BAYERN STRUGGLING WITH OFF-PITCH ISSUES AS EINTRACHT AWAITS

Bayern Munich’s resumption in the Bundesliga has not been particularly strong, with coach Julian Nagelsmann coping with a lack of attention and discipline as well as the effects of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s injury.

Nagelsmann’s league champions have drawn both of their games this season, therefore a victory against fellow Champions League team Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday is required if they hope to keep their three-point advantage over the competition.

First-choice Bayern scrambled to find a substitute when Neuer fractured his leg in a skiing accident in December.

However, Bayern’s on-loan goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel, who presently represents AS Monaco, expressed his dissatisfaction over a lack of contact with the German champions over his future after it last week acquired Yann Sommer from Borussia Moenchengladbach.

As a result, Toni Tapalovic, Bayern’s veteran goalkeeping coach and a close friend of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer who joined Bayern from Schalke 04 more than 11 years ago, was fired this week.

As if that issue wasn’t already problematic enough, Bayern also criticized out-of-form winger Serge Gnabry for traveling to Paris on Sunday during his day off to attend a fashion show. The player’s social media posts showed him sporting several clothing brands.

Hasan Salihamidzic, director of sports for Bayern, commented, “That is amateurish.” “Exactly what you like bothers me. Being out and about is not Bayern Munich-like.

“When you have a free day, you need to recuperate so that you can go full throttle in the next game.”

The following game was Tuesday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with host Cologne, in which Gnabry failed to have any significant influence and left at halftime.

Bayern leads Union Berlin (33), RB Leipzig (32) and Eintracht (31) by 36 points, with a busy few weeks ahead that include a German Cup encounter and a Champions League last-16 meeting against Paris St. Germain next month.

According to Nagelsmann, “the two points we’ve earned from our two league games this year are much too little for our aspirations.”

Frankfurt, which takes on Napoli in the Champions League, will not be taken lightly; in its previous eight league games, it has only lost one game and won three.