FC Bayern becomes champion – who else? When it comes to the question of who is the hottest title contender in the 60th anniversary season of the Bundesliga, there is unanimity among the coaches and managers of the clubs.
Although there is hope for more excitement than in previous years, in a survey by the German Press Agency, in which 16 out of 18 clubs took part, there was no other championship tip than the record champions and defending champions from Munich.
Even the potential Bayern hunters are stacked low as usual before the start of the season on August 5th. “Bayern Munich are the number one favorites with these new signings. They may lose an exceptional player in Robert Lewandowski, but they will gain two exceptional players in Sadio Mané and Matthijs de Ligt. Leipzig, Leverkusen, we – of course we would all like to have that FC Bayern will not become champions,” said Borussia Dortmund’s managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke. However, one cannot necessarily expect this.
Bayern Munich are undoubtedly the big favorites again
Similar tones come from Leipzig. “We are ambitious and of course we want to achieve the best possible result and qualify again for the Champions League. But it would be presumptuous for us to declare the championship title or even to set it as a goal,” emphasized RB coach Domenico Tedesco. The Saxons were just able to convince themselves of the strength of the industry leader with a 3:5 in the Supercup. For Tedesco it is clear: “The big favorite is undoubtedly FC Bayern Munich again.”
The rest of the league sees it too, especially since Bayern are going into the 2022/23 season with exactly this self-image. “We definitely want to win the eleventh championship in a row,” emphasized President Herbert Hainer. And CEO Oliver Kahn said: “We have a top squad! Everyone who is there is dying to go one better and win more titles than last season.”
Even after ten championships in a row, the hunger for success on Säbener Straße is still great. “We did something extraordinary with it,” said Kahn. It was therefore important to make adjustments and keep motivation high. His expectation: “We will have a lot of fun next season.”
Bayer Leverkusen as a possible Bayern hunter
The competition also fears this, but they are at least hoping for an end to boredom at the top of the league. In addition to BVB and Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen was also mentioned more often as a possible Bayern hunter. “I hope for the tension within the Bundesliga that it remains an open race between these clubs for a long time,” said Sven Mislintat, sporting director of VfB Stuttgart. Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart assumes “that all four teams will play for the championship. Bayern, BVB, Leverkusen and Leipzig are really well prepared for the new season.”
Augsburg’s manager Stefan Reuter has observed that the pursuers have become more creative “to get closer to Bayern and make the championship fight more exciting”. Hertha trainer Sandro Schwarz only sees a chance for the challengers “if they can achieve a similar consistency in top performances throughout the season” as the Munich team. For BVB boss Watzke, however, one thing is certain: Even if the quality, the courage and the luck are there, “Bayern would still have to accommodate us or the Leipzigers or the Leverkuseners or whoever”.
But hardly anyone in the league expects that – on the contrary. “FC Bayern is the measure of all things,” emphasized Bochum coach Thomas Reis. In this he is at one with many colleagues such as Niko Kovac (Wolfsburg), Ole Werner (Bremen), Daniel Farke (Mönchengladbach), Bo Svensson (Mainz), André Breitenreiter (Hoffenheim), Frank Kramer (FC Schalke 04) and Oliver Glasner (Frankfurt ) Some. They all see Munich as the top favourites. Christian Streich, coach of SC Freiburg, prophesied: “Bayern has always won the championship with the best performance and nobody has managed to be better. That will be difficult this year as well.”
