- Which team, FC Bayern or VfL Wolfsburg, will clinch the German football championship title?
At the end, everything turned out as the FC Bayern Munich authorities had hoped for. They witnessed footballers in vibrant red jerseys raising their arms and a lustrous trophy under a cascade of silver confetti. The atmosphere was filled with fans enthusiastically singing the club anthem "Stern des Südens" in celebration of their Super Cup triumph. A few days before the Bundesliga season commenced, they also received an intriguing piece of info: "Bayern is my preferred choice for the title."
This wasn't a casual comment, but from Thomas Stroot, the coach of eternally rival VfL Wolfsburg, whose team was equally eager for the cup. Munich's edge, even before the initial league game, was partly due to what Stroot observed during that Sunday evening. Although the German champions could only celebrate their 1:0 victory over Super Cup champions Wolfsburg in front of 16,690 spectators at Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion in Dresden, their method of victory was inspiring.
"We had a strong grip on the opponent"
"Wir hatten den Gegner stark dominiert", said goalkeeper Maria-Luisa Grohs about the first half, in which national player Klara Buhl scored the decisive goal after nine minutes and her team generally played confidently and with good combinations. Much seemed well-rehearsed and certain things worked surprisingly well. For instance, national player Giulia Gwinn defended on the left side instead of her usual right side.
"We can build on this performance" said midfielder Sarah Zadrazil: "If we maintain the first half's energy and carry it into the season, we'll be a force to be reckoned with." And Bayern coach Alexander Straus admitted: "I can understand why we might be considered favorites." If the team continues to work hard, they could be in a superior position in May.
That's when the championship trophy would be awarded, which has been landed in Wolfsburg (7) or Munich (5) in the past 12 seasons. The last time the champion was neither VfL nor FCB was in 2012, when it was Turbine Potsdam. The Munich team would kick off the new Bundesliga season against the Brandenburgers, as per Bayern president Herbert Hainer, which should result in their third consecutive championship. "Winning the cup again and excelling in the Champions League" was also Hainer's demand. The Munich squad, which is strong in depth and has seen minimal changes, has the potential to accomplish this.
"Three vital players have departed"
However, the situation is different in Wolfsburg. "We've lost three key players", Stroot laments the departures of defender Dominique Janssen (Manchester United), striker Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona) and midfield ace Lena Oberdorf (FC Bayern). The 22-year-old is also currently absent from the Munich team due to a cruciate ligament injury she sustained just before the Olympics. "Lena Oberdorf can't be replaced directly, she's a world-class player. You can't just produce a new player out of thin air", explains Bayern's director Bianca Rech the value of the exceptional player. "But: We have an exceptional level of quality in the squad, we've remained together."
Stroot, on the other hand, has to manage a small makeover at VfL, which requires time. "It is quite predictable" that newcomers like the prominent Dutch national striker Lineth Beerensteyn currently still have room for improvement. Just like the eight national players around Alexandra Popp, who won Olympic bronze with the German team on August 9 and then had barely any time to recover.
Stroots' belief is: "If Bayern leaves something behind, we want to be there. We want to relentlessly push Bayern." The 35-year-old will leave the club at the end of the season, and he wants to "win one or two titles" as a farewell after four years, fully aware "how big this task is."
1st Matchday Bundesliga
The FC Bayern Munich's rivals, VfL Wolfsburg, are eager to challenge the soccer champions in the upcoming Bundesliga season. Thomas Stroot, the coach of VfL Wolfsburg, stated, "We want to relentlessly push Bayern."
Despite the departure of key players like Lena Oberdorf and Dominique Janssen, Stroot believes in the quality of his squad, saying, "We have an exceptional level of quality in the squad, we've remained together."
