It wasn’t even a month ago that it looked as if the almost eternal transfer epic of this hot Munich summer had finally come to an appropriately dramatic end. Robert Lewandowski left the parking lot at the FC Bayern office in a red sports car to play for FC Barcelona from now on, and he spoke his parting words out of the open window into the Sky microphone. He can now go on with a “clean heart”, and he has also made peace with the officials in Munich. He will always carry the Munich fans in his heart.
Lewandowski has since celebrated his 34th birthday and scored the first goals for Barça, and has started the new chapter of his career well. But the old one will now be opened again at the earliest possible time: Bayern and Barcelona together in Group C, that was the result of the draw for the Champions League main round on Thursday evening. Continued drama should be taken care of. The newspaper Sport In any case, from Barcelona wrote on Friday: “The new double duel will be an opportunity to settle scores. And Lewandowski will certainly be anxious to conjure up a smile from Kahn’s face.”
Oliver Kahn, the CEO of Bayern, who had heralded the tough negotiations in May with his “Basta” about a change, which was ultimately lucrative from a Munich point of view, was caught grinning by the cameras in Istanbul on Thursday evening when the encounter with Barcelona was certain . On the criticism from Spain – “Kahn scoffed at Barça”, wrote Sport – he responded via Bild-Zeitung: “This interpretation is really completely out of thin air. Robert Lewandowski switched from us to FC Barcelona just a few weeks ago – now the lot brings us back together in the group stage of the Champions League. I have such oddities of football smiled.”
Nagelsmann says Lewandowski “earned” the applause of Bayern fans
Julian Nagelsmann had already learned that Barcelona listens carefully when someone talks about Barça at FC Bayern. After Lewandowski’s transfer, the coach said about the financial management of the highly indebted Catalans: “It’s the only club in the world that has no money but buys any player he wants.” Whereupon Barça President Joan Laporta replied: “Everyone should take care of their own things.”
When the draw was also discussed in the press conference for the Bundesliga game against Mönchengladbach on Friday, at least this argument was not continued. Nagelsmann said he had to think of “Murphy’s Law”. So anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Jamal Musiala is fit again, but has no starting XI guarantee for Bayern’s game against Gladbach.
(Photo: Christof Stache/AFP)
He called the group, in which Inter Milan and Viktoria Pilsen are still waiting as opponents, “certainly the most demanding”. But for the reunion with Lewandowski he hopes for harmonious framework conditions. “I think there is applause,” said Nagelsmann: “I would like our fans to welcome him the way they celebrated him after goals.” Because: “He deserves it, regardless of whether the farewell was great from the fan’s point of view or not.”
Until then, it will probably be the most demanding task for the coach to keep as many professionals in the Munich squad in the best of spirits. It’s a challenge, he said, “to get the players used to the fact that it’s normal not to play, even if you’ve played well before.” In the attacking positions, at least, it should have become a little easier with the departure of Lewandowski, who was always thinking about his regular place. Even Jamal Musiala, so far the outstanding Munich offensive player and injured in the 7-0 win in Bochum, has no starting XI guarantee against Gladbach. “These,” said Nagelsmann, “no one has.”
