After another season in which the traditional big clubs ended up dominating, the Bundesliga will be hoping for a few more surprises in the upcoming season. With a total of £430 million so far spent on transfers each club will want this to translate into on the pitch success.
The title race: (Or Lack Of)
In a parallel world I would like to think the title could be regained by another Bundesliga club however it would be daft to say that the overwhelming favourites are record breaking winners Bayern Munich would not prove successful once again. Even with the loss of goal scoring machine Lewandowski his replacement Sadio Mane looks ready to pounce and the captures of other players such as De Ligt and Gravenberch mean Bayern look as strong as ever. However in his second season as coach Julien Nagelsman will need to perform on the European stage as simply winning the Bundesliga will not be enough.
Top Four Challengers:
Always seemingly in the title conversation are Borussia Dortmund and after reappointing the internally successful and fan favourite Edin Terzic it looks like the fans may be hoping to challenge for the title. A stellar transfer window with the captures of Sule,Haller and Adeyemi show the ambition the club is showing. However this narrative seems to be compiled every season and always ends in disappointment for fans of the Dortmund club. After taking over Die Roten halfway through the season, Tedesco will be hoping he can imprint his style further on the team and play the same entertaining swashbuckling football we saw last term. With Bundesliga player of the year in the squad Christopher Nkunku, anything except Champions League qualification will be seen as a failure. After finishing an impressive third last season Leverkusen will once again be expected to challenge for the European spots. However the influential Florian Wirtz will be out for the start of the season and this injury could have a detrimental effect on how the squad performs. Leverkusen also lack the defensive solidity that is required as last season they shipped a massive 47 goals. Time will tell on how they perform.
The rest of the European spots:
Arguably the most exciting race this season due to the emergence of new competitors in Union Berlin and Freiburg as well as the fall of Borussia Monchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt, this season may see a great race for the European spots. The unfashionable but efficient Union Berlin had a season in which they finished the highest they ever had in the Bundesliga and under Urs Fisher they will hope to kick on. With a hugely impressive transfer policy and an amazing fan base, the Berlinners will hope to compete once again even with the loss of star striker Taiwo Aawoniyi. His replacement Jordan Pefok has had a great start but even with lots of additions Union will still now be playing on two fronts so European qualification may not be so straightforward once again. The same can be said of Freiburg who under the long serving Christain Streich seem capable of achieving anything. The capture of highly coveted centre back Matthias Ginter just shows how much respect the club has gained with its recent performances. Although not always out playing their opponents you will never see a club out spirit the southerners. After winning the Europa League Frankfurt will want to prove that last season's 11th placed position was a fluke but another poor start to the season could mean Glasner is on thin ice,especially if they are embarrassed in the Champions League. The appointment of Daniel Farke as Monchengladbach coach is a big risk after he was relegated with Norwich last term but a strong start should have the fans on side and with no continental football to worry about the Foals may just surprise a few people. Will they regret how little transfer business they have done though?
Mid table maestros:
Two clubs who surprised fans of the German game last season were Cologne and Mainz. After finishing 7th and 8th last season the clubs proved that the more disciplined and physical approach to the game can still work at the top level. Full credit should be given to coaches Bo Svensson and Steffen Baumgart who managed to turn around the fortunes of each club and make them into stable bundesliga clubs. Expect further progress. After a hugely disappointing 21/22 season Wolfsburg will surely be hoping to improve their 12th placed standing. With the exciting appointment of the Bundesliga experienced Nico Kovac and young players such as Wimmer and Kaminski arriving there is a big chance Wolfsburg could get themselves into the European spots. Another exciting prospect is that of Hoffenheim who seem to have a well functioning attack with the likes of Kramaric and Baumgartner but conceded goals at an alarming rate with 60 conceded last season. They therefore make for a very exciting watch and are surely a neutrals favourite. With smart transfers such as Angelino and N’soki being completed, Hoffenheim looks like an exciting project. Then there are Augsburg who are the definition of mid table as they never look like pushing up the table nor being relegated and with a strong spine to the squad the same should be expected once again.
Relegation battlers:
With less than £1million spent the coming season could prove to be a tough one for Bochum who last season surprised a few people by comfortably staying above the drop zone. With wins over Bayern Munich and Dortmund those same types of results are needed this season if the club wants to survive. Managing to stay up on the final day,Stuttgart will be hoping they can have a better 22/23. With one of the youngest squads in the Bundesliga there will be a lot of pressure on the players and coach Matarazzo. A problem last season was simply scoring and this can be seen as Mavropanos, a centre back, was the second top goalscorer in the league with only 4 goals. Sasa Kalajdzic and Borna Sosa are the clubs most important players but with both being linked with moves away it is hugely important that both stay at the club otherwise the season will prove to be difficult. After spending ridiculous sums of money in previous seasons gone by, Hertha Berlin are still having little success. Only in the Bundesliga after winning the playoff last season they will hope that a reduced transfer window and a new manager can breathe some life back into this club. Fans of the club seem disgruntled with the owners however and are not feeling confident ahead of the new season. After being relegated in 20/21 both Schalke and Werder Bremen bounced straight back up into the Bundesliga. Traditionally in the group of the biggest bundesliga clubs it is expected that they will both stay up. Both clubs have invested money wisely and have had good starts to the new season. Both of these promoted clubs staying up after one season is a real possibility!
Fans of the Bundesliga should be excited for the races for Europe and Relegation but unfortunately the domination of Bayern Munich looks set to continue. Expect another season in Germany to provide us with bucket loads of goals!
8 Players to watch:
Jordan Pefok - Replacing Union Berlin's top scorer this season will be Pefok who has just come off the end of an impressive season in Switzerland where he scored a total of 27 goals in all competitions with Young Boys. A hard working all round striker should offer the Berlin club the offensive verve they need and the early signs are good with 2 goals in his first 3 games.
Nico Schlotterbeck - One task for Dortmund this season will be to improve their leaky defence and it will be Schlotterbecks job to help achieve that. A smart signing by Dortmund for only £18 million he will bring with him an array of on the ball skills as well as superb defensive skills. With the World Cup fast approaching he will be looking to forge a path into Die Mannschaft squad.
Leroy Sane - After a slow season in 21/22 Sane will be hoping to get back to his ferocious best in the upcoming season. A tricky, clinical winger on his day, he has some task ahead of him to get back into the starting lineup with players such as Musiala,Gnabry and Coman all ahead of him in the pecking order. It is a big season ahead for the German international to show his top quality.
Georginio Rutter - After a highly productive 21/22 season in which the winger scored 8 and made a further 4 goals, 22/23 should prove to be an important year for the player. With Hofffenheim eager to get back into Europe they will be relying on Rutters directness and versatility across the frontline to propel the club back to the highs of 2016.
Mario Gotze - After Gotze’s heroics in the 2014 World Cup the attacking midfielder never managed to reach the heights achieved. Managing to rebuild his reputation in Holland with PSV Eindhoven he has come back to the Bundesliga with a cut price move to Europa League champions Frankfurt. Much will be expected of him!
Konstantinos Mavropanos - Making his loan spell permanent from Arsenal this season Mavropanos has made himself a cult hero in Germany, with his marauding runs forwards and his knack for scoring goals in important games. Another impressive season in Germany could propel the Centre Back into the eyes of some better European clubs.
Adam Hlozek - A lot of pressure has been put on the 20 year old forward as he is the only piece of business Leverkusen have completed so far. The Czech Republic forward will add a directness and clinical edge to an already stacked Leverkusen frontline and is sure to prove successful. Last season 12 goals and 15 assists show what the forward is capable of in the final third.
David Raum - After a hugely impressive 21/22 season with Hoffenheim the left wing back looks sure to fit straight into RB Leipzig starting 11. He will add amazing crossing and set piece ability as well as a never say die attitude that Die Roten sometimes lack. Already Germany’s starting left back expect to see Raum improve on his impressive 13 Bundesliga assists last season.
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