Bayer Leverkusen Showed Off Title Credentials in Emphatic Victory Over Borussia Mönchengladbach

When talking about this enthralling Bundesliga title race, Peter Bosz's Bayer Leverkusen have been simply irrelevant.

Despite Leon Bailey inspiring Die Werkself's first victory at Bayern Munich since 2013 in a 2-1 victory at the end of November, Leverkusen's Hinrunde was a major disappointment amid lofty pre-season expectations.

Kerem Demirbay and Nadiem Amiri were struggling to fill the void left by Julian Brandt, Bosz was losing his grip on the squad and golden boy Kai Havertz, who had scored 20 times the previous campaign, was subject to abuse from his own supporters after an unproductive start to the season.

Funny how quick things can change, eh?

This is a side that has been nothing but rejuvenated since the turn of the new year, with January signing and coolest defender on the planet Edmond Tapsoba having a galvanising effect on a defence that was all at sea in the first-half of the campaign.

With the 21-year-old Burkinabé international in the side, Leverkusen are unbeaten in ten games in all competitions, winning nine of them - a 1-1 draw at RB Leipzig being the only blemish on Tapsoba's record.

It's a remarkable rise which has seen them thrust into genuine title contention, and while they're still eight points adrift of an imperious Bayern outfit, it's the manner of their victories which means they can't be written off.

Bosz's men marked their return to Bundesliga action with a comfortable 4-1 victory at the struggling Werder Bremen. And although the result was expected, Leverkusen were nonetheless tremendous throughout; perplexing a befuddled Werder backline with their fluidity and capacity to rotate in midfield, while their fierce counter-press didn't allow a side which relies heavily on transitions to flourish.

It was their victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach, however, which really grabbed the attention of the wider footballing world.

In what was certainly the hipster's game of the week, Leverkusen dominated large swathes of proceedings in a 3-1 victory against a Gladbach side that had led the Meisterschale race for much of the Hinrunde.

It was a display which encapsulated what Bosz's side are all about.

Out of possession the front three worked tirelessly in a bid to disrupt Gladbach's technically proficient backline in the first phase, while they pressed astutely rather then relentlessly as a result of the quality within the hosts' starting XI.

Their high-risk, high-reward approach also paid off, as their typically high (and somewhat suicidal) defensive line prevented Marco Rose's men from wreaking the kind of havoc they inflicted at Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend with their fluidity and flexibility, as they condensed the pitch and remained vertically compact.

Their showing in possession, meanwhile, was undoubtedly spearheaded by Havertz, who put on a clinic in false nine play and showed once more why it's a role he should continue to play going forward - bagging yet another brace - as he persistently exposed any holes in Gladbach's 4-2-3-1 defensive shape in the first-half.

The 20-year-old was key in ruthlessly exploiting Gladbach's vulnerability in defensive transition without star defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria; scoring the opener on the break after Demirbay pounced on Ramy Bensebaini's loose pass into midfield, before his smart movement and awe-inspiring execution of an outside of the boot pass set Karim Bellarabi on his way before the winger won a penalty, which Havertz converted.

Although Marcus Thuram, who had been utterly dominated one-v-one by Tapsoba when deployed on the left in the opening period, scored in between Havertz's strikes as Gladbach started to pose more questions following a switch to 3-4-3 and exploit the visitors' high line, Sven Bender's improvised header from an inswinging Demirbay free-kick ensured Bosz's men were rewarded for a fine display with three points.

While Havertz and Tapsoba at opposite ends of the pitch have garnered the most attention - with 'I've always rated Edmond Tapsoba' and 'Kai Havertz is generational!' being splurged at a canter among the Football Twitter community - what can't be overlooked is the balance Bosz has established in this Leverkusen side.

With Demirbay's tenacity, masterful ball-manipulation and dynamic nature alongside chief ball-circulator and defensively astute Charles Aránguiz, Leverkusen looked to have found a healthy combination in the middle of the park, with the former coming into his own since the restart. Their front three, meanwhile, boasts an uncanny resemblance to Liverpool's supreme trio; with the use of a false nine and willing runners in behind from wide areas.

Dutchman Bosz has finally discovered his winning formula and the results are spellbinding. This Leverkusen side are a joy to watch in full cry. It's a shame, however, that it took until the start of the Rückrunde to find their mojo.

And while their supreme run of form has them only eight points off the top, that's a margin Bayern - who Leverkusen host in two weeks' time - just won't surrender. Their resurgence has surely come too little, too late.

Nevertheless, with the foundations in place for title-challenges in the coming years, the challenge for the Werkself hierarchy is how they go about replacing the irreplaceable Havertz when the golden boy inevitably departs.

That will determine the success of this incredibly fun Leverkusen side in the coming years with Bosz at the helm.

For now, however, let's enjoy 'em as they go about a once unthinkable title charge.