I Hate Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich defender David Alaba has acknowledged that he could pursue a fresh challenge away from the Bundesliga outfit in the future with Spain and England being suitable destinations for him. The Austria international has spent his entire career with the Bavarian giants and has racked nearly 350 appearances for the club across all competitions.

Speaking to SportBild, Alaba said that he is currently comfortable at the Munich giants where he has been the undisputed choice on the left side of the defence. However, he added that he does not see himself spending the rest of his career with the German champions, he told: “I can imagine trying something else, but I really feel very comfortable at Bayern. Every year there are new challenges and new objectives and the pressure will always be there. I’m happy in Munich. But of course, I can imagine seeing something else [in the future].”

Bayern Munich left-back David Alaba has said that he is unfazed by the threat presented by Mohamed Salah when Liverpool face them during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. The Egypt international has once more been the Reds’ leading performer this term and he has already bagged 20 goals across all competitions.

Speaking to Bild, Alaba acknowledged that Salah is one of the best players in the world but he is confident of coping with the threat presented after previously featuring against the likes of Kylian Mbappe, he said: “Salah's one of the best players in the world. He's fast, but I've played against other fast players such as Mbappe. I know from experience that it is crucial that I use my strengths. It definitely will not be an easy game. But, of course, we believe in ourselves because we know our strength. We are Bayern Munich and we don't have to hide from any opponent! We will give everything to emerge from the duel successfully in the end.”

James Rodriguez’s father Wilson has indicated that his son should take up the option of heading to the Serie A at the end of the season. The Colombia international joined Bayern Munich on a two-year loan from Real Madrid in the summer of 2017 but the move has been far from fruitful leading to the point that the German champions have declined to take up option to buy him.

As such, he is widely expected to return to parent club Los Blancos in the summer, though his stay could be short-lived with the Capital outfit prepared to sanction his sale elsewhere. Amidst this, Rodriguez’s father has highlighted that a summer move to the Serie A could be on the cards with reporting emerging that he could be reunited with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has said that Bayern Munich have been disrespectful to the Blues after going public with their interest in signing Callum Hudson-Odoi this month. The 18-year-old has barely featured in the Premier League this term but he has still caught the attention of the Bavarian giants after showing promise in the Cup and European competitions.

Speaking ahead of the Newcastle game on Saturday, Sarri highlighted that Bayern have been rather unprofessional with the pursuit of the Blues graduate. The Italian added that he has no idea regarding the future of the teenager, although he would personally prefer the Englishman staying put with the club.

Bayern Munich head coach Niko Kovac has said that the German top-flight has become much stronger this term which has contributed to the Bavarian giants’ struggles to reach the top. The Munich heavyweights have won the Bundesliga crown in each of the previous six seasons but they face a tricky task of replicating the feat with Borussia Dortmund holding a six-point advantage over them at the summit.

Speaking to Bayern’s official website, Kovac admitted that Bayern had made a slow start to the current campaign but they have managed to find form right before the winter break with five successive league wins. He added that their challenge has also been hampered by the better competition between the teams with Dortmund suffering just the one defeat to date.

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer believes his team can overcome the challenge presented by Liverpool during the round of 16 stage of the Champions League.

The Bavarian giants have been pitted against the Reds for the first time in Europe since early 2000 and Neuer has backed them to prevail by taking advantage of the defensive vulnerability of Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Argentina international Paulo Dybala has dismissed the ongoing speculation linking him with Bayern Munich while stressing that he is content with the proceedings at Juventus. The forward had a tough beginning to the season which he was benched on a couple of occasions but he has managed to turn things around with an extended run of games where he has regularly commanded a starting berth.

Despite this, the speculation regarding his future has refused to cease but speaking to reporters, he has clarified that he has no desire to parting ways with the Bianconeri, he said: “It's not in my thoughts [when asked about the Bayern speculation]. I'm very happy to play for Juventus; we have big goals and I'm focused on those.”

Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac has said that the team need to improve on the decision-making after squandering the opportunity to secure another victory. Serge Gnabry’s 80th-minute strike appeared to have earned Bayern the three points against Freiburg last weekend but they were pegged back nine minutes later after a poor bit of judgement at the back allowed Lucas Holer to grab the equaliser.

With the stalemate, the reigning champions find themselves four points behind league leaders Borussia Dortmund and Kovac was certainly not pleased with the result after failing to shut up shop towards the end of the game, he told the club’s official website: “We got off to a good start, we were very flexible, moved well and let the ball do the work. We tried to attack down the wings, but it was difficult because they doubled up on us.

The outlook for German football doesn’t appear as good as it should right now. After a disappointing World Cup performance by the national team and further disappointment in the Nations League since then, they are no longer at the top of the international tree.

After winning the World Cup in 2014, many players retired from the national team and it was now time to blood new youngsters in, hoping that they would take the baton and keep Germany on top of the world. However, they have failed to do that, and the performance at the 2018 World Cup was a glaring reminder of just how much work the Germans have to do over the coming months and years.

It's still early days in the Bundesliga with just seven games played and there are still plenty more twists and turns to come before the German top flight concludes in May 2019, however the league is starting to take shape and, worryingly for Bayern Munich, they have four points to make up on current leaders Borussia Dortmund.

The Bavarians made a less than impressive start to the 2017-18 campaign but were a point better off heading into the second international break and their stuttering starts are beginning to be a cause for concern amongst Bayern fans.