THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

‘BAYERN MUNICH HAD TO WORK A LOT HARDER THAN THEY HAVE IN SOME PREVIOUS YEARS TO HOLD ON TO THEIR TITLE’

ayern Munich are champions is a phrase heard every year in Germany since the end of the 2012-13 season as Die Roten close in on a decade of dominance. But the 2020-21 season was at least one of the more interesting in those nine years, even at the top of the table. For a handful of fleeting moments, someone other than Bayern led the way and had a realistic shot at winning the title until the final weeks of the season. Indeed, Bayern had to work a lot harder than they have in some previous years to hold on to their title. Surprise package Bayer Leverkusen even topped the table at one point, while RB Leipzig, led by the young, talented and Bayernbound Julen Nagelsmann, looked like chasing Bayern all the way for a grandstand finish. Ultimately, a 1-0 home defeat to Bayern – and a run of two wins in the seven games that followed – saw Leipzig finish 13 points adrift. Then there were Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg, who experienced a purple patch in January and February. Both sides went from barely involved in the Europa League fight to banging on the door of the Champions League. It made for a congested top seven, with only 15 points separating second and seventh. Wolfsburg claimed fourth, joining the top two and Borussia Dortmund in next year’s Champions League. The form of the teams below them kept Bayern on their toes. They knew that any slip-up could see not only the title disappear but also their top four place – but, as they always do, Bayern found a way. Wins in Der Klassiker ensured Dortmund were kept at bay and, ironically, Die Schwarzgelben did Bayern a favour by beating Leipzig on matchday 32. That result ensured Bayern, who had suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Mainz in the prior round, would be champions regardless of their result against Borussia Monchengladbach – they still romped to a 6-0 win for good measure. Still, keeping the trophy in Munich came at a cost as Hansi Flick, the man who made Bayern history by winning six trophies in a single season in 2019-20, announced the relationship between himself and the club would end at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season. Flick’s public departure didn’t go down well with the Bayern hierarchy as it became clear he was lined up to succeed Joachim Low as Germany coach,

Bayern Munich’s end-of-season title celebrations have become a familiar sight in the last nine years

BOTTOM RIGHT: Andre Silva

FINAL TABLE

MOST GOALS

Bayern 78 RB Leipzig 65 Dortmund 64 Wolfsburg 61 Eintracht 60 Leverkusen 52 Union Berlin 50

Monchengladback 49 VfB Stuttgart 45 SC Freiburg 45 Hoffenheim 43 Mainz 39 Augsburg 36 Hertha 35 Arminia 35 Koln

33

Werder 31 Schalke 16

Champions League

Europa League

UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

Relegation

R. Lewandowski 41 Andre Silva 28 Erling Haaland 27 Wout Weghorst 20 Andrej Kramaric 20 Sasa Kalajdzic 16 Lars Stindl 14 Thomas Muller 11 S. Wamangituka 11 Lucas Alario 11

SCHALKE MADE HISTORY FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS’

Schalke had a torrid season that ended in relegation

but Bayern moved quickly to find a successor – and managed to hamper a rival in the process. Nagelsmann’s work with Hoffenheim and Leipzig had won him a host of admirers and it was not a surprise that he was identified by Bayern to succeed Flick. Jesse Marsch was drafted in from Red Bull Salzburg to take the Leipzig post. Bayern eventually ran away with the title but the Champions League race stayed tight until the very end. For Frankfurt, an historic chance was beckoning – Die Adler had never qualified for the competition and for much of the season it appeared Adi Hutter’s men, spearheaded by the goals of Portugal international Andre Silva, would secure their place in the tournament next season. But a heart-breaking loss to already-relegated Schalke meant that despite beating Freiburg in the final round, they missed out by a single point to Wolfsburg. Speaking of Schalke, that win over Frankfurt was a rare positive experience in a nightmare season. By the time they edged out Frankfurt in a 4-3 thriller, they had already been condemned to 2.Bundesliga. Die Königsblauen made history for all the wrong reasons – having five managers in one season was just the start of the disaster. Young American forward Matthew Hoppe was all that stood between Schalke and a distinctly unwanted record. Hoppe scored a hat-trick in the January 9 game against Hoffenheim as Schalke won 4-0. Then 20, Hoppe’s goals meant Schalke avoided a 31st straight defeat in the Bundesliga, which would have tied the record set by Tasmania Berlin during the 1965-66 season. Hoppe also became the first American to score a hat-trick in the Bundesliga and ended the season as Schalke’s top scorer – though three of his six goals came in that January game. Schalke were relegated on matchday 30, April 20. They had previously brought back veteran striker and fan favourite Klaas-Jan Huntelaar but a 1-0 reverse to Arminia Bielefeld saw Schalke relegated for the first time in 33 years. One record that did fall was for goals, and it was of course beaten by Robert Lewandowski. The Poland ace has had a bountiful career in Germany since bursting onto the scene with Borussia Dortmund in 2010, but he took it to new levels in 2020-21 and entered the history

BUNDESLIGA SUMMER TRANSFERS

Julian Nagelsmann nearly took RB Leipzig to the title – and next season will be in charge of the champions

Borussia Dortmund’s Norwegian starlet Erling Haaland has been taking up a lot of column inches and generating a lot of buzz since even before he wore the black and gold of BVB, and it’s only going to increase this summer. Given his agent is the prolific Mino Raiola, nothing less should be expected. Die Schwazgelben’s decision to bring in Marco Rose from Borussia Monchengladbach could then be viewed in the context of Haaland’s future – the two worked together at Red Bull Salzburg. While all angles would have been considered when picking a permanent successor to Lucien Favre, the relationship that exists between Rose and Dortmund’s star player couldn’t have gone unnoticed. Rose’s appointment is then a clear sign that Dortmund intend to keep Haaland at Signal Iduna Park, and the club have publically insisted they will not sell. For his part Haaland has made noises about respecting his contract, but time will tell if he is still a Dortmund player at the start of the 2021-22 season. Former Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski is always someone to follow closely and while it is expected he will have at least another year in Bayern Munich colours, there have been whispers that he will seek a new challenge

A record that stood for nearly 50 years was broken by Robert Lewandowski

books. Lewandowski scored 41 goals in 202021 to overtake a record set by the great Gerd Müller in the 1971-72 season, some 49 years ago. Der Bomber’s haul was predicted to stand for eternity as it seemed inconceivable that in the modern age, one player could surpass 40 league goals in a single season. Next on Lewi’s agenda is the individual record for being the season’s top scorer – Müller claimed seven Torjägerkanone prizes, and Lewandowski, 33 in mid-August, has six. Could he equal Müller in 2021-22? Perhaps. Few would put it past one of the most prolific strikers of his generation, but that’s to come. What’s for sure is that next season has a lot to live up to as, though 2020-21 may have ended in a familiar way, it was a year of broken records and twists and turns. The top three all have new coaches – Dortmund appointing Marco Rose from Gladbach to succeed interim boss Edin Terzic – and that brings a level of uncertainty rarely seen in German football. Bayern will still be the team to beat, but it’s all to play for in 2021-22.

instead. Turning 33 as the new season begins, Lewandowski still has years at the top level – but not that many of them. There’s little left for Lewandowski to do in German football. He’s already broken Gerd Müller’s nearly 50-year-old record for goals in a single season and has six Torjägerkanone trophies for being the season’s top scorer to his name. That’s one fewer than Der Bomber but Lewi has won the last four in a row, something Muller never achieved. Winning the Champions League was the main reason Lewandowski left Dortmund for Bayern in 2014, and he did that at the end of the 201920 season. This then could be his last chance to test himself elsewhere, and even in his early 30s there will be a queue of clubs happy to have him if he does seek a new opportunity.

ABOVE: Thomas Muller during a Champions League match

RIGHT: Jerome Boateng leaves Bayern

LEFT: Marco Reus

LEFT (OPPODITE PAGE): Could Erling Haaland be on the move this summer?

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2021-22

Experienced players leaving Bayern Munich and a new coach in the dugout means it’s hard to know what to expect from the champions – and it’s no clear at some of the Bundesliga’s other clubs…

Bayern Munich have a new coach, RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann, and are going for a tenth consecutive title. But Nagelsmann joins just as a trio of vastly experienced players leave – David Alaba, Javi Martinez and Jerome Boateng, all on free transfers as their contracts expire – and more could say auf wiedersehen to the Allianz Arena. Bayern have depth on the pitch, but they might be have lost some of their nous. Complacency creeping in is a major concern at Bayern after every title win – and other clubs that have dominated their domestic division and changed coach have suffered, including Juventus in Serie A in 2020-21. The Bianconeri were also going for a tenth consecutive league title and barely scraped fourth place. Nagelsmann is more experienced than Andrea Pirlo, but it’s a warning from across the Alps nonetheless. Nagelsmann’s replacement at Leipzig, Jesse Marsch, will be eager to make a big impression. He arrives on the back of a successful spell at Leipzig’s sister club, Red Bull Salzburg, where he became the first American to coach a team in the Champions League. He’ll link up with United States Men’s National Team youngster Tyler Adams, and how he rallies Leipzig’s hungry and ambitious team into another serious challenge to Bayern will be one of the stories to watch – particularly given that it is Nagelsmann who is now in charge in Munich. Leipzig have tried and tried to overtake Bayern and need to finally do it if they are to be seen as a real force, not serial pretenders. Borussia Dortmund’s new man in charge is Marco Rose, who was succeeded by Marsch at Salzburg in 2019 when he left for Borussia Monchengladbach. Rose takes over from interim boss Edin Terzic and BVB have taken a huge gamble on Rose, rather than sticking with Terzic, who led his team to Dortmund’s first DFB Pokal since 2017 but still stepped down. The onus is on Rose to repay Dortmund’s faith – with a genuine challenge for the Bundesliga title.