The 2025/26 Bundesliga season is over halfway through, making it a good time to identify the key weaknesses of each team in Germany’s top league this season.
Augsburg: Retaining control
Smaller Bundesliga clubs often face challenges with ball possession, and the league’s style typically doesn’t favor maintaining control, except for Bayern Munich and sometimes RB Leipzig or Borussia Dortmund.
Augsburg has more talent than their current 13th position indicates. One major issue is their difficulty in protecting leads and controlling games, both with and without the ball.
Players like Chrislain Matsima and Alexis Claude-Maurice are among the best in the league, but Augsburg struggles to build play and connect passes when they’re not involved.
Bayer Leverkusen: Striker
Patrik Schick is a familiar name in the Bundesliga, renowned for his famous half-field goal at the Euros. However, the 30-year-old is no longer performing as a top striker.
The Bundesliga demands a strong striker to contend for the title, and Bayer Leverkusen is currently in sixth place, far from contention. Schick’s decline in quality means Leverkusen needs to find a reliable forward to complement their young talents on the wings.
Bayern Munich: Non-attacking depth
Bayern Munich boasts a wealth of attacking talent, including backups like Serge Gnabry and Nicolas Jackson, who rank among the Bundesliga’s best. However, their midfield lacks strength.
With Leon Goretzka set to leave, they will need to improve the midfield and fullback positions, which currently lack depth. Strengthening these areas in the summer is essential for Bayern to dominate European football.
Borussia Dortmund: Wing play
Borussia Dortmund is historically known for exciting wingers, a trait consistent even in past disappointing seasons. Surprisingly, they currently sit second in the Bundesliga despite their uninspired football.
However, Dortmund struggles with wing play. Karim Adeyemi appears disengaged, wasting his potential. Their wing-backs lack quality, and this thinness in one-on-one situations is evident.
Borussia Monchengladbach: Skill
Borussia Monchengladbach has a decent squad quality-wise. Hardworking players like Rocco Reitz and Franck Honorat excel in their roles.
While they can create and finish chances, they lack real skill. There’s no player to break through defenses or create magic, contributing to their 12th position in the league.
Eintracht Frankfurt: The spine
Eintracht Frankfurt has been a significant disappointment this season. Despite a pool of young talent, they struggle to utilize players like Jean-Matteo Bahoya effectively.
The core of the team lacks stability. They are missing a reliable deep-lying playmaker and a cohesive defensive unit, leading to weak leadership and poor results.
FC Heidenheim: The entire midfield
FC Heidenheim has an exciting playing style, yet their lack of structure is causing them to struggle and face relegation. Their midfield appears to be the weakest in European football, resulting in a poor goal difference.
FC Koln: Striker
FC Koln would be in a better position if they had an effective striker. Ragner Ache, Marius Butler, and Luca Waldschmidt have each had disappointing seasons, scoring no more than three goals.
Meanwhile, up-and-coming talent Said El Mala has seven goals but is not a traditional striker, complicating their attack.
Freiburg: Striker
Despite having a strong defense, Freiburg struggles in front of goal. Their leading scorer, Vincenzo Grifo, has only six goals, which is insufficient for a squad with such depth.
Grifo is a playmaker, not a primary goal scorer, and players like Igor Matanovic are still developing, leaving a gap in their offensive capabilities.
Hamburg: Striker
Hamburg has forwards who shone in the 2. Bundesliga but have failed to perform at the top level. Jean-Luc Dompe and Robert Konigsdorfer are struggling, leaving Hamburg’s attack in disarray.
Hoffenheim: Box to box midfield
Hoffenheim has garnered some attention this season for their young talents, but they lack a standout midfielder in the box-to-box role after Tom Bischof’s move to Bayern Munich.
While Wouter Burger and Tim Lemperle excel individually, they need a player to effectively manage possession alongside them.
Mainz: Striker
Mainz is facing relegation woes despite having strong midfielders like Nadiem Amiri. The underperformance of forward Benedict Hollerbach has been particularly detrimental, contributing to Haupt’s struggles.
RB Leipzig: Time
RB Leipzig has a talented squad, yet their young attacking players need more experience to reach their potential.
Talents like Romulo and Yan Diomande show great promise but will take a few seasons to become top-tier performers.
St. Pauli: The defense
St. Pauli’s defense has been questionable this season. Despite having a capable goalkeeper in Nikola Vasilj, the backline struggles significantly.
Union Berlin: Midfield quality
Union Berlin sits in the top half of the table but lacks depth in midfield, which hampers their playmaking ability. The midfield quality is inadequate for a team of their standing.
VfB Stuttgart: Consistency
Stuttgart boasts a strong squad with no glaring weaknesses on paper but tends to underperform in crucial matches. Their inconsistency is holding them back from fully realizing their potential.
Werder Bremen: Striker
Werder Bremen struggles without a reliable striker, affecting their overall performance. Young players like Keke Topp should be given opportunities, as current options have not delivered effective results.
Wolfsburg: The back line
Wolfsburg has made improvements at the managerial level but still lags as a team. They lack a solid defensive presence, resulting in a high number of conceded goals.