Meister against Europa League champion, Sadio Mané against Mario Götze – and the ailing Manuel Neuer is probably fit in time for the sizzling opening duel between FC Bayern and Eintracht Frankfurt. Julian Nagelsmann was already tingling before the opening game of the 60th Bundesliga season, which was broadcast in over 200 countries.
The day before the start of the league, the Bayern coach was only marginally concerned with the amusing “Who-the-fuck-is-Mané?” almost 150 million euros reinforced star ensembles in sight.
“You can see and feel throughout the club that we are very happy to be champions – but we still crave more,” Nagelsmann announced the Munich motto for an unusual anniversary season with a long World Cup winter break and English weeks en masse. The starting signal this Friday (8.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga, on Sat.1 and DAZN) – finally a start again without corona restrictions – should inspire fans right away for a season for which most of the longingly missed excitement in the championship fight.
Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig or maybe a surprise team à la Frankfurt want to end Munich’s impressive title series of ten championships in a row. “We’re playing at home, in a packed stadium, against the German champions. Overall, it’s a very nice constellation,” said Germany’s World Cup hero Götze (30) before the reunion against the former club, where he was not happy from 2013 to 2016.
Sadio Mané versus Mario Gotze
New Bundesliga stars are being sought after the departures of world footballer Robert Lewandowski and BVB striker Erling Haaland. As two new eye-catchers in the league, Bayern’s top striker Mané and the 2014 World Cup winning goal scorer Götze meet right at the start. “He’s a very good player and a very good transfer for Eintracht Frankfurt, which is good for the Bundesliga. He’s also a child of the Bundesliga,” said Nagelsmann. Even when he wasn’t in the league, he “repeatedly” had contact with Götze.
“We’ll see a Mario Götze with a lot of enthusiasm and in great shape,” predicted Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner and, with the confidence of a Europa League winner, “doesn’t want to hoist the white flag” against Bayern. “The whole world is watching. We want to live up to that.”
President Fischer expressed himself a little more briskly than Glasner, but qualified his statement “Who the fuck is Mané?” made in an RTL/ntv interview. “Everyone knows that I also have a great passion for Liverpool FC. So, just for fun, I said “who the hell is Mané” in English. I know it. A damn good striker, a win for the Bundesliga. We are very much looking forward to this encounter: full of respect and motivation.”
Nagelsmann smiled when asked about it. “I don’t know the context. If it’s funny, everything’s okay,” said the 35-year-old – and took a relaxed sip from his coffee cup. “I don’t think that’s going to completely throw Sadio off track,” Nagelsmann joked.
After the press conference, Nagelsmann strolled past Thomas Müller, who was just having lunch. Not there: The newcomer, who was recently pausing due to a gastrointestinal illness, who therefore also skipped the final training session. The 36-year-old world goalkeeper should travel to Hesse with the coaches and not with the team “to exercise a certain amount of caution,” explained Nagelsmann.
However, the Bayern coach is planning to use his captain – otherwise Sven Ulreich would be in goal, as he was in February and March after Neuer’s knee surgery. The Munich team will have to do without Leon Goretzka and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting after injuries, as well as Kingsley Coman, who was suspended from the previous season. Bayern’s new and 17-year-old storm jewel Mathys Tel is eligible to play. Matthijs de Ligt, who has been chosen as the new chief of defense, could start right from the start.
The Supercup spectacle between Bayern and RB Leipzig at 5: 3 made a lot of desire for the memorable season that was interrupted for more than two months from mid-November. In league game one after Lewandowski, the Munich team in Leipzig increased concerns about another year of overwhelming dominance with their offensive power around Mané and super dribbler Jamal Musiala. However, their defensive weaknesses also raised hopes among the competition. “Basically, we don’t take three goals as collateral damage,” said Nagelsmann.
Both opponents, who have already had a few special duels in the Frankfurt Cup victory in 2018, a 5-1 for Eintracht in 2019 at the end of Niko Kovac’s term or a 5-0 for Munich in 2020, also want a good start to the league pick up the pace for the Champions League season that begins in early September.
“We have a top squad! Everyone who is there is dying to go one step further and win more titles than last season,” said Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn. That would be to the liking of single winner Nagelsmann: “I would also like to take a picture like this where there are more things on it.”
