Bayern Munich: 2021/22 season preview
Bayern Munich begin a new era in 2021/22 as Julian Nagelsmann takes over at the helm of the Bundesliga champions with the aim of extending the club’s nine-year streak as Germany’s best club…
Last season
After winning the treble of Bundesliga, DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League in 2019/20, Hansi Flick’s side then picked up three more pieces of silverware in the DFL Supercup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup to claim an unprecedented haul of six trophies in the space of a year.
It was always going to be hard to maintain that level again in a contracted season due to coronavirus, but Bayern did make it nine straight Bundesliga titles, and a 31st championship overall, by finishing 13 points clear of RB Leipzig – in no small part thanks to Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker broke Gerd Müller’s 49-year record for most goals in a single Bundesliga season by netting 41 in only 29 appearances.
Watch: Lewandowski’s record-breaking 41 goals
The champions only lost four times in the entire league campaign, netting 99 goals in 34 matches, but did suffer disappointment in the defence of their DFB Cup title when they were knocked out on penalties in the second round by Holstein Kiel. The European champions also made it to the quarter-finals in the Champions League before an away-goals defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
New arrivals
The standout new arrival in Munich this summer isn’t actually a player but their new coach. Nagelsmann, who only turned 34 a couple of weeks before the season, is one of the most highly rated coaches in the game and arrives from rivals Leipzig with the objective of building on Flick’s hugely successful 18 months in charge.
Watch: Nagelsmann - Bound for Bayern
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On the pitch, Bayern have had to compensate for the loss of three double-treble winners in David Alaba, Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez. Centre-back Dayot Upamecano, 22, is the marquee signing, also coming from Leipzig. English left-back Omar Richards, 23, has arrived from Reading on a free transfer, while experienced goalkeeper Sven Ulreich has returned to Munich a year after leaving for Hamburg. He provides back-up to captain Manuel Neuer, with Alexander Nübel having been sent out on loan to Monaco for two years to gain match practice.
How might Bayern line up?
What to expect
People have been saying for years that it’s only a matter of time before Bayern slip up domestically. Well, nine straight titles have put that theory to bed. Will it now be a record-extending tenth? They boast the world’s best player and goalkeeper in Lewandowski and Neuer, the ever-brilliant Thomas Müller pulling the strings, a dynamic duo in midfield with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, and a thrilling array of wide players with Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman – plus there’s the ever-improving raw talents of Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala.
The expectation is that Nagelsmann will get the silverware his coaching talent deserves now he’s in charge of the best team. The Meisterschale is a must – deep runs in the cup and Europe are minimum requirements. The question ahead of the season is simply what level of competition they will face from the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Leipzig.
Opening fixtures
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Bayern (Friday, 13 August)
Supercup: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern (Tuesday, 17 August)
Bayern vs. Cologne (Sunday, 22 August)
DFB Cup: Bremer SV vs. Bayern (Wednesday, 25 August)
Bayern vs. Hertha Berlin (Saturday, 28 August)
RB Leipzig vs. Bayern (Saturday, 11 September)
Champions League: First group game (14/15 September)
Bayern vs. Bochum (Saturday, 18 September)
Greuther Fürth vs. Bayern (Friday, 24 September)
Click here to download all of Bayern's Bundesliga fixtures to your calendar
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