End of an Era and The Start of a New One at Bayern Munich
Without Lewandowski, Bayern will change this season, for better or for worse.
Bayern Munich witnessed the end of an era by confirming the transfer of Robert Lewandowski to FC Barcelona for a €45 million fee, with €5m in potential add-ons. It will probably be impossible to replace a striker as lethal as the Polish, who has been the player with the most goals scored in the last two seasons, a total of 98 goals in 86 games.
But in any case, the German team must turn the page and try to maintain an equally competitive squad. For this, they have confirmed the signings of Sadio Mané and Mathys Tel, two strikers with different characteristics, in addition to the fact that the Senegalese is an immediate solution, while the Frenchman is a bet for the future.
For a top-level team like Bayern Munich, it may not seem like much, perhaps they were expected to be interested in players like Harry Kane or Cristiano Ronaldo. But they were in charge of categorizing these players as very expensive and that their hiring would go against the club’s policy, referring to the Portuguese. So, they decided to bet on the former Liverpool star and the young French player. Despite his success with the English club, Sadio Mané is still a bit underrated as the team’s main star was Mohammed Salah, but Bayern have put their trust in him to take the project forward.
Also taking advantage of the fact that last season he consistently occupied the position of “false number 9” something that Julian Nageslmann likes because most of the time he did not use classic strikers before joining Bayern. He made use of strikers with greater verticality and versatility.
In this way, with Mané, we can begin to see a different Bayern, more than what Nagelsmann used to do at Hoffenheim and at RB Leipzig, with a 3–4–3 and other variants such as 3–4–1–2. With these lineups, players like Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, or Jamal Musiala benefit from the freedom they have to surprise the defenders in different attacking zones.
Constant confidence in young players
On the other hand, Bayern paid a €20m fixed fee, and €8.5m add-ons for Mathys Tel. A high price for such a young striker who has yet not played 90 minutes as a professional. A move that may seem surprising but that is part of the already well-known philosophy of the German team when incorporating young players into their team.
Recent examples of this are Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, Kingsley Coman, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, and many more who are important today for the team and this demonstrates their ability to find new talents, train them and transform them into important players. Due to these positive previous experiences, great things are expected from the French striker, whom many have cataloged as the ‘New Mbappé’.
Julian Nagelsmann also praised his potential after confirming his arrival: “He could become one of the best strikers one day. I have the vision that he can score 40 goals one day.” In addition to this, he mentioned his virtues: “He’s a young, talented player. He can play in multiple positions: as a center-forward and on the wings. He’s very quick and strong with his body. He can hold up the ball well with his back to the goal.” So, despite becoming equal to or better than Kylian Mbappé, the reality is that Mathys Tel has the trust of Bayern and his coach so that he can develop into a star.
Transitions are not always easy
Despite being covered with the previously mentioned players, there are still doubts as to whether the team can be the same in terms of results this season. Although, Oliver Kahn, the CEO of FC Bayern Munich is confident of the club’s outcome after the departure of Robert Lewandowski: “We know very well what we have to thank Robert for, but great players have left Bayern FC in the past, and after that, Bayern’s world didn’t fall apart.”
And it's true, great players like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribéry, Philipp Lahm, or more recently, David Alaba have left the club but the German team has remained strong in the Bundesliga and competitive in Europe.
Referring to the Bundesliga, it's difficult to imagine Bayern losing to another rival after 34 games. Teams like RB Leipzig or Borussia Dortmund are their main rivals, but they have been inconsistent in recent seasons to really put the Bavarians in danger. So, it would be a major surprise if this happens, beyond the fact that these teams have managed to strengthen themselves, the reality is that economically they cannot compete against the team from Munich.
Which have shown on more than one occasion the ability to buy players directly from their Bundesliga rivals and even make strong investments like the one they recently made for Matthijs de Ligt, spending around €67 million for the young Dutch defender.
But, the lack of a lethal goalscorer can be felt in the UEFA Champions League, against teams of a higher level willing to play them in a different way than the one they are used in the Bundesliga. Then, the need for a striker who scores goals in difficult moments is even more noticeable.
This has happened on other occasions, the teammates get used to the presence of that player who, after a good individual action, changes the game, when he is not on the pitch, is noticeable. Recent cases such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi leaving Juventus and Barcelona respectively or even Virgil van Dijk when he was injured serve to visualize how important certain players can become despite being a team sport.
Pep Guardiola: “If I was able to predict the future, I’d let you know”
Quoting a former coach of Bayern Munich like Pep Guardiola, it's difficult to predict the future and even more so in a sport like soccer where there is no logic, despite people trying to find it. In this way, transitions are not easy for any club, but only time will give answers to all the questions.
For now, a new season has just begun for Bayern Munich, who hope not only to quickly forget about Lewandowski but also that the new players give them the expected results to help them remain at the top, with a project that is already successful, not only in Germany but Internationally.
How do you think Bayern will perform in the Champions League? And we can expect an exciting Bundesliga this season or not?
Thank you for reading! I will leave other stories below in case you may be interested, feel free to check them out:
