High-flying Hoffenheim take Germany by storm

The Bundesliga is only two games old yet already it is shaping up to be a season full of surprises with FC Bayern München, Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart in mid-table and newly-promoted TSG 1899 Hoffenheim leading the way as the only club in Germany with maximum points.

Expectations upset
Bayern, under new coach Jürgen Klinsmann, have started slowly with draws in their first two fixtures, allowing Hoffenheim to set the early pace. Expectations might decree that Bayern lead the way with FC Schalke 04 and Bremen close behind and surprise packages like VfL Bochum 1848 or DSC Arminia Bielefeld enjoy a strong start to the season – yet this year it has been a different story. Victories against FC Energie Cottbus (3-0) and VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-0) have taken Hoffenheim two points clear in the standings, but their success has been a long time coming.

Focus on youth
When entrepreneur Dietmar Hopp – once a member of Hoffenheim's youth team – started to invest in his local club 17 years ago he also announced his long-term intention: to "create a young team for the whole Rhine-Neckar area, capable of playing in the Bundesliga one day." As a consequence, his team have invested heavily in youth development and their progress has been slow and steady, but even so their promotion to the top tier has been achieved ahead of schedule. "Hoffenheim is not a project; rather it's a model as we strongly focus on the youth," said coach Ralf Rangnick, whose starting lineup against Energie had an average age of 23, by far the youngest in the Bundesliga. "We don't sign a player who's over 25."

Heavy backing
Hoffenheim made few high-profile signings in the summer, bringing in Andreas Beck from Stuttgart and Brazilian forward Wellington, who joined from SC Internacional, as they continued their policy of only buying players who fit the overall concept. Despite this, Rangnick has financial backing most of his colleagues can only dream of, explaining: "If a player is on the market that fits our ideas, we always have the possibility to sign him." Hopp is also funding a new 30,000-capacity stadium, due to open next year, to the tune of €60m, although he is keen for the club to be able to support itself one day.

Tough tests
To achieve that, and fill the new Rhein-Neckar-Arena on a regular basis, Hoffenheim must establish themselves in the top flight, and the early signs are certainly promising, with a crowd of 26,000 attending the club's first 'home' Bundesliga game against Mönchengladbach, which was played in Mannheim. However, beating Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Stuttgart, BV Borussia Dortmund and Bremen – Hoffenheim's next four league fixtures – will be another level. "We're clever enough to know that the current table is not showing the true strengths of the teams," admitted Rangnick, while his captain Per Nilsson – at 25, the oldest player in the starting lineup – added: "Only two matches have been played. But we still want to improve." The Hoffenheim project is nowhere near finished yet.