How close did RB Leipzig really come to winning the Bundesliga?

Sometimes being the most hated club in Germany can actually be a blessing in disguise. RB Leipzig, the jewel of the Red Bull empire and a club that is loathed by many and shrugged at by the rest, finished the Bundesliga campaign in third place and absolutely nobody cared. That, in itself, is nothing to write home about. Except for the fact that the club that was founded just 14 years ago happened to be just a mere five points away from winning their first German top-flight title. 

Indeed, nobody seems to have paid any attention to Marco Rose’s side. Perhaps that’s because the Saxony club spent most of this season (10 of the 34 matchdays) either sitting in fifth or sixth place, before a late charge up to third saw them secure Champions League football for next season. The very concept of Leipzig beating Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to the finish line had never occurred to most. Except Timo Werner. 

"What Dortmund accuses themselves of, we can accuse ourselves of just as much,” noted an angry Werner in an interview with Sky Germany this week, referring to the Westfalen club failing to take advantage of Bayern’s troubles. "All the points have led to the fact that we did not become German champions in the end or did not have the chance to do so. The cup final glosses over that somewhat. In the end, you can be a little sad about it, because the chance was definitely there."

Was it? As Alexander Pope once wrote, “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” And in many ways Leipzig are much like Dortmund in never expecting silverware or indeed actively acknowledging that football is a competitive sport until they have one hand on the prize. Since Leipzig never put themselves in a leading position, they never had to deal with the expectation and subsequent gut-wrenching disappointment that befell Dortmund. The limelight never sought them out, because they never went looking for it. But, believe it or not, Werner has a very pertinent point.