Timo Werner has been exceptional for Leipzig this season, earning him a move to Chelsea.
While the media spotlight has always been with Werner, very few paid enough attention to Marcel Sabitzer. He is another reason why Leipzig almost win the league this season.
His goal scoring record this season is extraordinary. In 39 appearances all competitions, he scored 16 goals which is the second highest goalscorer for Leipzig, behind Werner.
It was a stark contrast to the previous seasons, as he only managed to score less than 10 goals in every season since joining Leipzig in 2014.
The 26-year-old Austrian admitted the goal scoring record showed his improvements on the pitch.
“I’m usually fit a lot of the time, and when I’m on the pitch I can keep up a consistent level of performance without too many mistakes.
I’m one of the leaders in the side, I know that, I’m always going forward and trying to help the team. And it looks like the coach has been convinced by that.”
Sabitzer also believes the atmosphere in the dressing room, his teammates and coach Julian Nagelsmann has given him an extra motivation to perform even better.
“I feel good, I feel happy in the team and the club, the coach has confidence in me, he gives me confidence and it’s fun to play.
“So it’s easy as a player to perform well when the team is playing well and when you feel that trust. But I would also say I’ve developed a lot in a lot of ways and I’m very happy with how it’s going.”
Despite that, he is still not satisfied with his current performance.
“I always knew I had a good shot on me, with my right foot. I was unlucky a few times, but this year they’ve been flying in. It’s fun to shoot from distance and my position helps me out there as I’m a bit further from goal.
But in the second half of the season that’s dropped off a bit, so I’m giving my best to try and keep improving my scoring stats.”
Leipzig will welcome Dortmund at Red Bull Arena tomorrow before concluding the Bundesliga season with a trip to Augsburg next week.