What to Expect from Bayern Munich This Season?
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You must go back to the 2011/12 season to find the last time a team other than Bayern Munich won the German Bundesliga title.
That was Borussia Dortmund but since then, the Bavarian club have dominated German football and this season they will be aiming for their 10th successive Bundesliga title, which would be a phenomenal achievement.
Julian Nagelsmann is the man expected to deliver the title for Bayern Munich and the 34-year-old coach has big expectations on his shoulders for the first time in his managerial career. Nothing less than the title will be enough for Bayern Munch, in addition to progress in the Champions League, with a semi-final place or better being the minimum requirement for a successful season in Europe.
However, pre-season games have not gone entirely to plan and Bayern Munich have lost three of their four friendly matches. There was a 3-0 defeat against Napoli, a 3-2 defeat against Cologne, and a 2-0 loss against Borussia Monchengladbach. The only positive result, if it can be called that, came in a 2-2 draw against Ajax.
Those results mean Nagelsmann will be entering the new Bundesliga season without a win to his name and Bayern Munich are going into the season in poor form.
Nagelsmann can point to the fact that, with the exception of the first half against Napoli, Bayern Munich have not played any of their international players. Many of them had little training ahead of the friendly game with Napoli, meaning they were undercooked and it that is how it looked on the day. The majority of the team for the other three matches was made up of young players coming through the ranks and squad players, such as Eric Choupo-Moting, Mickael Cuisance, Joshua Zirkzee, Bouna Sarr, and Sven Ulreich.
New signing, Dayot Upamecano, is the only player to have featured regularly who is likely play in the first team throughout the campaign. The French central defender made the move from RB Leipzig, along with Nagelsmann in the summer and the pair know each other well. Upamecano could develop into a key player in Bayern Munich’s defence this season.
However, overall, the Bayern Munich squad is looking a little thin ahead of the new campaign and that must be a concern for the new manager. For example, Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka are key players in central midfield but should one of them get injured, the options in terms of replacements are not great. The transfer window is still open and that will be one area of the squad Nagelsmann will be hoping to strengthen.
The first team is comfortably strong enough to win the Bundesliga this season but should there be a couple of injuries to regular first team starters, questions will be asked about the depth of the squad. That could lead to disappointment in the Champions League.
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