Two games will decide how difficult FC Bayern still is internationally. With Paris St. Germain, a faltering superstar squad awaits in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Munich's claim is high, a knockout would change a lot.
When the Wattenscheid boy Hamit Altintop gave the world the giant duel between FC Bayern and Paris St. Germain on November 7th last year, it was immediately clear: This duel in the round of 16 of the Champions League will have a significant impact on the fate of the loser. Elimination in the first knockout round is not foreseen in either world. Not in FC Bayern, which is sacred to the family, and certainly not in PSG, which is only geared towards the premier class triumph with seemingly limitless investments. But the mode is merciless: someone flies and from then on has to correct their own self-image.
And there is no lack of clarity of mission. “I have often said that FC Bayern must be successful internationally,” said Munich club boss Oliver Kahn before the first leg in Paris on Tuesday (9 p.m. / Prime Video and in the live ticker on ntv.de): “We will work on it measured that we're playing at the top of the Champions League!" This was most recently achieved in late summer 2020, when the handle pot was brought to Säbener Straße thanks to Kingsley Coman. PSG had been defeated 1-0.
The following season, the French-Qatar took revenge and knocked Bayern out of the competition in the quarter-finals. It was a knockout that was manageable because it was a gigantic fight. And because only the away goal rule that was still in force at the time decided the duel in favor of the Parisians. Far from embarrassing. That's what the elimination against the courageous village club FC Villarreal in the first season under the responsibility of coach Julian Nagelsmann was rated as. After 1:0 and 1:1 it was also over in the quarterfinals.
The coach is now experiencing very difficult weeks in Munich and is feeling the greatest possible pressure. Paris, said Kahn with a view to the sixth duel since 2017, "is our destiny". Does that also apply to Nagelsmann? A elimination in the round of 16, especially since the opponent falters violently, would have unforeseeable consequences for the coach, who fell from one turbulence to the next after the World Cup. First the earnings crisis in the league, then the fluctuations in form of top performers such as Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry, who also caused a stir with an extravagant fashion trip to Paris, and finally the incriminating case "Toni Tapalovic / Manuel Neuer", which ended with it , that the goalkeeper coach flew and the goalkeeper scored.
The fact that the bosses sided with Nagelsmann in Munich once again underlines the trust they have in the young coach. They bought him free from RB Leipzig a year and a half ago for a world record fee of 25 million euros and gave him a five-year contract. But even trust has its limits: Success. And so far Nagelsmann has "only" one championship as a major title. A second is of course possible this season, but the fight for the title is more exciting than ever. The fact that things are so extremely close is good for the league. But not for the tense nerves of the record champion. Especially in these weeks. Because there is nothing they fear more in Munich than being left behind internationally, being dwarfed. "The Champions League is important for the club and important for me," said the coach in Paris. He wants to win the handle pot "before I can only walk bent over". But still "I walk upright".
The disdainful 3-0 win against VfL Bochum revealed how the atmosphere is. Nagelsmann sounded the alarm, some media wrote about a call for help. The trainer vehemently ironed that out a few days later. "In general, I'm always open to describing the game as I saw it. What you get back from the media landscape is not always gratitude." In general, he always includes himself in criticism. Point. But that's the way it is for the coach: in Bochum mode it won't be enough against Paris. The sound of the Champions League anthem should ensure a completely different level of energy on the pitch. "I hope that the thrill of competition, the thrill of duel, will bring freshness to the mind."
He is also working at full speed at Nagelsmann. Although he recently had success with a back three, he should choose the tried and tested line of four to counteract. In midfield, Joshua Kimmich, who posed with the fans upon arrival at the Hotel Pullman, is back in charge after his ban against Bochum. On the offensive, former PSG players Coman and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting could be preferred to Sané, whose form and mood is currently sinking again, and Gnabry. "Activity, energy, aggressiveness, mentality" are the keywords that sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić whispered to his footballers. They are things from the simplest football ABCs. There's pressure on the boiler.
Especially since things are still going to work out for the ailing club from the French capital. The phenomenon of injured stars miraculously getting fit before big games was seen at PSG on Monday. During training, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé ran across the lawn in good spirits. Of course, PSG coach Christophe Galtier did not reveal whether Mbappé would be in the starting XI. But he said: "If it's on the score sheet, it's to play, not to scare Bayern."
Paris with Messi and Mbappé is of course of a different caliber than Paris without M
But then the surreal round of 16 shock against the eventual triumphant Real Madrid followed in the past season. PSG won the first leg 1-0, in the second leg they also led 1-0 up to the 60th minute. The thing shone through before world footballer Karim Benzema thundered over Paris like a white avalanche. After his goals in the 61st, 76th and 78th minute, it was suddenly 3-1 - and PSG was eliminated.
There is a lot to heal. The wounds of the past year, the startling performances at last. The end of the cup at archrival Marseille (1: 2) and the botched dress rehearsal in the league with a weak Neymar in Monaco (1: 3) have left their mark on the star ensemble supported by Qatar. With Christophe Galtier, the next coach threatens to break under the multi-billion dollar burden. It's a strange story that this peak of the giants becomes a peak of the battered with all the troubles. But one thing remains: This duel will significantly influence the fate of the loser.
