“Max Eberl could take RB Leipzig to a new level”

These are all incredibly fast, determined players who are constantly changing positions. That doesn’t make it easy for the defenders and makes it very difficult for Bayern to calculate. They still have incredible power in the game and extremely high quality. You can’t replace an exceptional footballer like Lewandowski one-to-one. You no longer have that goal guarantor, but Bayern have to spread that across several shoulders.

Musiala, in particular, came to the fore again in the Supercup final. He was outstanding, by far the best player on the pitch and made all the difference. Almost every dangerous action passed through him. And I wish for him that he now gets the playing time that he deserved through this performance. If the principle of performance counts, Musiala must now be set – and that includes the national team. He can also be an absolute difference player at the World Cup.

But it’s also important that you find the right balance when moving against the ball. Bayern had weaknesses there last season, which we saw again against Leipzig. Bayern have had to concede a lot of goals in the past two years: a total of 109 in 98 competitive games. This is clearly too much. The defensive always has to be the showpiece. In the Bundesliga you can hide that to some extent, but not at international level. They will have to keep working on that. The great art is to offer spectacles, but still have the necessary compactness. Because you don’t score five goals in every game either.

I’m quite sure that Matthijs de Ligt will be a very important piece of the puzzle in the future. Even if he’s not at 100 percent yet, he just needs the games now so that he can get into his rhythm quickly.

At the moment, Munich’s problems are still in the defense. And after a disappointing first half, Leipzig also managed to clearly show Bayern’s weaknesses. You saw what a force they already have in attack with Christopher Nkunku, Dominik Szoboszlai, Emil Forsberg, André Silva and Co.

Timo Werner, whose return is under discussion, would still be a real reinforcement. He inspired me in Leipzig three years ago when he scored 28 Bundesliga goals under Julian Nagelsmann. This is a player who would suit any top club and knows the league inside out.

RB shows that Leipzig is now playing with the big players with the signing of David Raum. A really good purchase that brings Leipzig even further and underlines the high standards.

A real statement would definitely be Max Eberl’s commitment as sports director or managing director of sports. But that is Max Eberl’s decision alone. And if he says that he’s not ready for it as of today, then you have to accept that. But I am sure that he will return to the Bundesliga stage in the foreseeable future. If that will be in Leipzig, that can only be good for RB. He proved in Gladbach what an excellent manager he is and could take Leipzig to a new level.