Seven German football teams winter in the various European cups. FC Bayern manages to achieve perfection, BVB remains a mystery, and Leverkusen struggles to save themselves. Bitter: Ironically, the remarkable Cologne fall by the wayside.
Failed giants, desperate giants, money-pumping sheikhs in search of success: European football is once again being hit by violent eruptions. But a league that has almost been written off internationally is proving to be extremely robust against the fiery outbursts. It is a league that has often been said to be in danger of falling into the international second division. Also because the 50 1 rule prevents clubs from being taken over by super-rich patrons. And now? Now the Bundesliga is the admired constant, the admired force. With seven clubs, the top German division will take up the fight for the European crowns in the first half of 2023. It (i.e. the German league) is on an equal footing with the multi-billion dollar Premier League and Serie A, which has also risen. Spain has one team less.
And the success cannot be felt emotionally or historically, it also has a direct impact on the five-year ranking of the European Football Union (UEFA) for the 2022/23 season. Thanks to the triumphs of the magnificent seven, the Bundesliga has scored the second most points there so far. The eight clubs had accumulated 13,750 points by the end of the group stage, only England were even better with 16,571 points. The top divisions from Spain with 12.428 points and Italy with 11.928 points lagged behind a little.
FC Bayern leads the German group with the perfection of 18 points from six games. He is followed by Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League. One floor below, in the Europa League, SC Freiburg with impressive sovereignty and Union Berlin with impressive minimalism have gained access to the knockout round. In addition, there is Bayer Leverkusen, who have been relegated to the premier class. However, the team of world star Xabi Alonso urgently needs a good plan to finally get in shape. In the bread-and-butter competition, things are not going well and on the glamor stage Bayer was lucky that Atlético Madrid, falling into the abyss, was a little worse. That leaves 1. FC Köln. They were the only German team to fail. That's doubly bitter.
On the one hand, Germany's football missed the sole record. No other nation had managed to get eight clubs through the winter. On the other hand, Effzeh's knockout is bitter because the team brings such a wonderfully contagious energy to the pitch. Coach Steffen Baumgart always lets his footballers believe that magical nights are possible. Another was not far away on Thursday evening. Although the team was once again heavily plucked and accordingly exhausted, the team ran for the damn chance of progressing. She ran, made two fatal errors, was 0-2 behind. But then, after the break, this team did Cologne things. She sparked power, faith, euphoria - and just failed (2:2).
What the Effzeh exemplifies in Europe and in general, the German benchmark, as alpha animal poet Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (former Bayern boss) would say, would be the first half of 2023. Wherever the question of mentality arises, you will find an answer in the game of Cologne. It doesn't matter whether it's the enigmatic Borussia from Dortmund, where nobody really knows what this exciting collection of highly talented people is actually capable of (or not) able to do, or the heavily troubled Rhine rivals Leverkusen, who are greedily looking for stability and leading players , borrowing from the billy goat's emotional enthusiasm and conviction, can, perhaps even has to, serve as a model.
You don't have to worry about FC Bayern and its kissed-awake storm grenade "Le Chüp" (editor's note: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting). Anyone who achieves sporting perfection in a group with Inter Milan and Robert Lewandowski's FC Barcelona will get admiring looks from the competition. Especially since there is no other rival at eye level. Sure, Manchester City with Erling Haaland could be one of them, but star coach Josep Guardiola's semi-final curse is well known and almost tragically spectacular.
Liverpool FC has completely different concerns (in the Premier League) and is looking for a way out of the crisis. Jürgen Klopp is in his seventh year as a coach. His successful marriage to BVB came to an exhausted end in this cursed one. And otherwise? Barça and Juventus are relegated. The always bitchy luxury ensemble from Paris St. Germain was second in the group with 14 points behind the sensational team Benfica Lisbon with the German coach Roger Schmidt. The last two triumphants Real Madrid and Chelsea are not (yet) in beast mode. Unlike the SSC Napoli. "Gli Azzurri" fascinate Europe. Race through the domestic league and left Liverpool FC (15) behind in the premier class preliminary round.
Yes, German football is very popular. Largely robust against external influences, of course, RB Leipzig is the perfect counterexample, and sportingly as diverse as the nationalities in the Frankfurt squad. The clubs, with their different approaches, possibilities and visions, have not only not come into contact with the European financial nobility, but have also snuggled closer together in the bread-and-butter duel. When was the last time FC Bayern was NOT first after twelve match days (probably not that long ago), but had to chase Union Berlin. In tow SC Freiburg and Dortmund. It's madness.
The Iron Ones, this brutally efficient and clever collective, continue to soar in the minimalist frenzy. The Freiburg team, with legendary coach Christian Streich, made their way from clever transfers and unrivaled youth work. Eintracht Frankfurt, the possible role model for a successful ecstasy in the Europa League, with their giants Mario Götze, Randal Kolo Muani and Daichi Kamada, does not even think about turning the Europa League title frenzy into a hangover. In the best Oliver Kahn manner, it goes on, on, on and on. Only the irresistible mentality monsters of 1. FC Köln, of all people, prevent German football perfection. They were eaten up in the European Conference League. What a grotesque point of the furious resurrection, a league that had actually already been written off. But: It is only one step on the path of the Magnificent Seven. May the screenplay (without death) of the western classic be a role model for them.
