Bayern Munich trio make most improved Bundesliga XI in 2019/20

The return of the 2019/20 Bundesliga season is now just two days away and the buzz for football supporters around Europe is palpable. For players and teams it will be interesting to see how they perform after such an unprecedented break. Will those that were in good form pre-lockdown continue as if nothing happened or will they struggle? And vice versa.

Rather than looking forward, however, in this piece we will look back. As already touched on, it's been eight weeks since the Bundesliga was in full swing and it is easy to forget what has actually happened so far this season. Which players were even performing well?

In this piece of analysis we will look at the most improved XI in the Bundesliga from the 2018/19 campain to this. It doesn't necessarily mean one player was bad last season but good this time around. Some may have played well last term but have just taken their game to a new level in 2019/20. In order to qualify, players must have started more than five league matches last term and more than 10 in 2019/20.

Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) - 0.37 rating increase

After such a torrid time with injuries, it's understandable Manuel Neuer was not at his usual high standards last season but he was dreadfully poor in the 2018/19 campaign. In fact, of players that started more than 15 matches in the Bundesliga last season, Neuer was remarkably the lowest WhoScored rated player in the division (6.34). Neuer's best days are certainly behind him but he has at least improved from last season's horror-show. Saves per game are up from 1.3 per game to 2.4 per game this season and his save success rate has gone from 57.6% last term to 69% in this campaign. His WhoScored rating stands at 6.71 for the 2019/20 Bundesliga campaign.

Right-back: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich) - 0.46 rating increase

After such an impressive display at the 2018 World Cup it was thought Benjamin Pavard reputation would be higher than it currently is two years on. Pavard turned in a relatively satisfactory campaign for Stuttgart after France were crowned world champions before finally joining Bayern over the summer. The 24-year-old has at least improved since last season and has weighed in with five goal contributions (two goals, three assists) after failing to manage one for Stuttgart last term. Not helped by Bayern's rocky campaign, you would expect there is even more to come from the versatile defender going forward.

Centre-back: Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig) - 0.36 rating increase

Dayot Upamecano has been highly rated since his breakout year in 2017/18 but there is no doubt last season was immensely frustrating for the young centre-back. Upamecano's game time dropped dramatically last term, making just 15 appearances for RB Leipzig. This season, however, the Frenchman has bounced back and is the second highest WhoScored rated out-and-out centre-back in Europe's top five leagues. Linked with a big money move this summer, the 21-year-old ranks second in the division for possession won in the defensive third in the Bundesliga this term (104).

Centre-back: Manuel Gulde (Freiburg) - 0.25 rating increase

After a relegation battle last season, Freiburg should be given credit for staying well clear of the drop zone this season. Managed by Christian Streich into his ninth year at the club, he has done well to turn things around for the club over the last 12 months. Centre-back Manuel Gulde has found regular playing time more difficult this season but what Freiburg have seen of the 29-year-old is a better version compared to 2018/19. Tackles and interceptions per game (1.8 and 1.5, respectively) are both up (1.1 and 1.2, respectively), while his pass success rate has also improved marginally from 82.1% in 2018/19 to 86.1% this time around.

Left-back: Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund) - 0.34 rating increase

While the likes of Achraf Hakimi and Jadon Sancho have hogged the headlines, Raphael Guerreiro has quietly gone about putting together an extremely impressive season for Borussia Dortmund. In fact, Guerreiro is the 11th highest WhoScored rated player in the Bundesliga this season. The 26-year-old has played a direct hand in seven goals (five goals, two assists) in 20 league appearances in 2019/20. The Portugal international has always been well rated as an attacking full-back but he has notably improved out of possession this season. His tackle success rate increased from 69.4% in the Bundesliga last season to 86.5% this time around.

Right wing: Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich) - 0.45 rating increase

Serge Gnabry's maiden campaign for Bayern Munich was hugely encouraging after finishing 2018/19 with 15 goal involvements (10 goals, five assists) but the former Arsenal youngster has taken things to a new level this term. The Germany international has fine-tuned aspects of his game and is even more decisive for the Bavarians. Gnabry has played a direct hand in 20 goals in 23 league appearances so far in 2019/20. He is scoring more (11) and assisting more (9) and doing so at a better rate. Last season Gnabry scored or assisted every 118.3 minutes of action in the Bundesliga. In 2019/20, however, he is averaging a goal or an assist every 81 minutes of action. He has already claimed more than double (7) the amount of WhoScored Man of the Match awards as last season (3) despite making seven fewer appearances.

Central midfield: Suat Serdar (Schalke) - 0.83 rating increase

The award for the most improved player in the Bundesliga goes to Schalke's Suat Serdar. After an incredibly underwhelming 2018/19 campaign (6.58 rating), Serdar has exploded into life this season (7.41 rating). Serdar managed just two goals in 26 league appearances last season but he will resume the 2019/20 campaign on seven goals from just 18 league outings. Moreover, his WhoScored Man of the Match awards (4) have quadrupled from last season. The 23-year-old is averaging nearly twice as many completed dribbles per game (2.7) as last season (1.4), while tackles per game (2.8) are also up from last season (2).

Central midfield: Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) - 0.64 rating increase

It is going to take a special talent for a homegrown player to establish himself at Paris Saint-Germain and Christopher Nkunku made the wise decision to further his development elsewhere over the summer. RB Leipzig have been patient with Nkunku this season but the versatile French midfielder was a first-team regular by the time football was suspended two months ago. Nkunku has played a direct hand in 16 Bundesliga goals in 23 league appearances for Leipzig this season (four goals, 12 assists), compared to just five goal involvements in 22 league appearances for PSG in 2018/19. The 22-year-old has the best cross accuracy (41.1%) in Europe's top five leagues this season (30+ attempted) and in February he became the first player since 2012 to register four assists in a single Bundesliga game.

Left wing: Erik Thommy (Fortuna Duesseldorf) - 0.65 rating increase

After struggling to make any impact at Stuttgart last season (6.19 rating), newly promoted Fortuna Duesseldorf handed Erik Thommy a lifeline over the summer. Thommy has been given regular playing time this season and has vindicated Duesseldorf's faith in him with some decisive moments. The 25-year-old only managed one goal and one assist in the Bundesliga for Stuttgart in 2018/19 but has played a direct hand in nine league goals this season (five goals, four assists). In fact, Thommy is Fortuna Duesseldorf's top WhoScored rated player in the Bundesliga this campaign (6.85). His goal contributions have been worth an additional six points this season. Without them, the club would be bottom of the league.

Striker: Florian Niederlechner (Augsburg) - 0.78 rating increase

There has been little to cheer about for Augsburg supporters this season but 29-year-old striker Florian Niederlechner has certainly been a plus point for the Bundesliga strugglers. Rescued from his Freiburg misery over the summer, Niederlechner has discovered his goalscoring touch this season. The German striker has already equalled his best ever haul in a single Bundesliga campaign (11) and has seven more goals to his name compared to last season. He also has six assists in the league in 2019/20, five more than last term and four more than in any previous top-flight league campaign. As a result of the vast improvements made, Niederlechner's rating has gone from 6.38 last term to 7.16 this time around.

Striker: Alassane Plea (Gladbach) - 0.53 rating increase

There was a lot of clamour when Gladbach signed Alassane Plea from French side Nice in the summer of 2018 but he didn't quite hit the overall heights expected during his first season at the club (6.77 rating). He still managed 12 league goals but you sensed there was still plenty more to come from the Frenchman. That is certainly what Gladbach have got this term. Plea is not just scoring but also creating goals too. He has 15 goals and assists to his name in 22 league appearances in 2019/20, one fewer than he managed in 34 league appearances last term. His WhoScored Man of the Match awards have tripled this season (3) compared to last, while shots per game (2.8), key passes per game (1.5) and dribbles per game (1.9) are all up from last term (2.4, 1 and 0.7, respectively).