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Here’s a chilling thought for any team hoping to dislodge Bayern Munich from their long-held number one perch: even when severely under-par last season, accumulating mistakes both on and off the pitch, the Bavarians still had enough to be champions again, albeit only on goal-difference from Borussia Dortmund.
Suitably chastened and not a little embarrassed to have let their standards drop, Bayern are most unlikely to make the same mistakes again: the complacency which crept in; the ego trips of certain players; the boardroom panic – notably the decision to sack coach Julian Nagelsmann in late March and replace him with Thomas Tuchel – and the poor transfer market dealings.
Everything points to Bayern bouncing back with renewed authority and purpose. Tuchel, as meticulous and driven as always, will have a full pre-season to bed down his principles and weed out those who don’t follow the party line. After retiring as CEO in 2021, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has returned to the board with the brief of bringing his extensive recruitment nous to bear. And perhaps most important of all, Bayern finally have realised what a colossal error it was to let star striker Robert Lewandowski leave the club without securing a proper replacement.
This story is from the August 2023 edition of World Soccer.
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This story is from the August 2023 edition of World Soccer.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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