OneFootball
Lewis Ambrose·31 July 2019
OneFootball
Lewis Ambrose·31 July 2019
Bayern Munich are going for a sensational eighth successive Bundesliga title but have they done enough in the transfer market?
And even if they have, how will they fare in Europe?
Here’s a look ahead to their season, which kicks off with the Supercup this weekend.
Club icons Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben have departed. So has Rafinha, while Mats Hummels was sold to Borussia Dortmund.
There have been some signings, too. Club record addition €70m Lucas Hernandez should add some pace to the backline, while Benjamin Pavard (€35m) will cover centre-back and right-back.
Still, the team looks really thin in midfield and on the wings. Maybe Leroy Sané will arrive?
The Champions League.
Bayern have lost huge players and huge personalities but the expectations at the Allianz Arena will not change – the treble is always the aim.
Last season saw the club fall out of the Champions League to eventual winners Liverpool at the round of 16.
It was just the second time since 2007 they haven’t made the quarter-finals at least and it will have to change.
It’s hard to look beyond Kingsley Coman, who is charged with replacing two legends.
But he could absolutely do it. The Frenchman just needs to stay fit and he could tear the Bundesliga apart.
There are a few – Lars Lukas Mai and Joshua Zirzkee spring to mind – who have big futures but this season is probably a year too soon.
It shouldn’t, though, come too soon for Jann-Fiete Arp. The 19-year-old striker, who joins from Hamburg, could go straight in as Robert Lewandowski’s backup thanks to a lack of squad depth.
An excellent team player, he could announce himself given the chance.
Home: 6/10
Away: 8/10
It’s Leon Goretzka’s second season at the club, Thiago was incredible in 2018/19 and Corentin Tolisso is finally back from injury.
That could be one hell of a midfield three if they click.
Reliable players like Manuel Neuer, Jérôme Boateng, Thomas Müller are all another year older and already look to have declined a little.
They weren’t their old selves last season and, as Bayern transition into a new era, Dortmund and Leipzig are waiting to pounce.
Bundesliga: 1st Champions League: Quarter-finals DFB Pokal: Semi-finals DFL Supercup: Winners