FC Bayern Munich is having a really hard time in the Bundesliga after the World Cup finals in Qatar. An outlier – or has the club recently had regular problems after major tournaments? And what about BVB? SPOX does the check.
Three points in a row, the lead at the top of the table is almost gone. “Objectively it is noticeable that there are two teams: the team before the World Cup and now the team after the World Cup,” said Bayern boss Oliver Kahn after the 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.
BVB, on the other hand, started the Bundesliga with three wins in a row after the World Cup. How did that look in the past? SPOX takes a close look at the last World Cup and European Championship finals.
FC Bayern, 2021/22
After the postponed EURO 2020, FC Bayern started the season under new coach Julian Nagelsmann with slight difficulties: no win in four friendlies (2: 3 against Cologne, 2: 2 against Ajax, 0: 2 against Gladbach, 0: 3 against Naples). At the start of the Buli, there is a 1-1 away draw at feared opponents Borussia Mönchengladbach.
After a 3:1 in the Supercup against BVB and a hard-fought 3:2 at home against Cologne, the defending champion is picking up speed: seven wins in a row, including a clear 3:0 in the premier class away at FC Barcelona.
BVB, 2021/22
BVB also has a new trainer in Marco Rose. He sees a very strong start to the season: in addition to narrow bankruptcies in Freiburg and Gladbach, the black and yellow win eight of their first ten games.
BVB also started the CL group phase with two wins before the shocking end of the group phase came. Nothing is burning in the league: Dortmund takes second place on the eighth match day and does not give it up until the end of the season.
FC Bayern, 2018/19
Niko Kovac is the name of the new coach and he humiliates his ex-club Eintracht Frankfurt directly with a 5-0 in the Supercup. In the cup, Bayern saves a meager goal against superpower Drochtersen, but the league is off to a good start despite the World Cup hangover: four wins to start with, it only starts to sag at the end of September.
BVB, 2018/19
Lucien Favre sees a successful start to the season for his team. Two point divisions away, otherwise there are only wins on the first eight match days. Three successes at the start of the CL group phase, a 2-1 in the cup at Greuther Fürth is still the closest game.
BVB held the lead in the table until the 24th match day, but in the end it just didn’t make it to the title.
FC Bayern, 2016/17
After the EM 2016, FC Bayern are treating themselves to a trip to the USA in preparation, and then to Qatar. Nevertheless, the season started well under coach Carlo Ancelotti: 2-0 in the Supercup at BVB, in the first eight games of the season there were eight wins with only one goal conceded. The series finally breaks with a 0-1 away draw at Atlético Madrid.
BVB, 2016/17
Dortmund are drawn to China with new signings Mario Götze and Ousmane Dembélé in preparation. Thomas Tuchel has four wins from the first six league games, including a 6-0 win over Darmstadt and a 5-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg. With the DFB Cup, the club can even celebrate a title at the end of the season.
FC Bayern, 2014/15
A somewhat tedious start to the season for Pep Guardiola and his men after the German World Cup title: Bayern lost the Supercup at BVB 0-2, in the league there were narrow victories against Wolfsburg and Stuttgart and draws at Schalke and at HSV. After that, Bayern get rolling – the second defeat of the season will only come on November 25th at Manchester City (2: 3).
BVB, 2014/15
In year one after Robert Lewandowski, BVB has victories on the 2nd and 3rd Buli match day – but beyond that it is the start of the season from hell: seven defeats in the first ten match days, Dortmund finds itself in the table basement. A good start in the premier class doesn’t help either. In April, coach Jürgen Klopp announced his departure at the end of the season, Dortmund missed out on international business in seventh place.
FC Bayern, 2012/13
There can hardly be a better start to the season. Under Jupp Heynckes Bayern wins nine games in a row, only in the Supercup and in the CL against Valencia they are only one goal apart (each 2:1). The first defeat is in the Champions League with a 1:3 at … BATE Borisov.
BVB, 2012/13
Stuttering start for Borussia: only three successes from the first eight Bundesliga games, not a single away three. In addition, the Supercup is lost against Bayern. It takes until the 13th matchday for BVB to conquer second place for the first time. After 34 games, it’s an unbelievable 25 points behind the new champions.
FC Bayern, 2010/11
After Bayern provide the most players at the World Cup in South Africa, Louis van Gaal complains about the sub-optimal preparation for the season. FIFA is also planning an international match for August 11th, between the Supercup and the first round of the cup. The tulip general publicly dreams of a boycott: “If eight Bayern players do that, I think the DFB will definitely listen.”
In addition, Arjen Robben comes back injured from the World Cup finals and is out for months: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge demands compensation from the KNVB, which of course refuses. It’s hardly surprising that the start of the season went awry: only two wins from the first seven games, Bayern won two games in a row only on matchdays 16 and 17. Van Gaal flies in April, with Andries Jonker replacing him.
BVB, 2010/11
Dortmund lost the season opener at home against Leverkusen, but then Klopp and Co. had seven wins in a row, including against Bayern (2-0) and Schalke (3-1). BVB is weakening in the Europa League, and they are kicked out early in the cup. But it doesn’t matter, after all, in the end you will be the sovereign champion.
FC Bayern, 2008/09
New coach Jürgen Klinsmann brings Buddhas with him and installs Mark van Bommel as captain and Kahn’s successor. Very tight box in the cup at the start (4:3 at RW Erfurt), in the league only two wins from the first seven games. For example, there is a beating against Werder at home (2: 5). At the end of the season, Jupp Heynckes stepped in again.
BVB, 2008/09
In the first year under Jürgen Klopp, BVB wins the Supercup and has a decent start to the season (victory in Leverkusen, 1-1 against Bayern). However, Dortmund is not a top team in this phase. The black and yellow level off between fifth and ninth place over the course of the season.
FC Bayern, 2006/07
After two national doubles in a row, things are not going well under Felix Magath: Bayern lose four of their first eleven league games and the League Cup final against Werder (0:2). In the cup, too, extra time is needed before the win against St. Pauli is certain (2-1). Magath lasts until February 1st, when Ottmar Hitzfeld comes back. It’s only enough for fourth place in the league.
BVB, 2006/07
Bert van Marwijk starts with BVB with a 0:2 against Bayern, followed by a draw against Mainz. It goes up and down, the cup ends in the second round. Van Marwijk flies in the winter break, under Jürgen Röber it goes down to 17th place. Thomas Doll is the savior and leads the team to ninth place – the worst BVB season in seven years.
