A
re the stars aligned for a
Bundesliga power shift? Could
Bayern Munich be in for a
rude awakening after their
run of seven straight league crowns?
Such questions used to invariably spark
snorts of derision. Yet not so much now,
with almost 66 per cent of respondents
to a poll in Kicker magazine expecting last
term’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund
to be on top of the pile come May.
By way of contrast, only a fifth of
those surveyed were confident of Bayern
making it eight in a row; a remarkably low
number for a team which for the best
part of a decade has crushed the life out
of all domestic opponents and a squad
renowned for its big-game mentality,
voracious hunger and ability to roll
with the punches.
The Bayern faithful will be keen to
dismiss the Kicker exercise as wishfulthinking on the part of their domestic
foes, that once the new season begins
normal, omnipotent Bavarian service will
automatically be resumed. But there can
be no room for any complacency at the
Allianz Arena: the warning signs are out
there and flashing.
Bayern will need no reminding of how
deep they had to dig last season to see
off the Dortmund threat, having at one
point trailed the Ruhr outfit by nine points
and only securing the title on the final
weekend of the campaign. Quantitatively
as well as qualitatively, there was a
narrowing of the “Big Two” class gap in
2018-19 – and it appears to have been
further reduced by Dortmund’s raft of
excellent summer recruits, notably
Borussia Monchengladbach and Belgium(^) MAXIMILIAN MITTELSTADT
(Hertha Berlin)
Established himself in the
Hertha side last term and
forced his way into the national
under-21 set-up. Comfortable
as a left-back, left-winger or
midfield ball-winner.
(^) ALEXANDER NUBEL
(Schalke)
German under-21 keeper who
Bayern apparently regard as
the heir apparent to Manuel
Neuer. Great reflexes and
positional play, though he
needs to work on his kicking.
(^) MARCO RICHTER
(Augsburg)
Left-wing prospect who was in
sensational form in the latter
part of last season, excelling
for both his club and the
German under-21 side. Let
go by Bayern Munich aged 13.
(^) JEROME ROUSSILLON
(Wolfsburg)
Classy French left-back who
is defensively sound, quick
going forward and good
technically. Joined the
VW outfit from Montpellier
last summer.
(^) DJIBRIL SOW
(Eintracht Frankfurt)
Eintracht general-manager
Fredi Bobic has picked up
another bargain in paying
Swiss side Young Boys just
€9m for the midfielder, who
is an engine-room dynamo.
winger Thorgan Hazard, Hoffenheim left-
back Nico Schulz, Bayer Leverkusen
attacking midfielder Julian Brandt and
central defensive ace Mats Hummels,
who returns to the Westfalenstadion after
a successful three-year stint with Bayern.
Still only 30, Hummels is exactly what
Dortmund needed; an authoritative
back-line organiser and voice of calm
and reason in a dressing room mainly
made up of thrusting young guns.
Strange how Hummels’ career has
panned out of late, deemed to be
yesterday’s man by Nationalmannschaft
boss Joachim Low, then forced down the
Bayern pecking order after they splashed
out €80million on Atletico Madrid’s
French international Lucas Hernandez.
While Low and Bayern clearly think
that Hummels is past his prime, others
G E R M A N Y
(^) B
U N D E S L I
G
A
(^2)
0
1
9
- 2
0
(^)
Bayern will need no reminding of how
deep they had to dig last season to see off
the Dortmund threat, having at one point
trailed the Ruhr outfit by nine points
Investment...new
Bayern signing
Benjamin Pavard
Return...Mats Hummels
is back at Dortmund