High-flying Freiburg try to shut out the noise as fairytale run continues

Four months after their Europa League final appearance, Freiburg now lead the Bundesliga standings, marking the peak of the club's most successful era. The German side will face Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday, having only conceded two points in their first five Bundesliga matches - a performance better than even reigning champions Bayern Munich or rivals Borussia Dortmund.

Coach Julian Schuster attributes this remarkable run to a deliberate lack of focus on the league table. He stated that his job doesn't require him to concern himself with the standings, nor to expend any energy on them. Freiburg's ascent began after the club's promotion in 2016, under the leadership of former coach Christian Streich. The team secured their first German Cup final appearance in 2022 following Streich's departure, before Schuster took over and led Freiburg to last season's Europa League final.

Freiburg's current form was further demonstrated when Aston Villa and star winger Johan Manzambi were beaten 3-0 this summer. Despite the club's impressive start to the season, Freiburg's ambitious nature is not lost on them. Defender Matthias Ginter, a 2014 World Cup winner, urged the team not to shy away from their aspirations.

"We are very ambitious," he said. "There's no point beating around the bush. For the past few years, we've consistently played in Europe - of course, we're happy with the start of the season, but being on top doesn't feel like much."

Freiburg's ambition extends beyond simply competing at the top level, as they aim to finally end their 122-year trophy drought. Midfielder Maximilian Eggestein affirmed that the team will continue to push forward, regardless of their table position. "We just want to keep going. No wild declarations – that's not gotten us to where we've been in recent years."