Bayern Munich: On the Brink of Excellence

Here's my outlook on the current situation of FC Bayern Munich, and I invite any soccer fan, of Bayern or otherwise, to provide his or her own feedback. 

Any of you who do support Die Bayern may be experiencing a strange medley of emotions in recent weeks.

On one hand, they stand at the top of the Bundesliga, have the opportunity to reach the finals of the DFB Pokal pending a victory against Schalke, and will be matching up against Man U in the Champions League.  If my research serves me correctly, Bordeaux and Inter are the only two other clubs in Europe that can claim to be in all three competitions. 

On the other hand, out of the last three Bundesliga games, Bayern have only claimed one victory against what were supposed to be inferior teams.

They were beaten by a Fiorentina side who, in my opinion, showed more class and they field a defense who seem to have trouble fending off the attack of any player who runs at them.

The events which take place between now and the beginning of next season have the potential to turn Bayern Munich into the powerhouse they once were, or leave them at the level of mediocrity they are now.  These three things need to happen:

1. Franck Ribery Needs To Stay

I don't care what the big guys in charge do, but they need to keep Franck in a red shirt.  Although he's been plagued with injury this season, when he's on, he's on.  Additionally, he represents the sort of class that will attract further stars to join this team, similar to Arjen Robben joining this season.

2. Bayern Munich Need a Goalkeeper

I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Hans Jorg-Butt was originally signed as a backup to Michael Rensing, but has been the starter ever since the Barcelona disaster of last year.  That alone should serve as a red flag.  While Butt may be a fundamentally sound keeper, he is ripe in age and is often caught with his pants down.  A world class team like Bayern Munich should be equipped with a world class keeper.

3. One, if Not Two, Quality Defenders Need To Be Signed in the Offseason

For some of you, saying this may be beating a dead horse, but anyone who's seen a Munich game within the past few weeks knows the pertinence of this statement.  Just to put it in perspective, the defense currently boasts Holger Badstuber, a 20-year-old promoted from the second squad; David Alaba, a 17-year-old making his first team debut a few weeks ago; Daniel Van Buyten, a decent central defender, who last year was sitting on the bench behind Lucio and Martin Demichelis; and Phillip Lahm, who, despite his class, cannot support an entire defense by himself. 

While these two youngsters provide great optimism for the future, they are no substitute to a seasoned, experienced defense.  Signing at least one, preferably two, quality defenders will be central to Bayern Munich achieving any success on the big scene.

With the class Bayern have in some positions, making these three adjustments could give them the depth needed to make the difference between coming up short or winning it big.