3 Biggest Positives for Bayern Munich Fans in 2015-16 Season so Far

On the balance, Bayern Munich have had an outstanding 2015-16 campaign thus far. They hold a commanding lead in the Bundesliga table, have knocked holders Wolfsburg out of the DFB-Pokal and are alive and well in the Champions League.

Not everything is perfect in Munich, and B/R recently highlighted the areas Bayern fans are most concerned with in this article. But in general, fans can be thoroughly pleased with how things are going at the Allianz Arena this term.

Accordingly, B/R has analyzed the issues at Bayern that fans can be most happy with during the 2015-16 season thus far. Click "Begin Slideshow" for our picks.

Fitness

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Bayern's 2015-16 season has been far from injury-free thus far. Franck Ribery hasn't played a single minute, and Javi Martinez and Mehdi Benatia's continued struggle for fitness has meant that David Alaba has often been required to start at center back. As well, Mario Gotze will have missed the majority of the season by the time the winter break comes.

At the same time, Bayern are in a much, much better situation in terms of fitness than they were last season. Thiago Alcantara enjoyed a full preseason and has been excellent. He may be nursing a knee injury at the moment, but compared to last season's nightmare, three to four weeks on the sidelines isn't all that bad.

Even Holger Badstuber is now in the first team once more. The Bavarians have been able to count upon at least three attacking midfielders and two natural holding players in just about every game, meaning that the very heart of their team has remained intact. It has also allowed Pep Guardiola to rotate his players, ensuring that no-one is overworked and therefore more prone to injury.

After last season's nightmare, fans have good reason to be happy with Bayern's injury record in 2015-16.

Finding Tactical Balance

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A concern for many Bayern fans in recent years has been the issue of tactical consistency. Although Pep Guardiola has long been renowned for his brilliance as a coach, he was very abstract in his approach during his first two years at Bayern. And not knowing whether his eventual successor would be able to build on Guardiola's tactical foundation was always a big cause for concern for Bayern fans.

This season has seen Bayern abandon the academic approach and move toward pragmatism. As discussed in more depth in this article, Guardiola has the team playing faster football and using all areas of the pitch.

There's still an emphasis on passing the ball accurately, but possession is no longer the end goal; quick transitions from defense to attack and catching the opposition off guard are now more important. And instead of sticking to a more narrow game plan, Guardiola has his team playing with two dedicated wide players on each flank, pulling and manipulating defenses to create opportunities in attack.

If Bayern continue to play this way under Guardiola, they'll be ready to make a relatively smooth transition to playing under the next coach, whenever that may be.

Solving Long-Term Squad-Building Problems

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As key players age, every team has to deal with two main issues: phasing out stars before they pass their usefulness, and bringing in enough quality to replace them without much delay. It's a great challenge, and many great clubs have had their success interrupted over the short- and even long-term as they've tried to transition from reliance on one star to another.

In Bayern's case, for the last few years the likes of David Alaba, Thomas Muller and Jerome Boateng have been groomed as the "next generation." But the "old guard" of Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben has aged. Fans knew that sooner or later, the veterans would need to be replaced.

The good news is that Bayern managed to offload Schweinsteiger this summer, apparently without any negative effect. The club had often managed without their vice-captain in recent years, but it was still uncertain how he'd be replaced.

The good news is that Thiago Alcantara has been fit on a regular basis, and although Xabi Alonso is aging, he's still a good option to have until other players are ready. These include academy player Gianluca Gaudino, loanee Pierre Hojbjerg, and Joshua Kimmich, the latter of whom has made great strides in his first few months at Bayern.

As well, Arturo Vidal may not yet be at his very best, but he is a player who would appear to have at least a few more seasons left at the highest level and could be a world-class option if he settles and is 100 percent fit.

Ribery has been replaced in effect by Douglas Costa, who has filled in brilliantly in the Frenchman's absence. It's taken almost no time for the Brazilian to adapt, and his role as a lightning-fast, dribbling playmaker is the same as that which Ribery filled until recently. The team has had no trouble adapting to his style, and the transition could not have been smoother.

Finally, Bayern appear to have found a replacement for Robben before the Dutchman has even reached the end of his time at the highest level. That player is Kingsley Coman, who at 19 years of age is showing genuine class and maturity. He still has plenty to learn, but it will be some time before he is needed to fully replace Robben. And he appears to have the ability to do so in the coming years.