BERLIN (Reuters) – A decade of total Bayern Munich domination in the Bundesliga has piled pressure on other teams to step up and break the Bavarians’ stranglehold, but this season their rivals have hit early roadblocks.
While Bayern are firm favourites for an 11th straight title after winning their opening three games and scoring 15 league goals for a new record, last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, who finished third, and RB Leipzig are already struggling to keep up.
Bayern’s stunning form was again on display on Sunday when they demolished hosts VfL Bochum 7-0 with two goals for new signing Sadio Mane. In total Bayern have scored 20 goals in four matches in all competitions and they did it without their second all-time scorer, Robert Lewandowski, who joined Barcelona this season.
“We were completely taken apart by them. It was wild. It is brutally bitter and I have never been destroyed like that,” said Bochum’s Simon Zoller.
To sustain a fight against such a team over an entire season requires consistency but Dortmund have already spectacularly slipped up with a 3-2 loss to Werder Bremen last week after conceding three goals in the final minutes.
Dortmund, three points behind Bayern, are struggling in attack following the departure of Erling Haaland to Manchester City.
His initial replacement, Sebastien Haller, has been diagnosed with testicular cancer and will be out for an indefinite period of time.
Emergency replacement from Cologne, Anthony Modeste, has yet to replicate his form from last season and looks to have a way to go before fully integrating in the Dortmund playing style.
Coach Edin Terzic is also faced with a growing injury list that currently includes Mats Hummels, Karim Adeyemi, Mo Dahoud and Donyell Malen.
German Cup winners Leipzig, fourth last season, have been equally lacklustre despite the addition of striker Timo Werner.
With two draws and a loss they are on two points, already seven behind leaders Bayern.
Leverkusen, however, have fared worse, having lost all three league games as well as going out of the German Cup first round to third-division Elversberg, for their worst ever start to a season.
“A few weeks ago we were being celebrated and now we have to get ourselves through this,” said former longtime Leverkusen sports director Rudi Voeller, who stepped down earlier this year. “The team can play wonderful football but they the players need to clear their heads and then it will get better.”
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
