Bayern lead the Bundesliga with four points. However, that can change from January 20th following the opening game in Leipzig. Because of the World Cup!
Julian Nagelsmann (35) gets back a heap of physical and mental debris at the start of training on January 3rd.
► Kingsley Coman (26): came as a joker in the final, got going once more – and then put France on the losing side with his missed penalty in the penalty shoot-out. After that, Coman was racially insulted (“Go back to Africa”) on “social” media.
The nice words of Bayern boss Oliver Kahn (53) don’t help much: “After a lost final, it’s regarding getting back up and going on. Overall, all players can be very proud of their achievements.”
► France frustration too Benjamin Pavard (26). After the first game, he spent the entire World Cup on the bench for disobeying instructions from coach Deschamps.
► There are also three injured: Lucas Hernandez (26) Tore his cruciate ligament in the first game. Manuel Neuer (36) broke his leg skiing following the World Cup. Both are out in the second half of the season. Sadio Mane (30) will not return until spring following knee surgery.
► And then there are the seven Bayern stars who were kicked out with the national team in the group phase. Joshua Kimmich (27) was already afraid: “I’m a bit afraid of falling into a hole. That is not so easy to cope with.”
Coach Nagelsmann has to quickly rebuild his World Cup rubble. Otherwise there is a risk of a scrap second half of the season and the end of the Champions League round of 16. Against Paris with World Cup heroes Messi AND Mbappé…