It's FourFourTwo’s Bundesliga Season Preview: can anyone stop Bayern from winning the title again? Xabi Alonso, Borussia Dortmund and a few others will give it a go
(Image credit: CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
It's our Bundesliga Season Preview – and this one could be the best season in Germany for years.
Bayern Munich won the league last term but only in the nick of term. A Borussia Dortmund bottle job gave the Bavarians yet another shield in the dying embers of the season, with the gods of German football playing havoc across a season in which anything could – and did – happen.
So was it a rare blip for Die Roten? A one-off before business as usual this term? Allow FFT's German football expert Ed McCambridge to dissect another season in the Bundesliga.
So what's new in the Bundesliga?
The Bundesliga has its own Luton-esque fairytale, as minnows Heidenheim make their top-flight bow this August.
It took fully 177 years – the sports club itself was formed in 1846 – plus a 99th-minute winner on the final day of last season, dramatically stopping giants Hamburg from securing promotion, but they got here in the end. Coach Frank Schmidt assumed his position back in 2007, leading his rag-tag bunch all the way from the fifth tier. Fellow risers Darmstadt are also back in the Bundesliga for the first time since 2016-17.
Elsewhere, Thomas Tuchel embarks on his first full season as Bayern Munich gaffer. The former Chelsea and PSG boss was parachuted into Bavaria in March to replace Julian Nagelsmann, before leading his side to the title – albeit just, thanks to Jamal Musiala’s 89th-minute goal on the final day. Now’s his chance to mould the German giants in his own prickly image.
Major storylines
As ever, the fans are going to be decisive in the Bundesliga (Image credit: Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Stopping Bayern claiming a *gets fingers out to count, soon runs out of fingers* 12th consecutive Meisterschale is, as ever, the aim for those chasing them. Collective morale will be low after Borussia Dortmund blew a golden opportunity to seal the title last term, drawing at home to Mainz on the last day.
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Their revenge will have to be plotted without Jude Bellingham – how they replace him will be crucial. Back-to-back cup winners RB Leipzig, Freiburg and Union Berlin, who’ve qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, a mere four years after their first promotion to the top flight, will provide additional competition.
As always, however, it’s those fans of what might be the world’s most politically-engaged league that will provide the lion’s share of social media content. Whether slating sportswashing, abusing unscrupulous owners or railing against minimal hikes in their ticket prices, Bundesliga supporters will be the stars of the show from start to finish.
Star arrivals
Fabio Carvalho has touched down in the Bundesliga (Image credit: Stefan Matzke - sampics/Corbis via Getty Images)
As if pinching the title off Dortmund wasn’t enough, Bayern have also nabbed Raphael Guerreiro – the out-of-contract star has moved to the Allianz, following in the steps of Robert Lewandowski and several others before him.
The champions have also signed Konrad Laimer from RB Leipzig, who’ve lost Christopher Nkunku and Dominik Szoboszlai, but loaned Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool and recruited Christoph Baumgartner from Hoffenheim for £20m. Fully 11 months ago, they agreed the same fee for another player arriving this summer, 20-year-old Slovenian forward Benjamin Sesko... joining from Red Bull Salzburg, of course.
Dortmund have added, too, snapping up former Manchester City youngster Felix Nmecha from Wolfsburg for £26m.
Surprise potential
How far could Xabi Alonso take Leverkusen? (Image credit: Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Xabi Alonso’s transformation from midfield maestro to calculating coach might not come as a shock, but the Spaniard’s impact at Bayer Leverkusen last term was jaw-dropping. The ex-Liverpool string-puller had only coached Real Sociedad’s reserves before he took charge of second-bottom Leverkusen in October, but led Die Werkself to seventh and the Europa League semis. Fans are excited to see what he’s able to achieve this time around – with Alonso in the dugout, and a clutch of impressive kids led by the superb Florian Wirtz, Leverkusen may be dark horses.
Look out for…
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens could be about to explode (Image credit: Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images)
Bellingham might have followed Jadon Sancho through the Bundesliga exit door, but that’s not to say there isn’t still a highly-touted youngster flying the English flag in the Bundesliga. Londoner Jamie Bynoe-Gittens enjoyed a breakthrough season for Dortmund last term, scoring three goals (with two winners) across 15 league appearances. Blessed with searing pace, a ferocious shot and capable of playing on both wings, the England Under-19 international – formerly of Man City, like BVB new boy Nmecha – could become the next big thing in the Ruhr Valley.
More Season Previews
FourFourTwo have season previews for plenty of other leagues too, including the Premier League, where we rate each of England's top 20 clubs in detail.
Our Ligue 1 Season Preview looks at whether Paris Saint-Germain's stranglehold on French football will continue, while our Bundesliga Season Preview poses a similar question of Bayern Munich and German football. In Italy, it’s a wide-open race between the top teams as we delve deep with our Serie A Season Preview and in Spain, we assess whether Barcelona or Real Madrid will come out on top in our La Liga Season Preview.
Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.
