Bayern dominance set to continue
Despite a change of coach, Bayern Munich and the rest of the Bundesliga expect the outcome to be the same. With the league resuming today, Bayern look set to extend their Bundesliga record run to seven straight titles.
“We’re confident enough to say that we want to be German champions,” said Niko Kovac, who came from Eintracht Frankfurt to replace the retiring Jupp Heynckes as Bayern coach.
Few believe Kovac’s confidence is misplaced. Bayern won the title by 21 points last season and seem at times to be playing in a league of their own.
“Bayern will be champions because they have the best squad,” Schalke coach Domenico Tedesco, who led his team to second place last season, told news agency dpa.
The only issues to be decided in the Bundesliga, it appears, are the teams that follow Bayern in qualifying for European competition and those at the other end of the table fighting relegation.
Nuremberg and Fortuna Duesseldorf are back in the top division and will likely fight Freiburg, Mainz, Hannover, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Wolfsburg for survival. Wolfsburg needed relegation playoffs to survive the last two seasons and is again a candidate for demotion after losing midfielder Daniel Didavi back to Stuttgart.
CLOSEST CHALLENGERS
Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leipzig, and Schalke are likely to be Bayern’s closest challengers.
Dortmund have a new coach, the experienced Lucien Favre, and several new signings after another offseason of rebuilding. Abdou Diallo joined from Mainz to make up for Sokratis Papastathopoulos’ departure for Arsenal, and the young French defender should form a good partnership with Manuel Akanji, who will be playing his first full season.
“We’re facing a new start that needs time – definitely longer than one transfer period,” said Favre, who does not expect to challenge for the title. “Bayern Munich are the top favourites at the moment. You have to say that.”