After ten German championships in a row, FC Bayern Munich underwent a thorough rejuvenation. The pressure on coach Nagelsmann is not decreasing.
Robert Lewandowski, the goalscorer on duty, is gone. After a long summer theater with a lot of back and forth, the second best scorer in Bundesliga history ended up with his “dream club” FC Barcelona. It’s the end of an era for the record champions.
But the club’s management reacted in a way that very few had expected: with a transfer offensive that hasn’t been seen for many years. With a squad that seems to be even stronger than last season, they want more than “just” a title. In the premier class, too, they want to get further than last, despite the supposedly overwhelming competition from England or Spain.
That’s how last season went
The demands are nowhere as high as in Munich, which is why last season’s results, in which “only” the championship title was won, were “sufficient” at best. In the Bundesliga it was enough for first place again, and that with an eight-point lead over Borussia Dortmund. The title never came under serious threat, not even when Bayern stumbled and lost, for example, in Augsburg and Mainz and at home to Frankfurt and Mönchengladbach. That’s what you were there for in the top games against Dortmund, Leipzig and Leverkusen.
On the other hand, in the DFB Cup it was the end of the second round for the second time in a row, and with a bang. The 0:5 at Borussia Mönchengladbach was the first low point of the season. Gladbach showed desolate Bayern. This is not how a Bayern team should present itself.
Everything initially went according to plan in the Champions League, in the group stage there were six wins in six games, including two against FC Barcelona. But as so often in the past, Bayern could not save their form in the spring. In the round of 16 against RB Salzburg, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg and a 7-1 win at home, they were still able to advance. In the quarter-finals, Spanish middle-class club FC Villarreal were a size too big, to the dismay of everyone at the club. A huge disappointment that prompted the Bayern bosses to consider a fundamental post-season squad change.
Who is coming, who is going
The Bavarians have spent a lot of money – so far almost 137 million euros – to ensure the blood refreshment that is considered urgently needed. Nevertheless, the departure of Robert Lewandowski weighs heavily, who was top scorer in the Bundesliga seven times (six times in a Bayern shirt) and who scored an incredible 344 goals in 375 competitive games for Munich. The 33-year-old two-time world footballer was the personified goal guarantee. It has to be replaced first.
Nobody is expected to score 35 to 40 goals a season like him. The responsibility in attack should ideally be spread over several shoulders. One who should easily be good for 20 goals is the first king transfer of the summer, Sadio Mane. Africa’s ‘Footballer of the Year’, who came from Liverpool for €32m (plus bonuses), may not be a one-for-one Lewandowski replacement, but he can come down the wings or play a ‘false nine’ will. He is quick to act, technically perfect and ice cold in front of goal.
For the attack also came Mathy’s phone from Stade Rennes. The 17-year-old striker was worth 20 million euros plus bonuses to Bayern – a “real” center forward who, however, still lacks experience at the highest level. He has only played a few minutes in French Ligue 1 so far. Nevertheless, he is considered a promise for the future, and coach Julian Nagelsmann believes the youngster can score ten goals in his first season.
Otherwise, Bayern have mainly reacted to the recently revealed defensive weaknesses. With Noussair Mazraoui (Ajax Amsterdam) came a right-back, Ryan Gravenberch (also Ajax Amsterdam) tilled the defensive midfield. Konrad Laimer could also come for this position. Nagelsmann’s dream player from RB Leipzig currently seems to want to fulfill his contract. The Austrian would then be available for a free transfer next season.
However, the supposedly most important transfer for the defense is considered Matthijs de Ligt, who has been transferred €67m to Juventus and is expected – if fit – to take on the role of defence-in-chief – a role which has not been satisfactorily filled since David Alaba left Real Madrid a year ago could.
Of the other departures, only those of Niklas Süle (Borussia Dortmund) and Corentin Tolisso (Olympique Lyon) are significant. Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Omar Richards (Nottingham Forest), Malik Tillmann (on loan to Glasgow Rangers), Marc Roca (Leeds United) and goalkeepers Christian Früchtl (Austria Wien) and Ron-Thorben Hoffmann (Eintracht Braunschweig) were last far away from the starting XI and at least flushed some fresh money into the coffers.
Still has work to do: Julian Nagelsmann
The coach: Nagelsmann “doomed to success”
Julian Nagelsmann has completed his first year at Bayern. The 35-year-old knows that more is expected of him in his second year than “just” a title. Oliver Kahn, who was not satisfied with last season, put it in an unusually clear way: “We are doomed to succeed at Bayern, he knows that too,” the CEO increased the pressure during the summer break.
The 35-year-old needs to get more out of the team, preferably in all three competitions. For a lot of money he was given a squad that no Bayern coach had for a long time. There are no more alibis. Closing the gaps in defense and finding a way for the team to develop offensive power even without a real “nine” will be his most urgent tasks.
Nagelsmann knows that, and he also knows that after his mixed first year, he is obligated to deliver. After all, it was he himself who promised the fans more than just one title for the coming season at the championship celebration on the town hall balcony in May. More than ever, he will also be asked to moderate the sensitivities of the sensitive stars.
expectations for the season
It doesn’t sound quiet, but more like a huge “wall of sound”: FC Bayern is expected to win the title again in the new season – it would be the eleventh in a row. In the DFB Cup, where third division team Viktoria Köln play in round one at the end of August, they should go as far as possible after two weak years, preferably to the final in Berlin. The same applies to the premier class. Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic wanted to provide a squad “that ideally can win the Champions League”. According to most experts, they did this job with flying colours.
What you no longer want to see from the club bosses are desolate or bloodless performances like the 0:5 cup defeat in Mönchengladbach or the defeats in the league in Mainz or Augsburg. The key to this will be the stabilization of the defensive line, which has rarely been solid in the last few years. At European level, better solutions are expected against teams like Villarreal. In duels with absolute top teams such as Liverpool FC, Manchester City or Real Madrid, getting ahead is not mandatory, but you should play on an equal footing. Commitment and will are basic requirements.
In the first competitive game, in the Supercup against RB Leipzig (5:3), many things worked well, especially offensively. But the three goals conceded also show that not everything on the defensive works as Nagelsmann imagines. Until the Bundesliga opener on Friday evening at Eintracht Frankfurt (kick-off: 8:30 p.m./Live radio report in the BR24 live center) still needs to be adjusted.
One thing is clear: FC Bayern will also be the hunted in the 2022/23 season. Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen have also upgraded their staff and want to annoy the industry leader. FCB should be prepared for this. The pressure isn’t getting any less.
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Source: BR24
08/05/2022 – 6:30 p.m
