10 Bold Predictions for Bundesliga Football in 2015
So 2015 is finally upon us and with it a whole new year of promise and potential within the world of German football.
Sure, we may already have our own suggestions as to who will probably win the league in May, but that's not to say there aren't plenty of other things to predict over the next 12 months.
Teams will rise and fall, clubs will get promoted and relegated and star players and coaches will come and go. Yet before it all passes into the pages of history, we stand before you today ready to stick out our necks and predict just how the next year of German football is about to pan out.
Here are 10 bold predictions for Bundesliga football in 2015.
Bayern Munich Will Hit a Rough Patch
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Bayern Munich will falter at some point this season. It may seem impossible, when we consider their current run of form, but it is all but inevitable that Pep Guardiola's squad stumble at some point between now and May.
As the season pushes on, the Spanish coach will turn his attention and priorities towards the Champions League, leaving his flank exposed on the Bundesliga front. Here, Bayern will look jaded and somewhat understrength and it's exactly where they'll begin to drop points.
Germany's top clubs have already tested the waters. Borussia Moenchengladbach stole two points from them in October, and Schalke did the same just two weeks into the campaign. Add to that very tight games against Wolfsburg and Dortmund and you have a whole host of opponents who are just waiting to trip the Bavarian side should they take their eye off the ball for just one second.
Borussia Dortmiund Will Finish in the Top 4
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Borussia Dortmund will turn their season around. Although it may not seem likely any time soon, as Jurgen Klopp and the club continue to lament over what they've already lost in this campaign, the former German champions will rally and have another go at the Bundesliga.
With a much-needed rest over the winter break and the return of key players such as Marco Reus, Nuri Sahin and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, the black and yellows will have a full, fit roster to pick from and will undoubtedly begin reclaiming some lost points.
Twelve points is all that separates Dortmund from fourth place right now, and considering the manner in which each team drops points in this league from one week to the next, it shouldn't take Klopp's side too long to swallow up that difference if they can hit a solid run of form.
Schalke Will Miss out on Champions League Football
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We've just suggested that Dortmund will likely turn their season around between now and May, so for the sake of balance, we now have to state that their neighbourhood rivals Schalke will falter for the rest of the campaign.
Under new coach Roberto Di Matteo, the club's director of football Horst Heldt made yet another rash, short-sighted signing which will undoubtedly do little good for the Gelsenkirchen side's development.
The former Chelsea manager seems to lack any genuine tactical talent, dropping points to sides such as Freiburg, Hamburg and Cologne while constantly reshuffling his squad and formations.
Quite simply, it looks as though Di Matteo doesn't know what he's doing, and it would take a minor miracle to see his current team dislodge Borussia Moenchengladbach or Bayer Leverkusen from third or fourth spot.
Markus Weinzierl Will Leave Augsburg
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Football isn't too dissimilar to a row of dominoes; once one piece falls, it often knocks another over in its stride and before you know it, a whole chain reaction of movement has begun.
Such a scenario is all but inevitable in the day-to-day mayhem of football management within the game and as such, good managers often find themselves being lured out of their current positions almost as often as bad ones are sacked.
Wolfsburg Will Close the Gap on Bayern
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Wolfsburg under Dieter Hecking have undoubtedly been one of the most improved sides in German football over the past 18 months.
The Wolves have gone from mid-table obscurity to the very top of the Bundesliga table and now look to challenge Bayern in the race for another league title. Yet can they catch the Bavarian leaders? Probably not, but that's not to suggest that Kevin de Bruyne & Co. can't close the current 11-point gap between the two sides at the top of the table.
As Bayern march on with high hopes of winning the Bundesliga and Champions League this season, Wolfsburg will keep their eyes on the prize at home. Yes, Hecking's side will still be playing in the Europa League, but they won't apply the same ferocious determination to Europe as their Bavarian counterparts.
As we've already suggested, Bayern will get distracted by Europe's allure and that's when they'll begin dropping points at home. And that's when Wolfsburg will undoubtedly hope to strike.
More Big Names Will Begin Moaning in Munich
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Unfortunately, one of the most notable consequences of success within football is envy and the constant need for certain stars with particular egos to be involved in first-team tactics.
This will become abundantly clear at Bayern over the next six months as Guardiola continues to stick to his guns and use the players that he deems fit. Excluding those that don't match his standards and thus forcing them to make other moves.
It seems as though Xherdan Shaqiri may already be on his way out of the club, but don't be surprised if the likes of Dante, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and even Thomas Muller consider following him out the door. All wonderful players but not exactly getting the game time they undoubtedly believe they deserve.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan Will Score a Goal
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Okay, this isn't one of the most serious or indeed important predictions to note for 2015 but it is one that many Dortmund fans will be desperate to see happen before too long: Henrikh Mkhitaryan will eventually score a league goal this season, and it could change everything for his club.
Despite looking unstoppable at times throughout this current campaign, Dortmund's attacking ability has also looked far too blunt. It lacks goals, and that is almost entirely down to Mkhitaryan's inability in front of goal this season.
The Armenian has never been shy in his ability to score and seems to have something of a mental block prohibiting him from simply getting his head down and knocking the ball past opposing goalkeepers.
Should he start doing that, and Dortmund begin scoring goals, then we may just find this attacking midfielder has been the key to his squad's form all along.
Hamburg Will Finally Get Relegated
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There are four teams in the Bundesliga who currently sit below Hamburg in the league table. Of these four; one is Dortmund, a side who will almost undoubtedly pull themselves back up the table before too long, one is a rejuvenated Stuttgart and Werder Bremen and Freiburg make up the latter two, as they continue to struggle with relegation form.
For Josef Zinnbauer's side, the task is quite simple; do better than three of these sides, and you'll avoid relegation come May. Unfortunately, it won't be as simple as that.
Hamburg have only managed to win four games so far this season, and with such inconsistency, already look like a team in free fall. They look out of form and far less equipped for the task ahead when compared to the likes of Stuttgart and even Bremen, and almost a certainty for the drop.
This will be a tough season for the Dinosaur and possibly the first time they ever get relegated from the German top division.
Haris Seferovic Will Be off in the Summer
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He may have only touched down in Frankfurt a few months ago, but boy has Haris Seferovic already made a name for himself in German football.
According to Whoscored.com, the Swiss international has already managed to bag seven goals and three assists in just 16 league appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt. An impressive tally that could see him finish up in May as the Bundesliga's signing of the season.
Yet before he gets too comfortable at the Eagles, who have soared to ninth in the league table thanks to his goals, this forward may have to pack his bags and keep moving along before too long. Come summer and the off-season transfer window, bigger and better clubs throughout Germany will undoubtedly look to the 22-year-old as a potential solution to their own problems.
Seferovic is enjoying his football at the famous Waldstadion this season, but we don't suspect he'll be there next year.
This Will Be Jurgen Klopp's Last Season in Germany
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We've already suggested that Dortmund will most likely turn their season around and get back on track for Champions League football this season, but that doesn't mean that all will be well at the Westfalenstadion this summer.
With the likely sale of Marco Reus and the continued criticism levied at the squad for yet another season spent in limbo, we may well see the man behind it all offer to move on to pastures new. Dortmund may still be standing come May, but it looks as though Jurgen Klopp is ready to throw in the towel.
The German coach is a smart man and he's fully aware that he's now built a squad that any competent coach can come in and take advantage of. Add to that the constant offers from England and elsewhere and it seems like a no-brainer for Klopp; leave the squad in good shape and before his own reputation begins to take a knock.
