Full speed ahead for Leon and Kevin

Leon Bailey was an unknown quantity to most football fans six months ago.  On the other hand, he was on the radar of several top European clubs. It was good that Bayer 04 won the race to sign the youngster. Now, everybody is talking about Leon Bailey. The media talk about the 20-year-old as the  'Caribbean kicker', the 'Jamaican rocket', the 'Whizz kid' and the  'Usain Bolt of the Bundesliga.' Bailey has developed from a promising talent into one of the best players in the Bundesliga this season. And that with the same breathtaking  pace he shows  as he flies past opponents on the pitch.

Bayer 04 signed the Kingston-born Bailey from Belgian top-tier side KRC Genk in January 2017. The then 19-year-old agreed a deal to 2022 and it took him a while to settle in. In the second half of the 2016/17  season, he mainly came on as a sub. And, under Heiko Herrlich, it was matchday six that he achieved lift-off. And how!

Bailey provided two assists in the 3-0 victory over Hamburg SV. He scored his first goal of the season a week later in the 1-1 draw at Schalke. Since then he has been a regular in the starting eleven - illness ruled him out of the 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt. And Herrlich started him on the bench in the final match of the first half of the season at Hannover 96 but he did come on in the second half.  He had only just come on when he leveled at 3-3 and a couple of minutes later he netted his second to put the Werkself 4-3 up. Bailey has been involved in eleven goals in the twelve league games since the Hamburg match. He scored the only goal of the game in the DFB Cup tie at Borussia Mönchengladbach to put Bayer 04 in the quarter-finals. "I try to help the team and learn as much as possible," he said modestly. "I'm happy everything is working out so well and the  others let me play such an important part in the game."

The others - that obviously included Heiko Herrlich too. The Bayer 04 coach demonstrated his trust in the whizz kid and now says: "He is a real threat and has incredible quality going forwards but also works back well. Leon is very alert, keen to learn and he immediately tries to do everything he's learned in training straight away." 

It's amazing how Bailey combines explosive, technically brilliant and targeted attacking play with reliable, busy and tactically intelligent defensive work. In Heiko Herrlich's system he often acts as winger and left-back. He thrills fans with his tricks, overlapping and dribbling ability. But Bailey is  not one to play to the crowds. Above all, hard work, discipline and determination prevail behind his apparently relaxed exterior and the unbridled creativity of the artist.  Bailey puts it as follows: "Enjoyment is important. You have to entertain the crowd as that's what the fans come to see. But I am very serious underneath.“

Sobriety and bravado are not mutually exclusive. "Remarkable that a player like him is not not selfish but instead always works for the team and is aware of his team-mates around him," said sporting director Rudi Völler. The Kölner Stadt Anzeiger sees Bailey as "one of the most spectacular players in the Bundesliga and a future star."  The Jamaican has  one of the highest average ratings in the Bundesliga in the 'Kicker' weekly awards. "Hats off to the lad. I hope he continues  to shine," said Bernd Leno of his team-mate.

Kevin Volland has also impressed in the first half of the season. The 25-year-old striker, plagued by injuries in his first season at Bayer 04, is currently the top goalscorer for the Werkself this term with nine goals. His rocket shot for the opener in the 4-0 win  against Freiburg not only paved the way for the first win of the season but also set Volland on his way. He just hit the ball from 20 yards out, striking a perfect shot that flew into the top corner leaving the SCF keeper Schwolow with no chance. The goal served to unleash Volland. In the same match, he scored a second. And the Werkself number 31 bagged a brace in the next home game against Hamburg SV (3-0).

Volland has had  a lot to do with Bayer 04 going twelve league games without defeat. No question his pace, outstanding finishing  and his instinct has long made him one of the top strikers in the league. In the first half of the season he has impressed with his clinical finishing and consistency. Volland scored crucial goals four times in succession from the start of November to the start of December in the matches against Augsburg (1-1), Leipzig (2-2), Frankfurt (1-0) and Dortmund (1-1). 

"It's going really well for me," said the Germany international with a certain degree of understatement and he does want to exaggerate his part in the team's success. "We are the team with the most number of goalscorers in the league at the moment. I lacked a bit of confidence at the start of the season. But then it all took off. We had more control over games and we definitely wanted to win. There are reasons for our run."

Volland said the trust of the coaching staff is particularly important for someone like him. "Everything is just fitting into place. It's great fun playing for this team." He is now a first choice in the Bayer 04 line-up. Whether as a false nine, central striker or on either flank - Volland can play anywhere up front. How important it is for Heiko Herrlich, is reflected in the stats: Volland has played in 17 out of 19 games and was in the starting eleven every time in those matches. He was only injured for the DFB Cup game against Union Berlin. And the head coach rested him for the final league game before the winter break. Volland must have high hopes of inclusion in the Germany squad for the World Cup given his outstanding form. "Obviously, there is a lot of competition for the Germany squad but I haven't written Russia off," said the Germany international who has ten full caps to date.

His sporting prospects are certainly promising. And everything is going well away from the pitch for the man from Marktoberdorf in the Allgäu. He married his long-term girlfriend Katja in November and the pair will soon be parents. While team-mate Leon Bailey is looking forward to spending New Year in the sun, sand and seas of his homeland Jamaica, Volland will spend time with his family in the Allgäu.

Both will use the time to switch off, recharge their batteries, perhaps review the past eventful six months. And they would definitely have no objections if 2018 starts as successfully as 2017 has ended.