H O L D F I R E 流 Posted September 19, 2020 Posted September 19, 2020 Bayern Munich 8-0 Schalke (Gnabry 4', 47', 59', Goretzka 19', Lewandowski pen. 31', Müller 69', Sané 71', Musiala 81') Everything about the start of the 2020-21 Bundesliga season felt familiar. Bayern sweeping past the opposition and ending the contest by halftime, Schalke impressing for the first minute and then crumbling in the fourth - even the eerily empty stadium felt familiar. While fans have begun to return in small numbers around Germany, a recent rise in infections in Bavaria led local health authorities to change their decision about the proposed 7,500 originally due to attend on Friday night. Despite their being just 26 days since their Champions League victory in Lisbon, Bayern showed no signs of fatigue. They sped around the pitch, darting in between the blue of Schalke's jerseys. "It doesn't matter how big the steps are but rather that they are in the right direction," Hansi Flick said of Bayern's new season before the game. It's safe to say that opening the new league season with a 8-0 win is very much a big step in the right direction. In truth, the only difference was the impressive presence of Leroy Sané in red and the new numbers on the back of Joshua Kimmich (six) and Serge Gnabry (seven). The rest was familiarly devastating. Sané and Gnabry looked a formidable duo right from the start Sané and Gnabry looked a formidable duo right from the start Can the Bundesliga handle the truth? The raw truth, displayed once again on the opening night of the 2020-21 season, is that for anyone but Bayern to win the league Bayern have to lose it first. The departure of midfield star Thiago and Uli Hoeness' public sabotage of the attempt to renew David Alaba's contract have gone some way to unsettle Bayern off the field, and are the sort of scraps of hope that Borussia Dortmund have to feed off, but on it Bayern remain in a league of their own. How do you solve a problem like Bayern Munich? A super league? A radical re-distribution of television money? The answer remains unpo[CENSORED]r and unclear. Until then, the Bundesliga will have to wrestle with having the best team in Europe playing a different quality of football in the same league as 17 other teams who don't stand a chance. Schalke are very much one of those sides. They did all they could to stay afloat after the coronavirus pandemic plunged the club into financial danger. This season is about reconstructing the club's identity, restoring trust with their fans and finding sporting stability. The latter was never going to be found in Munich on Friday night, but this was another level of embarrassment for Schalke. How many more years can the Bundesliga afford to see this sight? How many more years can the Bundesliga afford to see this sight? Are you not entertained? Succumbing to Bayern's might after three and a half minutes was disappointing even by their own standards, but conceding one minute after the restart was perhaps even worse. When Lewandowski assisted Müller with a rabona it felt like there was nothing left to say. Then 17-year-old Jamal Musiala became the youngest Bayern Munich scorer ever and it was hard to believe this was the Bundesliga. But this has long been the Bundesliga's face. Opening night of this season didn't tell us anything new. Bayern Munich have always been the team in Germany. Ever since Flick has been in charge they have been the best team in Europe. And Schalke well, they remain a work in progress. The Bundesliga is not, but another season without a title race will test even its most loyal fans. Germany's top flight remains a veritable buffet of football delights. Borussia Dortmund's attack, everything about Gladbach, the magic of Christian Streich and Freiburg, the mad confidence of Cologne, that promising defensive midfielder playing for a team you've never heard of before - the list goes on and on. But how long can the Bundesliga continue to rely on its status as the league where young players and coaches develop when the same team keeps winning the league? Surely that can't be football as it's meant to be. Re-live Bayern's win in our live blog below:81' GOAL! Bayern Munich 8-0 Schalke (Musiala) The 17-year-old substitute gets in on the act! 71' GOAL! Bayern Munich 7-0 Schalke (Sane) And Leroy Sane finally gets his debut goal. 69' GOAL! Bayern Munich 6-0 Schalke (Müller) A magical assist from Lewandowski for Müller who makes it six. 65' Substitution for Schalke: Rabbi Matondo is replaced by Benito Raman 63' Sane has two assists tonight but is still on the hunt for a goal himself. He gets a shot away from the edge of the box but Fährmann tips it expertly round the post. 59' GOAL! Bayern Munich 5-0 Schalke (Gnabry) Sane brings a long ball majestically under control, spins beautifully and lays off to Gnabry who completes his hat-trick. 54' Schalke win a corner after Süle clears from Uth's cross. Uth's subsequent corner doesn't make it past the near post. 50' Substitution for Bayern: Leon Goretzka is replaced by Corentin Tolisso. 47' GOAL! Bayern Munich 4-0 Schalke (Gnabry) Bayern immediately send Sane in behind, the debutant rounds Fährmann but the ball gets too far away from him, falling instead to Gnabry who slides it into an empty net. Second half 1' We're back underway in the second half! Can Schalke make a game of the second 45 minutes? The answer, by the way, already looks like a "no" ... Half-time: Bayern Munich 3-0 Schalke A promising opening 60 seconds from Schalke offered hope that this wouldn't be the predictable opening day walkover, but that is exactly what it has become. Just three minutes after the visitors' daring offensive, they were punished by Serge Gnabry, then by Leon Goretzka and then by Robert Lewandowski. Thirty minutes played, 3-0, and it could have been more were it not for some last-ditch defending by Sebastian Rudy and an impressive save from Ralf Fährmann. Schalke, to give them their due, are not hiding. They're trying to get forward when they can with Amin Harit, Rabbi Matondo and Goncalo Pacienca doing their best. But their best isn't enough because Bayern are in a different league - individually, sportingly, financially. To be perfectly honest, you have to ask what the point is? Is this what the Bundesliga, its stakeholders and its viewers want every season? And if not, what do they intend to do about it? Fan groups have demanded a re-distribution of wealth in the form of TV rights, that would be the "socialist" option. Others argue for an end to 50+1 and more investors, that's the "capitalist" option. Or is time that Bayern and Europe's other super clubs formed their own Super League and left the rest to it? Whatever, this surely can't go on. It's going to have to for at least another 45 minutes this evening though. "It doesn't get cooler than this," in David Wagner's words.
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