Two modern stars will do some heavy lifting for their clubs this season as they strive to emulate the legendary Gerd MüllerThe Bundesliga never does things quietly. It returned with – at least some – supporters in the stands in its typical character of cut, thrust and confusion, but there was some clarity amid the mayhem. On a weekend which ended with German football in mourning at the passing of the legendary Gerd Müller, the elite centre-forwards from the current competition showed they are pulling out all the stops to be worthy successors. Related: Gerd Müller was world class but his brilliant legacy is too often forgotten | Scott Murray Mönchengladbach 1-1 Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund 5-2 Eintracht Frankfurt, Wolfsburg...
At first glance the Bayern Munich and West Germany striker’s work was underwhelming – until you realise he was doing it every week, season after seasonComparisons are odious, and nearly always absurdly reductive, but here we go anyway. In 2012, Lionel Messi set a new record for goals scored in a calendar year. Let’s not try too hard to be iconoclastic: his tally of 91 for Barcelona and Argentina in 2012 was one of football’s monumental achievements, a jaw-dropping effort over the long haul, even if the only silverware it earned him that year was the Copa del Rey. Poor Leo didn’t get too much bang for his buck there.The previous mark had been set by Gerd Müller. In 1972,...
The key to a more competitive Bundesliga lies in empowering the field, rather than holding Bayern Munich backBayern Munich have found a variety of different ways to become Bundesliga champions since 2013. This title, their ninth in a row, was sealed as the team arrived in the Allianz Arena’s home dressing room before the Saturday evening kick-off against Borussia Mönchengladbach.Bayern were virtual champions as they left the team hotel to get on the bus to the stadium just before 5pm local time, with Borussia Dortmund leading Bayern’s mathematical rivals RB Leipzig 2-1. As a number of players watched the game in the north-west unfold on their phones on the journey, Dani Olmo’s equaliser for future coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team meant...
Serial Bundesliga champions will judge their new manager not by titles but rather a handful of European knockout matches Julian Nagelsmann is 33. This summer, he will fulfil what always seemed his destiny and become manager of Bayern Munich, the club he supported as a boy growing up in Landsberg am Lech, the Bavarian town where a young Johnny Cash was stationed with the US air force. It is a story with an almost mythic quality: the young professional suffering serious knee injuries and committing himself to coaching, emerging as the brightest talent of the dominant German school. But this is where it gets real; this is where he has to win.Nagelsmann will face the problem common to all managers...
At Bayern, we learned so much from Guardiola – he knows big matches are decided by big playersI remember a lot from Pep Guardiola. “In important matches,” he said to me, “I just pick my best XI.” You have to listen carefully, the sentence contains the core of what football is about: individual quality. Guardiola is a top coach. He loves the skills and talent of his players.Some coaches seek to reduce the complexity of football. Guardiola, though, wants to master it. One can compare his task with a chess grandmaster or with an orchestra director who gets the best out of each instrument. The only thing is that a football ensemble does not play according to given musical notes,...