Bayern Munich
The champions of Germany… again… how exciting… Bayern go into this next season just as strong as ever. The best striker in the world, two of the best midfielders in the world in J. Kimmich and L. Goretzka, a back line that loses D. Alaba but still contains N. Sule, B. Pavard, and A. Davies as well as L. Hernandez and a top 5 keeper in M. Neuer. With a lack of clear transfers other than potential interest in F. Neuhaus, the Bavarians might run into an issue of complacency without really spending this summer. Bayern may have a great starting 11 but losing D. Alaba along with J. Martinez and J. Boateng will be tough on any team and strengthening the bench is 100% necessary if Bayern are to continue to dominate. Is D. Upamecano enough to keep Bayern ticking. As of this moment there is an argument that Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig would have the better total squads on paper. Nothing much to say other than they will continue to be Champions League favorites this next season based on their starting 11 alone. Gnabry, Sane, and Coman on the wing are more than sufficient to beat any team. The new coach Nagelsmann will be interesting as he has never won a trophy as a manager. Bayern is a big step and managing the pressure will be interesting. Flick was a huge presence in the Bayern team and his man management is unmatched. It will be interesting to see if the loss of Flick or a lack of transfer market action will sink Bayern if they do have troubles. At the end of the day as long as Lewandowski continues to be the best striker in the world it is hard to bet against Bayern. A semi final appearance might be a disappointment but the current squad with a new coach can shoot for this and maybe make the final.
RB Leipzig
Losing their coach to Bayern is the least of the issues at Leipzig. They lost two of their best centerbacks (D. Upamecano, I. Konate) that are world class. One was lost to Bayern who seems to be building an all French back line. Leipzig have done well filling the gaps with Josko Gvardiol from Dinamo Zagreb(1.HNL) and Mohamed Simakan from Strasbourg(Ligue 1) at center back. For a combined $37mil one of these two centerbacks must be at least solid for new coach Jesse Marsh. Jesse Marsh has a tough task at Leipzig. He has to find a way to score more goals and create a new center back pairing. He is an attacking coach and will make very good use of Angelino which Leipzig was able to secure on contract after his loan from Man City ended. B. Hendrichs will be familiar to many who have watched the Bundesliga for a while. The former Bayer Leverkusen man is permanently back in the Bundesliga after a hiatus at Monaco and a season long loan with Leipzig. Marsh will have a field day with Angelino as the fullback is able to attack and defend with the best of them. Marsh has many different options at his disposal as the midfield players at his disposal are versatile and there are many of them. Forsberg might be the player to watch under Marsh. Signing Andre Silva from Frankfurt is a huge coup. This signing will seal the deal for a decent campaign. Leipzig will probably find this next season tough and that will be no different in the Champions League. RB Leipzig should look to focus on the Bundesliga to continue qualifying for the Champions League. Champions League RB Leipzig probably is not a great bet. The round of 16 should be the goal.
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund fans will know that Sancho is leaving this summer. This gives reinvestment money to the front office. Gregor Kobel in goal needs to be better than the current options for $16mil. Soumaila Coulibaly from PSG at center back should be good to fill in in the case of a Leo Balerdi transfer. If Coulibaly can perform then he could get game time ahead of injury prone Zagadou to give the pair of M. Hummels and M. Akanji a break. Piszczek is gone. Dealing with the right back position is very important. If T. Meunier can play like he is for Belgium then no problem. Mateu Morey is going to be out for at least a year and might not be the same when returning or might never return. F. Passlack has just signed a new contract and can do the job if given the chance. M. Wolf comes back from a loan with Koln and could be an option. Signing a midfielder and a winger with the Sancho money is very important. There should also be a few million raised from the eventual sale of Roman Burki. All the money raised will need to be used to buy a solid midfielder and a promising winger. There are options being picked around on who will be signed at winger but provided Dortmund hang onto J. Brandt, T. Hazard, G. Reyna, and A. Knauff there should be enough players in the winger position to maintain depth with only one signing. T. Hazard has been one of the best Bundesliga wingers and has out performed his expensive brother Eden Hazard. J. Brandt definitely will benefit from the coaching switch. Marco Rose enters Dortmund as the previous manager of Borussia M’Gladbach. Gladbach had quite a horrible end to the season and even failed to qualify in one of the top 7 spots for any European football but that is probably not down to Rose. The team seemed to give up after the announcement of Rose leaving hit the news cycle. Rose was praised by his former employers with them saying he has the ability to bring the title to Dortmund. Rose has quite the team at his disposal as long as Sancho is the only departure. Haaland is rumored to Chelsea as is Bellingham but with the Sancho money Dortmund will feel comfortable telling Chelsea to, pardon the French, “go f*** themselves”. Dortmund should have a lot of players returning with a few shake ups to make every player look over their shoulder. All the players will be looking to show up for Marco Rose. Terzic, the former coach who led Dortmund to the DFB cup, a 7 game winning streak to make the Champions League spots, and the last 8 of the Champions League will still be at the club as of the writing of this article and will be a great asset to Rose if he stays. Dortmund should have a good shot at a deep run in the Champions League. They should be a dark horse pick regardless of any of the issues mentioned above. The quarter finals should be the goal.
VFL Wolfsburg
As any USMNT fan should know, John Brooks plays for this team. Wolfsburg had one of the best defenses in the Bundesliga this past season. Lecroix, Brooks’ partner at the back, is wanted by several clubs including RB Leipzig who have made a formal bid that has been rejected, Dortmund and many in the Prem, mainly Chelsea. A. Arnold and X. Schlager are a great pairing in midfield. Arnold has just signed a new deal with the club. Wout Weghorst is a power forward with decent technical ability that is starting in the Euros for the Netherlands. Wolfsburg secured M. Philipp permanently from Dynamo Moscow. E. Rexhbecaj is a very interesting young prospect in the center of midfield and might be very useful to Wolfsburg. Baku and Gerhart should be good enough on the wings to give most teams issues. Casteels has been one of the best keepers in the Bundesliga for seasons and it will be great to see him back in the Champions League. To round out the Bundesliga coaching fire drill Wolfsburg also have a new coach. Mark van Bommel may sound familiar to those older than 28 year old. Van Bommel played for Bayern Munich for much of the 2000s. Van Bommel comes in with very little management experience if any at all at the top level but he has played for AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Barcelona in his illustrious career. Van Bommel takes over a team that is well organized and has mostly been together for a few seasons. Van Bommel is entering a very competitive Bundesliga and should make the most of the Champions League chance. The Bundesliga should be important but a good run in the Champions League is necessary for success if the team stays together and especially if Lacroix is kept. All in all Wolfsburg is looking very good for the Champions League and should surprise. The round of 16 should be the goal.
By: Nicholas Dietrich