Regular consumers of this column know its writer can rarely resist a good German compound word to sum up concepts that cannot as readily be covered in English. This week, as we take stock of the Bundesliga during the March international break, the word most applicable to what's going on is "Aufholjagd" ("race to catch up").
For those who follow a football league purely for a title contest, Bayer Leverkusen's Aufholjagd had double meaning just before the international break. Their stirring, pulsating -- not to mentioned fully merited -- 4-3 comeback win at VfB Stuttgart, a day after Bayern Munich stumbled to a draw in the capital against Union Berlin, allows us to view the top two and their back-and-forth in a slightly different light.
Yes, it's Bayern's title to lose and there will be those who feel we are still in Vorentscheidung (a decision before mathematically guaranteed) territory.
The positives for the Rekordmeister are multifold. A six-point lead with eight weeks to go is effectively a seven-point gap, given Bayern's vastly superior goal difference, so a simple scenario is Leverkusen would have to be perfect from here on in, while Bayern would have to not lose on three occasions, with one of the three being a defeat.
Where are the potential Stolpersteine (stumbling blocks)? Considering the Bavarians have just lost to VfL Bochum and drawn with Union, that is difficult to ascertain. It could as easily be St. Pauli on Saturday, as it could be Borussia Dortmund in mid-April, Mainz in late April or RB Leipzig away in early May.
The personnel narrative is not currently kind to Vincent Kompany's defensive priorities. Manuel Neuer remains out with a calf injury, while earlier this week, the news broke that Alphonso Davies will be out for several months with an ACL tear and Dayot Upamecano for most of the Endspurt (the race to the finish).
Bayern also must balance the demands of pushing for a much-desired Finale dahoam (a UEFA Champions League final at home). They're still far from that goal, and a two-legged meeting with Inter Milan represents ein harter Brocken (a tough nut).
Even if Bayern slip up somewhat frequently in the Bundesliga run-in, can Leverkusen reel off eight successive wins between now and May 17? Their task is not helped by the absence of Florian Wirtz for a fair chunk of April at a minimum. In addition, Edmond Tapsoba and Mario Hermoso -- both on the injured list -- have weakened Xabi Alonso's options at the back.
One intriguing aspect of Friday's home game with Bochum will be whether Bayer 04 try to solve the Wirtz problem by fielding both forwards Patrik Schick and Victor Boniface from the start, something that is not second nature to Alonso, even though it worked in the heat of the Stuttgart Aufholjagd.
Will Leverkusen finish ahead of Bayern when the music stops? Let's just say it would take a well-nigh unprecedented swing of the pendulum this late in a Bundesliga campaign along the lines of Stuttgart overtaking Schalke in 2006-07, but I've been around long enough to know that you should never say it can't happen.
Further down the order
I understand that many casual fans need a title battle to get them interested, but this is a week for once again highlighting that to truly enjoy and embrace a football culture, it's important to go deeper.
Mainz are writing one of the most romantic stories anywhere in European football. To be third with 45 points at this juncture feels heaven sent for a club that has never got within a sniff of the Champions League, despite a rich pedigree when it comes to coaches like Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel.
