Bayern win domestically after European heartache

The 1998-99 Bundesliga title was comfortably won by Bayern Munich, who finished 15 points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, while Hertha Berlin recorded their highest position in over 20 years by coming third.

With Bayern easing to the German championship, all the drama was at the opposite end of the table, with any of five teams capable of suffering relegation alongside the already-jettisoned Borussia Monchengladbach and Bochum. In the end, both Eintracht Frankfurt and Nurnberg ended up with the same points tally and a goal difference of minus 10, with goals scored saving Frankfurt from the drop.

CHANGES

The biggest change in the summer of 1998 was Ottmar Hitzfeld’s appointment as Bayern Munich head coach, replacing Giovanni Trapattoni. The former Stuttgart forward had been out of work for a year after leaving Borussia Dortmund, but was seen as a stabilising force in Munich after the chaotic management of Trapattoni.

Hitzfeld used the transfer market shrewdly, bringing in Hasan Salihamidzic from Hamburg and Thomas Linke from Schalke on free transfers, and signed Jens Jeremies, Stefan Effenberg, and Ali Daei for the combined price of the outgoing Dietmar Hamann.

Holders Kaiserslautern kept most of their Bundesliga-winning squad together, adding forward Uwe Rosler from Manchester City and Werder Bremen’s Hany Ramzy at centre-back.

Having missed out on the Champions League in the previous season, Bayer Leverkusen were determined not to do so again, and were the big spenders of the transfer window. Left-midfielder Ze Roberto arrived from Real Madrid for a club record fee of 14 million DM, while Adam Matysek and Zoran Mamic were bought for more than 1m DM each.

Borussia Dortmund also brought in some expensive signings, adding goalkeeper Jens Lehmann from AC Milan and Duisburg forward Bachirou Salou at a cost of 8m DM apiece, while 6m DM was spent on Atletico Mineiro full-back Dede. The sale of Jorg Heinrich to Fiorentina helped fund Dortmund’s dealings, leaving for almost…

Source link : https://www.footballcritic.com/season-reviews/bayern-win-domestically-after-european-heartache-the-1998-99-bundesliga/142

Author : [email protected] (Ronan Murphy)

Publish date : 2024-07-19 11:00:00

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