At BVB, four top central defenders are fighting for two places, Bayern has a luxury problem on the outside – and Gladbach’s Daniel Farke admits how much personnel decisions affect him personally.
When Bayern open the Bundesliga at 8:30 p.m. on Friday (05.08.2022, live ticker at sportschau.de) at Eintracht Frankfurt, coach Julian Nagelsmann will already have his most difficult decisions behind him. After hard weeks of preparation and a rather wild, but also spectacularly successful Supercup against RB Leipzig (5:3), he has to explain to some seasoned national players that unfortunately they are not his first choice this time and have to sit on the substitutes’ bench first.
Leroy Sané is a hot candidate for this, 45 international matches, mega market value – but currently in a duel with Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry and probably also with Nagelsmann after the Supercup with the attribute “world class” considered Jamal Musiala pretty much without a chance.
Two out of four for Terzic
As usual, the art for Nagelsmann at Bayern will primarily be to keep dissatisfied superstars happy – the competition in defense and midfield is also enormous after the record champions’ buying offensive. For example, Ajax Amsterdam’s Ryan Gravenberch will try to outstrip the currently injured Leon Goretzka from Friday.
In the case of title competitor Borussia Dortmund, the most exciting construction site is the central defense. It is quite possible that both regulars from the previous season will have to be on the bench in the short or medium term: Mats Hummels and Manuel Akanji are likely to fall behind in a direct duel with the new stars Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck. Also exciting: will Mo Dahoud stay ahead in the fight against new signing Salih Özcan from Cologne – and what will Terzic do if Gio Reyna gets fit again?
Forsberg versus Olmo
In Leipzig, the fight for the eleven starting places is perhaps even tougher. Up front, André Silva was only used as a joker in the Supercup, and the Spanish national player Dani Olmo was only allowed to play as a substitute for Emil Forsberg. RB has just signed David Raum from Hoffenheim for more than 20 million euros. Other clubs would like to have players like Angeliño and Marcel Halstenberg in this much sought-after left-back position in Europe, who now have to fight for the one free spot.
In Leverkusen, the two offensive wing positions are almost traditionally manned at least twice: Moussa Diaby is set, Karim Bellarabi, Amine Adli, Paulinho and maybe also the hanging striker Adam Hlosek are fighting for the supply services for center forward Patrik Schick. But the midfield center is also so densely populated that Charles Aránguiz, for example, has already started looking for a club.
Alario only Joker for the time being
Lucas Alario has migrated from Leverkusen to play more. The Brazilian hasn’t found it any easier in Frankfurt either, Rafael Borré clearly remains the top dog in the ninth position.
In Cologne, as an observer from the outside, one is currently wondering why folk hero Anthony Modeste is suddenly being discussed at numerous other clubs and was allegedly even “offered” by FC or Modeste’s advisor. A look at the squad doesn’t really show any alternative to him in terms of quality, but the position of center forward is quite lavishly occupied: newcomer Stefan Tigges from Dortmund, plus Sebastian Andersson, Florian Dietz, Tim Lemperle and Sargis Adamyan are all real nines, and that can also be the case Marc Uth play in the center.
Farke and his “most difficult job”
While things are getting exciting in Wolfsburg, where Niko Kovac will add Max Kruse to all the other offensive players like Lukas Nmecha, Jonas Wind, Luca Waldschmidt, Maximilian Philipp, Omar Marmoush and Renato Steffen, in Mönchengladbach the greatest dissatisfaction threatens in the midfield headquarters: Florian Neuhaus and Manu Koné are the favourites, but Christoph Kramer and Man City newcomer Ko Itakura also recommended themselves in preparation. And now it is said that national player Julian Weigl from Befica Lisbon is also being negotiated – he would be the fifth six for only two positions.
The sports show asked trainer Daniel Farke whether such decisions have become a thing for him business as usual belonged, but his answer surprised: “Of course I’ve known this situation for over ten years, and I also like a lot of competition. But it’s still the hardest thing about my job at all. My way is to be brutally honest and open with the guys you you have to disappoint. Someone has to get the buck. And you’re correspondingly popular in the team: Usually two or three players think you’re okay – but a lot of others, who you put on the bench or in the stands or replace, think you’re more of a total disaster.”
Small consolation for the “full catastrophe coach” Farke: He is likely to share this fate with 17 other colleagues in the Bundesliga.