Tag: Bayern Munich

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BAYERN MUNICH WIN HISTORIC NINTH STRAIGHT BUNDESLIGA TITLE AS LEIPZIG LOSE AT DORTMUND

Bayern Munich have won their ninth consecutive Bundesliga title thanks to RB Leipzig’s 3-2 defeat to Borusia Dortmund on Saturday which came before Hansi Flick’s side celebrated with a 6-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.

The Bavarians could have clinched the championship crown two weeks ago, but fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at Mainz. Leipzig’s subsequent victory over Stuttgart kept the title race alive through the break for the DFB Pokal semifinals. But their loss in Dortmund makes Bayern national champions for the 31st time, with 30 coming in the Bundesliga era.

Jadon Sancho scored in the final minutes of the match to seal victory for Dortmund, and spark celebrations in Bavaria.

Nine Bundesliga titles in succession extends Bayern’s own record, with no one else — including the Munich giants — having won more than three in a row prior to this run.

The 2020-21 campaign also marks the end of an era at the Allianz Arena as David Alaba, Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez are set to leave this summer.

Bayern manager Flick will also leave the club after just over 18 months where he won seven trophies and became only the second coach after Pep Guardiola at Barcelona in 2009 to win six trophies in a single calendar year. Flick has been linked with the managerial role at Germany, where he could take over from Joachim Low after this summer’s European Championship. Flick will be replaced as Bayern manager by Julian Nagelsmann, who will leave Leipzig at the end of the season.

Last term, Bayern completed an historic second Treble of Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League.

They kicked off this season the with an 8-0 win over Schalke, Bayern led for most of the season and have been in first place since a 2-1 away win at Bayer Leverkusen in December when striker Robert Lewandowski scored a brace including a stoppage-time winner.

Bayern never looked back as they picked up key wins in the latter stages of the season. Against Dortmund in early March they turned an early 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 win, and a month on they won 1-0 away at Leipzig, who had been threatening a title challenge.

Chief executive officer Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is also set to vacate his position in December 2021. Rummenigge will leave after 30 years at the club, with 20 of those as the CEO. Former Germany and Bayern captain Oliver Kahn is set to take over in the front office.

Boateng, Alaba and Martinez have each enjoyed two Treble successes at the club, having been with Bayern when they achieved the same feat in 2013.

The rift between Flick, who succeeded Niko Kovac in November 2019, and sporting executive Hasan Salihamidzic overshadowed a large part of 2021. The pair fell out over the club’s transfer strategy and Flick in mid-April confirmed he believed his time at Bayern is coming to an end despite having a contract until 2023.

With Bayern out of the Pokal and the Champions League, they have now set their sights on helping attacker Lewandowski to the all-time record of goals scored in a single season. That record is held by Gerd Muller, who scored 40 goals in the 1971-1972 season.

Lewandowski now has 36 goals after his consolation strike in the defeat to Mainz and needs five more from the final five matches of the campaign to break Muller’s record.

The 32-year-old Poland striker this season rose to second in the all-time Bundesliga scorer list and is on 272 goals but remains well behind Muller, who scored 365 times for Bayern.

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VETERAN MARTINEZ PART OF BAYERN CLEAR-OUT

Bayern Munich confirmed Tuesday that veteran Spanish midfielder Javi Martinez will be the third member of their treble-winning squad to leave the club world champions at the end of the season, along with head coach Hansi Flick.

Martinez joined in 2012 from Athletic Bilbao for a then-club record of 40 million euros ($48 million), winning the Bundesliga in all eight seasons he has so far completed in Germany.

Bayern, and Martinez, are on the brink of winning a ninth straight league title this Saturday.

The Spain international was also part of the Bayern squads which won the treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League titles in 2013 and 2020.

Headed goals by Martinez helped Bayern win the UEFA Super Cup in both 2013, against Chelsea in Prague, and again in 2020, against Sevilla in Budapest.

“I’m very proud and happy to have been part of the FC Bayern family for nine years… and am very happy about the many titles we won together,” said Martinez in a statement.

He joins defenders Jerome Boateng and David Alaba who are also out of contract at the end of the season, while Flick has asked to be released.

RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann has already been named as Flick’s replacement for 2021/22.

Alaba, 28, is reportedly set to join Real Madrid after failing to agree to a contract extension with Bayern, while Martinez and Boateng, both 32, have not been offered new deals.

Like Martinez, Alaba and Boateng were key members of the Bayern squads which twice won the treble.

“At the end of this season Martinez, Alaba, Boateng and Flick will be given a fitting farewell by FC Bayern in recognition of their great achievements for the club,” Bayern said in a statement.

Martinez has made 266 appearances for Bayern, but this season he has started only four Bundesliga games and one Champions League match with Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich preferred in midfield.

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BAYERN MUNICH CONFIRM APPOINTMENT OF SPURS TARGET JULIAN NAGELSMANN AS NEW MANAGER

Bayern Munich have announced the appointment of 33-year-old Julian Nagelsmann as their new head coach on a five-year contract.

RB Leipzig boss Nagelsmann had been considered as a target for Tottenham Hotspur following last week’s sacking of Jose Mourinho, but the former Hoffenheim coach has opted to stay in Germany and move to the record 30-times Bundesliga title winners.

Bayern boss Hansi Flick, who won the Champions League last season, had asked to be released from his contract, and is expected to take over from Joachim Low as the new Germany boss after this summer’s European Championships.

Bayern said in a statement: “FC Bayern have appointed Julian Nagelsmann as their new head coach.

“The Bavarian-born 33-year-old will move to Munich from RB Leipzig on 1 July 2021 ahead of the new season, signing a five-year-contract with the German record champions until 30 June 2026.

“This comes after FC Bayern agreed to current head coach Hansi Flick’s request to have his contract terminated on 30 June 2021, two years earlier than its original expiry date.”

Nagelsmann had coached Leipzig for the past two seasons, and challenged Bayern in this season’s title race before the Bavarians pulled away at the top.

Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said “After there had been a lot of movement over the past few days regarding the coaching position at FC Bayern Munich for the new season, Julian Nagelsmann approached us and told us in open discussions that it was a lifelong dream for him, FC Bayern coach and he would like to move to Munich if the opportunity arises after the end of this season.

“Julian took a fantastic path in Leipzig and developed our club very successfully. Not only did he make our players better, but he also took the team to the next level as a collective.”

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BLOW FOR SPURS AS MUNICH OPEN TALKS WITH NAGELSMANN

Tottenham have been dealt a blow in their hunt for a new manager, with the Independent reporting Bayern Munich have opened talks to hire RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann.

Spurs bosses had been said to have earmarked the 33-year-old as an ideal replacement for Jose Mourinho, but they may now need to turn their attention elsewhere.

Their solution may actually be closer to home, with Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers also being linked with the role.

The Daily Star, citing 90min, says Rodgers is high on Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy’s radar, but Leicester are believed to be willing to match or better any potential offer in order to keep the Northern Irishman at the King Power Stadium.

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BAYERN’S BUNDESLIGA CELEBRATIONS ON HOLD AFTER LOSS TO MAINZ

Bayern Munich missed the chance to clinch the Bundesliga title when it lost at relegation-threatened Mainz 2-1 on Saturday.

First-half goals from Jonathan Burkardt and Robin Quaison put Bayern’s title celebrations on hold and lifted Mainz five points clear of the relegation zone after a remarkable turnaround in the second half of the season.

Robert Lewandowski returned from a month out with a knee injury to score for Bayern in the fourth minute of injury time and take his season tally to 36, but it was too late for the eight-time defending champions.

“We tried but in the end we didn’t deserve to take a point here,” Thomas Müller said.

Bayern could still win the title this weekend, depending on how second-placed Leipzig fares against Stuttgart on Sunday. A Leipzig defeat would hand Bayern the title with three games to spare, but anything else means the Bavarian powerhouse will have to wait. Bayern hosts Borussia Mönchengladbach next weekend in the next opportunity to win the league.

Mainz forward Burkardt opened the scoring in the third minute when Bayern captain Manuel Neuer was deceived by his centrally placed shot.

Neuer reacted well to deny Mainz a second goal minutes later, then again in the 16th, a minute after Lewandowski had Bayern’s first chance.

But Quaison headed Mainz’s second goal in the 37th when he beat Müller and David Alaba to meet Phillipp Mwene’s free kick.

Bayern coach Hansi Flick reacted with three changes at the break, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Jamal Musiala replacing the ineffective Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman, and Tanguy Nianzou going on for Leon Goretzka, who was in danger of a second booking.

Bayern came back from 2-0 down to win the reverse fixture 5-2 in Munich on Jan. 3, but Mainz is a different prospect since Bo Svensson took over as coach the following day. Mainz is unbeaten in seven games with five wins in that run.

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REPORT: DAVID ALABA SET TO SIGN FIVE YEAR DEAL WITH REAL MADRID

Amid all the chaos today of the proposed (and completely and utterly failed) Super League, a report from Sky broke that David Alaba has agreed to a five-year contract with Real Madrid that would see him join Los Blancos this summer, and remain with the club until 2026.

The same report also stated that the versatile Austrian defender is no longer interested in joining FC Barcelona.

Real Madrid have a history of leaking or announcing deals right after a bad situation, in order to provide fans with a distraction to other problems. This may or may not be that. Either way, it’s not much of a distraction from the real embarrassment the club suffered publicly as the Super League fell apart.

Should Alaba sign, it will be interesting to see what happens with the Sergio Ramos contract negotiations as a domino of this move. Will Ramos and Nacho both stay with the club?

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BAYERN SET FOR NINTH STRAIGHT TITLE AFTER BEATING BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Bayern Munich can be crowned Bundesliga champions this weekend after taking a 10-point lead at the top of the table with a 2-0 win at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

Bayern seized control at the Allianz Arena with early goals by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Joshua Kimmich after second-placed RB Leipzig had earlier suffered a shock defeat at relegation-threatened Cologne.

With just four games to go, club world champions Bayern will be guaranteed a ninth German league title in a row with a win at Mainz on Saturday.

“I told the team before the game, that we could take a huge step towards the title, which we have done. We want to now also win in Mainz,” said Bayern coach Hansi Flick.

Off the field, Bayern are in disarray since Flick dropped a bombshell on Saturday by saying he wants to be released from his contract at the end of the season.

Bayern’s senior bosses responded by saying it “disapproves of the one-sided communication by Hansi Flick” and wants to focus on this week’s games.

The Bavarian giants were also adamant on Tuesday that they will not join the breakaway Super League.

On the pitch, it was business as usual as Bayern quickly dominated Leverkusen and scored from their first attack.

When Thomas Mueller’s shot was saved, Choupo-Moting was on hand to tap home the rebound on seven minutes.

Kimmich added Bayern’s second goal on 14 minutes when David Alaba’s cross only went as far as the Germany midfielder who fired home from the edge of the area.

Leverkusen raised their game after the break with Leon Bailey firing past Manuel Neuer, but his goal was ruled offside.

Choupo-Moting had the ball in the Leverkusen net for the second time with 25 minutes left but his effort was ruled offside.

Bailey’s cross across the six-yard box was then fired off the crossbar by Karim Bellarabi on 69 minutes.

Eintracht Frankfurt moved up to third with a 2-0 home win over Augsburg thanks to goals by midfielder Martin Hinteregger and striker Andre Silva, who claimed his 24th league goal this season.

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Bayern Munich move closer to Bundesliga title as Hansi Flick confirms departure

The announcement by Hansi Flick, seen as the front-runner to take the Germany job after this year’s UEFA Euro, stole the spotlight from Jamal Musiala who led Bayern to a 3-2 win over Wolfsburg.

Bayern Munich carved out a crucial 3-2 win over VfL Wolfsburg to stay on course for a record-extending ninth consecutive league title on Saturday but their victory was eclipsed by coach Hansi Flick’s announcement he will leave at the end of the season.

The 56-year-old, who took over in November 2019 and led the Bavarians to a run of six domestic and international titles in the 2019/2020 season, said he had told the club and team of his wish to depart despite a contract running to 2023.

Earlier, Bayern teenager Jamal Musiala scored twice in the first half to steer them to a nervous win at third-placed Wolfsburg as they moved seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga standings with five matches left to play.

Three days after their Champions League quarter-final elimination by Paris St Germain, the Bavarians made almost certain of their first silverware of the season after RB Leipzig stumbled to a 0-0 draw against Hoffenheim on Friday.

The announcement by Flick, seen as front-runner to take the Germany job after this year’s European Championship, stole the spotlight from Musiala who put Bayern in front after 15 minutes when he weaved past three defenders in the box and fired home.

The 18-year-old Germany midfielder netted another with a looping header in the 37th to make it 3-1 and become the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score six league goals.

Musiala came close to a hat-trick a little later but his effort was cleared off the line.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had doubled Bayern’s lead in the 24th, but Wolfsburg’s top striker Wout Weghorst cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 35th with his 19th goal of the campaign just before Musiala got his secondgoal.

The Wolves pulled another goal back in the 54th thanks to Maximilian Philipp but missed several chances to level through Weghorst and a Jerome Roussillon shot in the 84th minute that flew just wide of Manuel Neuer’s post.

Bayern have 68 points, with RB Leipzig second on 61. Wolfsburg held on to third spot with 54 points despite their defeat after Eintracht Frankfurt’s 4-0 loss to Borussia Moenchengladbach left them a point behind the Wolves in fourth.

The top four finishers automatically qualify for the Champions League group stage.

Last-placed Schalke 04 slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Freiburg that all but sealed their relegation. The Royal Blues are 13 points behind the relegation playoff spot occupied by Hertha Berlin with five games left.

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HANSI FLICK TO TAKE OVER GERMANY NATIONAL TEAM

Hansi Flick will leave Bayern Munich in the summer to take over from Joachim Low as coach of the Germany national team, Lothar Matthaus has said.

Flick has steered Bayern to success after success since taking over from Niko Kovac in November 2019, winning six trophies in 18 months in Bavaria.

Last month it was announced that Joachim Low will step down from his role as Germany head coach following Euro 2020 after asking to end his contract early, and Flick has been one of the names mentioned as a potential successor.

Speaking to Sky in Germany, Matthaus believes that Bayern’s Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain will persuade Flick to be the one to take over from Low.

“I already said two weeks ago that in my opinion, this is Hansi Flick’s last season,” he said. “I’ve said that Hansi Flick is right at the top of the DFB [German Football Federation] list, and then nothing else for a long time. There’s an offer from the DFB, yes.

“So, they want Hansi Flick and I think – or rather, I’m convinced – that Hansi Flick will no longer be Bayern coach after this season.

“That means the last game against Augsburg at home will be Hansi Flick’s last game as head coach of Bayern.”

And, according to former defender Matthaus, Bayern is already planning for Flick’s successor, with RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann identified as the man they want to come in.

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HOLDERS BAYERN MUNICH OUT OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DESPITE WIN IN PARIS

Paris St Germain knocked holders Bayern Munich out of the Champions League on away goals despite losing the second leg of their quarter-final 1-0 at Parc des Princes.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men had edged a thrilling first-leg clash 3-2 in Munich, and saw Neymar denied by the woodwork twice before Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting bundled the Germans in front on the night with a close-range header just before half-time.

Bayern, though, could not find another away goal as the Ligue 1 side, who had Mbappe’s late effort ruled out for offside, progressed to the semi-finals.

Mbappe, who had scored twice in the first leg, forced an early chance when he drilled a low shot across the face of goal after being played in by Neymar down the right.

The France forward then saw a low cross deflected through to Neymar, but his effort was blocked by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Bayern, again without injured Poland forward Robert Lewandowski, finally threatened at the other end when Leroy Sane curled an effort wide before Joshua Kimmich drilled a low shot wide.

PSG, beaten by Bayern in the final of last season’s rescheduled tournament, were soon back on the offensive as Mbappe got away down the left to pick out Neymar.

Neuer, though, again showed quick reactions to close the angle and make a block.

Neymar then almost crafted the opening goal in the 37th minute when a clever drag back turned past Kingsley Coman on the edge of the Bayern penalty area and his curling shot dropped onto the crossbar.

Amazingly the Brazil forward was again denied by the woodwork just moments later after being played in by Mbappe when his shot came back off the post.

Bayern rode their luck and went straight up the other end to break the deadlock five minutes before half-time.

Coman’s run found David Alaba in the PSG penalty area, and his low shot was saved by Keylor Navas.

However, the ball spun back up into the air and Choupo-Moting held off PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe to nod in from close range.

Navas then redeemed himself to deny Alaba, whose left-foot drive appeared destined for the top-left corner, before Sane shot straight at the PSG keeper shortly ahead of half-time.

PSG went on the offensive again at the start of the second half, Neymar’s half-volley dipping over before Angel Di Maria’s sent a dangerous low cross through the Bayern six-yard box.

With time running out for the holders, Thomas Muller forced a decent stop from Navas after being played clear by Sane.

Mbappe thought he had put the tie to bed when he broke clear into the Bayern half to fire the ball past Neuer into the top corner, but was correctly ruled offside.

Bayern continued to throw everything forward, leaving themselves vulnerable on the break, but could not force any late drama as Sane’s low cross into the six-yard box was smothered by Navas.