Lack of a true striker not hindering Julian Nagelsmann’s expectations for Bayern Munich

Losing Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich was always going to be hard.

Aside of his general presence as the world’s best striker, Lewandowski was also the squad’s undisputed penalty-taker and a team leader. While it might not seem like a big deal, manager Julian Nagelsmann knows the perils of not having that established person to handle those key moments.

“We’re not disappointed because we didn’t find (a traditional striker). We planned for all possible scenarios. But the transfer market is still open for four weeks. We have an option with (Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting) when he comes back. We also brought in Sadio (Mané), who can score a lot of goals,” said Nagelsmann (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “When we agreed to (FC Barcelona)’s offer (for Lewandowski), it was planned that we might not sign anyone else for this position.”

As for who can fill Lewandowski’s boots as the squad’s resident penalty-taker, Nagelsmann washed his hands of the situation. With regard to Lewandowski’s position on the team’s leadership council, the boss said that situation has been addressed internally.

“My only condition is that the guys don’t fight on the pitch. In general, I don’t care who shoots as long as the ball ends up in the back of the net. Our assistant coach Dino Toppmöller takes care of everything related to set pieces,” said Nagelsmann. “We have made a decision regarding the team council and captains, but we will only communicate it to the team (on Friday).”

If you want more thoughts on how Bayern Munich looks heading into the DFL-Supercup, what problems Julian Nagelsmann might face this season, and some reasons you should be optimistic and excited for 2022/23, check out our latest episode of the Weekend Warm-up Podcast: