the FC Bayern has regained its place in the sun thanks to a strong final phase of the first half of the season and is four points ahead of Freiburg. However, the mood is no longer really good, which is mainly due to the World Cup fiasco of the DFB team and the recent injuries. Accordingly, it will be particularly difficult for FC Bayern to get off to a good start in the second half of the season.
After a difficult early autumn everything seemed to be going according to plan on Säbener Straße. The Munich team ended a high-scoring and overall successful first half of the season with a 2-0 win over Schalke. But then one horror message followed the other: First, Sadio Mané’s injury turned out to be more serious than expected, which is why the Senegalese will miss at least the first second half of the season games and is also in doubt for the CL round of 16. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, however, given the injuries suffered by Hernández and Neuer, both of whom will not return this season.
In addition to the physical wounds, there are also some mental wounds to heal. Joshua Kimmich in particular was very frustrated after the World Cup and revealed his fear that he could fall into a hole. But Müller, who played a disappointing tournament, and Jamal Musiala, who played well but had incredible bad luck, will still have to gnaw on the events. In addition to the DFB stars, Choupo-Moting and Davies also failed early on, although this was to be expected. In addition, Benjamin Pavard has fallen out of favor with the Les Bleus and Coman continues to chase his form and hardly plays. In addition, Mazraoui is struggling with injury problems and missed the quarter-finals. With the exception of Upamecano, things are not going well for the Munich team who are still represented at the World Cup.
The World Cup tournament and the injuries put a severe damper on expectations. It is difficult to predict in what condition the Munich team will go into the second half of the season. Julian Nagelsmann is probably facing an even more difficult task than in early autumn.
We’re taking a closer look at Munich’s program for the start of the second half of the season and looking at the starting hurdles the team is facing.
RB Leipzig (A) – January 20
It couldn’t have been much worse for Munich at the start of the second half of the season. The record champion has to RB Leipzig and thus the team that was the strongest in the second half of the first half of the season. The Saxons have a very strong team and have always made things difficult for the Munich team, especially in home games. The duel will be a yardstick for Bayern at the start. It is important for everyone involved to be wide awake and to focus on the Bundesliga.
1.FC Cologne (H) – January 24
The home game against 1.FC Köln is of course much easier on paper than the away game in Leipzig. Munich have to be prepared for billy goats who are very defensive. In this game, due to Cologne’s moderate performance in the first half of the season, there is a lot to be said for FCB, but it can also be a test of patience.
Eintracht Frankfurt (H) – January 28
It continues for Bayern against Eintracht Frankfurt, which is an extremely complicated and inconvenient task. The Hessians have repeatedly presented Munich with difficulties in recent years and have beaten them here and there. In this season, the Frankfurters are more solid than ever. The reigning EL champions have a few worries over the expiring contracts of Kamada and N’Dicka. We have to wait and see how things develop here, but the team will definitely bring dangerous weapons to Munich.
VfL Wolfsburg (A) – 5. Februar
the VfL Wolfsburg is something of a favorite opponent of Bayern. This was especially true because Lewandowski particularly liked to score against the wolves. However, VfL is quite strong at home and has already caused problems for Bayern Munich in their own stadium. In general, Niko Kovac’s men showed an upward trend towards the end of the first half of the season. The team isn’t bad either. All in all, there is still a lot to be said for the record champions.
Bochum (H) – February 11
In the first half of the season, Bayern completely dismantled VfL Bochum and defeated them 7-0. Last year, however, they lost spectacularly in Bochum with 2:4. An example that shows how different football games can be. However, the fact that the game is taking place at home and VfL is no longer as strong and euphoric as in the previous season speaks for Munich. So a win is a must.
