German Bundesliga 2022/2023

Il Drago

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Bundesliga is starting tonight at Frankfurt with Eintracht hosting Bayern so it's time for a new thread.

Bundesliga 2022-23 season preview - Everything you need to know ahead of the new German football season​


On Friday, football fans around the world will hear the familiar hymn of the Bundesliga once again, when champions Bayern Munich meet Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt to start the 2022-23 season. Coaches have swapped dugouts, players have departed, others have arrived with much fanfare, and the question of whether Bayern can be challenged for the title this year remains controversial.

Before the action gets underway, though, let's look back at what you might've missed since the 2021-22 campaign came to a close in May, and dissect some of the biggest storylines worth following as the 2022-23 season begins to unfold.

Bayern have changed, and for the better​

A disgruntled striker dominated the first few weeks of this summer, as Robert Lewandowski did not hide his intention to leave Bayern Munich. While Bayern and Barcelona negotiated a deal behind closed doors, fans were worried about the record champions' prospects for the upcoming season. No glances at the history books are required to deduce how important Lewandowski had been to Bayern in recent years. He scored 98 goals in the past two seasons alone and was especially crucial as the team's rescuing anchor if things didn't go their way.

While Lewandowski eventually exited in July, Bayern's hierarchy used that time to secure deals for the immediate future. With the signing of Sadio Mane, the German champions once again scored a real steal in the transfer market. Mane has been one of the Premier League's most exciting players for almost a decade. Without the Senegal international, Liverpool wouldn't have been as successful as they were domestically and internationally.
While Mane is not a like-for-like replacement for Lewandowski, the 30-year-old offers Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann the chance to execute some of the tactical ideas he has had in mind since his arrival in Munich in 2021. First glimpses of the new Bayern team were visible in the German Supercup match against RB Leipzig, which Bayern won 5-3. Mane and Serge Gnabry played together up front and were almost impossible for Leipzig's defence to manage, considering neither acted as an obvious target player and were free to drift around the attacking third, pressing relentlessly whenever Bayern lost possession.

The Supercup game also saw Nagelsmann bring on €67 million signing Matthijs de Ligt as well as the two Ajax academy graduates in Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui. Oh, and 17-year-old striker Mathys Tel from Stade Rennais has also just arrived in Bavaria, with Nagelsmann predicting that the young Frenchman could one day score 40 goals in a season.

Whoever thought that Bayern might go into decline after Lewandowski's departure will be in for a surprise, because Bayern look better than they did last season.

There's no talent exodus this year​

While Bayern are always expected to leave their mark on the transfer market due to their financial might, the other 17 Bundesliga clubs usually suffer a dip in quality during the summer transfer window. Coaches and sporting directors have become creative in finding replacements and discovering new talent to fill the voids, but the fact remains that they're often largely powerless to keep hold of their best players.

This summer was different, though. Erling Haaland has been the only major player who left one of the 17 non-Bayern clubs, with others opting against moves to England or Spain. Surprisingly, Christopher Nkunku, the highly touted Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate who was elected the Bundesliga's Player of the Season for 2021-22, decided to extend his contract with Leipzig until 2026. Reports suggest that no buyout clause was included in his new contract.

Florian Wirtz, the 19-year-old attacking wizard at Bayer Leverkusen, also extended his contract -- his running until 2027. The Germany international is recovering from a cruciate ligament tear, which might have influenced his decision to commit to Bayer for longer than initially planned. Many expected Wirtz to follow in the footsteps of former Leverkusen wunderkind Kai Havertz and go abroad rather quickly.

The extensions of Nkunku and Wirtz are a signal to the rest of the league and the continent: It's no longer a foregone conclusion that every highly skilled player in Germany under the age of 25 has to go to Bayern, Borussia Dortmund or the biggest clubs elsewhere in Europe.

Still, some sides had to contend with the departures of key players. Union Berlin lost goal scorer Taiwo Awoniyi, and Mainz moved on from captain Moussa Niakhate. Both have joined Nottingham Forest, who seemingly have an appetite for Bundesliga players, considering the newly promoted Premier League side also signed Orel Mangala from VfB Stuttgart.

These three have been the exception rather than the rule in this summer's transfer window, which is a welcome change for fans of German football.

The coaching carousel continues to spin​

Coaches might start calling the day following the end of each Bundesliga season "Black Sunday," because on that day (or the days immediately following), a few of them are usually shown the door. It was no different in 2022, with Markus Weinzierl (FC Augsburg), Adi Hutter (Borussia Monchengladbach) and Florian Kohfeldt (VfL Wolfsburg) being relieved of their duties soon after the campaign's conclusion. A week later, Dortmund made it official that Marco Rose was no longer the head coach of the Black and Yellow.
Naturally, those clubs began their searches for new managers. Dortmund ended up reinstating Edin Terzic, the former assistant who acted as an interim coach before Rose was appointed in 2021. Gladbach appointed Daniel Farke, the former Norwich boss who had gone to Russian Premier League outfit Krasnodar in January and left shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. Hertha Berlin also looked to the east and brought back Sandro Schwarz, who had stayed in Russia until the summer, reaching the national cup final with Dynamo Moscow. Wolfsburg replaced Kohfeldt with former Bayern and Frankfurt boss Niko Kovac. Augsburg chose Enrico Maassen, the former coach of Dortmund's reserve team, to step in for Weinzierl. Schalke 04 appointed Frank Kramer following their promotion, which had been achieved under Mike Buskens, who was not too fond of the idea of remaining head coach.

This marks the second consecutive summer in which the clubs swapped coaches en masse. The year prior, practically everyone looked worse after installing their new hires. Dortmund fetched Rose away from Monchengladbach, who signed Hutter from Frankfurt, who signed Oliver Glasner from Wolfsburg, who signed Mark van Bommel. Only Frankfurt had any noticeable success with their new manager, winning the Europa League in May.
Despite it all, though, the coaching carousel keeps spinning.

Can anyone challenge Bayern?​

When one club wins 10 consecutive championships, it raises the question of whether anyone will ever put an end to their dominance.

A few weeks ago, some would have comfortably picked Borussia Dortmund as a viable challenger to Bayern Munich, but their chances have dropped dramatically, though, since Haaland's exit. Their replacement, Sebastien Haller, was signed from Ajax to fill that physical center-forward role, but he will be out for several months receiving ongoing treatment for a malignant testicular tumour. Without their Haaland successor, the Black and Yellow might struggle to generate the necessary offensive output in the early going, which could mean the gap between them and Bayern is too great to make up.

The sad truth is that the remaining teams are unlikely in a position to challenge Bayern throughout the course of 34 matchdays. RB Leipzig might have significant name value in their squad, but there are justifiably question marks behind manager Domenico Tedesco's tactical approach, as he focuses greatly on Nkunku as his target player in the final third. Leipzig also lack stability at the back, particularly when the team are forced to track back.

Leverkusen, the other team among Germany's top four, have caused some excitement during the summer in light of the signing of 20-year-old Czech prospect Adam Hlozek, as well as Wirtz's contract extension. However, what Bayer 04 did not manage to do is sign a much-needed anchor player for their midfield. They have been lacking that one stabilising element between defence and attack: Robert Andrich, Charles Aranguiz and Kerem Demirbay are undoubtedly gifted, yet they are better suited as sidekicks to a dominant midfielder.
It wouldn't be surprising if one of these three teams could keep up with Bayern during stretches of the season, but in the end, Bayern will likely prevail given their quality and depth. The record champions simply do not face the same issues as Dortmund, Leipzig or Leverkusen.

Will we see another Cinderella story?​

It has become a tradition of the Bundesliga that each season at least one underdog climbs into the top third of the table, usually qualifying for continental competition and then disappearing again the next year due to the stress of the extra games in their calendar. Mainz, Augsburg and FC Cologne all have had outstanding years in recent memory, and last season saw Union Berlin and SC Freiburg both play well beyond their market value, earning places in this season's Europa League as a result.

This season marks Union's second straight season in Europe, but the Cinderella story of the team from the eastern part of the capital city could come to an end soon, given the departures of Awoniyi and Grischa Promel and the fact that manager Urs Fischer might not be able to reinvent his team once again. How the Swiss coach was able to tweak things enough to prevent his side from becoming predictable for the first three years following Union's promotion was commendable enough; to do so a fourth time is unlikely.
Moreover, Union and Freiburg's performances might suffer from playing in three competitions simultaneously in a year with a particularly condensed schedule thanks to this winter's World Cup in Qatar. The two sides likely won't be in danger of relegation, but slipping back into mid-table is a realistic scenario.
This raises the question of whether any other team might be able to fit into Cinderella's glass slippers this year. It could end up being one of the fallen giants that makes a surprising impact and returns to the sharp end of the table.

Schalke have just been promoted back to the Bundesliga. The 1997 UEFA Cup winners were part of the league's elite for many years, but mounting debt and financial constraints caused the club's hierarchy to offload most of the team's best players until 2020. Coupled with a series of ill-advised managerial appointments, Schalke were doomed to experience the ultimate embarrassment: relegation to the 2. Bundesliga, where the Royal Blues spent one year.
This team is nowhere near as strong as past Schalke sides, which would make a run towards European places somewhat of a miracle, but perhaps now that there is so much less pressure on the club, they can suddenly become overachievers.

How will everyone contend with the winter break?​

Three decades ago, fans of Bundesliga clubs knew exactly what to do between the holiday season and the end of January. As the league had implemented a lengthy winter break to give everyone some rest -- and to pay tribute to the fact that under-soil heating has not yet been installed in every stadium -- supporters streamed into indoor arenas and watched indoor football. Later, the Bundesliga adjusted its schedule and shortened the winter break to two weeks.

As the World Cup in November will affect the schedule of practically every league in Europe, we will see another temporary alteration and Bundesliga teams in particular will have to deal with an incredibly condensed timetable. Those who are also competing in international competitions will not get any break until November. Once the World Cup is concluded on Dec. 18, the league won't restart immediately, instead waiting until Jan. 20. This means a return to the old lengthy winter break, and traditionalists have called for the temporary reinstatement of the "Hallenmasters," a tournament crowning Germany's indoor champions. The German FA hosted the tournament in various iterations between 1987 and 2001, with Borussia Dortmund being the record winner with four titles. The final "Hallenmasters" was decided in a penalty shootout between SpVgg Unterhaching and Dortmund, as the small club from the Munich suburbs beat Dortmund 5-4.

If you've witnessed those tournaments, you probably remember them fondly. If you haven't, let's hope you'll get an opportunity to watch something similar in 2023.

 

IM21

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Its only half and Bayern is already up 5 -0 in Frankfurt... what a league. I feel bad for people that don't support Bayern.
 

vex

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Yeah, I don't remember the last time I watched a bundesliga match. And for me, it goes far beyond the bayern supremacy, although that's a major issue with the league.

The whole league is kinda sterilized to the bone, it's like watching paint dry. They have great infrastructure, full stadiums, but it's all kinda robotic and non-interesting.

Seria a with all the problems and shitty stadiums has character and charm bundesliga can dream of. Of course, seria a has a lot more historically successful teams and all, but It's not just that, it's all of the above mentioned and much more...
 

wera

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I totally disagree, while I don't like how dominant are Bayern, the league is interesting in it's own way and I like watching exciting young players in their league.
 

Il Drago

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I totally disagree, while I don't like how dominant are Bayern, the league is interesting in it's own way and I like watching exciting young players in their league.
Same. Bayern dominance really kills the league but if you take Bayern out of the equation it's a fun league to watch. Beautiful stadiums, great atmosphere, entertaining games, exciting talents, some really interesting footballing projects and a modern tactical approach. But each to their own i guess.
 

brehme1989

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It's by far the best 'product' when we talk about football. Bayern dominating is the only negative. But I get that it's a huge turn off for people, it is for me, too, at times.

I mean, I don't get how anyone who likes football would sit to watch a game at this time and that game won't be Dortmund vs Leverkusen over anything PL, Ligue 1 or anything else has to offer at the moment. I'd rather rewatch a movie than switch to Everton vs Chelsea and those are two of the best clubs of all time in England.
 
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brehme1989

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Schlotterbeck looks shaky
 

Il Drago

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Freiburg-Dortmund 1-3, that was fun to watch.

@rfU @Il Drago thoughts on Bynoe-Gittens? I was impressed with him this game.
Rfu is more suitable to respond to this. I haven't watched him much but he looks a very talented and promising winger. Rose started giving him playing time last spring when Dortmund weren't really fighting for anything. He will probably get a lot of playing time this season. He really changed the game when he came in for Hazard. People are already hyping him as the next Sancho, also because they have both come from Man City academy.

@rfU my guy Moukoko has already started delivering winners. ;)
 

rfU

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Freiburg-Dortmund 1-3, that was fun to watch.

@rfU @Il Drago thoughts on Bynoe-Gittens? I was impressed with him this game.
He's aight. Daring but lack of close control. I rate Madueke (PSV, 2 years older) higher.

People are already hyping him as the next Sancho
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@rfU my guy Moukoko has already started delivering winners. ;)
Wasn't sold on Esposito, not sold on this guy. Maybe if paired with someone but solo he can't shoulder the attacking burden. Much like Lautoro (good at everything, exceling at nothing) but of even less quality.
 

Il Drago

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89 minute Dortmund-Werder: 2-0

Full time Dortmund-Werder: 2-3

And it was totally deserved. Werder was the better side by far.
 

IM21

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That result is just as big of a joke as their league.
 

Il Drago

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This result is a joke only if you're a Dortmund fan. For any neutral Bundesliga fan it was a great match with a very entertaining end.
 

varmin

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That result is just as big of a joke as their league.
Why? Inter won against Sampdoria in similar fashion, during Mancini's time here.
 

rfU

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This result is a joke only if you're a Dortmund fan.
Thanks lol Tough to watch but not all that surprising. Team is sloppy and disjointed, slow, tactically we look lost, I'm rooting for Terzi but don't think he's capable of taking Dortmund to anywhere near the requisite level. Better squad than Rose but the team some how looks lost. Dortmund have a mentality problem and that needs to be addressed first and foremost.
 

brehme1989

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This result is a joke only if you're a Dortmund fan. For any neutral Bundesliga fan it was a great match with a very entertaining end.
if it were the PL it'd be a testament of why it's "the best league in the world" :lol:

Happens anywhere else it's because they all suck...
 

brehme1989

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Why? Inter won against Sampdoria in similar fashion, during Mancini's time here.
The thing is that in Italy (and Spain) these are quite common for big teams but very rare for big teams to concede.



The main reasons are the level of seriousness amongst teams, which stems from the culture, their ability to close out matches and nowadays there's also the difference in quality. There's also the pressure of playing against a big team which is unmatched if you play against Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter, Milan or Juventus by smaller clubs.
You cannot really pull that off against Bayern, but that's because of how seriously run they are and how ahead of their competition. It can happen because that's the German way of football, but it's very rare in the last decade where FFP destroyed the league's competitiveness.
A smaller team can bite a top team in these leagues only if they smell the blood. Bigger teams can ensure that this hardly becomes the case.


When there's lack of pressure, you can expect this kind of results happening to bigger teams. There's a reason why Liverpool and Manchester City do not suffer from this anymore under Klopp and Guardiola respectively. They're seriously run teams nowadays. The PL in general is a clown atmosphere and not even the players take the competition seriously, they're there to earn the next paycheck. It's incredible how they're selling this to the masses as some top competition that everyone aspires to play in, but once the players get there, they know... And teams don't care as long as they don't lose money. It's not like there's more than a couple of teams that play to win the league. They only get serious if they have a coach that tames them (ie Conte at Chelsea and I imagine he'd do that at Tottenham, or Tuchel when he first moved to Chelsea until they riot against the coach again) and when it becomes clear that they may play in the Champions League via top 4 spot. Everything else is just for television ratings.
 

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It's amazing that you seize eeevery chance to tell us, how terrible the Premier League is.

That result is just as big of a joke as their league.

It's the first time in Bundesliga history that a team lost, after leading 2:0 in minute 88. As varmin said: We all know it happend before in Serie A.

Oh Bochum ... They won the last game against Bayern 4:2. Now it's 0:4 at half time.
 
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