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Still the target Bayern looks to be the best in the Bundesliga again
They can't (or won't) try to compete with the follies of Serie A and the Primera Liga, they huff and wheeze worse than a three-pack-a-day smoker trying to climb Mount Everest, but in the end they regularly make the top four in Europe and somehow manage to grab the German title. Bayern Munich didn't do too much this summer in the way of strengthening a squad which won the German double last season, but then, it didn't need to. Last season it edged Bayer Leverkusen at the finish line, after it looked like Christoph Daum's men were finally going to break their goose egg. In the end, Bayern's depth and experience proved too much, and it looks like things won't be much different this season. Ottmar Hitzfeld had two holes to plug, both at the back, following the departures of Markus Babbel (to Liverpool) and Lothar Matthäus (who actually joined the MetroStars in mid-season).
Veteran Ciriaco Sforza, a US $6 million signing from Kaiserslautern, could actually be an improvement over Matthäus, and not just because he is six years younger. Like Matthäus, he is a recycled midfielder and a deft passer with a good sense of position. Unlike Matthäus he doesn't have an ego the size of Ursa Minor and doesn't particularly enjoy disrupting the team. Willy Sagnol, bought from Monaco for US $7 million, provides more offensive solutions down the right of a solid back line, and won't make too many fans miss Babbel. The rest of the squad is the usual cast of characters. Plenty of quality in Stefan Effenberg, Bixente Lizarazu and Mehmet Scholl and plenty of bite in Sammy Kuffour and Jens Jeremies. Up front, Giovane Elber and Carsten Jancker are a handful and, lest we forget, Roque Santa Cruz is still just eighteen years old and will only get better. It's hard to see how Bayer Leverkusen can compete with that, especially after losing Emerson to Roma (a Bundesliga-record US $17 million deal) and Stefan Beinlich to Hertha Berlin (a Bosman transfer). Those are two gaping holes in the middle of the park who will be difficult to replace. Ze Roberto is still around to man the middle, but new signings Marquinos and Pascal Ojigwe, who cost a combined US $3.2 million, are unknown quantities. The strike force of Ulf Kirsten, Oliver Neuville and Paulo Rink can still do the job, but Kirsten is now 34 and his clock is ticking. All told, it would have been nice to see Daum take the Emerson money and bring in somebody new. It may still happen, but for now, it looks like the gap with Bayern is widening. Hertha Berlin has a smart, competent coach in Juergen Roeber and will get a boost from Beinlich in midfield. Much will depend on wonderboy Sebastian Deisler and whether he can take them to the next level. It's a tall order for a 20 year old, though he has plenty of veterans around him who can show him the way. Still, you get the sense that something is missing from the mix and it could be a while before the glory days return to Berlin. Hamburg, one of last year's surprise clubs, has a top-notch goalkeeper in Hans-Joerg Butt and a talented, if aging and sometimes inconsistent, striker in Tony Yeboah. Last season it took the Bundesliga by storm, but now it won't be sneaking up on anyone. Stig Tofting replaces the vicious Tomas Gravesen in midfield, while Sergei Barbarez (picked up from Borussia Dortmund) will add some creativity, but it looks like a place in Europe is the best Hamburg can hope for. Kaiserslautern took the Czech route, adding target man Vratislav Lokvenc and defender Petr Gabriel from Sparta Prague for a combined US $4 million. Another newcomer, Swiss international Murat Yakin, is vastly underrated. If the new boys can settle and if Youri Djorkaeff, who was reluctant to stay, can provide some much needed inspiration, it could even be a dark horse for the title, though a Champions League spot is probably a more realistic objective. Borussia Dortmund, fresh off a nightmare season, is trying to stem the decline by handing the reins over to former sweeper Matthias Sammer. Sammer's appointment raised more than a few eyebrows (turning ex-players with no experience into managers is the kind of thing only British clubs seem to do), but at this stage, it's a calculated risk as things really couldn't get much worse. Andy Moeller is gone, and with him, his 33 year old legs and sometimes Quixotic personality. Instead, Sammer is banking on two quality players who are now on the comeback trail after disappointing stints in Serie A, Jorg Heinrich and Sunday Oliseh. Neither came cheap (they cost a combined US $10 million) and both will have to work hard to recover their lost form. There is still plenty of talent at this club ( Fredi Bobic, Victor Ikpeba, Evanilson ), the questions is whether Sammer can get the players (many of whom are his former teammates) to actually come together as a unit. If he succeeds, a Champions League spot is within reach. TSV 1860 Munich (which made a smart pick-up in getting Norwegian dervish Erik Mykland from Panathinaikos on a Bosman transfer) and VFL Wolsfburg will struggle to repeat last season¹s exploits, but should be safe from relegation, as will Stuttgart and Werder Bremen (who took a gamble on the hugely talented but, so far, hugely disappointing, Fabian Ernst ). In fact, all four clubs have a decent shot at a UEFA Cup spot. The troubles begin further down. Schalke 04 took a chance on Moeller (acquired from Borussia Dortmund) but still needs to replace Marc Wilmots (off to Bordeaux) and possibly Emile Mpenza (whose future is still in doubt). The other seven clubs all look like they will be caught up in the relegation dogfight. Of the newcomers, Energie Cottbus looks doomed, while things aren't much better at Bochum. If anything, Cologne has the squad to stay up, but to do so it will have to overcome the other strugglers, namely Unterhaching, Hansa Rostock, Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt.
London-based Gabriele Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com.
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