The Bundesliga Connection

Kres Harrington analyses Bayern Munich's 5-0 defeat of Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund's 3-0 victory of rivals Shalke in the Ruhr Derby and takes a look at Steven Pienaar and Delron Buckley's careers in the Bundesliga.

In the latest episode of The Bundesliga Connection, brought to you by the SL Podcast, DW Sports Correspondent Kres Harrington looks at the connections between South Africa and Arminia Bielefeld, whose next matchup is against reigning champions FC Bayern Munich.

South Africans Delron Buckley, Sibusiso Zuma, and Rowen Fernández all spent time at Bielefeld at some point in their careers. Ernst Middendorp, who coached Kaizer Chiefs for two spells during his managerial career, guided Arminia Bielefeld up to the top flight of German football from the Bundesliga Third Division. During Bielefeld's 100th anniversary, they elected Middendorp their "Coach of the Century" for his contributions to the team.

Also on the show, Kres analyses Knowledge Musona's time in Germany at TSG Hoffenheim, where the winger struggled to perform in the shadow of Roberto Firmino who joined only six months after Musona.

Borussia Dortmund have made headlines over the past few months window due to Manchester United’s interest in star player Jadon Sancho. Several football publications have reported that Sancho has agreed personal terms, but that United are not willing to meet Dortmund’s £108 million asking fee for the highly-rated 20-year old. The deal has raised eyebrows as Sancho reportedly would like to make his name in the English Premier League, but Dortmund have held out, insisting he stay for another season.

In the latest episode of the SL Podcast’s ‘The Bundesliga Connection’, DW Sports Correspondent Kres Harrington breaks down Sancho’s deteriorating relationship with Dortmund, and whether or not the transfer saga will impact his performances this season. Harrington also discusses the latest Bundesliga matchday, how another Dortmund youngster is making a name for himself, and how Bayern Munich can defend their UEFA Champions League this season.

Bayern Munich’s incredible run of winning 23 competitive matches in a row has come to an end, with the quadruple winners falling to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Hoffenheim. For the first time in 10 months, the German giants lost a football match but the result can be chalked up to fatigue, with the loss coming just three days after their UEFA Super Cup win, and without talisman striker Robert Lewandowski in the starting XI. Furthermore, they face Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup on Wednesday night, and will argue that are more focused on completing the quintuple to cap of an incredible season.

In the latest episode of the SL Podcast’s ‘The Bundesliga Connection’, DW Sports Correspondent Kres Harrington breaks down Bayern’s disappointing performance and how they simply ran out of gas. Harrington also breaks down Dortmund’s loss and how their coach Lucien Favre is perhaps ill-suited for his position at the club. He also discusses the latest transfer rumours linking Eintracht Frankfurt striker Bas Dost to Tottenham Hotspur. For the full interview listen to the player above.

In their opening match in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich handed Schalke a 8-0 thrashing, setting the record for the largest opening day victory. On the show, expert analyst Kres Harrington breaks down that victory, as well as Dortmund's match against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

In this episode of the Bundesliga Connection, analyst Kres Harrington speaks to our host Sloo Phaho about what Borussia Dortmund will need to do in order to be able to challenge the treble-winners Bayern Munich. That, and more.

Can Leroy Sane Crack Bayern’s Starting XI? Listen to Kres Harrington's analysis on the Bundesliga connection as he tackles this question and more.

Cadbury FC #TasteTheAction: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/taste_the_action

Expert analyst Kres Harrington talks to us about what could happen if Bayern are faced with a player exodus in the wake of their incredible treble-winning season.

Bayern Munich’s 1-0 UEFA Champions League (UCL) final victory over Paris Saint-Germain success was not only historic but also a potential sign of continued future success. The German champions became only the second side in history after Barcelona to win the treble in Europe and did so with a balance of youth and experience. Lead by club legends such as Manuel Neuer (34), Thomas Muller (30) and Robert Lewandowski (32), Bayern can still rely on Serge Gnabry (25), Joshua Kimmich (25) and breakout teenage prodigy Alphonso Davies (19) for the better part of the next decade.

Speaking on Bayern Munich’s prospects on SL Radio’s The Bundesliga Connection podcast, expert analyst Kres Harrington stated, “I think their future will be great. You mention the 2013 achievement (Bayern’s first treble), [for] Bayern it’s extra special you know? (Jerome) Boateng, Muller, Neuer, (David) Alaba & Javi Martinez all double up on that achievement. In terms of the new class, I think what makes this really remarkable [is that] this season, in November, their coach was fired. Niko Kovac had to go because they were demolished by Frankfurt. Hansi Flick was a band-aid, the magic that we’ve seen from [him was] the ability to have players perform at their peak.”

Harrington continues, “Then you look at Kingsley Coman [and] Leroy Sane. I ponder on that as well, because Coman coming off the man of the match, we have to see, the transfer window’s still open [and] he’s been linked to a few clubs. But the way Leroy Sane will ingratiate himself into the club will make Bayern that much more stronger moving forward. Bayern’s rebuilding period was here and then it went by when you consider what this accomplishment means. It means that Bayern is the best team in Europe this season. I like Bayern’s future.”

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) final is all set, with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich taking on Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for European glory. The match sees both sides eager to complete the highly-coveted ‘treble’, which sees a team win their domestic league, domestic cup and the UCL, a feat which has only been achieved by seven European teams (including finalists Bayern).

Speaking on SL Radio’s ‘The Bundesliga Connection’ podcast, DW Sports Correspondent Kres Harrington previewed the final, stating, “This final is important for Bayern & PSG because it’s the league (they’ve both done that), the cup (they’ve both done that) and now the European Cup. It’s the treble chase, it’s on! PSG’s defence is one to look at, they’ve just picked up their seventh clean sheet in the Champions League, they’re great at intercepting the ball but Bayern’s offence has been the most potent ever in Champions League history so that sets the stage for quite [a] goal-fest.”