Bundesliga 2014-15 mid-season report card: 5 things we have learnt so far

Bayern Munich might still be leading the pack, but there has been a sea of change in the Bundesliga in the 2014/15 campaign. The Bavarians lead the League in points, but the leading goal scorer and assists provider are both not from the reigning champions.Dortmund are in the relegation zone while Augsburg have surprised everyone by ending 2014 in the European places. There have already been three hat-tricks and four managers have already been sacked or have resigned.With the teams not back in league action for another month, let us take a look at the major talking points from the Bundesliga so far.

#1 Bayern simply too good for the League

Bayern Munich enter into 2015 as the undefeated Herbstmeister (Autumn Champion), 11 points ahead at top of the league, a perfect home record and yet they are two points worse off than where they were at this stage last season. Borussia Dortmund's disastrous form means that the Bavarians are going to wrap up the Bundesliga without too much fuss. The only real question now is whether they will score more goals and concede fewer than they did last season and whether they will wrap up the title by February or early March.

Such has been their dominance that times it looks as though they are playing in cruise control and still winning games by three and four goals. At some stage, the league has to look at itself and think about what they are going to do about the Bayern juggernaut.

Irrespective of the claims that they are killing the Bundesliga, the truth is that the Bavarians have set the bar high and it is up to the rest to catch up. If they don't, such is the strength of the current Bayern squad that they will simply monopolise the league and romp to the title for the next few years.

#2 How far the mighty have fallen

The season is only halfway through and yet Borussia Dortmund have already conceded more goals and lost more games than they did in the entirety of last season and are currently languishing in the relegation zone, only goal difference, keeping them from being bottom over Christmas. But they are not the only big club to be struggling this season.

Just two points above them, there are three teams level on 17 points. Werder Bremen, who were the runners-up in the 2007/08 season, VFB Stuttgart the 2006/07 Champions and Hamburg, who are the only club to have played in every season of the Bundesliga are all in the bottom five and face the very real possibility of relegation.

Whether it is because of injuries, lack of quality players or simply mismanagement, four of the League's biggest clubs currently occupy the bottom five places. With Bayern running away with the league, this certainly doesn't spell good news for the Bundesliga.

#3 De Bruyne repaying Wolfsburg\'s faith

When Wolfsburg spent £18 million in January 2014 to secure the services of Kevin De Bruyne from Chelsea, some questioned if he was really worth it. After all, it was only two years ago that the Blues signed him for less than half that amount from Genk. But the 23-year-old's return to the Bundesliga, where he had earlier spent a year on loan at Werder Bremen and won the League's Best Young Player award, has so far gone according to plan.

Since signing in January, the Belgian has played 43 times for the Wolves and has scored or assisted in 28 goals. This season, his tally of 10 assists means that he sits top of the League's assists charts and is one of the main reasons why the club are currently in second place behind Bayern Munich.

While the fact that Naldo, a centre-back, is the side's leading goalscorer doesn't make for great reading, as long as De Bruyne supplies the ammunition, the Wolves have more than enough fire-power to get back into the Champions League.

#4 Eintracht Frankfurt - The most entertaining team in Europe?

If it is goals that you are after, you could do much worse than catch Eintracht Frankfurt in action. Although they have won just six games this season, the 17 league games they have been involved in has produced a mind-boggling 68 goals, averaging a preposterous 4 goals per game. Only Bayern Munich have scored more goals than the ninth-placed side, who are joint top of the list of teams that have been involved in most goals in leagues across Europe this season with Real Madrid.

The main source of those goals has been veteran striker Alex Meier, whose 13 goals make him the League's top scorer. The only problem for Thomas Schaaf's side has been their defence. Only Parma and Werder Bremen have conceded more goals in Europe's top five leagues than their 34, which is one of the main reasons they haven't sometimes even won games in which they have scored four goals, which has happened twice already.

While the manager hasn't been too pleased with his side's defending, the fans who have been clamouring for goals are certainly getting their money's worth.

#5 Paderborn hoping for a fairytale finish

From Vfl Wolfsburg winning their first League title in 2009 to Hoffenheim finishing their first ever season in the Bundesliga as the Herbstmeister (Autumn Champions), the Bundesliga has witnessed some remarkable fairytales in the past few years. One club who are looking for a fairytale finish this season are Paderborn. The small club from East-Westfalia miraculously made into the Bundesliga with just one training pitch, no scouting network and a total budget of €6.2m, which is less than one-third of what Lionel Messi earns in a year.

At the start of the season, coach André Breitenreiter said: “We are the most rank outsiders ever.” Yet their high-energy pressing and counter-pressing has enabled a ridiculously understaffed newly promoted side to sit comfortably in 10th place, ahead of the likes of Dortmund and Hamburg. Although there is still a long way to go before the season ends, if Paderborn can fend off relegation, it will certain show that in a game that is dominated by money, there is still a place for hard work.