After a summer filled with World Cup success, the Bundesliga returned in August with the country on a wave of zenith. Things couldn't be any better. It was that time of year again, where expectations are high for the supporters of the 18 German top-flight clubs. After three rounds of action, half of the league remain unbeaten. However, for a particular few, things haven't started as well, and already, fears of the drop loom and linger.
Hamburg:
No goals, just one point, manager Mirko Slomka gone. That ever-present Bundesliga record is already under severe strain. Despite some excellent summer acquisitions, Nicolai Muller from Mainz and Bayern's Julian Green on loan for example, the Northerners problems from last season have not only not gone away, but if anything, have become bigger and worse. Nicknamed 'The Dinosaur', if these issues aren't resolved, that proud record of taking part in each and every Bundesliga season could well become extinct.
Stuttgart:
Armin Veh delivered Stuttgart the Bundesliga title in 2006/07 and returned to the club of his greatest managerial achievement this summer in the hope of rejuvenating them to their former glory. What they would do to be there right now. To be fair to them, they have faced tough trips to Gladbach (where they were a matter of minutes away from victory on the opening weekend) and champions Bayern. But their defeat to promoted Koln in their first home game of the campaign highlighted once again their inconsistencies in terms of both performances and results. That may well cost them their top-flight status come season's end.
Freiburg:
The side from the Black Forest have one of the smallest budgets in the Bundesliga and are always many people's tip to be one of the favourites to go down at the start of the campaign. Christian Streich's men have this ability to prove doubters wrong, although based on their early season form, that might not be the case this time around. They've only scored once (a late Oliver Sorg consolation at Dortmund) and star-man Admir Mehmedi, who is under huge pressure to get the goals, hasn't found the back of the net yet and is now injured with muscle problems.
Hertha:
The loss of Adrian Ramos and Pierre-Michel Lasogga was always going to be a huge blow for capital club Hertha. Despite Julian Schieber scoring three goals in as many games, Jos Luhukay has seen his side throw away leads against Bremen and early table-toppers Leverkusen (where they were in front twice). This suggests they haven't got the capability at this moment in time to compete for the full 90 minutes and hold out for key results and important points. Throwing away results could well be Hertha's biggest downfall in 2014/15, and could leave them in a scrap for survival.
Paderborn and Koln:
If you look at the odds for relegation in any league at the start of a campaign, the newly-promoted sides are almost always favourites for the drop. But they have dispelled this logic so far, with both unbeaten having collected five points (a win and two draws) from their opening three games. For Paderborn, it could well have been even better had Mainz's Ja-Cheol Koo not slotted home an injury-time spot-kick on Matchday One. For Koln, they are only one of five sides in Europe's top-five leagues (with Juventus, Barcelona, Roma and Inter Milan) yet to concede a goal (although the last time a team kept a clean sheet in each of their first three Bundesliga games, Dusseldorf two seasons ago, went down).