How prepared are top Bundesliga sides for the new season?
Last season's Bundesliga campaign was arguably the most remarkable of Bundesliga campaigns in recent years as, for the first time in over 14 years, a club not named Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund won the German top-flight league title.
Xabi Alonso and his Bayer Leverkusen side did the impossible last season, beating perennial winners Bayern Munich to the title. Die Werkself were not just champions after 36 games, they won the title in style, doing so with an unbeaten record.
They also recorded a 17-point lead over Stuttgart, the closest challengers, which is the highest tally difference between first and second in the Bundesliga since Jupp Heynckes won it with Bayern by 21 points.
Leverkusen also scored 89 times and conceded just 24 goals on their way to becoming Bundesliga champions for the first time in their history.
With that, Bayer Leverkusen, previously nicknamed 'Neverkusen,' will head into the new season as the defending champions.
They set a remarkable record last season, becoming the first Bundesliga team to win the league without losing a game.
Even Jupp Heynckes' Bayern side, which stormed to the title in 2012/13 after 28 league games, lost one match that season.
Leverkusen failed to surrender to any team in the Bundesliga last season, even when they were on the brink of losing. Alonso's men's ability to score late goals became the stuff of internet memes. They scored eight goals in second-half stoppage time this season - a Bundesliga record. Only in Europe did Leverkusen falter at the last hurdle, as they were beaten by Atalanta in the Europa League final.
How did other Bundesliga Teams fare?
Apart from Leverkusen, VfB Stuttgart was the only other German top-flight team to capture the hearts of Bundesliga tickets holders last term.
Like Leverkusen did the previous season, Stuttgart went from a relegation-threatened team that finished 16th in 2022/23 season to finishing second in the table last term. Sebastian Hoeneß's side defied the odds, on their way to recording 24 wins (D4, L7), the same as Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, Bayern were terrible for their lofty standards, surrendering the title cheaply to Alonso's side thanks to a return of 72 points (W23, D3, L8). The Bavarians had never lost more than seven games in a single Bundesliga season since they lost ten in the 2006/07 season when they finished in fourth position.
However, last season, they lost eight times, including losing to newly-promoted Heidenheim, who came from two goals down to beat them 3-2 in the Bundesliga.
They were also knocked out from the DFB Pokal by lowly Saarbrücken, making their run to the Champions League semifinal was the only positive from their first trophyless season since 2010.
Also, Borussia Dortmund had a terrible domestic campaign in the 2023/24 season. Their tally of 63 points was their lowest since the 2017/18 season, when they recorded just 54 points. But the Black and Yellow made up for their poor domestic showing with a run to the Champions League final, which they narrowly lost to Real Madrid.
What Lies Ahead?
With the summer transfer window now in full swing and the tales of the past fully behind us, the focus has turned to preparing for the challenges of the coming season.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have pressed the reset buttons as they seek to return to their previous heights, while Bayer Leverkusen have managed to keep hold of Xabi Alonso as they prepare to dominate the German top flight for another season.
Stuttgart is also making preparations to play their first season in the UCL since the 2009/10 season.
But how prepared are the Bundesliga's top teams ahead of the new season?
This article explores how ready the top five sides are to challenge for the title and to fly Germany's flag in Europe next season.
Bayer Leverkusen
After ending their 30-year wait for a trophy by winning two domestic titles last season with an unblemished record, Bayer Leverkusen will head into the new season as one of the early favourites to win the league.
However, Die Werkself's biggest advantage over the other teams is their head coach, Xabi Alonso whose team’s success was good for German football. Since the Spaniard walked into Bay Arena, he has completely transformed Leverkusen, leading them from the brink of relegation to a sixth-place finish and then the title last season.
His brilliance in the dugout led to several clubs looking at hiring him. His former side, Liverpool, and Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich were the biggest admirers. But in the end, Alonso decided to stay and continue the new project he had begun at Bay Arena.
That single decision to remain in North Rhine-Westphalia is probably the biggest reason why Bayer Leverkusen tickets will be in high demand next season and why the defending champions have a chance of winning the Bundesliga for the second season in a row.
However, after rejecting a lucrative move away from the club, the next thing Alonso and the club must do to ensure Leverkusen are well-equipped for the new season is to keep their best players away from the prying eyes of Europe's top clubs.
So far, Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Tah are attracting interest from Bayern Munich, while Liverpool reportedly wants Jeremie Frimpong. Losing any of the three players could prove catastrophic for Leverkusen's progress ahead of the new season.
Meanwhile, apart from losing players, Leverkusen also need to strengthen their ranks. The rumored free transfer of Joel Matip from Liverpool makes them stronger, while the signings of Aleix Garcia, Martin Belocian, and Martin Terrier boosts their chances of competing favourably with their domestic and European rivals next season.
Bayern Munich
We have already analysed Bayern Munich's chances of winning the Bundesliga title next season. But there are still questions over their preparedness for the coming season.
The Bavarians have never really needed an overhaul as much as they do now, with their Bundesliga league finishes in the last four seasons showing a gradual decline.
But they have begun the process of getting themselves back into their previous levels with a few quality additions to their squad.
Although their problems last season were not caused by the lack of quality players; no club in Germany can boast the quality of players within Bayern's ranks. Nevertheless, you can never have too many good players in a team.
So, Bayern's signing of Michael Olise and João Palhinha makes the Bavarians even stronger. However, one likely blemish is the man in charge–Vincent Kompany.
The Belgian was the unlikeliest person to take up the Bayern job after the Bundesliga giants parted ways with Thomas Tuchel. However, after a series of rejections from their primary targets, Kompany was hired.
The former Burnley coach has little experience at the top level, having overseen Premier League football for just one season. Yet, the former Man City defender comes highly recommended, with Pep Guardiola in particular name checking him as one of the best young coaches out there.
Given that there's little evidence to back up Guardiola's claim, the feeling is that Kompany will struggle to win the title in his first season in Munich.
Whatever the case, Bayern Munich tickets will remain the highest-selling in Germany this season.
VfB Stuttgart
Stuttgart's rise from Bundesliga obscurity to finishing second in the Bundesliga last season was one of the biggest upsets of the campaign.
By this time last year, Stuttgart were planning their new season with the hope of avoiding another relegation fight, having narrowly survived the previous season.
However, thanks to the brilliance of Sebastian Hoeneß, Stuttgart was able to finish second last season—the club's best performance since 2007, while qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2009/10.
However, their preparation ahead of participating in the UCL for the first time since 2010 and joining the Bundesliga title race hasn't been ideal.
Die Schwaben have lost the duo of Waldemar Anton and Serhou Guirassy to Borussia Dortmund this summer, making them weaker and strengthening their rivals.
Although they have bought some players, it doesn't seem like their additions are enough to keep them competitive.
However, despite the negativity around their transfer business so far, there is a feeling of gratitude that the club was able to keep Hoeneß despite the abundance of suitors looking for him.
With the German in charge, Stuttgart have a fighting chance in the Bundesliga. Having taken the club from the relegation zone to a top-two finish, there is nothing stopping him from winning the Bundesliga title next season. If Leverkusen did it last campaign without too much investment in their squad, VfB Stuttgart can also do it next season.
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Borussia Dortmund
Having finished runners-up in seven of the last eleven seasons, it is time for Dortmund to reach for new heights.
The Prussians were shambolic domestically last term, as they finished in fifth place. But like Bayern, they are rebuilding this summer and have hired former player Nuri Sahin as head coach.
The Turk is still unproven in management, so it remains to be seen how he will perform at Signal Iduna Park. He has strengthened Dortmund by signing striker Serhou Guirassy and defender Waldemar Anton, though. Yet the departure of Marco Reus and Mats Hummels looks like it has weakened his team.
That said, Borussia Dortmund tickets buyers and fans will only hope Sahin and Dortmund enjoy a remarkable season as the manager did under Jürgen Klopp in 2012.
RB Leipzig
Since their promotion to the top flight in the 2015/16 season, RB Leipzig have been threatening to win the Bundesliga title but always fall short.
The Red Bulls have finished inside the top four in seven of their last eight seasons, with two second-place finishes in that period. They weren't at their best last season, as they finished in fourth. Yet, the 77 goals they scored and their total points tally are the joint second-highest in the Bundesliga.
They will remain title challengers next season but need smart transfer business to do so. Among their primary concerns in the transfer market is holding on to their star attacker, Dani Olmo.
The Spanish midfielder is wanted by several clubs after his great showing at the European Championship. Keeping hold of him and strengthening key areas in the team will give Marco Rose and his RB Leipzig side the right tools to win their first Bundesliga title.
That said, it is unlikely that Leipzig will keep Olmo beyond this summer, complicating things for Rose.
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Conclusion
Bayer Leverkusen's success last season means that the Bundesliga has gradually become one of Europe's top five leagues' toughest leagues.
We expect another intriguing battle this term, with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich the two favourite sides for the title.
