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Bayern Munich’s campaign is increasingly defined by the Champions League, and this year they fell short. It is not that the club necessarily expects to win the tournament every season; that would be wildly unrealistic. But it is fair to say that no one at the Allianz Arena expected Bayern to lose to Villarreal, the side that looks set to finish outside the top six in La Liga, in the quarter-finals.
In the first half of the season, it looked as if Julian Nagelsmann’s men were ready to sweep all before them. They were scoring goals for fun and not conceding many either. Nagelsmann looked to have taken the team to a new level, building on Hansi Flick’s impressive work during his two years at the helm.
Yet although Bayern have won a 10th consecutive Bundesliga title with a minimum of fuss, they head into the summer with plenty of question marks surrounding the team and the club. The futures of key players such as Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer and Serge Gnabry remain unresolved. Nagelsmann’s tactics have been called into question, particularly this calendar year. There are doubts over the team’s defensive solidity, while most fans would agree that midfield reinforcements are required.
Bayern have plenty of work to do in the close-season, then. Nagelsmann is one of the brightest young coaches on the continent but this is by far the most pressurized job he has ever been in. Bayern are expected to win silverware year in, year out. If they were to suffer another surprise Champions League elimination next term, the former RB Leipzig boss might find himself out of work.
No set of supporters in the Bundesliga can match the range of emotions that followers of Wolfsburg have had to endure this season. The campaign started well for a team looking to secure a second consecutive top-four finish or, at worst, qualification for the Europa League. Under the leadership of new boss Mark van Bommel, who replaced Oliver Glasner last summer, Wolfsburg won each of their first four matches. Optimism abounded at the Volkswagen Arena.
It did not last long. Wolfsburg soon lost four games on the bounce, leading to Van Bommel’s exit towards the end of October. An initial bounce under Florian Kohfeldt gave way to a dismal run in which Wolfsburg collected one point from a possible 24. Having topped the table in September, the Wolves found themselves hovering above the relegation zone by January.
Fears of demotion quickly evaporated, but consistency has continued to elude Wolfsburg in 2022. In truth, the fans will be glad to see the back of this campaign.
A revamp of the squad is required this summer, and Kohfeldt will have to find a way to stop Wolfsburg veering from the sublime to the ridiculous so regularly. This is a team which demolished Mainz 5-0 in April just six days after losing 6-1 to Borussia Dortmund. If Wolfsburg are to achieve their objectives going forward, it cannot be a case of feast or famine.
The 2-0 defeat by RB Leipzig that left Wolfsburg 15th in the table in January turned out to be the nadir. Since then, for all that Kohfeldt’s side have been unreliable, they have at least tended to pose a threat in attack: Wolfsburg have failed to find the back of the net in only two of their 13 Bundesliga fixtures since that loss to Leipzig. Moreover, only Borussia Dortmund, Koln and Union Berlin have scored more goals in their last five games than the Wolves.
There is reason to believe, then, that Wolfsburg will get on the scoresheet on Saturday. Denying Bayern victory will be much tougher. It is true that Nagelsmann and his colleagues have plenty to think about over the summer, but before then the champions will want to end the season on a high note.
That quarter-final exit from the Champions League has left a sour taste in the mouth, but Nagelsmann and his players will be keen to remind Bayern supporters that this has still been a successful season domestically by putting on a show on the final weekend.
In each of the last three campaigns, Bayern have won their last match. Back them to do so again on Saturday in a game featuring goals at both ends.
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Wolfsburg vs Bayern Munich Information | |
Teams | Wolfsburg vs Bayern Munich |
Location | Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany |
Time | Saturday, 14 May 2022, 9.30 AM EDT |
How to watch | ESPN+ |
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Greg Lea is a freelance soccer journalist from London. He is the former editor of The Set Pieces, and has contributed to the Guardian, FourFourTwo, and ESPN. A Crystal Palace fan, he is a long-time subscriber to the belief that it's the taking part that counts. Email: [email protected]
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