It’s not often that Bayern Munich are polite, but after a 7-1 defeat to Barcelona on the first matchday of the new Women’s Champions League group stage, the message was more consistent than the performance.
“We have to reflect on this and learn the right lessons from this,” said Germany international Clara Buhl.
“We have to learn from the game, stay united and move forward,” Bayern’s new coach Jose Barcla said.
Such a heavy defeat is a blow for a team that has lost only two league games since 2023. south german newspaperA German newspaper said that the result “has the potential to shock not only Munich, but the entire German women’s football.”
Although the size of the defeat is significant for the Bundesliga champions, many would suggest the shock wave has been felt for some time.
Is Germany no longer among Europe’s elite?
Germany has not had a Champions League winner since FFC Frankfurt (now Eintracht Frankfurt) in 2015. The national team has not won a major tournament since Euro 2013. There is a growing perception that Germany has been left behind in the explosion of women’s sports that began around the time of the 2019 World Cup.
Spain, the most recent World Cup winners, and Barcelona, which has won three of six of the last seven Champions League finals, are the opposite. A decade ago the country was barely on the elite women’s football map and is now way ahead of Germany, as national team coach Christian Wouk recently reflected.
“The Spanish women don’t think about these fundamentals anymore. They play as if it’s second nature to them. We need intensive training (to get to that point),” she said.
Is German women’s football a victim of a talent drain?
The training is all very good. But increasingly, the Bundesliga is seeing an exodus of talent, especially Germany’s best players. Sidney Lohmann (Manchester City), Sjoke Nusken (Chelsea) and Jul Brand (Lyon) have all left for more money, bigger crowds and a better chance of European success.
Whether playing abroad for clubs loaded with talent or trying to break into Germany on home soil, the problem for the country’s best players is playing enough.
Vuk said, “Development in this important area is too slow for my liking. Playing time is certainly not high. Some national team players do not play enough at their clubs, not only in the Women’s Bundesliga, but also abroad.”
The 52-year-old called on coaches to rely more on young players in the Bundesliga to help themselves and the national team.
“We can only do it together. We need to find ways to give our players playing time. We need coaches who have the courage to bring in young players and give them time,” Vuk said, echoing a similar appeal from Germany men’s coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Wouk was largely complimentary about Germany’s top flight, but it is clear that it is struggling to keep up financially with other leagues. Apart from German midfielder Lena Oberdorf’s €400,000 transfer from Wolfsburg to Bayern last year (joint 14th), no German club has paid any of the top 50 women’s transfer fees of all time.
Is the Bundesliga helping or hindering Bayern?
After Barcelona’s defeat, the questions that often accompany men’s teams are beginning to arise for women: Is the Bundesliga a competitive and attractive league where even its biggest clubs in Europe can find success?
Bayern have won three consecutive Bundesliga titles, but have failed to progress beyond the Champions League quarter-finals since 2021. Whatever is working at home is not working in Europe.
“I think the opportunity for Germany to fill the gap from other leagues could be to focus on new talent. Obviously, we have to try to keep them in the Bundesliga, but it’s the same in men’s football,” Jessica Stommel, head of women’s football at agency Sportfive, which works with 14 women’s teams in Germany, told DW.
“It is not always necessary to pay millions in transfer fees to buy the best players, because this is also not sustainable.”
It’s a model that is slowly but surely improving in the chasing pack – Frankfurt finished second last season – but being a breeding ground for young talent won’t work at Bayern. Nobody wants another 7-1 loss. While one game rarely defines a season, both Bayern Munich and women’s football in Germany will soon have to find some answers if they are to have a chance to keep up with the rest of Europe.
Edited by: Jonathan Harding