When FC Bayern publicly admits that it is “dealing” with a player from another club, this usually means that the only thing missing is the signature on the contract.
The examination phase of whether the person who may be required to be compulsory fits the club and the system, whether it can be financed, has already been completed.
When sports director Hasan Salihamidzic declared on Saturday on the edge of the 5-0 victory over Hertha BSC Berlin in front of the Sky microphone that Marcel Sabitzer could be an issue, he had long been. The rumor that Bayern wanted to sign the midfielder from RB Leipzig after coach Julian Nagelsmann and defender Dayot Upamecano had been going on for weeks. And has now been confirmed. The Austrian's move is almost perfect, on Sunday only a few details remained to be clarified. Sabitzer, who is expected to cost around 15 million euros, was no longer in the RB squad for the game against Wolfsburg.
Things could hardly be better for Nagelsmann these days.
After the difficult preparation, the team has returned to the success mode, has shown "the best performance of the season" on Saturday, as the coach finds, thanks to the runaway win, has climbed up the table, although not yet to first place, and finally came back without conceding a goal.
Sabitzer "a good player"
And now there is also Nagelsmann's dream player.
To call Sabitzer the Munich king transfer would be a bit of an exaggeration in view of the personnel damage at other top European clubs in France, England and Spain.
The Austrian is what FC Bayern can afford on the transfer market.
“A good player”, as Nagelsmann emphasized again and again, but not one who will get a regular place guarantee in the star-studded ensemble, but has to assert himself in the midfield center against similarly strong, if not stronger competitors.
In any case, the 27-year-old previous RB captain will not easily get past Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich.
But for the commitment of Sabitzer not only spoke that he had another alternative in addition to the somewhat injury-prone Corentin Tolisso.
Sabitzer also has the advantage that it can be used flexibly, as a six, eight and even in the outer positions.
Seen in this way, he is a perfect addition to the Bayern squad, which is not quite as lavish in terms of quality.
And Sabitzer doesn't have to get used to a new trainer, a new approach or a completely new system.
Sabitzer knows what Nagelsmann wants.
However, this is not what the coach expected from the team in Leipzig.
“It should be FC Bayern soccer, it doesn't have to be Nagelsmann soccer,” said Nagelsmann.
For many years, FC Bayern football has also meant playing with two wingers who stay on the sidelines as much as possible, spread the game and only pull in late.
"Soccer field mentality" by Musiala
That was the case with Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben, then with Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry or Leroy Sané. Nagelsmann changed this against Hertha, moved Jamal Musiala and Gnabry a little more inward. The two therefore often penetrated into the penalty area from the half-field. For this, the full-backs should push forward on the wings. What Alphonso Davies, who was already offensive, liked and often did, his counterpart Josip Stanisic occasionally did.
Musiala also knows what to do on the sidelines, just as he seems to know what to do everywhere at the moment. But in the half position he is even more effective with his "unbelievable qualities in one-on-one", as Nagelsmann stated. As with his goals in the cup against the fifth division club Bremer SV, he impressed with his goal to make it 3-0 on Saturday with a perfect ball handling. Nagelsmann said that Musiala still had "the" football pitch mentality "that does not exist that often in the youth sector:" My greatest task will be not to drive it out, but to keep it. "
With his system modification, the new Bayern coach is primarily concerned with "a good structure in possession of the ball", as he says, and with shorter distances when counter-pressing and switching movements. “Then we are more stable,” says Nagelsmann. His plan worked out on Saturday. However, the opponent was not a yardstick. Unlike a week before, Hertha rarely bothered them early and gave Bayern far too much room to develop, especially after the second goal, which was also the start of another Lewandowski festival evening.
Strictly speaking, it even started shortly after kick-off, with an action that you don't see so often at Lewandowski. After a cross from Davies, he did not shoot on goal himself, but let the ball through for the better positioned Thomas Müller, who then scored to make it 1-0. But anyone who has broken almost all records in the past two years or is still in the process of breaking them has, as Müller noted, "already reached the next level" - and then you can treat your colleague to scoring a goal. Especially since Lewandowski then scored three times himself.