The Highs and Lows for Bayern Munich in 2015
The 2015 calendar year had its ups and downs for Bayern Munich, who throughout the year were always widely regarded as one of Europe's very best football teams but didn't always get the results they needed.
Bayern won almost every game in which they played and sealed the Bundesliga title quite comfortably in April. Now at the mid-season mark, they're eight points clear in first place and look to be on their way to a fourth consecutive German title.
But in both the 2014-15 DFB-Pokal and Champions League tournaments, Pep Guardiola's men were eliminated in the semifinals; the Bundesliga would prove to be the only trophy they won in 2015. Bayern are alive and well in this season's installments of both cup competitions, however, and they will be aiming for a more successful trophy haul in the spring of 2016.
Bayern had some lows, especially earlier in the year, but they also had the chance to exact revenge later on in many cases. In this article, B/R will discuss three of the greatest high points for Bayern in 2015, as well as two of the worst low points. Click "Begin Slideshow" for our picks.
High: Wolfsburg Comeback and Lewandowski Gala
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Wolfsburg were a bit of a bogey team for Bayern for much of 2015. Kevin De Bruyne led the Lower Saxony-based side to a brilliant 4-1 victory over the Bavarian giants in January. And although Bayern were keen to get their revenge in the DFL-Supercup, a last-gasp equalizer by Nicklas Bendtner forced penalty shootout, which Wolfsburg won.
Bayern would have to wait until September 22 to exact their revenge, and they did so emphatically. It wasn't exactly easy for Bayern, however. Daniel Caligiuri put Dieter Hecking's men ahead on 26 minutes, and the visitors could well have entered the interval two goals ahead. Bayern were struggling at both ends of the pitch.
Enter Robert Lewandowski, striker and wolf-slayer extraordinaire.
The Poland international came on at half-time and produced one of the most brilliant individual performances in the history of football, netting five goals by the hour mark, all of which were scored within a nine-minute period. With his left foot and right, with simple finishes and spectacular, Lewandowski obliterated Wolfsburg, who were shell-shocked.
A quarter of an hour on the pitch for the striker and it was game over. Bayern had exacted their revenge, doing one better than Wolfsburg had done in January.
Low: Barcelona Champions League Misery
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The nadir of Bayern's 2015 calendar year was their 3-0 loss to Barcelona at the Camp Nou in May. It was a crippling blow, especially coming a year after their 4-0 hammering by the other Spanish giants, Real Madrid.
Apologists will note Bayern lacked many first-team players for the match because of injuries, but that is little consolation. The fact is they lost—and heavily. And in truth, they were fortunate not to lose by a greater margin; Barca had at least two or three clear chances to score in the first half and would have had a commanding lead at the interval if not for the brilliance of Manuel Neuer.
Barca were well worth their victory, outplaying Bayern throughout the game. And surely enough, they got their win, with Lionel Messi scoring a quickfire brace on 77 and 80 minutes. Neymar killed off the two-legged tie a full 90 minutes ahead of schedule when he made it 3-0 in injury time.
Bayern's 3-2 win in the second leg was evidence that with a bit less emphasis on attacking in the first leg, they may have been able to edge their opponents over the course of the tie. But they went all out for the away goal and were put to the sword.
Low: Dortmund Penalty Debacle
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Bayern have a reputation for hammering all domestic competition, and having won the Bundesliga comfortably in each of the last three seasons, it's easy to understand why. Yet in the DFB-Pokal last season, they struggled against German opponents before finally being knocked by Borussia Dortmund out in the semifinals.
The then-cup holders appeared to be well on their way to victory when Robert Lewandowski put them ahead on 29 minutes and looked well in control throughout the match. But then, with a quarter-hour left, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stunned the hosts with an equalizer. Bayern were unable to grab a winner, even after Kevin Kampl's sending off, and the game ultimately went to penalties. Disaster would ensue for Bayern.
Philipp Lahm, Xabi Alonso and Mario Gotze were all unable to convert their penalty kicks for Bayern. Manuel Neuer stepped up to the spot in desperation, only to suffer a similar fate. Four spot-kicks saw four misses, and Bayern were out of the Pokal. It didn't matter that Neuer was the best goalkeeper in the world; their kick-takers simply failed.
It was incredibly improbable and deeply unsettling for a Bayern side that is typically ruthless in such situations and had reached the semifinals after beating Bayer Leverkusen on penalties. It also meant that Bayern would only win the Bundesliga trophy in 2014-15.
High: Dortmund Hammering
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Bayern looked favorites to win the Pokal in May but were stunned by BVB in the semifinals. So when the two sides next met, the Bavarians had a point to prove.
On Sunday, October 4, Bayern were first in the Bundesliga but faced a dangerous Dortmund side that were hot on their heels. Yet by the end of the match, it was abundantly clear the three-time defending German league champions were the best team in the country. They secured a two-goal lead that was halved by the interval but scored three more in the second half to earn an emphatic 5-1 victory.
Pouring salt on the wound was the fact three of the goals came from ex-BVB men Robert Lewandowski (two) and Mario Gotze (one). Thomas Muller also scored a brace.
After their resounding victory, Bayern's Pokal loss a few months prior looked to be more a fluke than anything else. And all hopes of Dortmund or any other side really challenging Bayern were eliminated. To win the title by early October is truly an achievement, but Bayern effectively did just that with their stunning win over their nearest rivals.
High: Muller, Boateng, Martinez and Alonso Pen New Contracts
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Bayern managed to tie down several players to long-term contracts in 2015, among them were Thiago Alcantara and new signings Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal. But the German giants hit the jackpot on December 18, when they announced the extensions of Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng, Javi Martinez (all until 2021) and Xabi Alonso's (2017) deals.
It was a critical development for the Bavarians, especially coming the day before Pep Guardiola announced he would not extend his stay at Bayern past the end of his current contract, which expires at the end June. The trainer's departure at season's end could have fueled speculation that some key players would follow him to his next club or at least look for another challenge with a new team. And they might have been tempted.
Bayern were proactive, however, moving to tie down some of their most important players. It was a hugely important development to keep stability at the club, and its effect should not be underestimated. Rather than finding themselves in a situation of both tactical and personnel flux, they've managed to limit their changes to only the manager and his style.
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