Bayern Munich might win their 11th title in a row, but between now and then we can enjoy another fascinating seasonMeet the new boss, just like the old boss. Though the opening weekend of the Bundesliga had its familiar themes and outcomes, it most definitely had a story to tell. Some will tut or shrug, but they shouldn’t. “You don’t go to the theatre because you’re wondering how the swan from Swan Lake will turn out,” as Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Martin Schneider put it.Let’s start with what the world most expected, or at least feared. Bayern Munich began 2022-23 like a hurricane, not so much pulling back the curtain to the campaign on Friday night at Eintracht Frankfurt as tearing it...
Robert Lewandowski’s exit has made for a rocky summer, but the champions are surely destined for the domestic summit againIs this finally it? Before the start of every season we’re looking for a reason why Bayern Munich might not win the Bundesliga, and it has begun to feel like a vain hope for genuine title competition. In May Bayern were crowned champions for the 10th campaign in a row, and the Rekordmeister has been run to such an exemplary standard that few can see an imminent end to the medley. Yet this time there is a new cast running the show, with Oliver Kahn as CEO in a post-Hoeness and Rummenigge world, having to prove his authority in tandem with Hasan...
Europa League final evoked showpieces of old and marked the moment Frankfurt’s goalkeeper became a heroGlory comes in many forms and it came for Kevin Trapp in the form of an astonishing save in the final minute of extra time. When Kemar Roofe’s cross was deflected into the path of Ryan Kent six yards out, a late winner seemed certain. But Trapp scuttled across his goal, spread himself and the ball cannoned away off his outstretched right leg, a block rooted in hour upon hour on the training ground, honing reflexes and response times, getting the angles right.He had four years at Paris Saint-Germain, but that save, even more than keeping out Aaron Ramsey’s penalty in the shootout, is what...
Ride to Europa League semi-finals has been a joy for fans but club must now decide if it wants more or just treads waterThe clock was ticking. Eintracht Frankfurt, two goals up on aggregate, looked comfortable but not impregnable. And even with 10 men, West Ham were enjoying plenty of possession and had four substitutes left to deploy. And so, with a European final at stake and the climax approaching, the world eagerly awaited David Moyes’s next move.As it turned out, Moyes’s next move was to attack a ball boy and get himself sent off. So close. The margins in this game, and all that. And although this tie was probably already gone by the time he was slinking down...
The forward brings unpredictability to his side and offers their best chance of retrieving the deficit against Eintracht FrankfurtAs the minutes leaked away in east London, the trickle of West Ham fans heading for the exits began to swell and thicken: first dozens, then hundreds and finally thousands. By full time there were white plastic seats as far as the eye could see. Perhaps this will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever found themselves trapped in the infamous London Stadium kettle, where the queues outside Stratford station can last well over an hour and you eventually begin to wonder whether you will ever see your family again.Still, with West Ham straining every sinew in search of a...