German Bundesliga

It was 1963 that the Bundesliga was formed. Before the top divisions were divided into regional groups. In the long term at least some of those regional top leagues did not have enough strong teams to be challenge enough for the giants. The installation of Bundesliga is said to have brought a lift of competitiveness for German football on the international level. As European competitions had just begun, this of course is difficult to prove. Bayern Munich is the only club that has been able to convert a dominance of a team of a particular era into long term success producing structures. Whereas Bremen, Mönchengladbach, Hamburger SV, and perharps Borussia Dortmund (much too early to say) had only eras that were connected with an extra-ordinary constellation, Bayern has been equally dominating in the last 3 decades with its counterparts altering.

Bayern Munich

It's year two for Felix Magath. As last season ended, the Bayern side showed they were in a class of their own as the close contenders choked under pressure. A tough loss in the Champions League to Abramowitsch's million dollar club, Chelsea, limited how much money Magath would have for transfers this season, even though many of the defenders were dropped from the payroll. Torsten Frings and Alexander Zickler, Tobia Rau and the Iranian Vahid Hamshemian all also decided to leave the winning team. But Ali Karimi, the Iranian footwork whiz, and Frenchman Valerien Ismael will keep Bayern from falling behind in the talent category. The return of Philip Lahm will also prove to be worth watching. The 21-year-old gained experience at Stuttgart and developed into a world-class defender - before being injured. Expect to see him again when Bayern Munich start working their way through the rounds of the Champions League.

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Bayer Leverkusen

What's new at Leverkusen? Well, nothing actually. They're sticking to tradition and hiring a new Brazilian national team player, this time it's Mazzoli e Oliveira von Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte - who commentators across Europe are glad to know also answers to "Athirson." He's only played five times for Selecao and cost less than a million euros, but Leverkusen hopes he'll steal the scene. One tradition Bayer will hope to break is doing well at the beginning of the season, last year they trounced Real Madrid 3-0 and beat Bayern Munich 4-1, before crashing in the season's final months.

Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund Inc. went to the edge of the Bundesliga and nearly fell due to their own financial difficulties, leading some to believe the team shouldn't even be allowed to be traded on the market anymore. Finances be as they may, on the field Bert van Marmijk's squad put in a solid second half performance. Fans will hope selling off Ewerthon in exchange for the South African Buckley will bring some relief to the team's strained coffers without affecting performance on the pitch as Dortmund have their sights set on international competition this season, but they'll need to improve on their start if they want a chance at a UEFA Cup berth.

Werder Bremen

Bremen couldn't defend the German Championship last season and only came knee-high to Lyon in the Champions League. Now with two top players gone, Valerien Ismael has decided to try his luck at Bayern Munich, Fabian Ernst left for other top rival Schalke 04, it may be a touch more complicated for Bremen to match their third place finish last season. In this season's elite club matches it will be Torsten Frings, who has returned Bayern Munich, and goalkeeper Tim Wiese who will have to put in their best.

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Other European leagues

English Premiere League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga, Dutch Eredivisie, French Le Championnat

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