Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg Preview Exciting Bundesliga Season in Supercup

Wolfsburg pipped Bayern Munich to the German Super Cup title on Saturday, with the League Cup (DFB-Pokal) winners edging the Bundesliga champions in penalty shootout after playing to a 1-1 draw in regular time. It was the first competitive match of the 2015-16 season for both sides and a good measure of their form as the Bundesliga restart approaches in two weeks' time.

After a scoreless first half, Arjen Robben put the visitors ahead, winning the ball at the goalmouth following a fumble by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels. The Dutchman's opportunistic strike appeared to be the decisive moment of the game until the 89th minute, when Nicklas Bendtner did well to redirect a low Kevin de Bruyne cross into the Bayern net. In shootout, nine players kept their nerve in scoring, but Xabi Alonso was denied by Casteels before Bendtner delivered the decisive spot-kick to seal the win for Wolfsburg.

Bayern have added some real quality this summer, especially in the form of Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal, and they will be out-and-out favorites to win both the Bundesliga and the Pokal titles next spring. However, Wolfsburg's resolve after going behind was a good sign that the league may yet be competitive and not a foregone conclusion.

In the end, Wolfsburg were well worthy of their victory. Despite Jerome Boateng rattling the crossbar early on, the hosts were the better team in the first half, with a trio of close calls missing the target. Most agonizing was De Bruyne failing to punish Pep Guardiola's men late in the first half after a poor mistake by Manuel Neuer that left him with an open net upon which to shoot.

De Bruyne's waste of a rather lucky chance, juxtaposed with Robben's precision in a similarly fortunate situation after the break, appeared likely to be decisive in determining the winners of Saturday's match. It would have been cruel, given the game overall was quite well played by both sides and deserved a better defining moment. Bendtner's goal was huge and set up the penalty shootout that many had been hoping for.

The Super Cup has never been the most prestigious trophy in football, and the fact Bayern have failed to win it in each of the last three seasons is not the end of the world. In the two previous instances, they went on to win the Bundesliga twice and the Pokal once.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

From the perspective of the contenders in Germany, it's encouraging to see that Bayern remain beatable even after their summer spending spree. Especially to Wolfsburg, given they were the side to emerge victorious and in a manner that had been fully deserved.

Guardiola will have to take some lessons from Saturday's action. Alonso and Mehdi Benatia in particular struggled throughout the match. He also was perhaps naive in substituting some of his best penalty takers, Thomas Muller, Thiago Alcantara and Robert Lewandowski, with the shootout still entirely possible.

Bayern conceded plenty of opportunities on the counterattack and, despite Douglas Costa looking very bright at times, weren't sharp enough in the final third. Although intricate, their play looked labored, rather forced at points. Perhaps a return to the basics and simplicity is the answer.

Wolfsburg didn't play their perfect match either, with Casteels' rather elementary error not exactly inspiring confidence despite his penalty save. And before Bendtner's goal, their apparent lack of a reliable striker appeared to be their downfall, with Bas Dost having missed a one-on-one opportunity to equalize and otherwise lacking a cutting edge in attack.

Even after the Dane's goal, serious questions have to be asked of Wolfsburg's quality in the center forward position, as one goal certainly is not enough to overcome a reputation for wasting chances.

However, Wolfsburg maintained their composure after going behind and were the better side over the 90 minutes. They were confident even in the lottery of penalties and deserved their win. Dieter Hecking's men have matured substantially over the last 12 months, and their squad has become deeper as they've simultaneously managed to avoid selling stars like De Bruyne and Ricardo Rodriguez.

There are some hurdles to overcome and some questions to be asked, but it appears the Lower Saxony side are willing to put up a fight. That kind of competition is exactly what the Bundesliga needs. Based on Saturday's action, we could well be in for a thrilling and unpredictable season in German football.

@Mr_Bundesliga