Bayern Munich 'Germany's Team' Again Following Joachim Low's Squad Announcement

Bayern Munich's identity has been in flux over the past few years, with Louis van Gaal's radicalism succeeded by Jupp Heynckes' pragmatism, which in turn was scrapped for Pep Guardiola's visionary—and ever-evolving—character. Now, after the ups and downs of Guardiola's reign, Bayern have brought in Carlo Ancelotti as coach in an apparent bid to restore efficiency and good execution of the fundamentals to bring success.

The many different coaching philosophies at Bayern in recent years have also affected squad building and the use of players. Van Gaal turned Bastian Schweinsteiger from a slow winger to a world-class central midfielder, and he often used anchoring midfield players in defense. Heynckes brought a bit more stability to midfield by playing natural centre-backs and putting Toni Kroos, more a box-to-box midfielder than a true playmaker, in the No. 10 role. And Guardiola moved Javi Martinez, a crux of the Bayern midfield under Heynckes, into defense.

A foreigner himself, Van Gaal didn't mind naming compatriot Mark van Bommel as the first foreign captain of Bayern. Yet under Heynckes, Bayern were truly Germany's team: There were eight senior Germany internationals in the 2012-13 treble-winning team, and Bayern youngsters like Emre Can and Mitchell Weiser were German as well.

Bayern's squad-building policy under Guardiola was different, and their transfers indicated a new philosophy. By the end of the 2014-15 campaign, there were just five Germany internationals and as many Spaniards. And at the onset of the 2015-16 season, there were just four current Germany internationals in the Bayern team.

Bayern's transfer policy had seen the likes of Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Mario Gomez replaced with foreigners Arturo Vidal, Thiago Alcantara and Robert Lewandowski. When Bayern needed a new winger, the Brazilian Douglas Costa was signed. When they looked to add depth in central defense, the Moroccan Medhi Benatia was brought in. And this was all while Germany's talent pool was well-stocked: The Mannschaft, after all, won the FIFA World Cup in 2014.

Yet, now it appears that Bayern are going back to their roots. Not only is Ancelotti expected to bring a bit more of Heynckes' pragmatism, but the Bavarians are again waving the standard for Germany. That much became apparent in Joachim Low's announcement of his 27-man provisional squad for Euro 2016.

In Low's squad, young Bayern man Joshua Kimmich was selected. Faced with an injury crisis in central defense this spring, Guardiola helped convert the defensive midfielder into a makeshift, if undersized, centre-back. He won't start in the German central defense at the Euros, but with Low needing a holding midfielder and a right-back, there's a decent chance the combative all-rounder will get his chance.

Along with Kimmich, Mats Hummels was the next "new" Bayern call-up to Low's team. The 27-year-old has 46 senior caps to his name, but he will be joining Bayern from Borussia Dortmund this summer.

Hummels was perhaps the most obvious choice for Bayern: A world-class central defender who understands his Bayern partner Jerome Boateng due to their work together in the Germany team. But Bayern haven't always taken the obvious decision, whether selling Kroos or overlooking some German talents who would have enriched the team.

Bayern's apparent move toward an international character came with some pushback from fans who had taken a bit of pride in seeing local players represent the national team, and who had questioned whether foreigners would truly love the club as Schweinsteiger did.

True or not, the promotion of Kimmich ahead of Pierre Hojbjerg and the recruitment of Hummels, with both having been nominated to Low's provisional Germany squad for the Euros, shows a renewed German identity in the Bayern team. With soon-to-be six players representing their club in Low's squad, Bayern appear once more to be Germany's team.

@Mr_Bundesliga