In the Bundesliga, he played for clubs in Stuttgart, Dortmund, Hannover and Berlin. Fredi Bobic knows the Bundesliga best.
In an interview with bundesliga.de, the one-time Bundesliga top-scorer (1995-96) talks about the changes at FC Bayern München and possible surprises in the coming season.
bundesliga.de: Last season, Bayern once again demonstrated their strengths. Who can stop Bayern this coming season?
Fredi Bobic: The Bundesliga lives on surprises and the teams that can stand up to Bayern. If Bayern unleash their potential and utilize the depth of their squad, they really do have the highest quality in the Bundesliga. But if a team gets in the groove, such as Werder Bremen or VfB Stuttgart two years ago, a lot can happen with the right euphoria. Put another way, the Munich lads could have a bad phase. The competition is hoping for such moments, when things are unsettled at Bayern and they have to deal with problems, and other clubs can pull ahead of them. But if Bayern live up to their potential performance, they're without a doubt the clear favorites.
bundesliga.de: Bayern have done some things under new coach Jürgen Klinsmann. For example, he brought a large coaching staff with him to Munich and totally revamped the training center. How do you rate the changes at Bayern?
Bobic: Changes always bring new chances. Almost everything happening there is highly professional. Things are similar in England, where Jürgen and I both played. It's normal there that you spend an entire day at the training camp and don't go home between sessions. Not many clubs have those possibilities. From a financial point of view, not many clubs have these structural possibilities. It's absolutely positive. The players can spend more time together and get to know one another better.
bundesliga.de: Which club do you think will be good for a surprise in the new season?
Bobic: Newly-promoted 1899 Hoffenheim could be one such surprise. They may still have problems in the defence, but on offence they're a very young, talented and fast team. You've already seen that in the 2. Bundesliga. If they manage to quickly acclimatize to the Bundesliga, then I think they'll be good for a surprise. What will matter is if they quickly take on the demands of the Bundesliga and step up to the challenge. I don't think they'll win a title this season, but they could play a similarly good role as Karlsruher SC last season. There will always be surprises.
bundesliga.de: Who do you think made the best transfer moves this summer?
Bobic: I don't feel that much has happened in the transfer market until now. It's amazing by Bundesliga standards. As August 31 approaches [Editor's note: the end of the first transfer period], more will surely happen. Some particular things have been done, but on the whole the clubs have been rather low key. Bayer Leverkusen have been reinforced with the addition of Patrick Helmes and the Brazilian Renato Augusto, and it'll be interesting to see which role Helmes plays under new coach Bruno Labbadia.
bundesliga.de: A former club of yours went in a new direction this summer. Borussia Dortmund have signed an up-and-coming coach in Jürgen Klopp. What can we expect from BVB this year?
Bobic: It'll be very interesting to see whether the new concept in Dortmund takes hold. Expectations are high at BVB, and they've acquired some new players. What's important is that something was done at Borussia and things are now heading in the right direction again. Last season left a lot to be desired.
bundesliga.de: Speaking of last season: which team will have problems keeping up their good performance or avoiding relegation?
Bobic: I can't name one particular club. The first games will show — the first main round of the DFB Cup is often an indicator — who will have problems. When a Bundesliga club gets knocked out by an amateur club, it often sets them on a bad path. As for the new coaches in the Bundesliga, we'll have to wait and see who has problems in the new season.
bundesliga.de: Much has been said recently about the situation of Lukas Podolski at Bayern. How do you assess his situation?
Bobic: Lukas Podolski's situation is similar to before the EURO. The only important thing for him is that he perform. In the past two years he wasn't always convincing at Bayern. It doesn't matter whether it's due to the coach or the club. Podolski has to step up. Names play no role in Munich. He'll definitely get his playing time under Jürgen Klinsmann. The new Bayern coach will want to get every player on the pitch with an eye to the Champions League. Everyone gets his chance and, and then we'll see if Podolski can maintain the same form he had in the EURO. I think he's got the idea now, and that he's self-confident and proud enough to play to his best potential in the Bundesliga.
Interview by Gregor Nentwig and Florian Bruchhäuser
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