamina is inspiring, and after being a hero for Hamburg, the 26-year-old has come into his own as a star on a Frankfurt side that is making some noise in European competition (they will face Jovic’s parent club Benfica in the quarterfinals of the Europa League).

Quick hits

• Bayern Munich are back in second place after failing to pick up three points on the road against Freiburg. Robert Lewandowski, despite being the Bundesliga’s leading scorer again, was criminally wasteful, and Franck Ribery looked washed up as a substitute. After some solid performances at the beginning of the season, Ribery has fallen off quite precipitously, and the fewer minutes he plays ahead of Kingsley Coman, the better. It hasn’t just been about an athletic decline, either, as Ribery’s passing has been wayward. Bayern simply can’t afford to play him in a critical match against league leaders Dortmund next week, and they must use in-form stars Serge Gnabry and James Rodriguez as the focal points of their attack.
• Max Kruse is in unplayable form right now, as he grabbed another brace to help Werder Bremen defeat a floundering Mainz side 3-1. The other goalscorer? Milo Rashica, who is one of the Bundesliga’s brightest at 22 years old. With Borussia Monchengladbach continuing to struggle, losing 3-1 to Fortuna Dusseldorf, Bremen have their sights on the top five with just five points separating them and Dieter Hecking’s side. The two teams will face off next week.
• As for Dortmund, Paco Alcacer’s late-game heroics bailed them out once again, as he scored a brace in stoppage time to push BVB past Wolfsburg ahead of next week’s match against Bayern. Just a few weeks ago, when Bayern were blowing out the likes of Mainz and Wolfsburg, Dortmund seemed to be in an impossible situation. They need role players around Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho and Paco Alcacer to step up against a well-rounded Bayern side that will be enraged after missing several glorious chances in a draw with Freiburg. This is a match that could very well decide the title, and Dortmund are still the ones with a point to prove despite being in first.