Domain Registration

Bundesliga clubs, players, wunderkinds and coaches: A guide to the coronavirus restart

  • May 13, 2020

It will require disinfection every so often, but the ball is set to roll once again in the Bundesliga this weekend. 

With almost every other top-flight football league either on hiatus or abandoned for the season due to the coronavirus, the Bundesliga seems certain to draw in a few new TV spectators who may soon become fans. With that in mind, here’s a rundown of what you can expect.

The title contenders

Bayern Munich’s run of seven consecutive titles has led some to dismiss the Bundesliga as a boring one-horse race. While that’s been difficult to dispute in some recent seasons, it certainly has not been the case this term. Bayern struggled early and sacked coach Niko Kovac, allowing Borussia Mönchengladbach to fly out of the blocks into an early lead.  Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig have also topped the table, but both now trail Bayern after the champions enjoyed a resurgence under new boss Hansi Flick. 

But just six points separate those four clubs and none of them are the finished article. Bayern have the advantage and the experience but have shown vulnerability. Dortmund are flaky but have the best array of young attacking talent in the world. RB Leipzig are inexperienced but full of exuberance, pace and purpose. Gladbach are a work in progress but capable of capitalizing on any slip-ups.

Read more: Opinion: RB Leipzig are top of the Bundesliga, and that’s not a good thing

Two points off that group, Bayer Leverkusen are arguably the league’s most gung ho side and have already beaten Bayern and Dortmund, but they remain inconsistent.

The overachievers

Union Berlin’s raucous fan base and direct, effective football have helped them close in on safety in their first season at the top, much to the surprise of many observers. 

Freiburg continue to overachieve and win hearts thanks to their Black Forest location and down-to-earth, philosopher-cum-coach Christian Streich. Cologne, who’ve yo-yoed wildly between the top two divisions of late, found a run of form thanks partly to the suddenly-prolific Jhon Cordoba.

The underachievers

After Hamburg’s proud record of never having being relegated was ended the season before last, their “Nordderby” rivals Werder Bremen are in danger of following suit. The Green and Whites sit eight points from safety and four from the relegation playoff spot (Germany has a two-legged tie between the third-bottom team in the Bundesliga and the third-top team in the second tier at the end of the season) despite an encouraging 2018-19 and a talented squad.

Hertha Berlin are more likely to survive but have become a circus despite a financial windfall. The 76-day reign of Jürgen Klinsmann, the suspension of Salomon Kalou for breaching coronavirus safety guidelines and more media leaks than points have them looking over their shoulders. 

The stars of the season — so far

With a scoring rate better than a goal a game (25 goals, one every 82 minutes) , Robert Lewandowski would normally stand alone as the league’s top scorer. But RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner has almost matched the Bayern man, with a strike every 97 minutes (23 goals in total).

Where Lewandowski relies on movement, composure and power, Werner is about instinct and speed. But new kid on the block Erling Haaland looks to combine all those attributes, and his nine goals have come in just 509 minutes — one every 57 minutes.

In wide areas, Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and Bayern’s Serge Gnabry have both kicked on even further this year. Both are decisive, intelligent, rapid, direct and thrilling and drive their respective teams forward. 

Suat Serdar has enjoyed a strong season so far with Schalke

Away from the big two, Filip Kostic, an excellent crosser with a sweet left foot, has excelled for Eintracht Frankfurt. Meanwhile, Suat Serdar, a throwback box-to-box midfielder with a deft touch, has impressed enough at Schalke to win a Germany call-up.

Sebastian Andersson’s aerial power has been critical to Union, while Wout Weghorst has been an equally effective target man for Wolfsburg.

The wunderkinds

If Sancho, Haaland and Werner aren’t enough for you, don’t fret. With less cash sloshing about than other leagues, the Bundesliga has become one of the best stages for young talent to develop.

Canadian Alphonso Davies,19, has been an unexpected revelation at left back for Bayern Munich, seemingly capable of covering that whole flank on his own. RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano, 21, is one of Europe’s most sought-after central defenders.

Kai Havertz, a gliding, gifted playmaker who is just 20 years old, has started to find his best form again at Leverkusen. The “Werkself” also have Moussa Diaby, a 20-year-old electric attacking talent, and 21-year-old defender Edmond Tapsoba, who made a big impact in a short amount of time following his arrival in January.

Gladbach have Denis Zakaria, an astute 23-year-old holding midfielder with an incredible engine, and 22-year-old forward Marcus Thuram, the son of World Cup winner Lilian Thuram.

The coaches

If some of the talent on the pitch is young and inexperienced, so too are several of the men in the dugouts.

Julian Nagelsmann took the Hoffenheim job at 29 and transformed them. Now 32, he’s got Leipzig firmly in contention at home and impressing in the Champions League, with a comfortable two-legged victory over Spurs coming just before play halted in Europe.

Marco Rose, 43, has also started brightly with Gladbach, imposing his style early on.

Julian Nagelsmann is one of Europe’s youngest bosses

Bayern’s Hansi Flick isn’t so young but is thriving in his first real crack at a high profile job. The unassuming former assistant, 55, was part of the Germany setup when they won the World Cup in 2014 and has turned it around at Bayern, revitalizing Thomas Müller in particular.

Dortmund’s Lucien Favre is the longest-serving and most experienced of the men challenging at the top, but some doubts remain about his organizational skills and ability to cope under pressure.

Old hands Christian Streich and Markus Gisdol of Cologne are also making a case for experience, while Bremen’s Florian Kohfeldt and Steffen Baumgart, of bottom club Paderborn, are living off last season with their clubs the bottom two.

The missing fans

Though more substitutions may be allowed, teams will arrive separately and all the pregame rituals will be abandoned, it’ll unquestionably be the absence of fans that’ll be the most noticeable change come the weekend — particularly with Dortmund hosting Schalke in the “Ruhrderby,” one of the country’s most passionate rivalries.

While the fans are a critical part of the game in any league, it’s particularly true in the Bundesliga. Relatively low ticket prices, close ties between clubs and fans and social activism are among the factors that make many German stadiums attractive to visit for fans both from the country and further afield.

A so-called “Geisterspiel,” or “ghost game,” between Cologne and Gladbach on March 11, just before the league stopped, gave us a taste of matches without atmosphere. It’s football, but not as we know it.  

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    Mr. Treble

    Nothing else left to win! Bayern Munich’s 2013 treble was the greatest achievement in the club’s illustrious history, and perhaps in Jupp Heynckes’ career too as they won the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    Goodbye football (for now)!

    One, two, three – and out! After winning the treble, the then 68-year-old Heynckes hung up his coaching boots. “I want to have some privacy for the time being,” he said. “I want to enjoy my life and I don’t intend to coach again.”

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    Goalscorer

    In his heyday in the 70s, Heynckes (second from right) was one of Germany’s most prolific strikers. His goals fired Borussia Mönchengladbach to four Bundesliga titles, the German Cup and the UEFA Cup. He also won the Bundesliga golden boot twice.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    World and European champion

    Heynckes had international success, too. He won the European Championship in 1972 followed by the World Cup in 1974 in West Germany.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    Coaching success

    Heynckes took on his first coaching role with Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1979 and took over at Bayern Munich for the first time in 1989, winning the Bundesliga in his first two seasons.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    Friendship

    Heynckes was dismissed by Bayern in 1991, a decision which club president Uli Hoeness, then team manager, later called “the biggest mistake” of his career. Since then, the two men have been bound by a deep friendship and Heynckes has responded to Hoeness’ call on more than one occasion.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    Fired as a champion

    Heynckes won his first international title as a coach with Real Madrid in 1998 when he led the Spanish giants to Champions League glory, beating Juventus 1-0 in the final. Despite the triumph, “Donn Jupp” was still sacked.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    European champion again

    After a short spell as caretaker coach in 2009 between Jürgen Klinsmann and Louis van Gaal, Heynckes took over Bayern Munich again on a permament basis in 2011. Two years later, he lifted the Champions League trophy for a second time after his team beat Borussia Dortmund in an all-German final at Wembley.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    Flying high

    In the 2013 German Cup final, coach Jupp Heynckes led Bayern Munich to a 3-2 win over Stuttgart to seal an historic treble. It was clear then the players knew who to thank for masterminding their success.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    Over 1,000 Bundesliga matches

    Heynckes has experienced more Bavarian beer showers than most – here being soaked by Anatoli Timoschtschuk. In Bayern’s all-conquering treble season in 2012-13, he broke the magic 1,000 mark for Bundesliga appearances as both player and coach.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    FIFA World Coach of the Year

    After winning the treble with Bayern and going into what turned out to be a temporary retirement, Heynckes was crowned FIFA World Coach of the Year 2013. And you’d be hard pressed to find someone who thought it wasn’t well deserved.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    One last hurrah

    Heynckes came back for his fourth stint at Bayern Munich when Carlo Ancelotti was sacked early in the 2017-18 season. Although Bayern lost in Europe in the semifinals and were surprisingly beaten by Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Cup final, Heynckes secured yet another Bundesliga title. Uli Hoeness wanted him to stay, but Heynckes retired properly this time, waving goodbye one last time.

  • Jupp Heynckes: Portrait of a legend

    Heynckes critical in retirement

    Heynckes turned 75 in 2020 and in his retirement has become more outspoken. He admitted he has thought about joining a climate change protest, that he hopes for more solidarity in light of the coronavirus and that it’s time football moved away from buying star players, saying the development in football had become “immoral.”

    Author: Stefan Nestler


Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/bundesliga-clubs-players-wunderkinds-and-coaches-a-guide-to-the-coronavirus-restart/a-53394297?maca=en-rss-en-sports-1027-xml-atom

Related News

Search

Get best offer

Booking.com
%d bloggers like this: