A Progress Report on Bayern Munich's Summer Signings

Bayern Munich look well on course for another strong campaign in the German Bundesliga and European Champions League this season, as they approach the winter break with each competition exactly where they want them. 

Pep Guardiola has done well since arriving at the club and has truly turned this squad around and morphed it into something resembling his own image for the side. 

This has included a number of players arriving from far-off shores to ensure the very best quality is on the pitch and proudly winning in the Bayern colours. 

Here's how each of these new stars has done so far this season. 

Disclaimer: Although Bayern signed a number of players in the summer, we will only be accounting for the ones that have made significant appearances in the first team. Pepe Reina, Sinan Kurt and Gianluca Gaudino may all play a larger part in this season but they haven't yet done anything to write home about. 

Mehdi Benatia

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Signed as something of a last-minute move to find some much-needed cover in the central defensive role at Bayern, Mehdi Benatia has quickly had to cope with being third or fourth choice in such a position under Guardiola. 

The Moroccan defender has only started four games in the Bundesliga this season, despite being ever-present in the Champions League, and hasn't quite hit the ground running. Sure, he's done everything asked of him, but he doesn't quite have the confidence or showcase the ability of others such as Jerome Boateng and David Alaba. 

He'll undoubtedly prove to be a smart signing in time, but there's still hopefully plenty to come from Benatia in the Bayern colours. 

Grade: C

Juan Bernat

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

"Bayern already have the best left-back in the world, so why would they go ahead and sign another one?"

That was the reaction most took to the news that the Bavarian club had snapped up the services of Valencia full-back Juan Bernat this summer. To state just how well the Spaniard has done since joining the German top division is really quite simple: Nobody is asking that question anymore. 

Now that Alaba has morphed into some form of hybrid central defender/playmaker under Guardiola this season, it has opened up the entire left flank for Bernat. And boy has he thrived. 

The 21-year-old has played some part in every single Bayern game this season and gone from strength to strength in the process. His Austrian teammate may still be the best left-back in the world, but this player is gaining on him. 

Grade: A

Xabi Alonso

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

To appreciate just how much Xabi Alonso has done since arriving in Munich this summer, we need to ask just one question: How would this Bayern side function without him? 

Real Madrid's loss was most certainly Bayern's gain in this scenario, as the world-class central midfielder quickly came into this squad and made it his own. Undoubtedly now one of the first names on Guardiola's team sheet, Alonso has held this team together throughout the numerous midfield injuries. 

Playing in the anchoring role of Bayern's midfield, Alonso has dictated the tempo and style of the team since day one and will continue to do so for the remainder of the season. 

Grade: A

Robert Lewandowski

Michael Probst/Associated Press

Perhaps the most iconic signing of the summer, Robert Lewandowski arrived from Borussia Dortmund this season with a point to prove and an almighty amount of silverware to claim as his own. 

Bayern allowed a very strong striker in Mario Mandzukic leave to free up space for the Polish forward and as such forced Lewandowski into proving himself from day one. At Bayern, a striker either scores goals or he moves on; it's as simple as that. 

Yet despite a slow-ish start to life in Bavaria, the former Dortmund striker has gotten back into his habit of scoring goals in the Bundesliga with six from 11 games, according to Transfermarkt. He's one of the most feared strikers on the planet, and it looks as though his match with Bayern may work after all. 

Grade: B+

Sebastian Rode

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

At 24 years of age, Sebastian Rode doesn't have long before he leaves the warm, comfortable glow of "young prospect" and begins to feel the weight of expectation that hits every senior player at Bayern. 

Signed as something of a German prospect from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, Rode is a future international and Bayern player in the making, with a number of bit-part performances this season to suggest he's on course to one day become a regular for the side. 

Yet with just three starts so far and the return of Bastian Schweinsteiger already at hand, one wonders just how much playing time Rode will actually get at the club this season. He may be ticking all the boxes at the moment, but he needs more starts to really impress his coach and fans alike. 

Grade: C