The Japan Times - Bayern's Bundesliga crown up for grabs after rocky summer

Bayern travel to Stuttgart on Saturday for the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup -- the season opener which pits the defending league champions against the reigning German Cup victors.

Winners of 12 of the past 13 Bundesliga titles, Bayern occupy their usual role as favourites for the crown.

This summer, however, the 34-time league champions have not had everything go their own way.

Efforts to lure Florian Wirtz away from Leverkusen fell flat, with the German footballer of the year opting rather for a move to the Premier League and Liverpool.

Although Bayern secured attacker Luis Diaz from the English champions, they lost Thomas Mueller, Leroy Sane and Eric Dier on free transfers.

Kingsley Coman is set for a move to Saudi Arabia, Mathys Tel made his Spurs loan permanent and efforts to sign Germany striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart have been rebuffed.

Speaking with the Bundesliga website on Thursday, Bayern captain Joshua Kimmich said the shifting sands across the league this summer made it hard to see who would be their main rivals.

"We'll see who knocks at the top. For us, it will be important to go our own way. We can't influence what the others will do," Kimmich said.

Kimmich nominated former side RB Leipzig to bounce back after a poor 2024/25 campaign, where they missed out on Europe for the first time in the top flight.

The Saxon club have brought in several young talents including winger Johan Bakayoko and midfielder Arthur Vermeeren, in former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp's first summer transfer window as Red Bull global head of football.

"Leipzig have a good team. Because Leipzig aren't in European competition, they'll be able to concentrate on the Bundesliga," Kimmich added.

- New-look Leverkusen -

Leverkusen, Bayern's principal rival across the past two seasons, have undergone a clear-out this summer.

Most of the main contributors to their stunning unbeaten 2023/24 league and cup double have moved on.

Wirtz, along with wing-back Jeremie Frimpong have signed with Liverpool. Midfield conductor Granit Xhaka has also moved to the Premier League, while Germany defender Jonathan Tah has joined title rivals Bayern.

The biggest loss of all, however, is coach Xabi Alonso, with the Spaniard departing to join Real Madrid.

His replacement, former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, will be looking to revive his own reputation while cobbling together a squad with several new arrivals.

Impressive last season in finishing third, Eintracht Frankfurt are also rebuilding, having lost centre-forward Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool in July, just six months after winger Omar Marmoush moved to Manchester City.

Quietly building under Bundesliga-winning coach Niko Kovac, Borussia Dortmund could again trouble old foes Bayern this term.

Kovac took over the reins in January with Dortmund flailing but helped the club rise from 11th to fourth, picking up 22 of a possible 24 points to end the season.

The addition of Jobe Bellingham will provide steel in midfield, while the only major loss is winger Jamie Gittens who moved to Chelsea, having struggled for game time under Kovac.

Cup winners Stuttgart, who finished second ahead of Bayern in 2023/24, look set to continue troubling the big guns.

Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor told AFP and other media on Thursday: "We have a very special team... we've got quality players in every position -- even some that people haven't heard of."

Karazor said the key man is coach Sebastian Hoeness, who has taken Stuttgart from relegation battlers to cup winners and European football in just over two years at the helm.

"An amazing, amazing coach. You can see his handwriting on everything the team does. From the moment he came in, the mindset of the team changed," the midfielder said.

T.Kobayashi--JT