As we speculated, Bayern Munich’s Philipp Lahm has captured the lead in the FTBL ranking of defenders in the German Bundesliga, elbowing aside Per Mertesacker after No. 2 Werder Bremen were surprisingly held to a goalless draw yesterday by No. 14 FC Köln.

Lahm added approximately 12 rating points in the FTBL system after Bayern’s 2:1 home win over Borussia Monchengladbach last Saturday to boost his score to 116.61 points. He is also now in 5th position in our world ranking of defenders, which gives him a spot in the FTBL Dream Team.

How long Lahm lasts as # 1 will depend on how he fares in the coming games: he will face a plank of 6 rating points to beat in each of his next 2 games.
The Champions League group stage game against Juventus will be crucial in that regard. The following game will be against No. 15 Bochum in the Bundesliga.