The best and worst XIs of the 2009/10 season so far

It's traditional for Deutsche Welle to present its best and worst teams at this point in the season, as the Bundesliga's professionals clean their boots and store them away for the winter break. This year, however, rather than passing this dubious honour to one of our resident soccer experts, we've asked all our analysts to contribute a section each to the best and worst XIs.

Tackling the best and worst defenses will be Nick Amies, while Paul Chapman chooses the classiest and crummiest midfielders and the most dangerous and most profligate strikers have been picked by Jefferson Chase. The best and worst XI's will be overseen by coaches hired and fired by Matt Hermann.

THE BEST XI: DEFENSE (Nick Amies)

Having an unbeaten team sitting on top of the league at the half-way point in the season makes it easy to pick the majority of the best defense in the Bundesliga. Bayer Leverkusen's keep Rene Adler takes the No. 1 jersey in our Best XI for his consistency and his role in keeping Leverkusen's goal difference down to 35 for and 13 against. Adler's growing confidence and competence has also seen him stake a claim for the keeper's shirt in Germany's World Cup team.

Hyypia (l.) has been a rock at the back for Leverkusen

The Best XI's back four features Adler's Leverkusen team-mate Sami Hyypia, who has shown that a change is as good as a rest. Contrary to the belief that his legs may not have been up for another season in the English Premiership, Hyypia has been a player reborn. The big Finn has shown that wealth of experience and mastery of positioning are qualities ideally suited to a leader charged with marshalling a young team chasing the Bundesliga title.

Hyypia is joined at the back by Werder Bremen's Naldo, Hamburg's Jerome Boateng and Schalke's Marcelo Bordon. Naldo remains one of the Bundesliga's most competent ball playing defenders, combining solid defensive qualities with a midfielder's eye for a pass; Boateng has proved to be a versatile stopper for HSV and has shown enough to make the leap to the full Germany squad this season, while Bordon has played a strong role in Schalke's impressive defensive record this season, keeping them tied with Leverkusen as the league's most parsimonious defense.

BEST XI: MIDFIELD (Paul Chapman)

Leverkusen's great start has been punctuated with displays by precocious youngsters and 19-year-old Toni Kroos in particular has caught the eye. The on-loan Bayern Munich attacking midfielder has started to add goals to his threat and could return to Munich in 2010 as one of the players who denied his employers the title. Another young tyro given license to maraud in the center of the park is Dortmund's Turkish international Nuri Sahin. Back at BVB after a loan spell with Feyenoord, Sahin is again showing the flair which alerted many a European club when he burst onto the scene in 2005.

Oezil provides a spark and goals in Bremen's midfield

Mesut Oezil looks and plays like someone with ten years more experience. The Werder Bremen star is a livewire attacking midfielder who thrives in Bremen's cavalier approach. So far this season, Oezil has contributed six goals to Werder's tally and got off the mark with the senior Germany team in this his full international debut season. Completing the midfield, we have Ze Roberto, another player reborn. Few would have expected Ze to stick around after leaving years of success at Bayern behind but his performances for Hamburg – before getting injured – showed a new hunger and his goals and assists helped HSV challenge at the top.

BEST XI: ATTACK (Jefferson Chase)

Completing the BEST XI's 4-4-2 formation are strikers Stefan Kiessling and Lucas Barrios. Leverkusen's Kiessling is having the season of his life so far, leading the Bundesliga with his team and the scoring charts with 12 goals. The rangy forward is enjoying a prolific partnership with Patrick Helmes and has earned himself a recall to the Germany squad on the back of his stunning form.

Barrios has scored the goals to send BVB soaring