Can Bayer Leverkusen topple Bayern Munich to win first-ever Bundesliga title?

The Bavarian giants have lifted the Bundesliga trophy an unprecedented 11 times in a row, a run which stretches back to their 2012-13 campaign - one of two treble-winning seasons they have enjoyed during this incredible spell.

Indeed, in the history of all of Europe's top flights, only four clubs have ever won more titles in a row - and those came in Gibraltar, Latvia, Belarus and Norway.

In terms of what might be considered a 'top' European division, only Juventus in Serie A come remotely close with nine titles in a row, a feat also achieved by Celtic on two occasions.

To put Bayern's run into context, no team has ever won the English top flight more than three seasons on the bounce - although Manchester City could do so this year.

Munich's reign did very nearly come to an end last season when only a Borussia Dortmund collapse allowed them to steal in on a dramatic final day and pip their rivals to the title on goal difference.

While 2022-23 did show that Bayern can be vulnerable, it also served to highlight the scale of the challenge facing the handful of other clubs that can genuinely dream of German glory; points-wise, it was Bayern's worst season for 12 years, yet they were still good enough to win the title.

The response from the perennial champions was to sign Harry Kane - a direct, and overdue, replacement for Robert Lewandowski following his exit to Barcelona in the summer of 2022.

Rather predictably, the England captain has hit the ground running. Kane has already scored 21 goals and created seven more in just 16 outings for his new club across all competitions, including 17 goals and five assists in only 11 Bundesliga appearances. Bayern as a team have scored 42 goals in those 11 games, while conceding only nine.

It is the most prolific start to a Bundesliga season by both a team and a single player, and at the start of this month they flexed their muscles further with a statement-making 4-0 embarrassment of Dortmund - the team that ran them so close last season - in front of the Yellow Wall.

Given all of the above statistics, one could therefore draw the reasonable conclusion that Bayern are clear at the top of the table yet again, and on course to make it 12 titles on the bounce.

However, despite all of their records and dropping just four points all season, Bayern will return from the final international break of the year in second place.

Instead, it is Bayer Leverkusen who lead the way with a third of the campaign gone, having won 10 and drawn one of their 11 games to date, leaving them two points clear of Thomas Tuchel's champions.

With 31 points from their opening 11 outings, it is the joint-best start to a Bundesliga season in history, with only Bayern themselves - in 2015-16 - enjoying as good an opening to a campaign before.

The big question heading into the festive period is whether Xabi Alonso's swashbuckling side can maintain such relentless form to keep Bayern at arm's length.

Certainly, their current run has been going on long enough to suggest that they are here to stay in the 2023-24 title race, rather than a flash in the pan who may fade away as the season progresses.

Leverkusen have won a club-record 12 consecutive games in all competitions and 16 of their 17 across the whole season, with the only exception being a 2-2 draw away to Bayern in September - although their 94th-minute equaliser in that match would have made it feel like another win too.

It is a far cry from the team that ended last season with a seven-match winless streak, and a world away from the position they found themselves in when Alonso took over in October 2022.

At that stage, Leverkusen were second from bottom after eight games of the Bundesliga season, so the transformation - which has already seen them reach a Europa League semi-final, qualify for Europe again and now make the joint-best start in history - truly is a remarkable one.

It is no surprise therefore that Alonso's name has entered the conversation regarding managerial jobs at even bigger clubs, namely two of his former employers from his playing days, Liverpool and Real Madrid.

While Liverpool will be desperate to keep Jurgen Klopp for as long as possible, succession planning after such a long and successful period under one manager is paramount, and Alonso looks as good a candidate as any to take over at Anfield when Klopp does eventually leave.

Madrid may just get there first, though; Carlo Ancelotti's long-term future at the Bernabeu remains shrouded in uncertainty amid rumours that he is set to take over as Brazil boss next year.

For the time being, Alonso will continue to build his reputation at Leverkusen, where he has crafted a team packed with star performers and capable of scoring goals from anywhere on the field.

Twelve different players have scored for them this season, and among those are five defenders, three of whom have at least four goals to their names - centre-back Jonathan Tah has four, right-back Jeremie Frimpong has five and left-back Alex Grimaldo is incredibly their second-highest scorer with eight in 17 games.

Indeed, that makes Grimaldo the highest-scoring defender throughout Europe's top-five leagues this season, while his four goals from outside the box are the most of any player from those leagues too.

That the Spanish full-back joined on a free transfer during the summer is indicative of the superb work in the market that has formed the cornerstone of Leverkusen's revival this season.

All three of Leverkusen's top scorers so far this season were signed in the last transfer window, and all for a combined fee of just £26.5m.

In addition to the free transfer of Grimaldo, Leverkusen also spent €10m (£8.7m) on Jonas Hofmann, who has seven goals to his name already, and €20.5m (£17.8m) on Victor Boniface, who has scored 11 times.

They also boast one of Europe's brightest young talents in Florian Wirtz, with the 20-year-old laying on 18 assists so far in 2023 - significantly clear of any other Bundesliga player. Incidentally, Frimpong is second on that list with 12.

No team across Europe's top-five leagues can match Leverkusen's points-per-game ratio so far this season and, while there is still a long way to go before the players and manager can start thinking about getting their hands on the trophy, the club's fans will at least be starting to dream now.

It could be that the mighty Bayern Munich - the 33-time champions, and 11-time defending champions - are knocked off their perch by a club that has never been crowned kings of Germany in their entire 119-year history.

Even in their glory years of the mid-1990s and early 2000s, which saw them reach a Champions League final, they had to settle for being second at best, with five runner-up finishes in the Bundesliga.

Finally, 2023-24 could be their year to end that wait, and they are as well-placed as ever to do exactly that.