Reporter Evan reported that at 8:24 p.m. German time on Saturday, referee Sibelt from Berlin blew the whistle for the end of the game, and Bayern beat Dortmund 3-1 in this summit match in German football. The young coach Nagelsman took off his black jacket ahead of time and placed it in the coaching seat, because he knew that the indispensable part of the upcoming grand celebration was a beer bath. The first to dare to "do something" to the manager was Pavard, who poured a large glass of beer off Nagelsman's head, who of course did not get angry, but accepted with a big smile.
Nagelsmann coached Bayern for his first year in charge, winning his first league title. He is 34 years old and 274 days old, just 33 days older than Summer, who led Dortmund to victory in 2002. At the same time, it is the end of Bayern's ten-game winning streak. "Of course we qualify for this title and I'm happy today," Nagelsman said: "It wasn't an easy year, but thankfully we had a lot of things in the league that got it right. ”
However, only the league title is worth celebrating, which is the passing line for the manager for Bayern, who aspire to win the title every year. The German Cup and the Champions League were eliminated in advance, and the results did not meet the expectations of the club. Bild sorts Bai's ten-game winning army, and this year's silver plate is only seventh. It was one of the seasons with the most goals conceded in a ten-game winning streak, with multiple losses to the bottom team weakening the gold content and no additional honours in the Champions League or cups. The only plus points are Nagelsman's first and ten consecutive titles, which are more symbolic.
"The feeling of losing to Villarreal is still in our minds and we need to work hard to get rid of it," said Bayern midfielder Kimmich on Bayern's Champions League exit before Borussia Dortmund. This may represent how most people at Bayern feel. At the start of the season, Bayern were full of ambition: an ambitious young marshal Nagelsman, the famous kahn who returned to the club as chairman, and the newly promoted sports director Sali hamikic. New coaches, new management, this is the beginning of a new era.
Nagelsman's side started well and the Super Cup 3-1 win over Dortmund was a stark sign. After entering September, the away game swept out rival Leipzig 4-1, and then won 3-0 away to Barcelona in the Champions League group stage, shocking European football. However, the instability of this team was then exposed, losing at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in the 7th round, and being eliminated by Borussia Moncheng in the second round of the German Cup, and the dream of a treble was quickly shattered. Fortunately, relying on the absolute strength of the team, at the end of the first half, Bayern led the second-placed Dortmund by 9 points, and the Champions League group stage was successfully qualified. The winter break was supposed to be an opportunity for Nagelsman to integrate further with the team, but Bayern's stability did not improve in 2022. Not only did he lose to Borussia Moncheng again in the league, but he also lost away to relegated favourite Bochum. Being eliminated by Villarreal in the Champions League quarter-finals is a shame.
Nagelsmann, of course, was conditioned by objective conditions. He took over the mature squad left by Frick, but the gap between the departure of defender Core Alaba and midfielder Thiago was unfilled. Under the new crown epidemic, Kahn and Salihamic were unwilling to meet some of Nagelsman's personnel requirements, and bayern lacked enough rotation players at full-back and back, so Nagelsman had to promote young players such as Stanissy to the first team.
Nagelsman, on the other hand, has left the players somewhat at a loss. He constantly changes between three and four and even has to make adjustments multiple times in a game. But Bayern players have been playing 4-2-3-1 for many years, and Louis van Gaal, Frick and Heynckes have won countless accolades with such tactics, and the players are not entirely convinced of the complex tactics arranged by Nagelsmann. It's also a problem that young coaches have to face.
Bayern had high hopes for Nagelsman, which is why they paid more than €20 million in liquidated damages for the young manager and signed him on a five-year contract. The first year can be seen as a year of study for Nagelsmann, who wants to get to know the culture of the club more deeply and understand the team in depth. Although the German Cup and the Champions League are out early, the league title is enough to keep him in the managerial position.
What matters is Bayern's performance next season, can Nagelsmann bring Bayern his eleventh consecutive trophy and go further in other competitions? This requires him to get strong support from the top and build a strong lineup. There are a number of players in the current Bayern squad who have proved that they do not meet the requirements of the manager, such as Roca in midfield and Sal on the right. Centre-back Jules confirmed a free-form move to Borussia Dortmund, while Tolisso, Sabitzel and others are also preparing to leave the team.
Müller's contract extension with Neuer looks optimistic, while Gnabry and Lewandowski are skeptical. From all angles, Bayern need to have positive action in the transfer market, and there are not a few places to make adjustments. The question is that Bayern is already spending frugally under the epidemic, and the failure to reach the final four in the Champions League means that at least 15 million euros of prize money has been missed, how much money can Bayern executives use to bring in new players?
After celebrating the league title, Nagelsman himself thinks about the next direction. In bayern's first year, he experienced the highlight moment of sweeping Barca, with the trough of defeating Borussia Monchengand and being eliminated by Villarreal, what lessons did Nagelsmann learn from it, and how will he apply it to his next work? For the next season, Bayern may still have a good chance of continuing to win the league title, but if there is only one league title, it may be difficult to satisfy the fans and the club executives.
Hoeness, Rummenigge, Kahn, Bayern and two generations of leaders stood in the stands and applauded the players on the pitch. For Honess and Rummenigge, this is a scene that has long been accustomed to, but kahn is enjoying such an atmosphere in a management role for the first time. Rummenigge voluntarily gave way last June, leaving Kahn to take charge of the club early in the season. The championship belongs to Nagelsman and to Kahn.
Kahn and Nagelsman are in a similar situation. Winning the league title is a basic goal accomplished, while exits in the German Cup and Champions League are disappointing. When Nagelsman was under pressure on the pitch, Kahn was also under pressure. He took over bayern during the pandemic, when the team's turnover was declining and its economic strength was weakened. Kahn, who has been in business since retiring, has a marked difference from his predecessor, Rummenigge, in his approach to running the club.
Kahn hopes to achieve excellent results with less money and is not willing to invest heavily in the special period of the epidemic. So Bayern signed Rocca, Sal, Richards and other players who are difficult to bring direct help to the team last summer. The only weighty Sabitzell was introduced at the urging of Nagelsmann. This has led to Bayern's lack of squad depth and a lack of competition for various positions within the squad.
In terms of ditching with the coaching staff, Kahn is also lacking. He and his partner, Salihamikic, rarely gave Nagelsman strong support in public, which made Nagelsman feel isolated. Until the last month, The number of Kahn appearances has finally increased, and he has more contact with the players, expressing his trust in the manager directly in front of the media after the team is out of the Champions League. He also strengthened his contact with Nagelsman and communicated the next team ideas.
After the team won the championship, Kahn and Salihamikić immediately faced new problems. The contracts of key players such as Lewandowski, Neuer, Müller and Gnabry have entered a negotiation cycle by 2023. Neuer and Müller are willing to accept a one-year contract, while Lewandowski is difficult. Gnabry was not satisfied with the terms of the contract and the two sides reached an impasse. Persuading Levan and Gnabry to renew their contracts could be an important starting point for Bayern to seek their eleventh consecutive title.
In addition to retaining existing players, Kahn and Salihamic also need to consider how to bring in new players. Can Nagelsmann's explicit desire for a new back, and the German media link Ajax's Mazlawi, Grafenberg with Bayern, can such a wish be satisfied? With the loss of at least €15 million in prize money from the Champions League final four, Bayern's available funds will inevitably be compromised.
Sports Pictures points out that even with the signing of Amsterdam's young midfielder Gravenberg, this is not a mature high-level player. Such a transfer only shows that Bayern are getting closer to Borussia Dortmund, Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen in terms of bringing in players, rather than continuing to focus on the top stars. This transfer mentality has made Bayern no longer unable to catch up.
It is worth noting that although Borussia Dortmund lost hopes of winning the title early this season, they are preparing to break the Bayern monopoly next season. Dortmund will most likely lose Haaland, but it can be exchanged for a considerable amount of money to revamp the lineup. They recruited international centre-back Jules from Bayern and had the upper hand in the competition for Freiburg centre-back Schrotterbeck and Salzburg striker Adejemi, who had previously been linked to Bayern. Bayern won the league title this season, but if they lose to Borussia Dortmund in this summer's transfer competition, then next year's title ownership will be a big enough suspense.