Bundesliga in the star check
FC Bayern lose the Mia-san-mia – of all things, for the Haaland comeback
– With Bayern in his sights: BVB top striker Erling Haaland is back – just in time for the “Classico” on Saturday. © Martin Rose / Getty Images
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by Dieter Hoß
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Ghost game in Leipzig, full hut in Cologne – Corona shakes the Bundesliga again. FC Bayern have other worries, they are in self-doubt. Ironically before the “Classico” against BVB, who can now rely on Haaland again.
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That’s how the game day went
All results of the 13th matchday, the table and statistics for reading can be found here in stern-Ticker.
The excitement of the matchdays
Is that an identity crisis already? In any case, FC Bayern has somehow lost the Mia-san-mia. Nothing that happened in the nine places had such a lasting effect as the farce of an annual general meeting that has been shaking FC Bayern since last Thursday. The meeting, the dispute over the Qatar Airways sponsorship, the vaccination riots – all of this left the club and the team by no means without a trace. The record champion is on the verge of finding himself, has come to a point where he has to decide whether he wants to be an impersonal big city club or a club that is close to the people and fits in well with the “cosmopolitan city with a heart”.
But will it still be possible in the future if you want to play permanently in the concert of the greats? And if not: are the members and fans pulling along? CEO Oliver Kahn announced on Sunday that a new model will be presented to the public soon, still shaken by the meeting. According to the former world-class goalkeeper, the members have already contributed to this model. In general: he wants more dialogue, asserts Kahn. But he also wants success, that’s Bayern DNA. “It was definitely not good for the public image. You don’t have to be an expert,” said Thomas Müller in front of the Sky cameras after the Mühsam win against Bielefeld that the stars are also concerned with which club they will play for in the future will. All of this before the “Classico” on Saturday. There is a touch of tension in the air.
Match day winner
Because with so much Bavarian self-doubt, the Dortmunders can really hope to finally be a real competitor again. For a few hours after their 3-1 win in Wolfsburg, they were able to sniff what it feels like to pass Bayern and be at the top. It should be ready next week. After all, dreaming does not cost anything and is allowed. And the one who keeps the dreams alive around Borsigplatz is Erling Haaland. The Norwegian goal machine is finally back for the “Classico” after a long injury. The 21-year-old didn’t even need ten minutes to mark his next goal – the 50th in the 50th Bundesliga game. Nobody has done that yet. So Haaland is back and he hits straight away. “Erling gives you energy. Erling wanted to play even longer. Then he comes in and scores a goal immediately. That’s the difference he makes. We’re glad he’s back,” said BVB coach Marco Rose. In other words: Without Haaland, BVB is only worth half, but with him it is now fully back. So then: if not now, then when?
Matchday losers
Can a single bad pass turn a career over? Maybe not, but one can gradually worry about Florian Neuhaus. His brilliant bad pass to Mark Uth from Cologne not only ushered in the bitterest derby clap of the foals against the billy goats since 1996 (then 0: 4), he also brought the Gladbach fans against him on a broad front for the first time – as in the social media. It’s just not good to complain about the club’s allegedly insufficient backing and then after an allegedly good and clarifying conversation to build such a goat. Neuhaus has been stuck in the deep for months and his previously brilliant career is stalling. For a long time it was only uphill, Bayern knocked, Liverpool allegedly too, first goals in the national team, but now the 24-year-old has to be happy when he gets playing time with foals that have been lame for some time. Neuhaus would not be the first highly talented talent whose career fails. Sky expert Didi Hamann advised to change clubs. In Gladbach one should rather hope that Neuhaus will get the corner in the foal jersey.
