Pre-season: Bayern did not win a match under Julian NagelsmannUnofficial pre-season tables were published by a German media outlet. They reflected the friendly results from all 18 Bundesliga teams. Bayern Munich were last.The record 31-time Bundesliga champions have lost every match since the start of summer preparation. They were defeated by teams like Ajax or Napoli.Bayern's new manager Julian Nagelsmann and his bosses insist that there is no panic. However, many in the club and surrounding areas feel that their quest to win another title won't be as easy this season as it was last year when they were 13 points clear.Pre-season less than idealNagelsmann's training sessions were described as being tactically difficult, with suggestions that there wasn't enough time for exercises to sink in.Hansi Flick was Nagelsmann's predecessor and was highly successful. It was also well-liked by fans and players, so it was difficult to replace him.However, other factors contributed to a less than ideal pre-season for former RB Leipzig manager.Nagelsmann's past experiences as a youth player for 1860 Munich (Bayer's city rivals) have made him the target verbal attacks from some supporters during warm up games - and his relationship to some of the fanbase definitely needs work.The 34-year old has a long way ahead of him to get his team playing the way he wants. He made a significant tactical change at Leipzig. They went from being counter-attacking to being possession-oriented.Although he doesn't have to do the exact same thing at a already-dominant Bayern outfit he wants to introduce new features such as inverted full backs, passing triangles across pitch, repeated positional switch in possession, deeper pressing and deeper pressing.He plans to switch formations mid-match. However, the 4-2-3-1 will be the default when the season begins.The problem is that Nagelsmann was unable to practice these new ideas with his best team. After extended breaks, players such as Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Muller have just returned to the training grounds.Bayern's first match against fifth-division Bremer, SV, had to be cancelled. The opponents were quarantined due to Covid-19. This left the champions with no ideal preparation.Thin squad could be a problemBayern signed Omar Richards, a left-back from Reading, as one of two signings so farBayern are also concerned about their squad strength and starting XI, with Jerome Boateng and David Alaba leaving this summer.French right-back Benjamin Pavard has been struggling offensively while Canadian left-back Davies displayed defensive carelessness towards the end of last year. After sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2019, Niklas Sule, centre-back, continues to struggle with his fitness.Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry, both German wingers from Germany, had disappointing campaigns and didn't play much for their country at Euro 2020.Bayern cannot replace these players easily, which is the main problem. Nagelsmann must work with 21 players because the squad is so thin.Although prospects like the 18-year-old midfielders Torben Rhein (and Armindo Sieb) have shown promise, it is not clear that they are ready to play in crucial matches."Everybody knows that the squad was much better last year in terms of quality," Flick stated earlier this year, just before it was made public. He would be resign.Flick and Hasan Salihamidzic, the sporting director of Bayern, were at odds over Bayern's transfer policies.Nagelsmann is not going to interfere with club's transfer operations. However, he cannot be satisfied with Munich not signing anyone since the transfer window reopened.Two new additions are centre-back Dayot Utamecano from RB Leipzig and Omar Richards (ex-Reading left-back), who both signed deals earlier in the year.Bayern's finances are in good shape, but club insiders claim that the club is experiencing a significant loss of revenue since the outbreak of the pandemic. This has made them reluctant to enter the transfer market.Bayern also lost some of its network after the resignations by Uli Hoeness, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. These two powerbrokers had the opportunity to speak to other club officials as well as influential agents at the same time.Rummenigge's successors as executive chairman, Salihamidzic, and Oliver Kahn have yet to achieve the same status in the football industry.Nagelsmann won't be able to help much in this area. He was comfortable as a coach at his former clubs and indicated that he will continue to do so.It is unclear if he and his team can make it through the first few weeks, or even months of the new campaign unharmed. Oder, we may witness the rare event of a Bayern team caught up in chaos.
