For an overachieving club in the Champions League, arriving at the most elevated stage usually leads to some personal farewells.
In the Red Bull Salzburg team who take on Bayern Munich in Bavaria on Tuesday for a place in the last eight are young players with impetus and ambition. They have not propelled their club this far without being noticed and sized up for potential summer transfers.
Their young manager, Matthias Jaissle, on whom there is also growing attention from bigger clubs in higher-profile leagues than Austria’s, acknowledged that as he plotted the finishing touches of a plan to surprise Bayern as effectively as Salzburg did in the first leg, taking the lead in the 1-1 draw.
“We want to bring through talent, so young players can make the next step,” said Jaissle, outlining the business model that has served Salzburg well enough to make them serial Austrian champions, but left them conscious of their middling place in two hierarchies: the one that governs the network of clubs under the Red Bull umbrella, and the wider natural order of Europe.
“The next step” for the likes of strikers Karim Adeyemi, 20, and Noah Okafor, 21; or for the creative Brenden Aaronson, 21, and 22-year-old midfielder Mo Camara is likely to be a move upwards before long.
Assuming their fitness and a summer transfer market that operates in the conventional, predatory, way they will all be the subject of interest.
Their price-tags have been raised by their mature, vibrant showings in an adventure that began in the play-off round for the Champions League, featured a group stage where Salzburg defied expectations to finish above Sevilla and Germany’s Wolfsburg and made history with a first-ever arrival in the last-16 of the competition.
Usually, to aspire to a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, a Salzburg footballer would first have to switch domestic leagues, as Liverpool’s Sadio Mane or Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland – to name two who have passed through the club – did. He might also do that by following the well-irrigated path to RB Leipzig, where the principal sponsor is the same multinational company that backs Salzburg.
That was the route taken by French international defender Dayot Upamecano. He made his Salzburg debut at 17, joined Leipzig at 19, and, as of last summer, made his big move to Germany’s superpower, Bayern, joining head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who also moved from Leipzig to Bayern last year.
Upamecano and Nagelsmann are fully wised up on how Salzburg will attack Bayern tonight, with quick transitions and breaks, using the speed of Adeyemi and the passing of Aaronson, among other strengths.
Salzburg 1 Bayern Munich 1 player ratings
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SALZBURG RATINGS: Philipp Kohn - 8: Swiss keeper made fine early stop from Sane. Excellent defence in front of him helped restrict Bayern to speculative efforts until he had to produce vital saves from Coman and Sane in last 20 minutes. Reuters -
Rasmus Kristensen - 5: Danish defender lucky to escape first-half booking for chopping down Coman and left for dead by silky first touch by same player at start of second. Given torrid time by Coman after break but never gave up. AFP -
Oumar Solet - 9: French defender needed to be on toes to intercept ball heading for Sane and had one tremendously well-timed block on Gnabry shot five minutes before half-time. Immense in the air, composed on the deck. Reuters -
Maximilian Wober - 8: Helped keep Lewandowski and Muller’s influence to bare minimum forcing the latter into desperate penalty appeals in second half. Reuters -
Andreas Ulmer - 7: Veteran captain and the one experienced operator in very young Salzburg team was turned inside out by Gnabry and needed Kohn save to prevent first-half goal. A rare blemish, though, showing a cool head in 619th game of career. AP -
Nicolas Capaldo - 7: Argentine midfielder worked hard to keep Bayern under pressure as Germans dominated possession and was chasing shadows for much of second half. Getty -
Mohamed Camara - 9: Mali midfielder produced fantastic ball over top of high Bayern defence to put Adeyemi away in run-up to Adamu goal. Shone brightly against some star opponents and will be on radar of Europe’s big guns judging by this performance. AP -
Nicolas Seiwald - 7: Returned to starting XI after injury. Drilled low shot straight at Ulreich with teammates, arguably, better placed just after half-time. Ran himself into ground. Getty -
Brenden Aaronson - 7: American provided slightest of touches to help set up Adamu goal, then nearly made it 2-0 with fine run and shot that forced save out of Ulreich. AP -
Noah Okafor – N/A: Dangerous Swiss attacker limped off after just 12 minutes in early body blow for Salzburg … although his replacement had quite the impact. Getty -
Karim Adeyemi - 8: Top scorer in Austria and linked with move to clubs across Europe, 20-year-old attacker played key role in Salzburg opener and pace gave Bayern a constant headache. Denied goal with 80th-minute shot by goalkeeper’s leg. AP -
SUBS: Chukwubuike Adamu – (On for Okafor 12’) 8: Unexpected early introduction and scored first CL goal with lovely curling first-time finish 10 minutes after coming on. Denied second by brilliant Pavard block. AP -
Luka Sucic – (On for Seiwald 80’) N/A. AP Maurits Kjaergaard – (On for Adeyemi 87’) N/A. -
BAYERN MUNICH RATINGS: Sven Ulreich - 8: Making first CL appearance since 2018, with Manuel Neuer injured, keeper made very good one-handed save from Aaronson and prevented Adeyemi making it 2-0 with vital block with his leg. Played well. AFP -
Benjamin Pavard - 7: French defender made important early block on Aaronson shot but endured shaky first-half at back, almost letting Adeyemi in on goal just before break. Magnificent block to stop Adamu scoring late on, though. AFP -
Niklas Sule - 6: Early mistake from Dortmund-bound defender allowed Adeyemi to launch Salzburg attack and set tone for poor 45 minutes. Desperate sliding lunge couldn’t prevent Adamu opening scoring. Better after break. AFP -
Lucas Hernandez - 6: French defender had a couple of unconvincing moments and was caught out by pace Adeyemi ahead of Salzburg goal. Some good recovery challenges, although a couple were after his own errors. AFP -
Joshua Kimmich - 6: Playing at base of Bayern’s midfield, had one very good piece of tracking back to break up potentially dangerous Salzburg attack 10 minutes after break. Some sloppy distribution, though, at times. Getty -
Corentin Tolisso - 6: Helped Bayern dominate possession alongside Kimmich but lacking any defence-splitting passes or moments flair from midfield. AP -
Kingsley Coman - 9: Struck volley and header straight at Kohn with two decent first-half chances. Unbelievable first touch from long crossfield ball to leave Kristensen in his wake at start of second half. Denied goal by Kohn save after skinning Kristensen for umpteenth time and no surprise that he grabbed later leveller. AFP -
Serge Gnabry - 7: German attacker twisted and turned before being denied 10th-minute goal by good Kohn save. Bayern’s biggest threat in first half had another chance blocked just before break. Far less impact after break. EPA -
Leroy Sane - 6: Former Manchester City man missed great opportunity to level scores when he fired wide on half-hour mark. Thought he had levelled in 73rd minute with low shot but Kohn produced fine save. Reuters -
Thomas Muller - 5: Veteran attacker headed one half-chance well over bar from corner in very quiet opening 45. Should have been booked for diving from slight Wober challenge an hour in. Flicked header set-up Coman’s goal but generally anonymous. Reuters -
Robert Lewandowski - 5: Prolific Pole only touched the ball 15 times in first half with no shots on goal. Barely a sniff on goal in the second. Getty -
SUBS: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – (On for Gnabry 77’) N/A. AFP -
Marcel Sabitzer – (On for Tolisso 80’) N/A. Getty
“They will push up and defend with a high line in phases and counter-press,” predicted Nagelsmann, “and at the start they will try to hurry us. We have to be prepared for that.”
Recent form has not given Nagelsmann the ideal preparation. Just ahead of the first-leg draw in Austria three weeks ago, Bayern lost to Bochum in the Bundesliga.
They dropped points again at the weekend, drawing 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen, a performance featuring two standout moments of defensive uncertainty: there was Thomas Muller’s first career own goal, a mix-up between the veteran and the goalkeeper.
There was almost a Leverkusen winner thanks to an error in possession by Upamecano, who was reminded publicly after the final whistle by Nagelsmann that there are areas of his game that, at 23, he needs to develop.
Bayern still have a comfortable, nine-point lead in the German league they have won for the past nine seasons, but their head coach warned they should not dismiss Salzburg as the “rank outsiders” that Jaissle has dubbed them.
“They have been a strong team for a few years,” said Nagelsmann, emphasising how direct Salzburg are going forward.
“They have a very clear idea of what they want to do when they have possession. It may not be that pretty, but it’s tough to defend against and they have good individual players with a hunger to achieve things. If they were in the [German] Bundesliga, they’d be strong competitors.”
Some of those hungry individuals may well be in the German Bundesliga before long. Adeyemi – who may assume more responsibility tonight if Okafor has not shaken off a muscle problem – grew up hoping he would be. He was on Bayern’s books until he was 16. Since he turned 19, his impact over the border in Austria has seen him called up for the senior German national squad.
“He’s got a lot of quality, the speed of course, both from wide positions and in the penalty area, and he is useful in the air,” said Muller of Adeyemi. “From what I see in him, he’ll be motivated rather than intimidated by coming back to Munich.”
