Bundesliga

Bayern Munich's 6-0 win at Hoffenheim had to be stopped twice on Saturday after visiting fans displayed banners insulting Hoffenheim's majority owner, Dietmar Hopp.

Per Bundesliga reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt, Bayern supporters displayed the banners in the second half, despite requests from their own players to stop:

According to Goal's Chris Burton, both sides were subsequently taken off, returning after around five minutes but playing out the remainder of the game kicking the ball to one another in an act of solidarity:

Bayern boss Hansi Flick managed Hoffenheim from 2000 to 2005.

Hoffenheim's last match, a 1-1 draw at Borussia Monchengladbach, had to be stopped after Gladbach fans unveiled a similar banner directed at Hopp.

Earlier in February, Borussia Dortmund fans were banned from attending Hoffenheim matches for two seasons after making offensive chants and banners about Hopp.

Football writer and broadcaster Lars Sivertsen explained on BT Sport Score why fans in Germany dislike the owner:

Bayern had secured a commanding victory in the match before the second-half controversy.

They were 4-0 up by half-time following goals from Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich, Joshua Zirkzee and Philippe Coutinho. Coutinho added his second two minutes after the break, before Leon Goretzka completed the rout.

The Bavarians are unbeaten in 13 matches in all competitions, with 12 wins. Bayern have scored 23 goals in their last six games on the road, conceding just three.

Borussia Dortmund and England winger Jadon Sancho has described football as his "first love" and said he'd play every day until he's "100 years old" if his body permitted it. 

The 19-year-old has taken the Bundesliga by storm since arriving last season, and he has recorded 27 direct goal involvements (13 goals and 14 assists) in 21 top-flight appearances this campaign.

He told the official Bundesliga website (h/t Goal): "I just love football. You can't really take that out of me—I just love the game, and love the sport. So yeah, if I had a choice I'd play every day until I'm 100 years old. But unfortunately, some time I'll have to step down from football when my body gets old! Of course, football will be my first love forever."

Sancho's fast feet and technical ability have earned attention from some of the elite in European football, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea each said to be among his admirers, per TalkSport.

The teenager became the youngest player in history to score 24 Bundesliga goals earlier this season:

BBC 5 Live Sport's The Squad discussed a potential Premier League return in February and agreed the player would be worth a £100 million investment if that's the price Dortmund demanded:

The former Watford and Manchester City academy player was asked about those price-tag rumours when he was first called up to the senior England squad in October 2018, via Hayters TV:

Sancho—who has scored twice in 11 senior outings for the Three Lions—illustrated what motivates him on the field, adding a desire to entertain rests at his core:

"Before a game, probably listen to my music, and because I know everyone's watching, especially for the fans, especially if it's cold, I don't want them to just come and support us. 

"I want them to go home smiling and be happy that they came out to the end and watched us win. I'm just trying to be a winner and have that winning mentality every game I go into."

Chelsea have been strongly linked with Sancho in recent months, but a move to Stamford Bridge looks less likely after the Blues announced terms have been agreed to sign Hakim Ziyech from Ajax this summer. 

Sancho was the first player across Europe's top five leagues this season to record double-digit goals and assists. Statman Dave highlighted in early February he's since been joined by another special talent:

Dortmund are third in the Bundesliga and four points below leaders Bayern Munich with 11 games to go, one of several teams in contention following a highly competitive campaign so far.

Sancho will have at least a decade at the top of the sport if the beginning of his professional career is anything to go by, with the Black and Yellows hoping he stays at the Westfalenstadion for as much of it as possible. 

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is facing a month on the sidelines after he suffered a knee injury at Chelsea on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League.

The German club confirmed Lewandowski picked up the problem during Bayern's 3-0 first-leg victory in the last 16 at Stamford Bridge.

The Polish hitman scored the third for his club against the English side, but he now appears set to miss the second leg on March 18.

Lewandowski's absence is a big blow to Bayern manager Hansi Flick considering his frontman has scored 36 goals in the Bundesliga and Champions League this term.

Der FCB have managed to keep Lewandowski fit for much of his time at the club, but they now face a conundrum in how to replace one of Europe's deadliest finishers.

His absence puts the Bayern attack in a weaker state as the team prepare for Saturday's Bundesliga fixture against Hoffenheim.

Robert Lewandowski deserves to be placed in the same bracket as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and is "maybe the best striker in the world," according to his Bayern Munich team-mate David Alaba.

The Poland international was vital to Bayern's 3-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

As well as scoring the German champions' third in the first leg of the last-16 tie, he also set up both Serge Gnabry's goals soon after half-time:

Alaba was full of praise for Lewandowski after a performance that put Bayern within touching distance of the Champions League quarter-finals, per Nick Ames of the Guardian:

"He is a world-class player and a world-class striker. We all know that he can score goals and he showed today another side of himself by putting assists. We know he is very important to us and we are grateful to have him in our squad. He shows it every weekend, I guess. He is one of the best, and maybe the best, striker in the world. He scores goals in almost every game and, of course, I think he deserves to be at the top and spoken about with those guys [Messi and Ronaldo]."

Lewandowski's goal in west London was his 11th of the season in the Champions League, putting him to the head of the goalscoring standings in the tournament:

The 31-year-old is also leading goalscorer in the Bundesliga with 25 goals, at least four more than any other player, and is second only to Lazio's Ciro Immobile in the race for the European Golden Shoe.

He has already set a personal best for goals in a single Champions League season and is just six goals from eclipsing his previous best return for a German top-flight campaign.

Barring an injury, it seems almost certain Lewandowski will eclipse the 30-goal high he reached in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

And if he stays in the same form, he will have a key role to play in Bayern's run-in.

With 11 rounds remaining in the Bundesliga this term, the Munich giants have a one-point lead over RB Leipzig at the top of the table:

Meanwhile, Hansi Flick's side have been installed as favourites to win the Champions League after their superb performance against Chelsea, per Caesars Palace.

Bayern host the Blues in the return leg of their last-16 clash at the Allianz Arena on March 18.

In the interim, they have Bundesliga matches against Hoffenheim, Augsburg and Union Berlin, and a German Cup quarter-final against Schalke.   

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has hinted Hansi Flick could remain as manager beyond the end of the season after giving him a symbolic gift for his birthday. 

Flick turned 55 on Monday before masterminding a 3-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.

In the aftermath of the victory, which put Bayern within touching distance of the quarter-finals, Rummenigge presented a gift to Flick and hinted that a permanent contract could be coming his way soon, per Goal:

"Our coach turned 55 yesterday. This is a good age. We'll give you a pen in this red packet. Sometimes you sign papers with pens."

German football expert Raphael Honigstein picked up on the hint:

Flick originally took over Bayern on an interim basis in November after Niko Kovac was sacked in the wake of a 5-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.

It was then confirmed in December he would stay in charge until the end of the season.

Under his stewardship, Bayern have won 15 out of 18 matches in all competitions and risen from fourth to first in the Bundesliga.

Tuesday was perhaps the best result of Flick's tenure so far.

Bayern were superior to Chelsea in every area of the pitch, and although it took them until the second half to break the deadlock in west London, the visitors were more than worthy of their 3-0 win.

Serge Gnabry scored twice in three minutes soon after the break before Alphonso Davies put the ball on a plate for Robert Lewandowski after a superb run down the left flank:

As a result of their convincing victory which will almost certainly see them advance to the last eight after March 18's second leg at the Allianz Arena, Bayern have been installed as favourites to win the Champions League this season, per Caesars Palace.

The Bundesliga title race, meanwhile, is incredibly tight with Bayern boasting just a one-point lead over RB Leipzig:

But when Kovac left the club, Bayern trailed leaders Borussia Monchengladbach by four points.

Flick has got the German champions' 2019-20 campaign back on track, and Rummenigge is at least thinking about rewarding him with a long-term deal. 

Serge Gnabry has said he enjoys playing in London after he scored twice in Bayern Munich's 3-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie. 

Gnabry twice combined with Robert Lewandowski in three second-half minutes to get Bayern on their way before the Polish striker all but put the tie out of Chelsea's reach with his 76th-minute strike:

The former Arsenal winger has now netted six goals in London this season after his four-goal performance against Tottenham Hotspur back in October in the Champions League group stage:

Gnabry played for Arsenal between 2011 and 2016, and he explained after Tuesday's victory why he likes coming back to the English capital, per BT Sport (h/t MailOnline's Oli Gamp):

"I've got a lot of friends here. A lot of them were in the stands tonight, and it seems like they're giving me some kind of power. I always enjoy coming back."

The 24-year-old added that, despite their three-goal cushion, Bayern "need to be prepared" for the second leg at the Allianz Arena on March 18 as the tie is "still open" for Chelsea:

Realistically, though, the German champions already have a foot in the quarter-finals.

When the last-16 draw was made, Bayern were fifth favourites to win the Champions League behind Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

After the completion of six of the last-16 first-leg fixtures, they now head the market, per Caesars Palace.

Last season, they were knocked out by eventual champions Liverpool in the last 16, but they look a different proposition this term under Hansi Flick.

Bayern last reached the final of the Champions League when they won it in 2012-13, but they have reached four semi-finals since then.

After Tuesday's performance there will be plenty backing them to get a sixth title this season, and come the quarter-final draw, the German giants will be a club to be avoided. 

Serge Gnabry's career trajectory has only trended upwards since he left Arsenal in 2016, but former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger believed Gnabry would sign a new contract in north London instead of returning to Germany.

Wenger discussed Gnabry as a pundit for BeIN Sports (h/t Metro's Sean Kearns) on a night when the 24-year-old scored twice for Bayern Munich during a 3-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

As well as revealing Gnabry told Arsenal he would stay put, Wenger implied the gifted forward didn't work as hard:

"He has no real limitations it's more how much does he want to suffer. Because he has pace, power, technical ability, he's very intelligent, sometimes he looks for the easy way in football. That's what was his problem. He lacked a bit. I gave him to West Brom, it didn't work out at all. In fairness I think we had an agreement with him but Bayern stole him away from Werder Bremen."

Wenger also hinted Bayern took an under-the-radar approach to securing Gnabry's transfer in 2017:

"We had prepared him for us to sign his new contract but then suddenly he wanted to go to Werder Bremen. But it was not Werder Bremen that bought him it was Munich that bought him. Because six months or less than one year later he moved from Bremen to Bayern but it was a done deal before. He was at the end of his contract and we thought that he would stay because he told he would stay."

The suggestion Bayern had put together a clandestine deal with Werder Bremen was dismissed at the time. Bremen sporting director Frank Baumann said when the deal was announced: "There aren't any agreements with other clubs." 

The winger did play just a single campaign in Bremen before moving to Bayern, scoring 11 goals in 27 Bundesliga matches. Yet while Wenger wanted to agree fresh terms with the player, Gnabry had hardly become a regular in the Arsenal starting XI on the Frenchman's watch.

Wenger brought Gnabry to the Gunners from Stuttgart as a 15-year-old in 2011. The teenager was left waiting until the 2012/13 campaign to appear in the Premier League, playing in a 1-0 defeat away to Norwich City.

Gnabry's next foray into league action came almost a year later when he started and scored to help Arsenal beat Swansea City 3-1. His promise was obvious, since Gnabry allied a powerful frame with natural acceleration and a calmness in front of goal belying his tender years.

A knee injury derailed his development before the ill-fated decision to send Gnabry on loan to West Bromwich Albion in 2015. Then-Baggies manager Tony Pulis doubted Gnabry's ability to thrive at the highest level, an opinion now the source of mockery with every goal the winger scores for Bayern:

Pulis' words already seemed poorly thought out when Gnabry finished as top scorer at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and helped Germany reach the final, where they lost to the hosts. Ultimately, Gnabry parlayed those goals into an Arsenal exit and the chance for more first-team football.

No matter how convoluted his path to the Allianz Arena was, Gnabry has been delivering on the potential Wenger saw since making the switch, scoring 17 times and providing nine assists this season. He took his goals against Chelsea brilliantly, producing two mature finishes after combining well with Robert Lewandowski:

In the process, Gnabry added to the four goals he scored against Arsenal's north London derby rivals in October. His masterclass in forward play helped visiting Bayern beat Tottenham Hotspur 7-2 in October.

The Germany international's prolific haul in the English capital underlines how many steps he's taken in his development since leaving the Gunners:

Naturally, a statistic like this only serves as a further indictment of Arsenal's inability to secure the future of such an exciting prospect when he was on the books. Recriminations along these lines are common every time Gnabry delivers the goods.

While it's always tempting to rue what might have been, there's no doubt Gnabry's post-Arsenal ascension has to irk Wenger and the club's supporters.

Signing unknown youngsters and turning them into marquee stars was the entire basis of Wenger's recruitment model when Arsenal left Highbury for the Emirates Stadium in 2006. It's how he tried to stay competitive while the club paid off a sizeable debt incurred during the move and dealt with the increased riches of their rivals, including Roman Abramovich-owned Chelsea.

The approach helped Arsenal remain a top-four and Champions League club for a decade, but Wenger only won three FA Cups during the same timeframe. Losing a star-in-the-making like Gnabry was an obvious misstep during a period when Wenger couldn't afford a mistake of this scale.

To add insult to injury, Gnabry isn't the only hidden gem Arsenal should regret overlooking. Donyell Malen was acquired from Ajax by Wenger in 2015, only to see him leave for PSV Eindhoven in search of more minutes two years later.

The forward, who scored 11 goals in 2018/19, was flourishing before a knee injury ruled him out for the season:

Wenger will look back on Gnabry and Malen as two genuine opportunities missed. Yet Arsenal can show lessons have been learned from each case by tying latest youth sensation, Bukayo Saka, down to a new deal.

The 18-year-old is out of contract in the summer of 2021, and Manchester United are reportedly already showing interest. Losing this burgeoning creative outlet to a rival would be a hammer blow to the credibility of the rebuilding project that Wenger's former skipper, Mikel Arteta, is now undertaking from the Arsenal dugout.

Wenger made identifying and harnessing young talent the cornerstone of how Arsenal succeeded and regenerated, rather than relying on heavy spending on established stars. Clubs who operate in this way need more hits than misses, making Gnabry an oversight who will continue to haunt the Gunners.

Timo Werner has again fuelled speculation he could join Liverpool this summer, saying there's reason to think he "might be a good fit" under Jurgen Klopp amid reports his release clause is £30 million. 

It was previously reported the Germany international could be available for €60 million (£50.2 million), but Sport1 (h/t MailOnline's Sam McEvoy) said his release clause is in fact worth around £20 million less.

Werner told Welt (h/t Goal's Sean Wilson) he felt Klopp is the "best coach in the world" but suggested his priorities lie with RB Leipzig for the time being:

"Our game in London has brought Liverpool [links] to the media. [They] have Jurgen Klopp, the best coach in the world who is German. There are a lot of things that would suggest that my playing style might be a good fit [in the system at Liverpool].

"It's hard to think about where to play next year if you want to step on the gas here and now.

“During the winter break, we made the mistake of being too concerned with the championship. We put ourselves under too much pressure."

The 23-year-old scored the only goal of the game when Julian Nagelsmann's side beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash earlier in February.

It was after that victory that Werner first hailed European champions Liverpool as the best on the planet and told Viasport's Jan Aage Fjortoft he was "very proud" to be linked with the Reds:

Werner's charm offensive has recently ramped up:

Klopp has responded to Werner's praise and said his club want players "who want to fight for their spot," per Metro's Tom Olver:

"We have these players and whoever wants to join us, needs to have exactly this kind of attitude.

"That CV is not easy to fulfill. The age group of our team is good in the moment. In two or three years maybe it'll be different, but for the moment, it's good.

"It depends on what you want—is it a good age for selling? Probably not. But is it a good age for performing? Yes. So there's a lot of things we have to think about. It's an interesting period."

There's no guarantee the German forward would start ahead of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane if he were to join the current squad at Anfield.

Werner scored and assisted when Leipzig dominated Schalke 5-0 at the Veltins-Arena on Saturday, bringing his record up to 27 goals and 11 assists in 33 appearances across all competitions this term:

Liverpool signed Naby Keita from Leipzig for £52.75 million in 2018, paying a premium to secure the transfer one year prior, though the fee depended on Leipzig's league finish that season, per the Liverpool Echo.

The reported cost to sign Werner could prove much more valuable should Liverpool firm up interest in a move, with Werner seemingly eager to keep alive those links with Anfield.

Bayern Munich veteran Thomas Muller has said the club felt the departure of Pep Guardiola as manager in 2016 and described the team as being "a bit Wild West" in the years immediately following his exit.

Die Roten won a European and domestic Treble in 2013 under German legend Jupp Heynckes, while Guardiola led the club to three straight Bundesliga crowns before he left for Manchester City in 2016.

Muller—who joined the Bayern academy in 2000 and has never represented another club at the professional level—told The Athletic's Raphael Honigstein (h/t Ben Nagle of MailOnline):

"For my game, structure is super important. It has to be clockwork. I see myself as a cog. I can throw my qualities and playing characteristics into the mix, and I can help the team improve that way. I will never be a player who picks up the ball outside his own box and goes past three men. 

"When we manage to have stability, when we're in control of the buildup and the game, I find it easier to have a positive impact. We weren't able to do that in the years after Pep. It was a bit Wild West, at times. 

"The control that we had stood for as FC Bayern was gone. There was sense (sic) that anything could happen. Maybe it was more entertaining that way for the spectators."

It was confirmed in December 2015 that Carlo Ancelotti would be the man to take over from Guardiola when he left the following year. However, the former lasted only one full season at the Allianz Arena and was sacked in September 2017, with Heynckes taking control in an interim capacity (his fourth spell as manager).

Niko Kovac was appointed Bayern's next permanent manager in the summer of 2018. Again, he lasted only one full season and left by mutual agreement in November 2019, with incumbent chief Hans-Dieter Flick taking over in his stead.

Club chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Kicker (h/t Get German Football News) the team is enjoying the "attacking dominant ball possession" football of old with Flick in charge:

Muller in particular has benefited from Flick's appointment at the helm, scoring seven goals and recording 11 assists in 17 appearances since the former assistant to Kovac took the senior job.

The 30-year-old was less prominent under Kovac and had just four direct goal involvements in his first 10 league appearances this season.

He set up Bayern's first two goals in a 4-1 rout of Cologne in mid-February: 

Muller sympathised with those who found Bayern's domestic supremacy boring under Guardiola but added: "I understand why some found our extreme dominance under Guardiola boring, but that sort of total control can't be reproduced as a carbon copy. You can't say: 'They've learnt all that stuff from Pep. They simply have to keep playing that way.' That's not the issue. You have to work at it every single day."

The Athletic's Adam Hurrey lauded Muller for refusing to be drawn into comparisons between managers, though it seems evident the tenures of Ancelotti and Kovac were considered less stable:

Flick, 55, has helped Bayern reclaim a dominant position in the Bundesliga, where they currently lead RB Leipzig by a single point. They have also won each of their six UEFA Champions League group games.

Guardiola took Die Roten to the semi-finals of Europe's top-tier tournament in each of his three campaigns in Bavaria, but Flick will target their first run to the final since winning the title in 2013.

The German giants travel to face Chelsea in the first leg of their last-16 matchup on Tuesday, when Muller will hope to make only his fourth European start this season.

His resurgence has been one notable achievement for Flick, who might yet earn the Bayern job on permanent terms if he can put together a successful end to the 2019-20 campaign.

Robert Lewandowski moved up to fourth in the all-time Bundesliga scoring charts on Friday, but the Bayern Munich frontman's time in the German top flight could have ended as early as 2012 had Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United gotten their way.

Lewandowski struck a brace during Bayern's 3-2 win over Paderborn, helping Die Roten increase their lead at the top of the table to four points. The Poland international is on course to win an eighth title, a sixth with Bayern, having also lifted the trophy twice with Borussia Dortmund.

During his time with Dortmund, Lewandowski was courted by the Red Devils. He told the Guardian's Jacob Steinberg how Ferguson got in touch:

"I was speaking with him after two years at Dortmund and at that time I was really thinking about a move to Manchester United. Because of Ferguson and because of Manchester United. Borussia Dortmund said: 'No, that's that.' That was the first time I was thinking about the move because if you get a phone call from Sir Alex Ferguson, for a young player it was something amazing. That was a special day for me."

Dortmund's stance had significant implications, both in Germany and beyond. Lewandowski stayed put and helped the Westfalenstadion club reach the 2013 UEFA Champions League final, but they were beaten 2-1 by Bayern at Wembley Stadium.

The trophy has eluded Bayern and Lewandowski since, but he is convinced "one day we will play in the Champions League final and we will win it."

Bayern face Chelsea in the last 16, with the first leg taking place at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. A striker as prolific as Lewandowski gives Hansi Flick's team a great chance of not only progressing but also going all the way.

Consistency in front of goal has been the hallmark of the 31-year-old's game. He has combined power with quick feet, underrated skill and a natural coolness when finishing.

Those qualities have helped Lewandowski maintain an awesome average that is the envy of most top marksmen on the continent:

United might have stayed near the top of the English game in the post-Ferguson era had the club been able to rely on Lewandowski's uninterrupted output. Instead, the Red Devils went from champions in 2013 to also-rans who now fall in and out of the top four.

A lack of consistency at centre-forward has been a major reason why. Several high-profile moves have failed or been nothing more than stop-gap solutions, with Radamel Falcao, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku coming and going.

Contacting Lewandowski eight years ago proved Ferguson wanted a rising young star to be the focal point of a new-look team. His failure to land his primary target impacted both United and rivals Arsenal.

The Lewandowski move didn't happen, but Ferguson had more success once he switched his attention to Robin van Persie. He'd hit 37 goals for the Gunners during the 2011/12 season, a campaign United ended in second behind champions Manchester City on goal difference.

Van Persie was in the final year of his contract and had no intention to renew, and United won the race to sign him. The Dutchman's goals propelled Ferguson's men to the title, a prize the Red Devils haven't lifted since.

Meanwhile, Arsenal haven't had a centre-forward who combines technique and goals as well as Van Persie. The fortunes of the two signature rivals of the Premier League era could have been very different had Dortmund consented to letting Lewandowski go earlier.

But Bayern profited from acquiring one of the most reliable finishers of his generation. Lewandowski continues to score at will, and few players would deserve a Champions League triumph more.