Opinion: The Bundesliga must attempt the impossible

A new Bundesliga season rolls around, and with it the issue that continues to haunt Germany’s top flight: competition at the top. DW’s Jonathan Harding argues the key is to find a solution that doesn’t break the bank.

The 2018/19 Bundesliga season is almost here, and with it a chance to watch young talents develop, see impressive amounts of fan support and wonder whether Christian Streich really can work wonders in Freiburg one more time. Barring a collapse of epic proportions, it also means watching Bayern Munich win their seventh straight title, and that leaves the league with a familiar problem.

A lack of competition haunts the Bundesliga. Bayern Munich’s sporting and financial advantages have left them so far ahead it has become a case of whether they’ll play well enough to win it in March or badly enough to win it May. Even the billing of the „classic“ encounter between Bayern and Borussia Dortmund now feels forced, suffering under the same desperate strain of hope the league delivers week in, week out.

Read more: Are Lewandowski and Bayern back on track?

DW’s Jonathan Harding

Make no mistake, there is so much to like about the Bundesliga. From the opportunities it affords young players and coaches to fanatical support, special stadium atmospheres and brilliant coaching techniques, German football deserves to be where it is today. But there is a more troubling side.

Germany has just one top team: Bayern Munich. Granted Borussia Dortmund have endured a great deal in recent years but their inability to retain some of their talents has hampered them. Schalke, Leverkusen and Gladbach haven’t been consistent enough to be anything more than above-average sides, with trips to Europe too rare an occurrence. Apart from the occasional overperformer, the rest of the teams are just trying to stay in the league. It took the rampant rise of RB Leipzig to remind the league of that.

While Leipzig’s financial approach has unsurprisingly tempted many, this cannot be the answer to German football’s competitive conundrum. Change is required, but for a league that is already further along than it could have dreamed of, complete upheaval is too far. Such a step would only begin a process of gradually wearing down the soul of German football culture, leaving in place another business template solely designed to increase profits, viewing numbers and shirt sales.

• Bundesliga 2018-19: 10 things to know

  Bayern lead the way

  Bayern have won the last six titles, 28 overall. The club has one of the biggest profiles in the world, and has the finances to support it. The annual turnover was nearly €600 million and the squad’s market value is around €845 million. Those are just some of the numbers. Bayern are the benchmark.

• Bundesliga 2018-19: 10 things to know

  Promotion specialists in the top flight

  Nuremberg’s return to the Bundesliga after four years away. It’s the clubs eighth promotion, an achievement no other side has managed. Fortuna Düsseldorf are also experts when it comes to going up. Their return to the Bundesliga was their sixth promotion into the big league. The real question is: can they stay there?

• Bundesliga 2018-19: 10 things to know

  Technical revolution: Headsets on the bench

  Bundesliga referees have long been using headsets, but now they’re in use in the dugout. The assistant head coach and staff are allowed three headsets used for coaching or tactical instructions. Performance data should also be available during the game. Treatment of injured players should also be optimized.

• Bundesliga 2018-19: 10 things to know

  VAR after World Cup trial

  The video assistant referee (VAR) was used last season, but with questionable levels of success. Too slow, too confusing — VAR has quite a few opponents. Now, everything should be better. The use of the technology at the World Cup in Russia was seen as exemplary. The most important change: The TV images and the decision will be shown on screens, so as to increase transparency.

• Bundesliga 2018-19: 10 things to know

  Attendance magnet

  Much of the fascination around the Bundesliga is symbolized by their high attendance numbers. The Dortmund Südtribune is the biggest standing stand in Europe, with 24,454 standing spots. It’s always full. Bundesliga stadiums are attendance magnets. An average of 43,878 fans attended stadiums per game last season – a new record and the best in Europe, ahead of England (36,000) and Spain (27,000).

• Bundesliga 2018-19: 10 things to know

  Bundesliga – home of standing

  In the Bundesliga, they’ve still got the good old standing terraces. What used to be a must are all gone in England, Italy and Spain’s top flight. In Germany though, cheap tickets and great atmosphere get the football nostalgic heart beating a little faster. Some visiting fans from around the world get lucky enough to experience that special feeling of being able to stand while watching the game.

• Bundesliga 2018-19: 10 things to know

  A female ref

  The Bundesliga has something none of the other top leagues in Europe have: a female referee. After lots of games in the second and third division, Bibiana Steinhaus officiated Hertha Berlin against Werder Bremen on September 10, 2017. In doing so, she became the first woman to referee a Bundesliga game. The 39-year-old has been in charge of eight games to date.

• Bundesliga 2018-19: 10 things to know

  Corentin Tolisso – the most expensive Bundesliga transfer

  In 2017, Bayern Munich purchased French midfielder Corentin Tolisso for €41.5 million. It was a Bundesliga record for a new Bundesliga signing. Tolisso’s transfer fee was €1.5 million higher than teammate’s Javi Martinez. The most expensive departure from the league was Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembele, who joined Barcelona for over €100 million.

• Bundesliga 2018-19: 10 things to know

  Multicultural football

  Unlike France or Spain, the Bundesliga has no restriction on non-EU players. Eintracht Frankfurt had one of the most multicultural squads in the league last year. When they faced Cologne on matchday five, they had 11 players from 11 different countries.

• Bundesliga 2018-19: 10 things to know

  Schalke’s Arena – stadium, tempel

  Many fans call their stadiums a temple. In Frankfurt, Berlin and Gelsenkirchen, that’s not far from the truth; in all three stadiums there’s a chapel. Schalke’s stadium is the only in Europe’s top leagues that has a roof that can close. „Indoor“ football at the top level — only in the Bundesliga.

  Author: Jörg Strohschein (jh)

Perhaps it’s an unattainable goal, but the Bundesliga must try to be more competitive without selling too much of what makes the league so great.

There isn’t a definitive answer, but structure might be a good place to start. Clubs must make sure the right people are employed in the right positions, including the right coaches. They, in turn, must show that Julian Nagelsmann isn’t the only talented coach in Germany capable of implementing tactical solutions and assembling a special group of players. The bigger picture of coaching content also needs to be assessed, with a clear need for more individualism, particularly at youth levels where kids needs to be exposed to more facets of the game.

Even in a league where stars appear but don’t shine brightest and where coaches grow but rarely win it all, there are ways for these teams to improve and this league to be more competitive. Bayern won’t be stopped this season, but now is the time to start work that will make life harder for Bayern, and better for the Bundesliga in the seasons beyond this one.

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