The situation
The current owners of the Europa League will host the defending champions of the Bundesliga on Friday 5 August, which will give us an exciting meeting at the beginning of the new season, in the first round of the league. Both clubs made history last season, with Bayern extending their Bundesliga reign to a 10th season for the first time under new manager Julian Nagelsmann. And Eintracht Frankfurt, meanwhile, took Europe by storm as Oliver Glasner’s men won the Europa League and ended an unforgettable European campaign. It was the second time in the club’s history that Frankfurt had won a European trophy, in addition to their UEFA Cup triumph in 1979/80, and not only secured a place in the Champions League that year, but also saved them from a disappointing 11th finish. place in the league. Despite victories in Sevilla, Frankfurt are looking to improve in the new season. “It must be said that we didn’t deliver the results we expected in other competitions,” said Eintracht sporting director Markus Krösche, who worked in the same role at RB Leipzig when Nagelsmann was in the team. “We know that we need to improve in many areas, we have a lot of work ahead of us and we are far from ideal.” While Eintracht will look to the Bavarians for inspiration for internal improvement, Bayern could learn from them too. Both teams will compete for four trophies, the first of which will be their 2022 Super Cup clash against Leipzig on Saturday 30 July. With Bayern last knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals and thrashed 5-0 by Borussia Monchengladbach in the second round of the German Cup, Nagelsmann knows he needs to improve next season. “When I was a small child, I often stood downstairs with the fans and always hoped one day to be here. Now my dream has come true,” the Bayern coach told the fans during the Salad Bowl celebration, before adding: “I would like to win even more – for you too. Hopefully we can do it next year.” To reach the next level in his second season at the helm, Nagelsmann will first need to ensure that Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller can once again defend their titles of top scorers and assist kings.
The details
Lewandowski scored 35 times in 34 games of the season to win the Goalscorer of the Season award for the fifth consecutive year and seventh overall, while Müller was the Bundesliga’s top assistant for the third time in four seasons with 18 assists. Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich should again form the basis of Bayern, and the prospect of a full season for Alphonso Davies suggests that Nagelsmann’s team can really rise to the next level in 2022/23. But while Bayern are placing their hopes on familiar faces, there have been changes at the Allianz Arena that should inspire excitement and admiration in equal measure. A trip to Frankfurt will give us our first opportunity to see how the team will adapt to the departure of Niklas Süle to rival Borussia Dortmund, and whether the arrival of Moroccan right-back Nussair Mazraoui will partner Benjamin Pavard at center-back Dayot Upamecano. American footballer Chris Richards has also returned from a loan spell at Hoffenheim to compete for a spot in the squad, and the signing of Ryan Gravenberch will not only add even more quality alongside Kimmich and Leon Goretzka in central midfield, but also allow for another of Europe’s brightest talents. dedicate your future to the Bundesliga. With Jamal Musiala at the helm of Bayern’s young talents, Nagelsmann’s first-team selection will be an interesting one for the innovative coach who is full of surprises and has already called for the “pressing machine” to enter Söbener Strasse in pre-season preparation for the 2022/23 season. Luckily, he has a man like Müller to ensure that strict standards are maintained and progress is constantly being made. During the pre-season, the German told the Bayern press office: “The expectations here are so high that they constantly spur you on. I don’t see any natural mechanism that could slow us down.”