Can Bayern Munich succeed on three fronts in 2018-19?

During what has to be considered the most uninspiring summer transfer window in recent Bayern history, do the Reds have enough depth to challenge for titles on three fronts?

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and President Uli Hoeness have been very cool in the transfer market this summer. Returning from loans are Renato Sanches (Swansea) and Serge Gnabry (Hoffenheim).

The club locked up their one major acquisition in 2018 way back in January, when Schalke midfielder and German international Leon Goretzka decided to leave Gelsenkirchen in favor of the Bavarians.

The only other addition to their squad this year is the 17-year-old Canadian sensation Alphonso Davies, though, it is highly unlikely he will feature for the German juggernauts anytime soon.

Departing the Saebenerstrasse-based club is midfield enforcer Arturo Vidal (Barcelona) and Douglas Costa, the latter of which had been on loan at Juventus since the start of last season.

In an off-season that saw the club say goodbye to (for the second time) the most successful manager in club history, Jupp Heynckes, Bayern will have to rely on their veteran players more during the upcoming season than at any previous time over the course of the past decade.

Niko Kovac, who defeated Heynckes’ Bayern in the DFB-Pokal final in May, is the new man on the Reds’ touchline. While he certainly enjoyed some success during his short stint with Eintracht Frankfurt, he is still unproven as the manager of a major club, where the pressure to win can be suffocating at times.

A bothersome fact is that Bayern is still oftentimes dependent upon aging players such as Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben. Additionally, the club could see more players leave before deadline day on August 31st.

As a result, it’s easy to comprehend why some pundits believe that this club is at their most vulnerable point since Louis Van Gaal was in charge nearly a decade ago.

More big names could be exiting the club before deadline day as well. Sebastian Rudy, who only two years ago seemed like a long-term solution as a central defensive midfielder playing as a double pivot in Bayern’s traditional 4-2-3-1 formation, is rumored to be on his way out.

Germany international and 2014 World Cup champion Jerome Boateng has also been linked with multiple clubs this summer. Losing him would leave a massive hole to fill in Bayern’s back line and the partnership with fellow world champion Mats Hummels would certainly be ending sooner than many Bayern supporters would have liked.

But why worry? Bayern are light years ahead of the competition, domestically speaking. Although Dortmund and Schalke have done great business in the transfer market this summer, it will hardly be enough to pull even with the giants from the south.

This year’s title race will be closer than it’s been since Bayern “‘narrowly” won by ten points during the 2015-16 season. To be completely honest, Bayern could probably forfeit four or five match days, simply take the day off that is, and still be crowned as Bundesliga champions. Their starting XI is still one of the best the sport has to offer.

The issue is the three front war Bayern must fight. Winning the Bundesliga or the DFB-Pokal might be a mere formality, but advancing deep into the Champions League is another thing altogether.

This is where squad depth becomes a major issue. To say Bayern will go through this season without suffering injuries would be completely naive. Robben and Ribery are flat out incapable of playing an injury-free campaign, and others will suffer their bumps and bruises along the way.

Against teams such as Mainz, Augsburg, Bremen, or Stuttgart, this might not matter. In fact, most fans would probably be fairly comfortable betting their house on the fact that Bayern will easily win their seventh consecutive Bundesliga title next May.

Winning the league is no longer the driving force for Bayern Munich. It hasn’t been for quite some time now. No, their desire, much like that of Juventus from Serie A, is to win the Champions League, period.

Advancing from the group stage should not be a major concern nor should the round of 16. The quarterfinals and beyond however, when the world’s elite are the last left standing in the most prestigious competition club soccer has to offer, that is when Kovac’s Bayern will truly be tested.

The Champions League is where Niko Kovac will either make the grade or fail. His future with Germany’s largest, richest, and by far most successful club, will depend on his team’s performance in Europe. Winning the league no longer gets you immunity. Just ask the legendary Carlo Ancelotti.