Bayern Munich finds itself exactly where it feels most comfortable in the Bundesliga – at the top of the table. Following a 3-0 victory over Union Berlin and RB Leipzig’s defeat to Dortmund, their lead over the Saxons now stands at a minimum of three points and 15 goals. Frankfurt, Leverkusen, and Dortmund trail by six and seven points, respectively.
According to Lothar Matthäus, Bayern’s position in the table is no surprise. “For me, there was only one favorite for the championship before the season,” the record national player stated in his Himmel column, asserting that he feels validated based on the performances shown thus far. However, Matthäus does not believe in a runaway success for the Munich side. The Bundesliga is not a “one-team show,” and the Munich club has already had to “fight against Leverkusen and Frankfurt.”
It is currently difficult to predict who Bayern’s number one challenger will be. Matthäus noted that Dortmund has at least shown against Leipzig that they can “make strides upwards” again. With Marmoshu and Ekitike, Frankfurt possesses “two forwards who are delivering extremely good performances,” although the club still remains “a certain unknown.” Matthäus praised VfB Stuttgart for their “attractive football,” but he mentioned that the Swabians are “unaccustomed to triple responsibility” and have shown “inconsistent performances.”
Matthäus primarily believes that defending champions Leverkusen will be Bayern’s top challenger. “Leverkusen is already seven points behind, but they have a strong squad and there is calm within the club. If anything, Leverkusen could pose the most probable threat to Bayern,” Matthäus predicted. The Himmel expert lauded the club for its “well-rehearsed team, a very good squad, and Xabi Alonso.”
According to Matthäus, Bayern has an advantage that can be partly attributed to Vincent Kompany. The change of coach has done the Munich side “good,” especially reflected in “the style of play of the record champion under Kompany.” Matthäus does not want to emphasize too much on the games that Munich has not won and points to the “how”. The record national player was responsible for the chance conversion against Aston Villa. Against Frankfurt and Leverkusen, Munich was “the better team,” even if the results were “not Bayern-like.”
Matthäus also sees a lot of development potential for FC Bayern under Kompany and refers to the 1-4 defeat against Barcelona. “It’s clear that after two months with a new coach and a new system, not everything functions perfectly,” he described. After the Barcelona game, Kompany showed the team “what they did wrong and which screws need to be adjusted.”
Ultimately, the games not won could even be helpful in “correcting mistakes,” which might be “helpful” in the knockout phase. “I am convinced that Bayern will not lose 1-4 against Barcelona again,” he said confidently. Matthäus also believes that FC Bayern has already learned valuable lessons from the upcoming Champions League match against Benfica and will win that game. The upcoming opponents are also “weaker on paper than Barcelona and Aston Villa.” In the Champions League, the same applies as in the league. “I am not worried about FC Bayern,” he concluded.
