Bundesliga is back but not how we know it - complete guide to its return
Here is a complete guide to the return of the German Bundesliga.
Bundesliga given go ahead
Last Wednesday saw a big breakthrough for European football after two months standstill, as the German government gave the green light for the return of the Bundesliga.
It was later announced that the return date would be the 16th May and with this weekend approaching, fans of the game can finally watch some football again.
So where can I watch it?
With the longstanding 2/3pm Saturday blackout lifted, BT Sport has been given the opportunity to show every Bundesliga game and that is what they are doing this weekend at least.
It is unknown still what will happen in future weeks as BT haven’t had much time yet to put a plan in place.
There has been some speculation that terrestrial TV could show some games in the future weeks but there is no certainty in that.
One thing is for certain; there will be a demand for German football in England more than ever before since the option of watching football has been taken out of our hands and a lot of us will take whatever we can get.
How will it work?
Of course, given the circumstances, this is very much an experiment and there is so much that needs to be done and so much caution that needs to be taken if this is to work.
All games until the end of the season at least will be behind closed doors but games will be played at home grounds as normal.
The plan for the Bundesliga is for players and staff to be tested twice a week and on match-day weeks players are tested the day before a match and on another day during the week.
Results from the tests will be given to the manager around 10am on the morning of the matches, giving clubs enough time to postpone the game if any of the players come back COVID positive.
In regard to players seeing their family, the DFL has said anyone in a player’s household is subject to voluntary testing and players are not allowed to have physical contact with neighbours or the public.
Clubs went into a week of quarantine last Friday in the hope that no new cases of the virus will occur before the Bundesliga restarts on Saturday.
Players are to self-isolate if they are showing symptoms or if they test positive for the virus but the rest of the club will continue to train and play games in the players absence.
There have also been tests for all match officials this week and if any of them test positive then a new referee will be brought in.
In my opinion, the Bundesliga in liaison with the German government have thought this through carefully, Angela Merkel has been a step ahead of the rest of the world during this pandemic and so I trust her judgement if she believes this is the safest way for football to return.
It will be interesting to see how it does come together and whether this is the short-term solution to football’s return.
I hope the Premier League is watching very carefully as they have the advantage of seeing a case study for how football could work as the country looks to get back on its feet.
What is there to play for?
There is still so much to play for this season in the Bundesliga, so many story lines that need an ending.
What has grabbed the attention the most has been the title race because Bayern haven’t run away with it with their usual ease.
Last season had challenging moments for Bayern as both Dortmund and Leipzig put up a fight but ultimately, they still won the league by 8 points.
By the time the league was suspended on 13th March, Bayern had started to build a lead on their rivals but for much of the season, it has been far from plain sailing for the German champions.
On the 4th November, the club decided to sack manager Niko Kovac with the club in fourth place, four points behind league leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.
The final nail in Kovac’s coffin was a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, their second defeat of the season just 10 games in.
Their assistant manager Hansi Flick was appointed manager until the end of the season and their form has been more consistent since.
Their three big challengers for the tile are entertaining teams, with each side causing a different type of threat.
Borussia Dortmund in second place pose the biggest danger particularly since the January arrival of a certain Erling Haaland.
The teenage sensation has taken German football by storm and plays in a team that boasts an enormous amount of talent.
For example, Jadon Sancho and Haaland are two of the best young superstars in world football and both have potential to become great players.
As for third place Leipzig, despite the controversy that constantly surrounds their existence in German football, nobody can deny they have spent money wisely on young, talented players.
Leading the way for them is the highly rated Timo Werner who has been linked to a summer move to Liverpool amongst many other teams.
They aren’t underdogs as such anymore, they have shown in recent history that they can match the best teams in Germany and even in Europe.
The final team with an outside chance is Borussia Monchengladbach who led the league early on but a draw to title challengers Leipzig followed by defeat to Dortmund has seen them drop down to 4th in the league.
However, they are just two points off Dortmund and 6 points of Bayern with still time to turn it around in an unpredictable season.
Who can predict what will happen for certain now, it’s almost impossible to know how the break will have affected different clubs and how the mental side would have affected individual players. With games behind closed doors, fans can’t play their part either, so it will be fascinating to see how it plays out.
There is another interesting battle for the final Europa league place between Schalke, Wolfsburg, Freiburg and Hoffenheim, with just two points separating the sides.
As for the relegation battle, Mainz are most at threat of being drawn into a dog fight, but they have a four-point gap to lose if 16th placed Dusseldorf are to survive relegation.
Werder Bremen crucially have a game in hand (against Frankfurt) which gives them half a chance of staying up despite being 8 points from safety as things stand.
Paderborn are all but relegated as they are 10 points from safety and with just 9 games left to narrow the gap.
Analysis
German football is the Guinea pig for the return of football in Europe’s major leagues, with the eyes of Spain, Italy and England firmly on them to see whether the return of our beautiful game will be a success or not.
Football is back but not as we know it and fans will have to start to get used to the eerie silence at stadiums that would usually be buzzing with energy and life.
Article by: Harry Dunnett
Thumbnail by: Samuel Slaney
Images interpreted from: Getty Images, Bundesliga & BT Sport