Bayern’s golden era is gradually coming to an end

Despite losing 0-1 in the first leg of the quarterfinals in Spain, Bavaria is still expected to turn the situation around to enter the semi-finals. But instead, they fell right at home to the seventh ranked team in La Liga. Samuel Chukwueze stunned the Allianz field with a kick at the end of the quarter-final second leg to eliminate the German giants from the Champions League.

For the first time, Bayern have not won two consecutive Champions League matches since meeting Liverpool in the 1/8 Champions League round of the 2018-2019 season. At that time, the “Gray Lobster” drew 0-0 in the first leg at Anfield, then lost 1-3 in the second leg at Allianz and soon left the tournament.

Falling in front of Villarreal also made Bayern break up the continental arena for the second time in a row in the quarter-finals. Last season, Bayern lost to PSG and then marked the first time in a decade they were eliminated by a club that did not progress to the final.

On the domestic front, Bayern is about to pocket the 10th Bundesliga title in a row, because it is nine points behind Dortmund when the season has six rounds left. But that title was not enough for Bayern to have a successful season, as they were also knocked out of the German Cup early and failed to achieve at least their goal of reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League. Coach Julian Nagelsmann admits this, stressing that just the Bundesliga title is not enough.

But this is only the tip of the “iceberg”. The early farewell to the Champions League raises questions about the future when the Bavarian team risks losing its status as one of Europe’s top clubs. As Bayern looked to be struggling, cracks began to appear at the Allianz Stadium.

Losing top stars

The first sign that Bayern’s strength is waning comes from the loss of Thiago Alcantara to Liverpool in the summer of 2020, and the inability to keep David Alaba last summer. Now, the loss of top stars can come in denser and faster. Serge Gnabry, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller are all out of contract in June 2023. Gnabry is said to be determined to leave the Allianz field when receiving many generous offers from all over Europe.

In addition, the future of the number one star Robert Lewandowski is also not clear. Earlier this week, it was reported that the Polish striker had informed Bayern that he would not be signing again, when his current contract will end in the summer of 2023. At the same time, Lewandowski is said to have reached a three-year deal with him. Barca.

After being Villarreal eliminated from the Champions League, CEO Oliver Kahn insists Bayern will not let their excellent striker go. But with the summer transfer window just around the corner, Lewandowski has yet to put pen to paper on a new contract, and rumors will continue to surface in the near future. Coach Nagelsmann stressed that outside noise did not affect Bayern’s performance on the field.

But in reality, Lewandowski has been Bayern’s main source of goals, having scored at least 40 goals per season for the past seven seasons. With brilliant form, the 33-year-old striker has never missed a Bundesliga title with Bayern, won the Champions League, European Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, three German National Cups and five German Super Cups.

Failure to keep the striker in high form will affect not only Bayern’s goalscoring goals, but also their image as one of Europe’s top clubs.

Old squad

With six pillars over the age of 30, Bayern’s squad has an average age of 25.8. Although this number is lower than many leading European clubs, such as Liverpool and Real Madrid – the two teams that have won tickets to the semi-finals of the Champions League this season, fans want Bayern to change the blood of the squad.

Chief Manuel Neuer mixed Thomas Muller are with Bayern for more than 10 years, while Lewandowski has eight years of seniority. Besides this number, four other players are also about to turn 30, or will turn 30 when their contracts expire.

“Gray Lobster” seems to be relying too much on the stars who are about to step across the career slope to compete for the title, instead of rejuvenating the squad with potential players to create a new breeze. But the question is how long can they continue to do so.

In addition, Bayern’s squad is not really strong in depth. After parting with Alaba or Thiago, the team could not find a replacement. The lack of options on the bench to change in the 1-1 draw at Villarreal is a clear sign that Bayern need to be strong in the summer. Nagelsmann brought on Serge Gnabry, Alphonso Davies and Choupo-Moting, respectively. These are also the three biggest stars who do not start Bayern in this match.

Financial problem

Covid-19 has caused all clubs, from the low to the top leagues, to be severely affected financially. In which, Bayern recorded a decrease in annual profit from 56.7 million USD before the pandemic to just over 2 million USD in the 2020-2021 season, according to the report. The Athletic.

Nagelsmann clearly needs a big budget to rejuvenate the squad in the summer of 2022, but this is very unlikely. So far, Bayern has built success with “austerity” spending, but gradually realized that it is difficult to compete with clubs with rich owners like PSG or Man City.

In recent years, Bayern’s blockbuster deals have not been successful. Dayot Upamecano – midfielder worth 45 million – often makes mistakes, while two contracts of $ 95 million and nearly $ 50 million for Lucas Hernandez and Corentin Tolisso are constantly absent due to injury.

Towards the second half changes against Villarreal, Nagelsmann can only put their faith in Gnabry on the bench. In addition, the German coach must launch Alphonso Davies – who has the head of the left-back – in the attacking role.

The only attractive prospect of Bayern losing a superstar like Lewandowski is financial gain. But the Polish striker seems to be wanting to leave on a free form in the summer of 2023. Bayern seem to be stuck in a loop, needing to rejuvenate the squad but lack the budget.

Doubt on the training bench

Nagelsmann arrived at Bayern with high expectations, leading RB Leipzig to third in the Bundesliga in his debut season, and second in the following. But he faces the difficult task of escaping the shadow of his highly successful predecessor Hansi Flick.

However, no one expected Nagelsmann to have such a bad first season at the Allianz, with the Bundesliga likely to be the only title. The 34-year-old coach has a vision of how to build Bayern, but time is a luxury in today’s top football.

Nagelsmann was criticized for his tactics, player management and squad, and the tide became more intense after Bayern’s early exit from the Champions League. Before Villarreal in the middle of last week, the young coach caused confusion when he replaced Lucas Hernandez with Alphonso Davies. And just a minute after entering the field, Davies was overtaken by Samuel Chukwueze and hit Neuer’s net, sending Villarreal into the semi-finals.

After the match, Bayern fans took to social media to criticize Nagelsmann. One fan said that Nagelsmann’s substitution of Davies was a “decision to commit suicide”. More worryingly, he also faced criticism from the students in the dressing room, according to Sport1.

Nagelsmann needs more time and should be given a chance next season despite the setbacks this season. But the German coach must also quickly establish consistency for Bayern. Otherwise, he will lose the support of the elite, fans and Bayern players, and the only gain from working at the Allianz Stadium is the experience of failure.

No longer holding the top position

Bayern have been considered a strong candidate in the Champions League for the past decade, reaching the semi-finals in eight of the last 13 seasons. Going further, they have only failed to qualify for the group stage once since the 1994-1995 season.

But the past two seasons have proven, the Bavarian team has begun to lose strength in Europe’s most prestigious club competition. According to the sheet Abendzeitung of Munich, Bayern prides itself on being able to attract top stars with a “complete package”, which includes many other incentives in addition to a hefty salary.

But with no longer holding the position of candidate to win the Champions League and the financial situation in decline, can Bayern continue to compete with other top teams? The decline not only affects the ability to recruit top rookies, but also the retention of pillars.

The loss of top players, possibly Lewandowski next, to opponents further damaged Bayern’s image in the European arena, sending them into a loop with no way out.

Hong Duy (according to Sport Mail)