A Progress Report on Bayern Munich's Squad Entering March International Break

The first international break of 2015 has arrived, and with it comes time to reflect on the spring campaign thus far. For Bayern Munich, 2015 has been a bit of a mixed bag.

The German giants were winless in their first two matches of the calendar year before going on a searing run of form, hammering all opponents in their path. The only exception was a scoreless draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, but the second leg of that tie ended in a decisive, 7-0 victory for Bayern.

However, Guardiola's men were shocked by Borussia Monchengladbach in their final game before the break, losing 2-0 at home. It may turn out to be just a blip, but it underlined the club's struggles against the Bundesliga's best clubs. Among other top-five teams, Bayern have won just two of seven games this season.

Here, B/R takes a player-by-player look at Bayern since the end of January. Click "Begin Slideshow" for our review of the goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards.

Goalkeepers

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

After narrowly missing out on the Ballon d'Or, Manuel Neuer has looked a little more human in 2015 than the previous year.

Some of the dazzling, eye-catching parts of his game have gone missing, although in fairness to the 28-year-old, they aren't of particular importance. He remains widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in world football and showed why in February's win over Cologne. Although he may often have little to do between the posts, he's an absolute ace when called upon.

There's little to be said for Bayern's backups. Pepe Reina had a good game against Werder Bremen, his first and only appearance of the season. However, barring a Neuer injury or suspension, it's hard to see the Spaniard playing much more.

Tom Starke, meanwhile, hasn't made a competitive appearance this season and doesn't look to have a playing future in Munich.

Defenders

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Bayern's depth in defense has grown substantially since the turn of the calendar year, with Holger Badstuber and Philipp Lahm returning to fitness and the emergence of Mitchell Weiser as an option on the right.

Jerome Boateng remains a mainstay of the Bavarians' back line and has asserted himself this season as the best center-back in Germany. The only mark on his record is his sending off against Schalke in February. Since his return from suspension, he's been outstanding.

Although Mehdi Benatia was decidedly Guardiola's first-choice defensive partner for Boateng during the fall, the Moroccan now has some serious competition in Badstuber. The fit-again German has played almost every game for Bayern in recent weeks, notably starting ahead of Benatia in the second leg of Bayern's Champions League round-of-16 tie with Shakhtar Donetsk. And he's done quite well, having recently earned a recall to Joachim Low's Germany squad for the first time since the first of his two anterior cruciate ligament tears in December 2012.

Although he's become quite prone to being cautioned, Benatia is still having a good first season in Munich. Having played in just one of Bayern's last seven games, however, he has some work to do if he's to win back Guardiola's confidence. That may soon be an even taller task with Javi Martinez set to return to the squad in the coming weeks.

The only Bayern center-back who's truly struggled in 2015 is Dante, who could be headed for the exit at season's end. His substitution early in Bayern's recent win against Hannover was a clear sign that he's no longer in favor, and the fallout after that match, as recapped by ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld, seems to show that his days at the Allianz Arena are numbered.

Among the full-backs, Rafinha has been a regular starter on the right despite Mitchell Weiser earning some game time during the winter training camp. The ex-Cologne man turned heads in January, but after being given a chance to prove himself against Wolfsburg, Schalke and Stuttgart, he has hardly left the bench.

Rafinha's place could soon be under pressure, however. With Philipp Lahm approaching fitness, he'll need to start. It depends on whether Guardiola sees the captain as a midfielder or defender.

On the left side of defense, Juan Bernat's role has finally come into some amount of question. The Spaniard played in every match in the fall but has been left on the bench several times in recent weeks. His performances against Wolfsburg and Stuttgart left plenty to be desired, and Bayern's growing number of available midfielders has increased Guardiola's propensity to use David Alaba at left-back.

Alaba continues to excel no matter his position and has taken some big steps in 2015. Seemingly already a complete player, the Austrian has added set-piece taking to his repertoire, having found the net three times from free-kicks during the calendar year. To call him the world's best left-back would be a disservice because he's not only the world's best in that position; he's a world-class midfielder as well. Still just 22 years of age, it seems that Alaba will only get better and better.

Midfielders

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Central midfield is Bayern's area of greatest depth, but it is also arguably the part of the pitch where the German giants have had the most trouble this season. Xabi Alonso and Bastian Schweinsteiger have somewhat conflicting styles of play, and after trying their combination earlier in the spring campaign, Guardiola began to rely more on Sebastian Rode or David Alaba to provide diversity.

Alonso had a false start to the second half of the season and was sent off in the Champions League round of 16 against Shakhtar Donetsk. He has since recovered his top form. Schweinsteiger has been generally reliable thus far. He has more to offer than Alonso, and his consistent use in the Bayern starting lineup is evidence that he's still trusted by Guardiola.

Rode has rarely started but continues to enjoy good standing in Guardiola's squad after really turning heads in the first round. The ex-Frankfurt man has appeared in all but two Bundesliga games and all but three fixtures in all competitions since the beginning of the spring campaign, which is probably more than he would've expected when he joined a team so stacked with options in central midfield.

Further down the central-midfield depth chart, not very much can be said of Thiago Alcantara and Gianluca Gaudino. The former only returned to the bench on March 22 after a year on the sidelines. The latter, meanwhile, has only managed one senior appearance this spring, a 24-minute run-out in an 8-0 rout. Schweinsteiger's return seems to have stopped the youngster from imposing himself on the first team. That may change in the years to come.

Looking more toward the attack, Franck Ribery will be 32 next month but continues to deliver the goods when fit. The Frenchman missed the beginning of the 2015 calendar year and has been out for the last two matches with an ankle knock, but in four league appearances since the winter break, he has scored three goals and assisted four more.

Ribery's continued level of performance means that Mario Gotze still has a long way to go in his struggle to become a key player in the Bayern team. The 22-year-old had a great game against Hamburg, scoring twice and assisting a third goal, but that performance in an 8-0 rout was a rare flourish for the World Cup winner. Before that match, he had neither scored nor assisted in the league since November.

Forwards

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

The sensation of the season for Bayern has been Arjen Robben, who's had the most prolific domestic campaign of his career. The Dutchman has 17 goals and eight assists in the Bundesliga, including seven and five respectively since the winter break.

At times, he's carried the team. That's why his injury, sustained in the loss to Gladbach, will really sting. As the official Bayern Twitter account revealed after the game, he's torn an abdominal muscle and will miss several weeks.

In Robben's absence, other forwards such as Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski will have to step up. The former has had his ups and downs this season but has struck a rich vein of form lately; since February 14, he's scored seven and assisted five goals. During Robben's absence, he may have to bear the burden of responsibility for scoring most of Bayern's goals.

Lewandowski will be especially under pressure during Robben's spell on the sidelines. Statistics suggest he's finally found his feet in Munich, and to be fair, he's playing much better now than he did in the fall. He's found the net seven times in the last nine games, although few of those goals have come from non-leading positions. If he keeps scoring, though, the Poland international will surely begin to score the goals that matter most.

Claudio Pizarro and Sinan Kurt also qualify as Bayern forwards, but there's little to be said of either. The 36-year-old Peruvian has made just two brief outings this spring, while the lad half his age remains with the under-19 team. He's scored just once in 2015, and more will be expected of him in the months and years to come.