Three games later and, if there was the slightest doubt, the Bundesliga title already looks set to remain the property of Bayern Munich.
Winners of the last 10 titles, the Bavarians have burst from the blocks this season and won their first three games in historic fashion, scoring 15 goals and conceding just one in the club’s best start to the campaign.
Bayern’s ominous start is one that will have already handed a quick reality check to those who had pretensions to rivaling them.
The sporting director of Bayern Munich, Hasan Salihamidzic, has been a success at the Allianz Arena
The sporting director was integral in the appointment of Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann (right)
And much of the credit for keeping them ahead of the chasing pack after a summer in which they lost one of their most iconic figures in recent years, Robert Lewandowski, has gone to sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, or Brazzo after him. he is more affectionately known.
‘I give Hasan Salihamidžić a rating of one [top marks] for his activities in the transfer market,’ said former Bayern and Germany player Lothar Matthaus.
‘The purchases and sales that Brazzo has made in this transfer period so far are great. From today’s perspective, everything at FC Bayern just fits together from front to back.”
Once the window in England closes next week, Manchester United and Chelsea will further focus their respective searches for someone of a similar ilk to oversee their transfer policies, behind-the-scenes organization and even culture.
The German team achieved its tenth consecutive victory in the Bundesliga title last season.
Salihamidzic may have appeared on their radars. Bayern will doubtless be wary that there are clubs in England and across the continent that desperately need what they have.
The superior financial power and attractiveness of Bayern compared to their domestic rivals is obvious.
The task for Salihamidzic and the rest of the club’s hierarchy is to ensure that the advantage is continuously shown on the pitch, all Bundesliga rivals are kept at arm’s length and it translates to the Champions League as well.
And Bayern’s breakneck start to this season is a continuation of the work the 45-year-old Bosnian has put in to restructure the club and ensure it is fit for the future.
The process dates back to a calendar year when all of the aforementioned boxes were ticked, the German giants were at their most dominant, and they couldn’t have looked past the need to change the way they operated.
New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has stepped up his search for a Salihamidzic-like figure.
Manchester United owners Joel and Avram Glazers yearn for a manager of the 45-year-old’s ilk.
In 2020, Bayern completed an unforgettable clean sweep, winning all six trophies available to them under Hansi Flick with a team that included the likes of Jerome Boateng, David Alaba, Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic among the most used players during their treble in 2019. 20, the first campaign after the departures of legends Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben.
Although in the midst of the euphoria of his 12 trophy-laden months, Salihamidzic was spotting, plotting and making the necessary changes to ensure they could smoothly maintain their domestic dominance and eventually be in a position to launch another genuine Premier League challenge. Champions.
Some describe what now exists as Bayern Munich 2.0, a new, refreshed, hungry and more fluid team that is better equipped for the modern game.
Faced with the daunting task of finding a manager capable of replacing the conquering Flick in 2021, Salihamidzic pushed to recruit one of the best in world football, securing the sought-after Julian Naglesmann on a five-year deal from his closest rivals. RB Leipzig.
With his renowned qualities for developing talent and his ability to handle big personalities, Naglesmann, still only 35 years old, was considered the ideal man to guide Bayern through their transition period when they still had to keep winning but also introduce a most modern soccer style.
Salihamidzic was given the unenviable task of finding a replacement for manager Hansi Flick.
After two trophies in Naglesmann’s debut season, this summer presented a major new challenge for Bayern when star striker Robert Lewandowski, scorer of a staggering 344 goals in 375 appearances, sat out.
Having flirted with leaving a year earlier, this time he could not be retained and eventually joined Barcelona.
But he hasn’t been missed so far either, partly due to the capture of Sadio Mane, who was persuaded to end his six-year stay at Liverpool and has scored four times in his first four games.
The goals are also spread with his 15 so far coming from nine different Bayern scorers, including defenders Benjamin Pavard and Matthijs de Ligt, plus an own goal.
De Ligt’s arrival from Juventus, with Bayern beating Chelsea on his signing, is also indicative of a change in their policy as they increasingly look to target some of Europe’s rising and prime-ready players. team and match them with established stars. Former Ajax duo Ryan Gravenberch, 20, and Noussair Mazraoui, 24, also fit the bill.
The Bavarians signed defender Matthijs de Ligt (left), 23, from Juventus this summer
The German giants also sealed the high-profile signing of Sadio Mane (centre) from Liverpool.
The French striker and Mathys Tel, 17, is the headline of the teenage arrival, but he is far from the only one.
Behind him has come a host of highly-skilled talent born between 2002 and 2006 from all over the world to ensure there will be quality coming off the Bayern conveyor belt for years to come.
At a time when how clubs generate revenue from spending is just as important, Bayern have raised £100m in one window for the first time, another notable feather in Salihamidzic’s cap.
While critics of Bayern’s dominance in the Bundesliga may scoff, many of their big-name European counterparts will watch with envy as they rule at home.
Salihamidzic is seen as one of the main reasons that will continue.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk