Setting out a Blueprint for Bayern Munich to Win the 2015/16 Champions League
Bayern Munich cruised through much of the 2014-15 season looking as probable Champions League winners as any, but when the business end of the campaign came, their aspirations fell apart with a comprehensive defeat to Barcelona.
This spring marked the second consecutive year in which the German giants have been dumped out at the semifinal stage by a comfortable margin. As such, the question has to be asked: How can Bayern turn it all around and reassert themselves as Europe's top club?
The answer is a complicated one, and it will require efforts on many levels.
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To begin with, Bayern need new blood. Their current squad is elite, but it's easy to see that it just isn't what it was when they won the Champions League in 2013. Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger are all injury prone and on the wrong side of 30, while Philipp Lahm is nearing 32 and spent a long spell on the sidelines over the past year. Xabi Alonso was fit throughout the campaign but is 33, and his lack of pace and mobility cost Bayern on several occasions.
There is hope among the younger players, particularly Robert Lewandowski, who was outstanding in the last few months of the 2014-15 campaign. The same goes for Thiago, although the Spaniard has also been extremely injury prone in his career thus far.
Thiago's compatriot Javi Martinez is a hero of Bayern's treble-winning side and will provide a big boost when he returns. He played just a few minutes last season because of a cruciate ligament tear, so there have to be some questions about how long it will take for him to recover the form that made him such a key figure in the treble-winning side.
In terms of depth, Pierre Hojbjerg still isn't the finished article, while Mario Gotze had an abysmal 2014-15 campaign, and his future value to the club is in serious question. Simply put, there's a lot of work that needs to be done.
As of now, it appears that Bayern are looking to sign reinforcements in attack, midfield and at right-back, as well as a backup goalkeeper.
A Bild report claimed a meeting between Bayern officials and representatives of Raheem Sterling saw both parties agree that the player and club were not a good match. Sporting director Matthias Sammer admitted, via Bild, that the German giants would not be able to sign Kevin De Bruyne, so for the advanced positions, Angel Di Maria and Antoine Griezmann appear to be the top candidates.
Kicker reported on May 28 that Bayern technical director Michael Reschke had made an inquiry about the Manchester United winger, while Bild's Sterling article summarized a number of narratives regarding Bayern transfers: The German giants haven't zeroed in on Griezmann or Di Maria just yet and are pursuing Ilkay Gundogan, who on Sunday confirmed, relayed by Goal, talks with the Munich giants.
There are serious questions over whether he'll be signed, though, with Bild reporting that talks had reached a standstill.
As for other positions, SportBild reported earlier this spring of Bayern's interest in Branislav Ivanovic, while La Stampa (h/t Football Italia) more recently claimed that the German giants have already tabled a €17 million bid for Torino's Matteo Darmian. Either way, it seems Bayern will sign a new right-back.
If Pepe Reina leaves, Bayern will need a new backup goalkeeper. Bild recently reported that could be Roman Weidenfeller, who has fallen out of favor at Dortmund in recent months.
"Sammer (Bayern's sporting director): "Di Maria a wonderful player, very flexible. He has a little difficulty with MUFC, but a good player."
— Manchester United (@ManUtdUpdates_) May 30, 2015"
Most significant to Bayern's aspirations are the attacking and midfield positions. As dazzling as football under Pep Guardiolacan be, he needs a superstar or two to carry the team, be it Lionel Messi or Robben and Ribery. Griezmann is a real spark plug in attack, and at 24, he could be signed for the best years of his career.
Stylistically, the Frenchman is much more Robben than Ribery—that is, a scorer more than a provider. In his first season at Atletico Madrid, he notched an impressive 25 goals but laid on just six assists. At Real Sociedad, his tally stood at 52 scored and 18 assisted. He has blistering pace, fine dribbling skills and a devastating finish, but so too does Robben, and the Dutchman should not be the one Bayern look to replace.
He and Lewandowski can provide the goals next season. What the Bavarians need more is a provider.
To this end, Di Maria would be a perfect option to join the attack. Like Griezmann, the Argentinian is brilliant with the ball at his feet and has plenty of pace. But what's different is that he's more of a provider in the final third than a finisher. An exceptional dribbler who naturally plays in wide areas, he's more the type to replace Ribery, for whom Bayern are more in need of finding an alternative than Robben.
Ribery is a year older than the Dutchman and hardly played last season. And with Gotze's Bayern future in doubt, the German giants need a solution who's ready to deliver from the get-go.
Behind the attack, Gundogan would be an inspired signing. He's more capable of defensive play than Thiago and would provide similar ball skills. At the very least, it would be good to have both on hand, given that Thiago and Gundogan are very injury prone. But it's important that in any game Bayern have the technical skill, the dribbling, passing and creativity in the center of the park that both Thiago and Gundogan offer.
With Schweinsteiger, Lahm and Alonso in the center, they looked old, slow and stale. If the BVB man is not signed, the German giants will have to look for another option. They really do need a fresh, energetic presence in the center of the park at all times.
Transfers will be an important component to Bayern's performance next season, but there are other key factors that ought not to be overlooked. The first is that Guardiola needs to be kept in check by the Bayern board. To date, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and company have been so seduced by the Spaniard that it's clouded their judgment. In trying to accommodate the respected trainer, they've damaged the club's standing and paved the way for failures.
Guardiola and his acolytes often speak of his style of football, which is a bit vague at this point, given that Bayern used at least three unique systems in 2014-15 and used a different one throughout the previous season. The common trend is a personal touch that looks brilliant when successful but reeks of hubris when it fails.
For example, Guardiola made the decision to play Lahm in midfield in 2013-14. It was a move that suited some of the natural full-back's qualities, and in most games, it worked effectively enough. When faced with elite opposition in the form of Real Madrid, however, it was a disaster. And it was a foreseeable one, given that Rafinha—never an elite defender—was matched against Cristiano Ronaldo rather than Lahm, whose lack of physicality was exposed in the center.
It was no coincidence that Germany only began to convince at the 2014 World Cup after Lahm moved from midfield to right-back.
Guardiola's vision also meant destroying the perfect balance of Schweinsteiger and Martinez that led Bayern to a treble the previous season, with the trainer insisting on using his compatriot in central defense.
More recently, he took a tactical jump into the insane when using a three-man defense to man mark the world's deadliest strike force in Barcelona trio Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. Playmaking for Barca was reduced to punting the ball into space between the ludicrously high Bayern defense and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer; defending for Bayern was reduced to a footrace between the back three and Barca's faster forwards.
It doesn't take a genius to see where Guardiola's tactics will fail when they do, and at times, it looks as though he's trying to be innovative for the sake of innovation.
Yet despite Guardiola's tactics being repeatedly exposed on the biggest stage, there hasn't been a single critical word from anyone among the Bayern board. The narrative from Rummenigge has always been that the club are intensely committed to convincing Guardiola to pen an extension past the end of his current deal, which is set to expire next summer, as he told Sueddeutsche Zeitung (h/t Sky Sports).
This narrative has reduced a proud club that is much bigger than its coach to the level of a beggar. It seems not to be objective, based on results, and promotes an opinion that Bayern have to prove worthy of Guardiola's time rather than the other way around. Pressure is always an incentive, and it needs to be made clear to the trainer that he will only be welcome at the club if he brings results, which should be clear.
There should also not be an across-the-board tolerance of suicidal tactics: Bayern cannot be Guardiola's toy, and playing in a certain style should never be placed above winning games. This is especially true in the Champions League.
Finally, if Bayern are to win the Champions League next season, they'll need a fit squad. And the best bet is to have the best medical staff in world sport on their books. Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt allegedly resigned to protest his being blamed for Bayern's defeat to Porto in the Champions League quarterfinal, per the Guardian.
Muller-Wohlfahrt had long clashed with Guardiola, and it appeared that instead of blaming the coach or players, the medical staff was made to be the scapegoat at Bayern. Oddly enough, Bayern's injury situation became no better after Muller-Wohlfahrt's departure.
With an aging squad, fitness is especially important for Bayern. The club would be wise to make amends with the legendary doctor, who served the club for nearly four decades and remains held in the highest esteem just about everywhere except at Bayern. Even Muller-Wohlfahrt couldn't prevent the injury crisis this season. But if anyone could, it was him.
If Bayern manage to convince the Germany national team doctor to return, it could make the difference between having a fit squad for the most important matches of the season and something far less.
In summary, Bayern have a lot of work to do if they are to claim the Champions League trophy next season, but all the requirements are within their reach. It would be easy to say that a fit squad and a few transfers are all that are needed, but it goes beyond that.
In addition to a few additions in key areas, they'll need a new approach to managing Guardiola and will need to make peace with the man who kept their squad fit for many years before he fell out with the coach and club leadership. With efforts on all fronts, Bayern could well be crowned European champions once more.
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