Bundesliga 2017-18 season grades: Bayern Munich
By Adam Stocker
Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga for the sixth consecutive season, but what grade do they get for their overall performance in 2017-18?
Every season Bayern Munich enter with the same goals: Win the Bundesliga, win the DFB Pokal and win the Champions League. While winning the treble is a lofty goal, it’s what the club expect, but they can be pleased with a Bundesliga title deep runs in both cups, even if they lost in heartbreaking circumstances.
After a slow start, Bayern decided to make changes. Sitting as far as seven points behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stage, Bayern parted ways with Carlo Ancelotti. Jupp Heynckes came back into the fold and Bayern’s season took off. They won nine of 10 Bundesliga games, essentially locking up their sixth straight title by the winter break. In Europe, Bayern won the remaining games in the group stage and made easy work of Besiktas in the round of 16 before squeaking by Sevilla in the quarterfinals.
Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller drove the attack throughout the season. Lewandowski scored a Bundesliga-best 29 goals and 40 goals in all competitions. Muller scored 15 goals and added 18 assists in all competitions. However, when Bayern needed a goal against Real Madrid, neither player could deliver. For the third time since the 2013-14 season, they were eliminated by Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The manager(s)
Carlo Ancelotti started the season as Bayern’s manager but the got off to a bad start. Domestically, Bayern picked up 14 points in their first seven games but were seven points back of Borussia Dortmund. However, the game that did in the Italian manager was the 3-0 loss to PSG in Champions League. Following the loss, the players became critical of Ancelotti and his training methods.
Ultimately, Ancelotti and Bayern decided to part ways. After a longer than expected search, Bayern settled on Jupp Heynckes, who returned for his fourth tenure with the club. In his previous tenure, Bayern won the treble and Heynckes decided to retire. However, Heynckes decided to come out of retirement and Bayern caught fire. The players stopped being critical of training and a team doctor previously fired by Pep Guardiola returned, much to the pleasure of the players and fans.
Heynckes instantly got results despite making minimal changes to how Bayern lined up. The biggest change was moving Javi Martinez from center-back to defensive midfield. The move improved Bayern’s shaky defense and helped them better control play in the middle of the field. James Rodriguez took off under Heynckes, becoming a playmaking machine, creating goals for himself and teammates. Bayern had blown past Dortmund by the winter break. With such a large lead in the table, Heynckes rotated his squad, routinely changing up to seven players in his starting XI from game to game. Rotating his squad helped keep players fresh and kept the morale high within the locker room.
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The players
Bayern’s season might have turned out differently if it weren’t for a series of injuries to key players throughout the season.
Manuel Neuer missed almost all of the season after re-injuring his foot and undergoing another surgery. His health has to be a long-term concern for the club. Several times throughout the season, Neuer’s return date was pushed back. Sven Ulreich played well, making several key saves in Bayern’s unbeaten run, but his season will only be remembered for the massive mistake he made in the second leg against Real Madrid, gifting Karim Benzema what proved to be the winning goal.
Jerome Boateng and David Alaba also missed time throughout the season, and it was Alaba’s backup, Rafinho, who made the error leading to Real Madrid’s second goal in the first leg.
Thiago Alcantara was injured early in the season and missed several weeks. He struggled to carve out a role for himself when he returned from injury, rarely looking like the player he was in previous season. Thiago’s struggles were made more evident when Arturo Vidal suffered a season-ending injury against Sevilla. The loss of Vidal reduced Bayern’s ability to win challenges in midfield and could have been a difference against Real Madrid. Ultimately, the quarterfinal against Sevilla could be the last game Vidal plays for Bayern. The Chilean midfielder has been linked with a move to the Premier League in the summer.
With Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery both in their mid-30s, injuries are naturally going to happen. Bayern were able to adjust by moving Thomas Muller or James Rodriguez to the wing. However, when Kingsley Coman suffered a season-ending ankle injury, Bayern were overly-reliant on Robben and Ribery, who both signed one-year extensions. However, Bayern need to find younger options to replace the longtime duo. Serge Gnarby will return from a loan stint at Hoffenheim after being bought last summer and that should bring new life into the Bayern attack.