Bundesliga Team of the Year 2022

The German league saw some emphatic performances from youngsters.

Bundesliga or the German National Football League has been one of the top five leagues in Europe for quite a while now. From eccentric teams to historic matches, Bundesliga never fails to amaze us with all its uncertainty. Bayern Munich has been crowned the Champions of the 2021-2022 season for the 32nd time. While the recent edition has seen some major upsets and a turn of fortunes already. Throughout the calendar year we have seen some amazing performances, so let’s go ahead and have a look at the best XI that we could field from the set of teams that play in this elite league:

Formation- 4-2-1-3

Mark Flekken (SC Freiburg, Goalkeeper)

The six-foot-three goalkeeper has been in exceptional form this season. Keeping eight clean sheets out of the 15 matches he has played this season. He has helped Freiburg immensely who are currently sitting prettily at the 2nd spot in the Bundesliga table just behind the league leaders Bayern Munich. Though he was not in the squad for the Dutch National team in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he has been rock solid in between the two sticks which helps him triumph over the likes of Neuer and Sommer in our best XI.

Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen, Right Back)

The Dutch professional footballer has all the traits of a right winger rather than being an orthodox right-back. Galloping down the right-hand side and making the most out of his blistering pace. Frimpong has five goals and two assists in his name already for Leverkusen this campaign. He doesn't shirk his defensive duties, though, his acceleration is the fuel for some rocket-propelled recovery challenges. The 21-year-old has become a sensation at such a relatively early age. He is also a massive target for many renowned clubs around Europe.

Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich, Central Defender)

It would be easy to reduce Upamecano to his young age and man-mountain physique, but the six-foot-one French centre-back has so much more to him than that. A key member of France in their run to the World Cup final, Upamecano has featured in 23 games this season for Bayern Munich. He has helped Bayern keep six clean sheets across all competitions so far. His pass completion percentage has consistently been above 90 throughout his Bundesliga career. A remarkable 89 per cent when under pressure in 2022/23. He generally does get the ball too, winning 60 per cent of his challenges and making 38 interceptions over the first 15 matchdays of the 2022/23 season. Both are the best returns of any player in the Bundesliga.

Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig, Central Defender)

The 20-year-old defender has taken the world aback by storm. Perhaps the most important aspect of Gvardiol's game is that he is a left-footed centre-back. This provides a fantastic outlet for Leipzig as they can line up the Croatian alongside a right-footed partner, with both totally comfortable in the position they are playing. He has won 82 tackles and 16 aerial duals for Leipzig in Bundesliga this season out of 13 appearances. No wonder his prices are soaring high as he capped off a brilliant World Cup campaign with Croatia where they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup only to be humbled by the winner Argentina. The likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are keen to get him onboarded in the next season.

Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich, Left Back)

Hailed by many as one of the best full-backs in the world, he is known for his staggering speed and ball-carrying abilities further up the pitch. He also has the accolade of being defensively sound and has netted 28 times for both club and country in such a relatively early career. The German Champions have not been scrappy at the back thanks to his abilities and have kept 10 clean sheets this season.

Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen, Central Midfielder)

A player with superior technical abilities in terms of passing and dribbling, Wirtz has risen up the ranks in the blink of an eye. Trusted by the like-minded Xabi Alonso, he became the first player to score more than 10 Bundesliga goals under the age of 19. A workhorse in the heart of midfield, he has the capability and the vision to split defences with accurate balls and has an impressive tally of seven goals and 10 assists in the 2021-2022 Bundesliga campaign.

Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund, Central Midfielder)

An exceptional talent with the tenacity to tackle hard and run at defences for fun, you won’t find a better goal-scoring midfielder in Europe at the moment. What baffles everyone is his strength and tidiness with the ball, his characteristic behaviours and subsequent accelerations have helped the Dortmund side finish as runners-up in Bundesliga in the recent seasons. A key target for Real Madrid next season, he also had an impressive World Cup run with England where he had a goal and an assist in his name. He has scored 3 times and made 2 assists for Dortmund in this edition of the Bundesliga.

Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern Munchen, Central Attacking Midfielder)

A fore runner to fill in the boots of Thomas Mueller, this young talent has a fascinating bag of tricks and the ability to wriggle out of complex situations. An inter-generational talent, he is over-ambitious at times but what makes him special is his excellent awareness of his surroundings and the sheer urge to score goals despite his tender age having scored nine goals and having seven assists out of 14 appearances for The Bavarians this season. He is a key figure on Nagelsmann’s side who has been exceptional throughout the entirety of 2022.

Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen, Right Winger)

This sensation from the youth ranks of PSG has been phenomenal since he arrived on the grand stage. Mostly operating down the right wing, he brings that sense of dynamism into his play which stretches defences and likes to maintain his team’s offensive width. Out of every U23 player in Europe, only Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior has scored more goals (17) than Diaby (13). His heroics in the 2021-2022 campaign saw him make 31 goal contributions in 43 outings for Leverkusen which helped them clinch a Champions League spot and eventually finish 3rd in Bundesliga. He has created a total of 25 chances this season and has 3 assists in his name after 15 matchday.

Andre Silva (RB Leipzig, Centre-Forward)

The clinical centre-forward from Portugal has been crucial in Leipzig’s resurgence. While Silva does possess an immaculate stature, being able to move diligently in different situations, it is his impressive awareness in and around the box, to find spaces in the defensive set-up which allows him to get so many goalscoring opportunities. He scored 11 times and had 5 assists in the 2021-2022 season out of 33 matches and has scored twice in the ongoing season with both being away goals.

Christpher Nkunku (RB Leipzig, Left Winger)

His big-money move to Chelsea was inevitable. Though he had an unfamiliar beginning to his career at RB Leipzig, he has turned up the pace in the last two seasons. He netted 20 goals and had 15 assists in the 2021-22 edition of the Bundesliga out of 34 appearances. Unfortunately, we were not able to see his performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to an injury, he has maintained his consistency at the domestic football level. Nkunku's pace and dribbling ability mean that he can be effective from the wings as well. He has already scored 12 teams and has 2 assists in this edition of the Bundesliga.