3 Targets for Bayern Munich to Hit in 2016
Whether avoiding relegation or winning the Champions League, every football club needs to have its targets for a given season.
In Bayern Munich's case, standards are very high. Yet "winning everything" is perhaps a little unrealistic. There will be especially important achievements to reach in every given year, and certain events and competitions that should be emphasized more than others.
Right now, Bayern can coast to the Bundesliga title, holding an eight-point lead in first place. But there are other targets they would be wise to focus on in 2016.
Click "Begin Slideshow" for B/R's top three picks.
The DFB-Pokal
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Many fans and pundits accept the notion that Pep Guardiola has utterly dominated all German opposition. This is true at least in the Bundesliga. But in the DFB-Pokal, there has been room for improvement.
Last season, Bayern were eliminated from the Pokal in the semi-finals. True, it only came in a penalty shootout, but in the quarter-finals before, they were also held to a draw over 120 minutes. The "bad-luck" card really doesn't apply.
Even when Bayern last won the competition in 2013-14, they only reached extra time in the final after a controversial call that would have resulted in a goal for Borussia Dortmund had goal-line technology been in effect at the time.
And although Bayern beat holders Wolfsburg 3-1 in October, their recent 1-0 win against Darmstadt suggests it's anything but a given that they will win the competition.
Bayern will have to fend off tricky opposition, with Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen among the remaining contestants. They have every chance of winning the Pokal, but it may not be easy.
The DFL-Superpokal
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It may be a preseason competition of seemingly little meaning, but the DFL-Superpokal is one that has evaded Bayern for several years, and one they will be keen to win in 2016.
Wolfsburg edged Bayern last summer after a last-gasp equalizer forced penalties that the Pokal winners won 5-4. In the two years before that, Dortmund came out ahead of Bayern.
The last time Bayern won the Superpokal was in 2012, the first game of the season in which they won the treble. It was huge for them, as they had just come off a frustrating campaign in which they'd finished runners-up in three competitions.
Bayern reacted to their last Superpokal victory as though they'd won the Champions League, not a seemingly unimportant pre-season trophy. But it actually was of more importance than neutrals would figure: It galvanized the team and was a spark that got their treble-winning campaign going.
At season's end, they would hoist the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League trophies as well. Starting Carlo Ancelotti's tenure with a Superpokal win could have a similar effect and lead Bayern to greatness in 2017 and beyond.
The Champions League Final
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Make no mistake: The header of this slide says "The Champions League Final," not "Win the Champions League."
Many like to make the claim that Pep Guardiola will be a success only if he wins the Champions League. Others claim that to hold him to that standard is ridiculous, given that Bayern have only won the trophy five times in their entire history, and that the margins between success and failure in that regard are too slim.
There is another option, however—reaching the final.
Bayern have reached many more finals in their history than they have won, and prior to Guardiola's arrival, they had reached three in four seasons.
None of the players were past their peak at the time he took the reins in 2013, so it was a very reasonable thing to expect that—after consistently reaching the final prior to his tenure—Bayern would reach the final at least once in his three years. Two have passed, however, without such success.
A Champions League title would be a wonderful way for Guardiola to leave, even if it's a bit of a long shot. But reaching a final? That wouldn't be a bad target, and it should be their aim at least.
