BERLIN (AP) Few imagined at the start of the season that a fifth-tier club upon its foundation in 2009 would prove Bayern Munich's biggest obstacle to an unprecedented fifth straight Bundesliga title. But Leipzig has got the rest of the league sitting up and taking notice, even if it failed its biggest test Wednesday by losing 3-0 in Munich. "A lesson," Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuettl called it, as a sense of normality returned to the top of the league. Elsewhere, however, the big clubs are struggling, with Leipzig trailed by a host of unlikely candidates as sheer graft and untiring teamwork prove their worth over underperforming stars. Modest Freiburg, which won the second division ahead of Leipzig last season, is enjoying its best season since 2012-13 despite a net investment of just 5 million euros ($5.2 million) on transfers following promotion. Coaches have been paying the price for their sides' ineptitude. Borussia Moenchengladbach's Andre Schubert became the seventh Bundesliga coach to lose his position this season on Wednesday, and it's unlikely he'll be the last with counterparts at Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen facing uneasy Christmases. One man who'll enjoy the festivities is Bayern president Uli Hoeness, back in charge after serving half of his 42-month prison term for tax evasion. More than 97 percent of 7,152 club members voted for the 64-year-old Hoeness to take his old position in November and the club bounced back from two straight defeats the next day. Bayern has won each of its six games since his return.
