5 Things Learned from Bayern Munich's 2014/15 Bundesliga Season

Bayern Munich's 2014-15 season came to an end on Saturday with a 2-0 victory against Mainz. The campaign ended with a whimper, with the Bundesliga their only trophy of the season and having been won nearly a month in advance, rendering the last few weeks relatively meaningless.

Yet despite a modest trophy haul by their lofty standards, it can be said there were some big successes for Bayern. Winning the German league for a third consecutive season wasn't exactly a given; they managed to consolidate their dominance in the long-haul domestic competition despite their depth being rather limited for much of the campaign due to poor luck with injuries. Also, reaching the semifinals of the DFB-Pokal and Champions League is still very much respectable in the grand scheme of things.

Still, not everything went according to plan for Bayern, who had an underwhelming record against the strongest German opposition. They had the second-worst head-to-head record against fellow top-six finishers and were eliminated from the Pokal after being held to draws over 120 minutes against both Leverkusen and Dortmund. And they struggled to convince in nearly every Champions League away match, the resounding anomaly being their 7-1 demolition of Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

With its mixed results and many twists and turns throughout, the 2014-15 campaign was a revelatory one for Bayern. As the season comes to a close, B/R takes a look at the take-home messages from the season. Click "Begin Slideshow" for a closer look.

The Squad Needs a Serious Overhaul

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Two years ago, Pep Guardiola inherited a squad of players in their primes. Things change quickly in football, though, and now it appears that Bayern are going to need to make some big changes if they are to improve and become contenders for the Champions League once more.

Franck Ribery is 32 and played just 23 games in all competitions this season, the injuries that commonly come with advanced age having taken their toll. Philipp Lahm turns the same age in November and hasn't quite been the same since returning from an ankle fracture. Xabi Alonso turns 34 later this year and already showed signs of his aging when put under pressure against quality opposition, making several key mistakes in the Champions League in particular.

Elsewhere, Bastian Schweinsteiger is still shy of his 31st birthday, but he isn't getting any younger and doesn't seem to fit well into Guardiola's plans. Nor is he anywhere near the level he appreciated in 2010. And although Arjen Robben was absolutely brilliant for much of the campaign, he ended this season injured and will turn 32 halfway through the next.

It's foreseeable that none of the aforementioned players will improve; they only will decline with age as they progress through their 30s. If Bayern are decidedly a level below the very best European teams, they'll need to make some big changes. Some changes can be made from within, with Javi Martinez set to return to fitness next season and Thiago poised to make the leap into the category of Europe's best handful of midfielders should he remain fit.

Still, players previously purchased to eventually replace the old guard haven't been successful. Mario Gotze had a dreadful year and seems to have lost Guardiola's confidence, while Xherdan Shaqiri has already left the club. From the academy, Julian Green's loan to Hamburg has been a disaster, and although he's played regularly at Augsburg, it remains to be seen whether Pierre Hojbjerg is ready to perform at the very highest level.

Thus, big signings may well be needed for Bayern to truly improve, and that could be both risky and expensive. The summer transfer window will say much about the club leaders' willingness to embrace the need for change and their financial conviction to support their decisions.

The Board Is All-in on Pep Guardiola, for Better or for Worse

Alexander Hassenstein/Associated Press

After a season like Bayern's 2014-15, any coach aside from Guardiola would have been seriously questioned by the Bayern board. Yes, the trainer had to deal with injuries, and yes, the Bundesliga title is an achievement, but there is a major problem when the team predictably underperforms while using dubious tactics.

As this article describes, Guardiola never gave his team a chance against Barcelona in the Champions League. Not for the first time in his Bayern career, he made suicidal tactical decisions in the first leg that left Bayern with no hope of advancing.

Guardiola is a very intelligent man with a great work ethic, but he is stubbornly committed to his ideals and has no concept of pragmatism. Although he has brought titles to Bayern, his hubris has seen the club slip from undisputed champions of Europe to something well below their 2012-13 level. In terms of performance, it remains unclear as to whether there is anything he has brought during his tenure that could not have been provided by another qualified manager.

Yet to date, there hasn't been a word of criticism from the big-wigs in Munich. To the contrary, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in particular has ardently defended his trainer. Seduced by the coach's effort and the team's cultured training sessions, the board apparently began to point fingers anywhere possible aside from at the coach. After Bayern's 3-1 defeat to Porto in the Champions League, legendary Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt resigned in protest, claiming (via BBC) blame for the result had been wrongly placed on him.

Rummenigge and company clearly see something in Guardiola that fans are increasingly coming to doubt. Whether their faith is well placed remains to be seen.

Neuer, Benatia and Boateng Are the World's Best Back Three

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Individual quality isn't always an important factor in evaluating a defense, and the wrong tactics even when used with the right players can still afford disastrous results. With that having been said, Bayern have a truly special defensive combination in Jerome Boateng, Mehdi Benatia and Manuel Neuer acting as central defenders (yes, Neuer counts as a defender whenever he's not stopping shots).

Bayern had conceded just 13 goals in the Bundesliga prior to their clinching the title last month, and two goals in five Pokal matches. Their Champions League performance was admittedly a far cry from their domestic results, but Guardiola's tactics are more to blame than the individual trio that consisted of two World Cup winners and Serie A's best defender from the previous season.

There were occasional slip-ups, as with any defense. But Neuer played his sweeper role brilliantly, regularly coming off his line confidently and never a moment too late. Boateng was a real powerhouse, combining pace and pure physicality with excellent positioning and fine distribution skills. And Benatia was a hard-nosed bully at the back, a player who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty.

The fact that Guardiola managed to use tactics notorious for exposing defenses with Bayern rarely caught out only goes to show how great Boateng, Benatia and Neuer are as a combination.

Lewandowski, Alaba, Thiago and Muller Are the Future

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Although many among the Bayern squad are aging, there were some big individual developments in the 2014-15 campaign. Robert Lewandowski (aged 26), David Alaba (22), Thiago Alcantara (23) and Thomas Muller (25) all affirmed their class for the umpteenth time.

Although Lewandowski struggled for more than the first half-season of his Bayern career, he exploded into form over the last few months of the campaign, scoring 15 goals in his final 22 appearances. He seems to be a good fit in the team and is already well known as one of the world's best classic center forwards.

Alaba, meanwhile, stepped out of the shadows to become a key, star figure in the Bayern team. Previously rather quietly brilliant as a full-back, he occupied roles both in wide and central areas of defense, as well as in midfield. And the Austrian was also prolific shooting from distance, netting three free-kicks and firing home long-ranged efforts from free play on two other occasions. He may be the world's most complete player.

Thiago also made big steps after his return to action this spring. Having missed a year of football, there were doubts as to how long it would take for him to recover his class on the pitch, if at all. He took to the pitch like a fish to water. If he can remain fit, he can be a key player in this Bayern team for many years to come.

And finally, Muller had his most prolific season yet, scoring 21 and assisting 18 goals in all competitions. He'll never be the main man in a squad that will always have flashier talents, but he consistently finds himself either finishing or playing the final ball, with precious few in Europe able to compare.

Bayern's core with the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm, which served them so well throughout the 2000s, is nearing the end. But in its place, there are some real leaders, quality players who appear committed to the club's success in the long-term. A squad overhaul may be necessary, but there is a very sturdy framework around which to build.

Badstuber and Gotze May Be Eternal Talents

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Holger Badstuber made his long-awaited return to professional football last August, following nearly two years on the sideline due to multiple anterior cruciate ligament tears. Things looked great for the center-back for a few weeks, until he suffered a torn thigh tendon that kept him out until January. He then played a few games, but he sustained a thigh muscle tear that required surgery and will see him miss three to four more months of action, per the official Bayern website.

Badstuber's injuries all involve the same area of his body, the knees and thigh tendons and muscles that support the joints he so severely damaged with his cruciate ligament tears. It's abundantly clear that he has serious structural weaknesses that continue to hold him back, a pity considering his great attitude and work ethic. Although he hasn't yet given up, the probability of Badstuber being an "eternal talent," someone who always had potential but never quite reached the top during his playing career, is ever-increasing.

The same goes for Mario Gotze, who had a few brilliant weeks in the early autumn before experiencing a very steep fall from grace. His benching for both legs of the Barcelona tie in the Champions League as well as the Pokal defeat to Dortmund speak volumes of his standing in Guardiola's team. The coach trusted him to make brief appearances in all three matches, but he only came off the bench in or after the 79th minute on each occasion. Over his final 19 appearances of the campaign, he scored and assisted two goals apiece, none of which was of particular significance.

It remains to be seen whether Gotze will stay at Bayern for another year or if he will be sold to free up some space on the club's wage bill and lower the club's net transfer expenditures as they look to rebuild. Whether at Bayern or elsewhere, next season could be a make-or-break for Gotze as he looks to make good on the potential that boosted him to superstardom as a 17-year-old.