Lothar Matthäus doesn’t see a “true competitor” for Bayern Munich this season

Lothar Matthäus has nothing but praise for Bayern Munich these days. The normally surly Bayern alumnus and pundit seems to have finally seen the light. Writing for his Sky column, as captured by Abendzeitung, Matthäus is calling the Bundesliga title race after just two matchdays in the 2022/23 season.

“I honestly don’t see a true competitor in the fight,” Matthäus wrote.

And he’s similarly effusive about the people in charge, especially sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić — after having had a more critical perspective in the months leading up to the transfer window’s opening.

“I give Hasan Salihamidžić a grade of one for his transfer market activities,” Matthäus added. “Because I’d like him to invite me out for a coffee after a long time. Joking aside, the purchases and sales that Brazzo has made in this transfer period up to now are great.”

Bayern, of course, have had a transfer window for the ages — splash signing after splash signing, often for well-negotiated prices. And lately, new additions to the sales side of the ledger to keep the books relatively balanced — a core Bavarian principle when it comes to running a club, and one evidently not shared across Europe.

With new faces to integrate and an increased competition for places, Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann has no small task ahead of him. But the early showings have silenced any and all would-be naysayers.

“I believe he is exactly the right person for this,” Matthäus raved of Nagelsmann. “He has tact, will find the right words, and besides, in the end there are so many games that everyone will get to play.”

As for challengers, Borussia Dortmund currently sit second place in the table, having also won their first two matches of the season but with less goal differential. Worthy challengers, if barely — but at least, in Lothar’s estimation, they have found the right man as coach as well.

“He brings what the Dortmunders have been missing,” said Matthäus of Edin Terzić, the one-time Dortmund assistant who had a run as interim manager before his return this season following Marco Rose’s sacking. “That deep identification that spills over from the bench to the players. So much passion and love for this club radiates from him that I’m sure they’ll play a very good season.”

Indeed, there are certain parallels between Terzić and the wildly successful Hansi Flick, whose excellent pulse of the locker room helped him step out from the assistant’s role to shepherd the Bavarians to Rekordmeister-befitting glories.

For the Bundesliga’s sake, Bayern fans might hope that Terzić now has a similarly assured — if not ultimately quite as successful — run with BVB. If Bayern are to march to an eleventh straight crown, all the better that it require vanquishing a worthy foe.

For now, though, that appears to be not quite yet in the offing.