Category: Bundesliga

Three reasons to watch Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga opener

Can any team hope to slow Bayern down this season? We’ll start to find out on Friday

The 2022-23 Bundesliga season gets underway on Friday when defending champion Bayern Munich pays a visit to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayern has been unstoppable in the league for a decade, and will be looking to win an incredible 11th straight Bundesliga title this season.

Eintracht, meanwhile, enters the season with plenty of optimism after winning the Europa League last season and reaching the Champions League this term as a result.

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Can any team hope to slow Bayern down this season? We’ll start to find out on Friday. Here are three reasons why it’s worth tuning in, followed by more information about the game.

1. Mario Götze is back!

It’s hard to believe that Mario Götze only just turned 30 earlier this summer. The scorer of the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final has been around forever, going from wonderkid at Borussia Dortmund to big-money Bayern Munich signing, then back to Dortmund and, most recently, Dutch outfit PSV.

Götze is now back in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, joining the club along with a host of other new faces as it gears up for Champions League competition this season.

2. How will Bayern’s new faces fit in?

Yes, Robert Lewandowski has departed, but Bayern is arguably still stronger now than it was at the end of last season.

The main reason is the club’s two headline signings in the summer: Sadio Mané and Matthijs de Ligt, with Mané set to help fill the scoring void Lewandowski left behind.

Bayern also added a pair of up-and-comers from Ajax in Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch, as well as French wonderkid Mathys Tel. Suffice it to say, Julian Nagelsmann will still have a world of talent at his disposal in the post-Lewandowski era.

3. Does anybody stand a chance at dethroning Bayern?

The past decade has been glorious for Bayern, but there is genuine concern about the Bundesliga’s transformation into a monopoly.

The last non-Bayern champion of the league was Jurgen Klopp-led Borussia Dortmund in 2011-12. That is an eternity for one of the top leagues in the world.

The title won’t be decided in week one, of course, but Eintracht taking points from Bayern could provide an early-season boost to potential title challengers. Could the Bavarians, shorn of Lewandowski, be dethroned in 2022-23? It still seems unlikely, but the likes of Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and others will certainly be watching the opener closely.

When is Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich?

The match will kick off on Friday, August 5 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

How can I watch Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich?

The Bundesliga kickoff match will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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Robert Lewandowski returns to Bayern to say farewell, clear the air

Move along folks, nothing to see here!

Robert Lewandowski’s relationship with Bayern Munich has grown a bit testy in recent months.

The striker had been agitating to leave Bayern all summer before he completed a €50 million transfer to Barcelona in mid-July. Last week Lewandowski hit out at his former club, accusing them of lying about the reason he left.

With that backdrop, Lewandowski returned to Munich on Tuesday to bid farewell to his former teammates and staff. Bayern took the chance to try and smooth over what had until recently been an extremely productive relationship between the two sides.

WATCH: La Liga is live on ESPN+!  Get ESPN+

“It was nice of Robert to come by my office one last time,” Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn told the club’s official website. “We chatted about everything, left on good terms and will stay in contact in the future. Robert and FC Bayern was and is a special success story. We wish him all the best at FC Barcelona.”

Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic added: “Robert came into my office to say goodbye and we spoke for another 15 minutes. I addressed everything and we’ve cleared it all up. Robert achieved great things for FC Bayern, and that’s what should be remembered. He also knows how much he has to thank FC Bayern for. We’ve wished him all the best for his new challenge.”

As Lewandowski’s car sped away from Bayern’s offices, some observers let the striker know they hadn’t forgotten about his acrimonious departure – and attempted to let him know they will now be rooting for his new club’s bitter rivals.

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Jordan Pefok scored in his first official Union Berlin game, and it was a banger

There will be tougher opponents to come, but it’s always nice to score on your official debut

Jordan Pefok is among a myriad of U.S. national team forwards fighting for a spot on the World Cup roster.

An offseason move from Swiss side Young Boys to Union Berlin in the Bundesliga gave Pefok a major platform to make his case. Sure, he scored goals for fun in Switzerland, but it would be hard to ignore a forward routinely scoring in one of the world’s top leagues.

Bundesliga play hasn’t started yet but in his official debut for the club, Pefok got off to the best possible start with Union.

Facing fourth-tier Chemnitzer FC in the German cup on Monday, Pefok netted an acrobatic second-half goal to equalize.

There will be tougher opponents to come, but it’s always nice to score on your official debut.

Watch Pefok’s debut Union Berlin goal

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Robert Lewandowski to Bayern: Stop lying about me

Lewandowski says Bayern is making things up

Robert Lewandowski left Bayern Munich for Barcelona, but the emotions are still pretty raw, with the Poland striker criticizing his old club for providing fans with a “not true” explanation of why he left.

Speaking to ESPN, Lewandowski referred to “a lot of politics” being involved in how his final weeks at Bayern went down. “The club tried to find an argument why they can sell me to another club because before it was difficult to explain maybe to the fans. And I had to accept that even though it was a lot of bulls—, a lot of s— said about me. Not true, but in the end I knew that the fans, even in this period, still support me a lot.”

The 33 year old completed his transfer to Barcelona in mid-July, moving from Germany to Spain in a €50m move. The change of clubs came after Lewandowski announced his intention to depart, which he then reiterated numerous times.

Lewandowski pushed back against one rumor, which held that he left Bayern over their rumored pursuit of Erling Haaland, who ended up at Manchester City instead.

His push to leave had “nothing to do with Erling,” according to Lewandowski. “I don’t want to speak about what happened exactly. But if the question is if the decision to move was because of him? No, I didn’t see the problem if he joined Bayern Munich.”

Lewandowski wasn’t prepared to specify exactly who at Bayern had lied about him, but he did clarify that it wasn’t anyone within the squad. “I had a very good relationship with my teammates, with the staff, with the coach, and these are all things I’m going to miss because I spent a beautiful time there,” said Lewandowski. “We were not only friends from the pitch but also something more. But in the end this chapter is over and I open a new chapter in my life and a new chapter in my career.

“Some kind of people doesn’t say to me the truth, say something different. And for me it was always important to be clear, to stay true, and maybe for a few people that was the problem. And in the end I know that something doesn’t work well with my person as well and I knew that, OK I see and I feel that maybe it’s a good time to move out of Bayern Munich and join Barcelona.”

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Bayern Munich just dropped a shocking amount on a 17-year-old

The hype around Mathys Tel is real. Will it be justified?

Bayern Munich signing a promising teenager from France would have normally been a routine transaction, but the fee the German side paid for Mathys Tel made Monday’s transfer something different entirely.

Bayern paid Rennes an initial €20 million for the 17-year-old, with add-ons capable of taking the deal to €28.5m total.

Should Bayern pay the full amount for Tel, it would make him the most expensive 17-year-old of all time, surpassing Borussia Dortmund’s €25m outlay on Jude Bellingham in 2020.

So, will Tel live up to his fee?

Based on his track record of senior-team action, it’s impossible to say. Tel made his professional debut with Rennes last season but across 10 appearances, he played less than 100 minutes.

But it is at the youth level where Tel has marked himself as one of Europe’s best prospects. Earlier this season, he captained France’s Under-17 side to a European title, scoring three goals in the tournament.

Tel has been favorably compared to France legend Thierry Henry, due to his prolific scoring and his ability to break loose from defenders.

Still, even for a club of Bayern’s stature, paying nearly €30m for a teenager who is completely unproven at senior level is a major risk.

Perhaps Bayern looked at its Bundesliga rival Dortmund for inspiration. After paying a record fee for Bellingham, Dortmund now has one of the top midfielders in Europe who, at age 19, is likely worth at least four times what it paid.

Should Tel be anywhere near the value that Bellingham was, then Bayern may have a bargain on its hands.

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Mats Hummels has some refreshingly honest thoughts on his contract situation

Not even Mats Hummels thinks Mats Hummels deserves a new contract right now

Mats Hummels has said if he were running Borussia Dortmund, he would not give himself a new contract right now.

The veteran defender gave a refreshingly honest assessment of his current status with the Bundesliga giants as his deal enters its final season.

Hummels has long been considered one of the top defenders in Germany but he was limited to just 23 Bundesliga appearances last season. At age 33, the former Germany international has admitted he has a lot to prove going into the new season.

“I want to help the team and not be a burden,” Hummels told Ruhr Nachrichten. “I even recently said to sporting director Sebastian Kehl that if I were Dortmund, I wouldn’t be extending my contract at the moment. I think the relaxed attitude that both sides are showing is exactly right.”

Dortmund brought in two Germany international defenders in the offseason in Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle, which will provide Hummels with some strong competition. The veteran defender has said he’s embracing the challenge.

“I’m a huge fan of competition,” Hummels said. “I think the people who can be too sure of their place very often don’t manage to tease the last percent out of themselves.

“We brought in a lot of outstanding guys – for the team, but also for the team spirit. A lot of things were dealt with really well.”

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Nagelsmann, Davies looking forward to ‘new Bayern Munich’ after Lewandowski’s departure

Without Lewandowski, Nagelsmann has plans to play two up top

Bayern Munich took the field on a sweltering day in Washington, DC, training and signing autographs at Audi Field Tuesday evening ahead of a Wednesday friendly against D.C. United.

New addition Sadio Mané was well-received, and fans serenaded Thomas Müller, but the major topic of the day was someone nowhere near the District. In the stands, Robert Lewandowski jerseys were arguably the most popular kit choice, and in a press conference just before the session, head coach Julian Nagelsmann and Canada star Alphonso Davies were both asked about the towering striker, who only just departed for Barcelona.

Nagelsmann brought Lewandowski up himself in discussing one of Bayern’s new recruits, defender Matthijs de Ligt (who, despite having just flown in to join the team, could possibly play Wednesday).

“We have to compensate that we miss probably 40 goals next season,” Nagelsmann told a packed media room. “We have a lot of players who can score goals, but we also need defending players who can score goals and Matthijs also has the capability to do to this.”

“It’s devastating, him leaving the club. He was a big, big part of this team,” added Davies. “It’s tough to see him go, but we understand his decision and we have to address it and play without him now. So I’m sure we have quality on the pitch, we’re able to do it as well.”

Nagelsmann openly indicated that a leading possibility for Bayern’s adjustment without Lewandowski is to play with two forwards rather than a three-man front line with a lone center forward.

“One of the solutions to compensate the 40 goals, we have the idea sometimes to play with two strikers,” said Nagelsmann, who expressed a desire to have more of a set formation after admitting he changed the team from that angle too often in 2021-22. “This season, probably will be solution to play with two forwards.”

Nagelsmann, who said he was particularly pleased with how Bayern played out of a 3-5-2 formation last season, and Davies both highlighted the fact that it’s not just about formation, but what kind of service Bayern’s forwards get.

“I think we have a lot of players who could play forward and think it’s not that easy to defend it. They can move quickly behind, between the defense lines of the opponents, between the midfield and defense lines,” explained the second-year Bayern boss. “It’s not that easy to get man-on-man coverage against our forwards. So I think our movement will be very dangerous for the opponent’s goal.”

“Whoever plays up there, whether it’s Sadio or whoever it is, we try to feed them the ball,” said Davies. “Sadio, he’s not as big as Lewandowski, but he has the strength to hold up the ball, make plays. He’s definitely quicker than Lewy, so balls in behind, I think that’s a little bit new for for the wingers.”

Nagelsmann had a positive spin on losing Lewandowski, which centered on the fact that teams knew where Bayern was going to go in the attacking third, and that his team can be a bit less predictable this year.

“When play against Bayern Munich, you know that you try to solve the situation with Lewy, and when you get a good man-on-man coverage against Lewy, it was a bit easier to play against Bayern Munich. Now, it’s not that easy to find the best solution—when I talk about the opponents—to defend us,” said Nagelsmann.

“We’ll have a good solution for the future… I look forward to see the new Bayern Munich, after Lewy.”

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FC Köln’s body cam footage is breathtaking, nauseating

It feels like a video game. But it’s real!

FC Köln offered fans a view inside a game that has rarely, if ever, been seen, as it strapped a body camera on defender Timo Hübers for its friendly against AC Milan on Saturday.

We’ve seen MLS used body cam’s on referees before during its All-Star Game, but this may be the first time that actual players have worn the equipment during a game.

The footage was at time breathtaking. Early on Ante Rebić can be seen up close giving a casual backheel pass to Olivier Giroud, who lifts the ball up over the goalkeeper to score with Hübers chasing on helplessly.

At times the footage can feel like a viewer is strapped to an out-of-control rollercoaster and unable to get off, watching their avatar’s arms pumping wildly in front of them.

Whatever your view on the technology, the body cam footage provides a field-level view that gives an up-close glimpse of just how fast and physical the sport can be.

Could we see this in the regular season next?

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Sadio Mané departs Liverpool for Bayern Munich

Mané’s trading one red kit for another

Sadio Mané’s move to Bayern Munich is officially done, with the Senegal forward making his move away from Liverpool complete on Wednesday.

Bayern are reported to have paid somewhere around $35 million for Mané, with the 30 year old bolstering an attack that may lose Robert Lewandowski this summer.

“Obviously it is strange – really, really strange – to no longer be a Liverpool player after six years spent at Anfield,” said Mané in a statement to Liverpool’s club site. “But of course I had a great time, an unbelievable time.”

In a statement on Bayern’s site, CEO and club legend Oliver Kahn praised Mané’s track record. “With his outstanding performances and his great successes at the highest international level over many years, there are very few players like him in the world,” said Kahn. “We’re sure that Sadio Mané will delight our fans in the coming years with his spectacular style of play. He’s ambitious and eager to win more titles.”

In his time at Liverpool, Mané was prolific, scoring 120 goals and adding 48 assists in 269 total appearances with the Reds. He was a regular for Liverpool sides that won a Premier League title, the FA Cup, the League Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. He also won the Golden Boot in the Premier League in 2018-19, and was the 2019 African Footballer of the Year.

How does Mané impact Bayern?

Lewandowski’s reported determination to force a move to Barcelona leaves an obvious hole in Bayern’s attack. Mané did spend most of his final weeks at Liverpool playing as a center forward, but his playing style is much different from Lewandowski’s, so it’s not simply a one-for-one.

However, with Bayern, there’s a deep supply of wide forwards as well, with Leroy Sané, Serge Gnabry, and Kingsley Coman all making over 30 appearances for the club last year. Thomas Müller was second on the entire team in minutes played, largely in the hole underneath Lewandowski, while 19-year-old attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala is also a player of growing importance.

The fact that Sané can play several positions complicates things, but in a good way. Julian Nagelsmann has the option of Sané leading the line in a different fashion from Lewandowski if the Poland striker does in fact move on, adding more speed to allow Bayern to make games more transition-oriented, but playing most of his minutes on the left remains a major possibility.

Robert Lewandowski: My era at Bayern Munich is over

The superstar striker has been linked with a move to Barcelona

Robert Lewandowski has confirmed his intention to leave Bayern Munich, saying in no uncertain terms that he believes his time at the club is over.

Speaking at a press conference with the Poland national team on Monday, the 33-year-old made it clear he does not intend to play another game for the Bundesliga champions.

“My era at Bayern is over. I don’t see any possibility to continue playing for this club anymore,” the striker said.

“Bayern is a serious club and I believe they won’t keep me just because they can. I don’t want to play there anymore. A transfer is the best solution. I hope they don’t stop me.”

Lewandowski will see his contract expire at the end of next season, meaning Bayern would have to agree to sell him if he wishes to leave this summer.

Where could Lewandowski go?

The superstar forward has been linked with a move to several clubs across Europe, but Barcelona has recently emerged as the most likely destination after manager Xavi confirmed that negotiations over a transfer were underway.

“It is a possibility that he could come, yes,” Xavi said at a press conference earlier this month.

“He has said it publicly as well. There are negotiations, but it won’t be easy, he has a one-year contract with Bayern.”

The striker was asked about a move to Barcelona on Sunday by Eleven Sports, responding: “It depends on several factors. I think my situation is clear and there’s no point in talking about it. It’s hard to say if I will still play for Bayern next season.”

Lewandowski has just finished another stellar goal-scoring season, tallying 50 goals from 46 games in all competitions.

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