The Bundesliga gets going again on Friday evening. The match between champions Bayern Munich and Schalke 04 is the opener of the new season in Germany. What can Bundesliga fans expect this season? Sporza asked Bundesliga expert and football commentator Luc van Doorslaer.
“Bayern is the favorite, no one will be surprised”
Will we have another Bayern-Dortmund battle this season? “Last season we had a bit of a struggle with the three of us”, Luc van Doorslaer remarks. “After all, Leipzig was the autumn champion. But Bayern is of course again the title favorite. That will surprise no one.”
“Mercenary Ivan Perisic has been replaced by Leroy Sané, which is certainly a reinforcement. Coutinho has returned to Barcelona, but that is hardly a loss. He played little.”
“The departure of Thiago is a different matter. In the beginning he did not play under Flick very often, but he was strong in the Champions League apotheosis in Lisbon.”
“David Alaba has also still not renewed his contract, by the way. Should both Thiago and Alaba still disappear, Bayern will have to think about how to compensate for the departure of two European top players.”
“For the time being you will hear few names of possible successors mentioned. Although Bayern has already managed to suddenly unpack a major transfer in the past. They will not let a possible departure of a strong holder just happen.”
Defending champion Bayern is again the big favorite.
“Bayern is European top, the rest is European second top”
Dortmund seems to be the main challenger for Bayern. “It is to be hoped that Dortmund or Leipzig can compete with Bayern for longer. But Bayern is European top. The competition is European sub-top. The difference is still quite large”, Van Doorslaer thinks.
Leizpig had to let go of top scorer Timo Werner. “It is a pity that such a trendsetter is leaving the Bundesliga, just like Kai Havertz at Leverkusen. So you see that the Bundesliga is still inferior to the Premier League in terms of money.”
“I think it’s a shame that the top players from the 2nd league in Europe are going to the 1st league. On the other hand: there is so much talent in Germany that we will probably have discovered a few new guys at the end of the season.”
Meunier is a great football player, but he has to replace someone stronger than him with Hakimi. That in itself is not reinforcement for Dortmund.
What can we expect from Dortmund and its 3 Red Devils? “Thorgan Hazard, Thomas Meunier and Axel Witsel will of course play a lot”, expects Luc van Doorslaer.
“Meunier is an excellent football player, but with Hakimi he has to replace someone even stronger than he, certainly offensive. That in itself is not a reinforcement. A moral reinforcement is that Jadon Sancho has stayed. Everyone had expected that the Englishman would leave.”
“With the youngsters Reinier and Bellingham, Dortmund has again achieved 2 top talents. They are happy to do that. Those guys have plenty of talent and are world leaders in the making. If it succeeds, Dortmund has strengthened itself, but it is always a bit of a risk.”
Dortmund took the English top talent Jude Bellingham away from Birmingham.
“Hertha has the core to compete for European football”
There are also some famous people around in the Bundesliga. “Koen Casteels has been doing very well at Wolfsburg for many years. He is seen as one of the best goalkeepers in Germany, the number 4 or 5. You can rely on him. He will always reach a very solid level. “
“Sebastiaan Bornauw was a pleasant surprise at Cologne last season. He did very well and scored regularly. Hopefully it stays that way. “
At Hertha Berlin you have Dedryck Boyata in Dodi Lukebakio. “I hope for Hertha that it can compete for the European places. A city like Berlin deserves that.”
“I would be pleased if Boyata and Lukebakio and everything around them had a good season, although I also have my doubts. They were immediately eliminated in the German Cup. However, Hertha does have a core to compete for European football. “
“At the Schalke van Benito Raman they have to be very careful. Things can go terribly wrong there. The club has apparently been very poorly managed in recent years and is in serious trouble. There are hardly any resources left. If things go against you, I fear that they will end up in the 2nd half of the classification and hopefully not even deeper for them. “
Dodi Lukebakio
“3 or 5 switches doesn’t change very much”
Football players have a particularly busy schedule next season and so in the Bundesliga it is still allowed to change 5 times per game. “The big clubs were certainly not against that”, says Luc van Doorslaer.
“Of course they have the largest centers, but also the busiest program. There was little protest from the other clubs.”
“Even without that measure, not much would change. It is not the case that with only 3 changes a smaller club would suddenly compete with Bayern or Dortmund.”
“But the difference between, say, the top 5 and the rest could perhaps become a bit bigger. The Bundesliga was a bit known for everyone to be able to win against everyone. Maybe that element is now being toned down a bit and that would be a shame. “
It is not the case that with only 3 substitutions a smaller club would suddenly compete with Bayern or Dortmund.
“A small amount of spectators in Bundesliga”
What impact will the corona virus have this season? “For the Bundesliga it is of course an advantage that they were the first to start again after the corona break. Those players have had at least a few weeks extra holiday, except for the players who played the Champions League in Lisbon in August. . “
“One of the most attractive things about the Bundesliga is of course that they have the fullest stadiums in Europe, maybe even in the world. It’s a big difference to have to watch games without an audience.”
“In Germany they are gradually starting to allow spectators to enter again. That is decided more or less regionally, but in consultation with the federal states. About 20% of the stadium capacity will be allowed. At a stadium for 80,000 people. spectators that is already something. “
“Hopefully that will change soon. On television that will be adjusted with supporter sound, but that remains a bit artificial. It is always nice when the fans are actually in the stadium, especially in the Bundesliga.”