Connect with us

Bundesliga

This is how the loan players Nübel, Hoffmann, Mai, Richards, Fein and Zirkzee beat each other

Published

on

This is how the loan players Nübel, Hoffmann, Mai, Richards, Fein and Zirkzee beat each other

FC Bayern loaned half a dozen players in the summer – but the loan deal has not paid off for everyone so far. While the playing times and perspective are right for most of the players, a midfielder has a lot to contend with.

Alexander Nübel (AS Monaco, loan until 2023)

The start in the principality went completely wrong: Alexander Nübel was under full attack after just a few weeks – and not just on the lawn. Coach Niko Kovac made Nübel number one and had to permanently defend the German and his decision. Nübel made some blatant mistakes and was literally torn apart by some experts and the media.

“And that should be the future successor of Manuel Neuer at Bayern?” Asked the former PSG keeper Jerome Alonzo (48) L’Equipe TV Smugly: “It doesn’t make a good impression on me. It seems lame, insecure and technically limited.” France’s big daily newspapers were sometimes very hard on Nübel. There was a lot to read from “uninspired” to “no support”.

For the keeper, who was recently much scolded in Germany, the (sporty) decline in France just seemed to continue. In the meantime, not only the team – Monaco got 13 points from six games after the botched start – but also Nübel got the curve. The 25-year-old’s performance has stabilized.

And Nübel is still at the beginning of a loan that is positive for all parties, in the best case scenario. He is the only one of all Bayern players on loan to have decided to move to another location for two years. The first big step has long been made: In Monaco, Nübel has already played 14 games in just a few weeks – more than three times as many as in a whole season in Munich.

Ron-Thorben Hoffmann (Sunderland AFC, loan until 2022 with purchase option)

Born in Rostock, he is number one in the Black Cats Keeper, so he gets the desired game practice. Hoffmann was only allowed to take a break on Tuesday in the EFL Trophy against Lincoln City and in the EFL Cup. Otherwise, five (league) games are in the books from the start with only five goals conceded. However, the level of play in the third-tier League One should be enjoyed with caution and most recently it was a bitter 4-0 swat against Portsmouth.

Nevertheless, for Hoffmann, who was in goal for Bayern U23 in the German 3rd division last season, the trip to another league is worthwhile: The player gets enough match practice here too and can show himself in a very physical division. In Sunderland, Hoffmann not only holds an absolute key position, but is also viewed by some experts and the media as the most important transfer of the summer.

Lars Lukas Mai (Werder Bremen, loan until 2022)

The central defender remained somewhat coveted in the summer – just not with Bayern. Therefore, Mai added a loan to his engagement in Darmstadt. Again in the 2nd division, but this time with a much larger club with completely different ambitions. In the course of the great upheaval at Werder, Mai should put pressure on the established ones in the part of the team where coach Markus Anfang is most likely to rely on proven staff. So far, however, with mixed success.

With Ömer Toprak, Milos Veljkovic and Marco Friedl, the competition is fierce. However, Mai benefits from a few injuries or internal disruptions, such as the last one at Friedl, in order to get to his working hours. In purely sporting terms, the 21-year-old would otherwise be far behind. Mai has only been able to convince sporadically so far, in the crisp defeats against Paderborn or in the derby against Hamburg he looked bad.

The undisputed abilities of the player are always faced with concentration problems that make Mai a shaky candidate. As long as Toprak is still injured and the coach is planning to start with Friedl on the left in the back four, May should have his seasons in the defense center.

Chris Richards (1899 Hoffenheim, loan until 2022)

At the last minute, Richards extended his loan in Hoffenheim after a few weeks’ dangling to Munich and a few minutes of play under Julian Nagelsmann. In Hoffenheim, the 21-year-old is a fixture in central defense under his former (U23 Bayern) coach Sebastian Hoeneß.

Richards has played the full distance in all four league games since his return to the Kraichgau. However, so far light and shadow have alternated. A good performance against Wolfsburg is offset by two rather unfortunate appearances against Mainz and most recently in Stuttgart. Richards is currently benefiting a little from the failures of seasoned central defenders such as Ermin Bicakcic, Havard Nordtveit and of course captain Benjamin Hübner. The American should also use the playing time gained in this way courageously.

Adrian Fein (Greuther Fürth, loan until 2022)

After three differently successful loans – Fein made a name for himself in Regensburg, he played strong at HSV, but missed the season goal with the team and in Eindhoven he was almost entirely on the bench for a year – the Bayern home-grown man hired in Fürth the big goal of finally playing the Bundesliga and establishing oneself in the German elite class. The interim conclusion is sobering: Fein has hardly played a role in the newcomer so far.

Except for a few minutes, the outstanding ball possession player could not show his skills, which also has to do with the changed task for Fürth. The team is blatant underdogs in almost every encounter, so the focus is more on the game against the ball than on a lot of positional and possession play. Which in turn does not play anything but into the cards Fein. It is best set up as a building six or in the half-spaces with the ball at the foot, but there is hardly any space for it in Fürth’s play area.

And Fein’s training achievements apparently still leave a lot to be desired, as trainer Stefan Leitl admitted surprisingly openly and publicly. Maybe to tickle the player a little. There is no question that Fein basically has the quality for the Bundesliga. The 22-year-old just has to show it, his trainer demands a “significant increase in performance”. Otherwise, the third loan in a row misses the target.

Joshua Zirkzee (RSC Anderlecht, loan until 2022)

After two seasons as a wild card at the big Bavarians, the Dutchman not only needed a change in the air, but also the prospect of regular playing times in a decent club and a decent league. RSC Anderlecht and the Jupiler Pro League should be predestined for this.

Zirkzee had a sensible start in a new environment, quickly introduced himself with a few goals and shuttled between the bench and regular place with the Belgian record champions – with Zirkzee fighting with the other access Christian Kouame for a place next to ex-Schalke Benito Raman.

After all: Since his move at the beginning of August, Zirkzee has been on the pitch for at least a few minutes in every game, and the 20-year-old has already been allowed to start four times in the league.

Trending