The lessons of matchday 18: Of course, FC Bayern will be champions again

Monday, January 25, 2021

The lessons of matchday 18
Of course, FC Bayern will be champions again

By Till Erdenberger

No, the hope is gone: At the end of the current season, the German champions will of course be called FC Bayern Munich again. The competition is desperate, the series champion is recovering at the top. Harmless. There is a different kind of stress at Hertha BSC. And of course at FC Schalke.

Of course, FC Bayern will be champions again

No, a 4-0 at FC Schalke doesn't knock anyone off their socks at Bayern. Especially since two of the four hits came just before the end. Before that, there was a lot of work to do again. "I didn't like everything in the game that I saw," said coach Hansi Flick at "Sky". "We were in the game, but made too many mistakes. Our ball losses are sometimes too easy, so we sometimes play with too high a risk." It is important "that we analyze things and do better again in the next game."

And double goalscorer Thomas Müller seconded his coach: "Last summer was extraordinary. It quickly happens that you take that as a benchmark. And of course we want to go there again. On the other hand, every opposing team also defends itself." And just: "In the past week we still got nine points from three games and made a huge step in the table. And in the end that is what counts."

What matters is the championship. For Bayern, the shell is the minimum, for national competition the unfulfilled longing. It stays that way. Because while the heavily stressed record champions are now working their way from victory to victory again, people in Leipzig, Dortmund and Leverkusen are even more desperate than in Bayern, which is not so overpowering this season, but rather on themselves. And Pfosten-Glück ( in the 2: 1 against FC Augsburg), Latten-Glück (in the 2: 1 against SC Freiburg): The two point lead at the beginning of the English week that has ended became seven at the end.

At least Hertha's money doesn't score goals

In the end it was like so often in Berlin: The wrecking ball is circling. The old has to go because one expects added value from the new. The investor pumped too much money into his project, and one imagines the future to be too profitable to be able to place one's own portfolio in the lower average. The principle, which causes lively resistance in the capital's real estate landscape, is currently meeting with great approval in sport: Michael Preetz, Hertha Ur-Gestein and Bruno Labbadia, who should not only give the Klinsmann-damaged Big City Club a beautiful face again, had to leave the Hertha-Kiez.

At Labbadia, 14th trainer in Preetz 'twelve years as Hertha manager, the results could never keep up with the generous donations of a good 250 million euros from investor Lars Windhorst. Finally, Preetz, which has been controversial for years, has already sunk 145 million euros in new entries that are mostly unsuitable for the great Hertha claims. Players like Lucas Tousart (25 million), Krzysztof Piatek (24) or Dodi Lukebakio (20), who was not even in the squad against Bremen for sporting reasons, did not turn out to be great reinforcements.

You are in a "very serious situation" and want to "set new impulses", said Carsten Schmidt, the new chairman of the management: "We want a fresh start." The strong man sees the players as having an obligation: "I made an appeal to the team and made it clear what phase we are in: the relegation battle." With a lot of money you are now fighting for a sporting existence in the capital. After all, staying up would be half the battle.

Better is not good enough

Perhaps it's the awkward attempt to convince yourself of more new staff. Schalke's coach Christian Gross simply relabeled his existing kickers. The Swiss had already introduced his attacker Can Bozdogan as "Erdogan", before the 0: 4 against FC Bayern he was happy to have a new member in his squad: A certain Massimo Schüpp was joining the team, Gross announced. But the newcomer quickly turned out to be Alessandro Schöpf, since 2016 reasonably successful for the bottom of the Bundesliga.

The two "real" old heroes in the guise of new hopes – Sead Kolasinac and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – could not prevent the next bankruptcy. This means that FC Schalke has been relegated. Statistically. Seven points were collected in 18 games in Gelsenkirchen. A team in the three-point system that has been in force since 1995 has never had less. That is nonsense of course, Gross is certain. "It is in my nature that I am a positive person," said the Swiss, and saw "progress" in the game. You can see it that way, but as with Hertha's money, it is also with Schalke's progress: Neither do you get any points.

Goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann at least knows: "There are still 16 games to come. We have now played against the strongest and from now on we will have the encounters in which we have to score. I can assure every fan that I will do everything to ensure that we come back get on the road to success. " The track to success, however, is already overgrown with a lot of brush and grass on Schalke. Erdogan, Schüpp and Co. have to do a lot of arithmetic in order to keep the hope of arithmetic games for a long time.

Borussia Dortmund is annoyed from the top

In Dortmund they currently have few niceties left for each other: "That stinks a lot," angry captain Marco Reus, the current situation with the retired championship candidate. "If you catch three goals through set-pieces where you are simply not there, then you need to think about that Result in the end don't worry ", his boss Michael Zorc scolded after the 2: 4 at Borussia Mönchengladbach. "That is unforgivable", Mats Hummels had already given the colleagues after the 1: 2 at Union Berlin in December. After the 2-1 defeat against Leverkusen during the week, Reus acknowledged a "disappointing evening for us", his trainer Edin Terzic finally raised the mentality question he hated in Dortmund: "Quality is the result of talent plus mentality. We have closed ourselves rely very much on talent and defend ourselves too little ". Above all, it is the many standard goals that annoy them in Dortmund. It was three against Gladbach.

No, in Dortmund you are experiencing unpleasant times again: 1: 1 at home against relegation candidate Mainz, 1: 2 against Bayer Leverkusen and now 2: 4 against Borussia Mönchengladbach: midfield instead of championship, anger instead of euphoria. They are "simple and stupid goals conceded" (Terzic) that cost so many points that Borussia Dortmund is currently only in seventh place – outside the international places. If you don't fix the mistakes, "it will be difficult to win a game," complained Reus on ZDF. Hummels was comparatively mild in assessing the goals conceded: "Defending standards is currently a very big point for us." And Terzic demanded: "Standard situations are often decisive in games at eye level. We have to get that under control as quickly as possible." The standings are "a snapshot that is not so nice for every Borussia", national player Julian Brandt persevered: "That can change again within two, three or four weeks. Nevertheless, we have to be careful, we have to score."

After the English week, which was disappointing for Borussia Dortmund, Hummels hopes for fresh energy: "You can see it in all of football in Europe and in all sports that all teams have to draw from what is currently happening. I claim that there is currently no team, which can be constant. So recovery is very important now. " If you don't fix the old mistakes quickly, you will only be able to observe European football events from a distance in Dortmund for the first time in a very, very long time.