The league which provided both sides of the Champions League final last season witnessed a summer of “controlled” spending as only three clubs spent over 10 million Euros in net transfer fees (Bayern Munich, Schalke 04, VfL Wolfsburg).
This article will cover the main moves of the Bundesliga this summer and what could be expected from the clubs over the coming nine months…
That was the question rattling the brains of Messrs Uli Hoeneß, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and newly recruited manager Pep Guardiola throughout the summer.
Bayern confirmed the hiring of Guardiola in the middle of January 2013 in order to allow the Spanish tactician ample time to assess the squad from a distance and plan ahead for the coming season.
The early announcement, though, seemed to have eased the pressure on Jupp Heynckes who lead his team to the most successful season in the club’s history thus mounting the pressure on the incoming Guardiola.
Bayern ,acting early with player recruitment as well, announced their first major signing of the summer, Mario Gotze, on April 23rd as a statement of intent that they are pushing to improve the club even further after the departure of Heynckes.
What followed though can be described by one word: “Caution”.
It would have been very difficult for Guardiola to convince the board or the supporters that the club needed a transformation to adapt to the tactics utilized by the Spaniard – after all, Heynckes was only using a very adaptable version of the Tiki-Taka himself.
With that in mind, Pep moved for a player he knew very well in the shape of Thiago Alcantara from former club FC Barcelona. Bayern also signed Jan Kircchoff on a free transfer to add to the club’s defensive ranks. Both are “low-risk” signings going forward while Guardiola settles in to his new post and then decide on more profound changes in the coming transfer windows.
The Bavarian club was active with their sales during the summer as they announced the departures of forwards Mario Gomez and Nils Petersen. Luiz Gustavo and Emre Can joined Bundesliga rivals VFL Wulfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen respectively while Anatoliy Tymoshchuk joined Russian Clubn Zenit St. Petersburg on a free transfer.
Squad Assessment:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Tom Starke, Lukas Reader
Defenders: Philipp Lahm , Rafinha, Dante, Daniel Van Buyten, Jan Kircchoff, Jerome Boateng, Holger Badstuber, Diego Contento, David Alaba
Midfielders: Javi Martinez, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thiago Alcantara, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze, Xherdan Shaqiri
Forwards: Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Mario Mandzukic, Claudio Pizarro
Bayern Munich will rely on possession-based football this season with emphasis on attacking fullbacks and an interchangeable midfield and attack.
Lahm is one of the top-two right backs in the world while Alaba is perhaps the most exciting young left back in world football. Dante, Boateng and Badstuber will compete for the two starting positions in center defense for what forms a formidable Bayern back four.
Behind the back four is Manuel Neuer of course, who continues to produce stunning saves when called-upon. The Bavarian’s world class keeper completes what shapes up to be one of the best defensive units in Europe.
Bayern’s midfield is as strong as they come across Europe – Javi Martinez, for me, was the best midfielder in the world last season as he was the linchpin in the tactical mastery displayed by the Bavarian side under Jupp Heynckes. Bastian Schweinsteiger is one of the best midfield players of his generation while both Kroos and Alcantara seem to be developing well to lead the midfield in the near future. Gotze and Muller will fill the advanced role in Bayern’s midfield three.
The sales of Nils Petersen and more importantly Mario Gomez leaves the Allianz Arena side short in terms of striking options. The style of play donned by Gomez does not fit with the Tiki-Taka preached by Guardiola but the lack of replacement for the outgoing German international striker could prove costly to the Bavarians in case of a long term injury to Mandzukic.
No troubles of this sort exist with the Munich outfit as Ribery and Robben are two of the best wing combinations in Europe – they are also adequately replaced by the likes of Shaqiri on the bench.
Still, one feels that the Bayern attack is perhaps where Guardiola will commence his transformation over the coming windows.
Overall, Bayern Munich will certainly be the side to beat in Germany as the likes of Dortmund will have their work cut out in their attempts to dethrone the Bundesliga champions.
As for the Champions League, the Bavarians certainly are contenders for the trophy once again this season. In fact, Bayern have competed in three of the last four UEFA Champions League finals. Few could bet against them reaching the semi-finals of the competition this season.
Furthermore, Dortmund suffered the blow of losing star player Mario Gotze to their Bavarian rivals even before the season ended.
BVB, who have become an example for how to obtain success within limited financial means, produced an inspired summer to strengthen their first team using the money received from the sale of Mario Gotze.
In came Armenian attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk for 27.5 million Euros. The goal scoring midfielder was joined by the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from AS St. Etienne. Finally, the club moved for Sokratis to replace Felipe Santana at center back.
Jurgen Klopp could also pride himself at keeping striker Robert Lewandowski who threatened to leave the club after refusing to renew his running contract. BVB resisted to buckle under the pressure of losing their target man for free by the end of the season and kept hold of Poland’s number nine.
Another positive move by Die Schwarzgelben was the loan of future star Moritz Leitner to VFB Stuttgart to gain valuable first team football.
Squad Assessment:
Goalkeepers: Roman Weidenfeller, Mitchell Langerak, Zlatan Alomerovic
Defenders: Neven Subotic, Mats Hummels, Marian Sarr, Sokratis, Koray Gunter, Marcell Schmelzer, Jannik Bandowski, Oliver Kirsch, Lukasz Piszczek, Erik Durm
Midfielders: Sebastian Kehl, Sven Bender, Ilkay Gundongan, Nuri Sahin, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Kevin Grosskreutz, Jonas Hofmann, Jakub Blaszczykowski
Forwards: Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang, Julian Schieber, Marvin Ducksch
Jurgen Klopp has a well-balanced squad who are interchangeable and adaptable.
Roman Weindefeller is a very able keeper who played a key role in helping his club to the Bundesliga titles as well as the Champions League final last season.
In Subotic and Hummels, BVB possess two of the most sought-after center defenders in Europe who have formed a great partnership. Sokratis will add capable depth to this key position. BVB’s fullbacks also represent the envy from a lot of clubs across the European continent – Marcell Schmelzer and Lukasz Piszczek are two of the best attacking fullbacks out there.
Grosskreutz has done well in replacing Piszczek when needed but one feels that an injury to Schmelzer could be damaging to Dortmund as they lack the presence of an adequate cover in their squad.
In midfield, Dortmund possess dynamic and adaptable players who can perform their attacking and defensive duties equally. Sven Bender is showing the skills to match his early promise while Gundongan is one of the best young creative midfielders in world football who is equally adept at influencing the attack from advanced positions as well as set the tempo of the match from a deeper midfield position.
Nuri Sahin seems to be returning to his old form under Klopp and Kehl will add much needed experience when required. Kuba Blaszczykowski can play anywhere on the right side and has been an inspiration for BVB over the last few seasons.
New signing Henrik Mkhitaryan will be responsible for providing the attacking impetus from midfield and replace the gap left by the departure of Gotze. The Armenian boasts a record of 44 goals and 24 assists from 106 matches over three seasons for Shakhtar Donetsk. The much-coveted Mkhitaryan enjoyed his most prolific season last year as he scored 29 goals from 42 games.
Mkhitaryan enjoyed a blistering start to his Dortmund career scoring three goals and providing one assist in his first four Bundesliga appearances and should prove an excellent signing for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The BVB football manager also enjoys a plethora of attacking talent in the shape of Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus and new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. As a front three, few clubs possess a better combination than Dortmund with Aubameyang on the right cutting inside while Reus uses his powerful and direct approach from the left to aid Robert Lewandowski who is becoming one of the best target men in world football.
Der BVB do lack in terms of cover for Lewandowski while Grosskreutz and Blaszczykowski could play a part in replacing Reus or Aubameyang.
Jurgen Klopp will be looking to close the gap at the top of the Bundesliga table this season as he looks a sterner competition to Bayern Munich than they could achieve last year. Despite the loss of Gotze, the BVB squad and first team is actually stronger this year and will push Bayern to the limits in the Bundesliga this season.
Dortmund will look to the stability of the playing squad and the side’s tactics as their main advantage over their Bavarian rivals who will be integrating fresh methods under new coach Pep Guardiola.
BVB have been grouped with Arsenal, Marseille and Napoli in the UEFA Champions League group of death. If they survive, Die Borussen will prove to be a tough nut to crack in the later stages and could possibly push for another semi-final spot this season.
What follows is a brief overview of the activity conducted by the clubs expected to compete at the top end of the table this season:
Bayer Leverkusen:
Bayer Leverkusen, used the cash received from the sale of Andre Schurrle to Chelsea, and signed nine players for the first squad with Giulio Donati, Heung-Min Son and Emre Can the main signings of the summer thus showing an emphasis on youth in the club’s transfer strategy. Erin Derdiyok is also a good signing for the BayArena side on loan from Hoffenheim.
Sami Hyypia has a youthful side to call-on with the side’s main strength coming in their center midfield options. Heung-Min, Sidney Sam, Erin Derdiyok and Keissling form the nucleus for an active and hard-working attack.
In defense, the club will miss the presence of Daniel Carvajal who left to Real Madrid with Roberto Hilbert and Giulio Donati competing for the right back spot. Leverkusen’s center defensive partnership is decent but is certainly open for improvement; the same could be said for their left back options as well.
Overall, Bayer will be looking to finish in the UEFA Champions League spots this season and Sami Hyypia possesses the squad to achieve this target.
Schalke 04:
“Null Vier” enjoyed a good summer after strengthening their squad by bringing in Filipe Santana, Christian Clemens, Adam Szalai, Leon Goretzka and Kevin-Prince Boateng. The club also loaned Denis Aogo from Hamburg SV to improve their first team.
Schalke are in fact the second highest team in terms of transfer spending this summer behind the mighty Bayern Munich.
“Die Knappen” possess a good squad across the pitch with their back-four options being one of the best in the German league. Howedes, Santana, Papadopoulos and Matip will provide Jens Keller with a welcome headache as they vie for the center back positions. Uchida and Aogo complete what looks a solid back-four for Schalke.
The Gelsenkirchen side boast an exciting youthful supply line which includes the likes of Julian Draxler, Max Meyer, Leon Goretzka and Cristian Clemens – all of whom should get ample time in the first team this season.
Schalke’s youth will be complemented by the experience provided by players like Jefferson Farfan, Klaas Jan-Huntelaar and Kevin-Prince Boateng which should guide the club to a top four Bundesliga finish.
Borussia Mönchengladbach:
A quiet summer at Borussia-Park saw the club improve their forward options by signing Brazilian attacking midfielder Raffael and striker Max Kruse.
You get the feel of a team ready to make the move upwards with this Mönchengladbach squad which fields a host of up-and-coming stars such as ter Stigen, Alvaro Dominguez, Granit Xhaka, Patrick Herrmann and Luuk de Jong.
The addition of a seasoned footballer such as Raffael was much needed considering the over-reliance on youth throughout the squad while Kruse will offer the club good movement in forward positions.
Lucien Favre is building his Borussia side slowly but surely and although a top four spot could be ahead of schedule come the end of the season, Gladbach will certainly enjoy the scalp of a few big sides during the season.
Others:
The Bundesliga features a few more clubs looking to break into the European spots by next May mainly in the form of VFL Wolfsburg who spent big on Luiz Gustavo, Hannover 96 and VfB Stuttgart.
This article will cover the main moves of the Bundesliga this summer and what could be expected from the clubs over the coming nine months…
Bayern Munich
How do you improve a club which won every single competition that they participated in last season?That was the question rattling the brains of Messrs Uli Hoeneß, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and newly recruited manager Pep Guardiola throughout the summer.
Bayern confirmed the hiring of Guardiola in the middle of January 2013 in order to allow the Spanish tactician ample time to assess the squad from a distance and plan ahead for the coming season.
The early announcement, though, seemed to have eased the pressure on Jupp Heynckes who lead his team to the most successful season in the club’s history thus mounting the pressure on the incoming Guardiola.
Bayern ,acting early with player recruitment as well, announced their first major signing of the summer, Mario Gotze, on April 23rd as a statement of intent that they are pushing to improve the club even further after the departure of Heynckes.
What followed though can be described by one word: “Caution”.
It would have been very difficult for Guardiola to convince the board or the supporters that the club needed a transformation to adapt to the tactics utilized by the Spaniard – after all, Heynckes was only using a very adaptable version of the Tiki-Taka himself.
With that in mind, Pep moved for a player he knew very well in the shape of Thiago Alcantara from former club FC Barcelona. Bayern also signed Jan Kircchoff on a free transfer to add to the club’s defensive ranks. Both are “low-risk” signings going forward while Guardiola settles in to his new post and then decide on more profound changes in the coming transfer windows.
The Bavarian club was active with their sales during the summer as they announced the departures of forwards Mario Gomez and Nils Petersen. Luiz Gustavo and Emre Can joined Bundesliga rivals VFL Wulfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen respectively while Anatoliy Tymoshchuk joined Russian Clubn Zenit St. Petersburg on a free transfer.
Squad Assessment:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Tom Starke, Lukas Reader
Defenders: Philipp Lahm , Rafinha, Dante, Daniel Van Buyten, Jan Kircchoff, Jerome Boateng, Holger Badstuber, Diego Contento, David Alaba
Midfielders: Javi Martinez, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thiago Alcantara, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze, Xherdan Shaqiri
Forwards: Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Mario Mandzukic, Claudio Pizarro
Bayern Munich will rely on possession-based football this season with emphasis on attacking fullbacks and an interchangeable midfield and attack.
Lahm is one of the top-two right backs in the world while Alaba is perhaps the most exciting young left back in world football. Dante, Boateng and Badstuber will compete for the two starting positions in center defense for what forms a formidable Bayern back four.
Behind the back four is Manuel Neuer of course, who continues to produce stunning saves when called-upon. The Bavarian’s world class keeper completes what shapes up to be one of the best defensive units in Europe.
Bayern’s midfield is as strong as they come across Europe – Javi Martinez, for me, was the best midfielder in the world last season as he was the linchpin in the tactical mastery displayed by the Bavarian side under Jupp Heynckes. Bastian Schweinsteiger is one of the best midfield players of his generation while both Kroos and Alcantara seem to be developing well to lead the midfield in the near future. Gotze and Muller will fill the advanced role in Bayern’s midfield three.
The sales of Nils Petersen and more importantly Mario Gomez leaves the Allianz Arena side short in terms of striking options. The style of play donned by Gomez does not fit with the Tiki-Taka preached by Guardiola but the lack of replacement for the outgoing German international striker could prove costly to the Bavarians in case of a long term injury to Mandzukic.
No troubles of this sort exist with the Munich outfit as Ribery and Robben are two of the best wing combinations in Europe – they are also adequately replaced by the likes of Shaqiri on the bench.
Still, one feels that the Bayern attack is perhaps where Guardiola will commence his transformation over the coming windows.
Overall, Bayern Munich will certainly be the side to beat in Germany as the likes of Dortmund will have their work cut out in their attempts to dethrone the Bundesliga champions.
As for the Champions League, the Bavarians certainly are contenders for the trophy once again this season. In fact, Bayern have competed in three of the last four UEFA Champions League finals. Few could bet against them reaching the semi-finals of the competition this season.
Borussia Dortmund
After the seismic response from Bayern Munich last season and their reclamation of their place as the emperors of the German game, BVB had to strike back this summer.Furthermore, Dortmund suffered the blow of losing star player Mario Gotze to their Bavarian rivals even before the season ended.
BVB, who have become an example for how to obtain success within limited financial means, produced an inspired summer to strengthen their first team using the money received from the sale of Mario Gotze.
In came Armenian attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk for 27.5 million Euros. The goal scoring midfielder was joined by the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from AS St. Etienne. Finally, the club moved for Sokratis to replace Felipe Santana at center back.
Jurgen Klopp could also pride himself at keeping striker Robert Lewandowski who threatened to leave the club after refusing to renew his running contract. BVB resisted to buckle under the pressure of losing their target man for free by the end of the season and kept hold of Poland’s number nine.
Another positive move by Die Schwarzgelben was the loan of future star Moritz Leitner to VFB Stuttgart to gain valuable first team football.
Squad Assessment:
Goalkeepers: Roman Weidenfeller, Mitchell Langerak, Zlatan Alomerovic
Defenders: Neven Subotic, Mats Hummels, Marian Sarr, Sokratis, Koray Gunter, Marcell Schmelzer, Jannik Bandowski, Oliver Kirsch, Lukasz Piszczek, Erik Durm
Midfielders: Sebastian Kehl, Sven Bender, Ilkay Gundongan, Nuri Sahin, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Kevin Grosskreutz, Jonas Hofmann, Jakub Blaszczykowski
Forwards: Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang, Julian Schieber, Marvin Ducksch
Jurgen Klopp has a well-balanced squad who are interchangeable and adaptable.
Roman Weindefeller is a very able keeper who played a key role in helping his club to the Bundesliga titles as well as the Champions League final last season.
In Subotic and Hummels, BVB possess two of the most sought-after center defenders in Europe who have formed a great partnership. Sokratis will add capable depth to this key position. BVB’s fullbacks also represent the envy from a lot of clubs across the European continent – Marcell Schmelzer and Lukasz Piszczek are two of the best attacking fullbacks out there.
Grosskreutz has done well in replacing Piszczek when needed but one feels that an injury to Schmelzer could be damaging to Dortmund as they lack the presence of an adequate cover in their squad.
In midfield, Dortmund possess dynamic and adaptable players who can perform their attacking and defensive duties equally. Sven Bender is showing the skills to match his early promise while Gundongan is one of the best young creative midfielders in world football who is equally adept at influencing the attack from advanced positions as well as set the tempo of the match from a deeper midfield position.
Nuri Sahin seems to be returning to his old form under Klopp and Kehl will add much needed experience when required. Kuba Blaszczykowski can play anywhere on the right side and has been an inspiration for BVB over the last few seasons.
New signing Henrik Mkhitaryan will be responsible for providing the attacking impetus from midfield and replace the gap left by the departure of Gotze. The Armenian boasts a record of 44 goals and 24 assists from 106 matches over three seasons for Shakhtar Donetsk. The much-coveted Mkhitaryan enjoyed his most prolific season last year as he scored 29 goals from 42 games.
Mkhitaryan enjoyed a blistering start to his Dortmund career scoring three goals and providing one assist in his first four Bundesliga appearances and should prove an excellent signing for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The BVB football manager also enjoys a plethora of attacking talent in the shape of Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus and new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. As a front three, few clubs possess a better combination than Dortmund with Aubameyang on the right cutting inside while Reus uses his powerful and direct approach from the left to aid Robert Lewandowski who is becoming one of the best target men in world football.
Der BVB do lack in terms of cover for Lewandowski while Grosskreutz and Blaszczykowski could play a part in replacing Reus or Aubameyang.
Jurgen Klopp will be looking to close the gap at the top of the Bundesliga table this season as he looks a sterner competition to Bayern Munich than they could achieve last year. Despite the loss of Gotze, the BVB squad and first team is actually stronger this year and will push Bayern to the limits in the Bundesliga this season.
Dortmund will look to the stability of the playing squad and the side’s tactics as their main advantage over their Bavarian rivals who will be integrating fresh methods under new coach Pep Guardiola.
BVB have been grouped with Arsenal, Marseille and Napoli in the UEFA Champions League group of death. If they survive, Die Borussen will prove to be a tough nut to crack in the later stages and could possibly push for another semi-final spot this season.
Bundesliga Contenders for European Qualification:
Looking at the transfer activity across the other German clubs in the Bundesliga, one could easily see the effects of the financial crisis as the clubs worked within their limited resources during the summer transfer window.What follows is a brief overview of the activity conducted by the clubs expected to compete at the top end of the table this season:
Bayer Leverkusen:
Bayer Leverkusen, used the cash received from the sale of Andre Schurrle to Chelsea, and signed nine players for the first squad with Giulio Donati, Heung-Min Son and Emre Can the main signings of the summer thus showing an emphasis on youth in the club’s transfer strategy. Erin Derdiyok is also a good signing for the BayArena side on loan from Hoffenheim.
Sami Hyypia has a youthful side to call-on with the side’s main strength coming in their center midfield options. Heung-Min, Sidney Sam, Erin Derdiyok and Keissling form the nucleus for an active and hard-working attack.
In defense, the club will miss the presence of Daniel Carvajal who left to Real Madrid with Roberto Hilbert and Giulio Donati competing for the right back spot. Leverkusen’s center defensive partnership is decent but is certainly open for improvement; the same could be said for their left back options as well.
Overall, Bayer will be looking to finish in the UEFA Champions League spots this season and Sami Hyypia possesses the squad to achieve this target.
Schalke 04:
“Null Vier” enjoyed a good summer after strengthening their squad by bringing in Filipe Santana, Christian Clemens, Adam Szalai, Leon Goretzka and Kevin-Prince Boateng. The club also loaned Denis Aogo from Hamburg SV to improve their first team.
Schalke are in fact the second highest team in terms of transfer spending this summer behind the mighty Bayern Munich.
“Die Knappen” possess a good squad across the pitch with their back-four options being one of the best in the German league. Howedes, Santana, Papadopoulos and Matip will provide Jens Keller with a welcome headache as they vie for the center back positions. Uchida and Aogo complete what looks a solid back-four for Schalke.
The Gelsenkirchen side boast an exciting youthful supply line which includes the likes of Julian Draxler, Max Meyer, Leon Goretzka and Cristian Clemens – all of whom should get ample time in the first team this season.
Schalke’s youth will be complemented by the experience provided by players like Jefferson Farfan, Klaas Jan-Huntelaar and Kevin-Prince Boateng which should guide the club to a top four Bundesliga finish.
Borussia Mönchengladbach:
A quiet summer at Borussia-Park saw the club improve their forward options by signing Brazilian attacking midfielder Raffael and striker Max Kruse.
You get the feel of a team ready to make the move upwards with this Mönchengladbach squad which fields a host of up-and-coming stars such as ter Stigen, Alvaro Dominguez, Granit Xhaka, Patrick Herrmann and Luuk de Jong.
The addition of a seasoned footballer such as Raffael was much needed considering the over-reliance on youth throughout the squad while Kruse will offer the club good movement in forward positions.
Lucien Favre is building his Borussia side slowly but surely and although a top four spot could be ahead of schedule come the end of the season, Gladbach will certainly enjoy the scalp of a few big sides during the season.
Others:
The Bundesliga features a few more clubs looking to break into the European spots by next May mainly in the form of VFL Wolfsburg who spent big on Luiz Gustavo, Hannover 96 and VfB Stuttgart.
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