Can Bayern Munich win back the Bundesliga next season?

Bayern Munich lost the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen last season after Xabi Alonso’s team went on a brilliant run.

Bayern dominated the Bundesliga for a decade before Leverkusen ended their dominance last season, and they will be eager to win the league again next season.

The Bavarians remain the biggest club in German football and it was embarrassing for their fans when Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga title last season.

However, they cannot say it wasn’t coming. Although they signed Harry Kane in the summer of 2023, and he has been a solid signing for them since he arrived in town, the Bayern team has tired out.

Most of their players have been at the club for at least five seasons, and some are probably bored with winning trophies easily every season.

The Bavarians needed an overhaul, but losing that title is probably what will make them realise that change is required.

Bayern Munich tickets will remain the highest selling in Germany this season, but is Bayern now in a position to win back the league title after losing it to Leverkusen last season?

Is Vincent Kompany good enough?

One of the biggest surprises of the summer was when Bayern opted for Vincent Kompany as their manager for next season after no manager wanted their job.

Kompany’s Burnley team was relegated from the Premier League last season, and he probably did not dream that his career would take him next to the biggest club in Germany.

To his credit, Burnley was one of the bravest and most exciting teams to watch in the Premier League, and they only went down because of a lack of experience.

The Clarets and Blues were dominant in the Championship in the 2022/2023 season and won that title with almost no team close.

Kompany has also managed Anderlecht, where he assumed a player-manager role and worked under some of the world’s best managers when he played.

Pep Guardiola sent his recommendation to Bayern, and the Belgian got the job, but their fans and some neutrals would still feel he is too inexperienced at the highest level for the Bayern job.

This is because they need immediate success, and the appointment of Kompany means that Bayern will have to wait longer for that.

However, he could make things better and borrow a leaf from Xabi Alonso’s books and win the Bundesliga in his first full season in Germany.

This is certainly the dream scenario for most Bayern Munich fans, and they will hope it happens exactly that way.

Bayer Leverkusen may not be a one-season wonder

The biggest story of last season in Europe was the stunning rise of Bayer Leverkusen from being “Neverkusen” to winning the German league and Cup double unbeaten.

Bayer was close to finishing the season without a defeat until Atalanta defeated them in the final of the Europa League, thanks to the genius of Ademola Lookman.

Leverkusen were so good at never getting beaten that they scored a majority of their goals in the closing stages of their games.

This habit meant that when their opponents believed they had lost the game, Bayer stunned them with late levellers or, in some cases, winners.

They were a phenomenon last season which made several clubs follow their manager Xabi Alonso, including Liverpool who had him on their list of successors for Jurgen Klopp.

Bayer has now set a standard that even Bayern Munich envies, but the hard work starts now for Alonso and his players.

The big question would be if Leverkusen can maintain their unbeaten run next season as well? Or can they even retain the league title or is their success this season a one-off?

Bayern will probably be in the best place to give answers to the last question, and they will do it on the pitch.

They remain the only club we expect success from every season in Germany, and the Bavarians will be keen to stop Bayer from winning another league title.

However, Bayer were unstoppable by Thomas Tuchel, and Kompany will have to show he is special to stop Alonso’s troops from finding success this season.

Stuttgart should not be underestimated

One team whose performance went under the radar last season was Stuttgart, who finished second in the Bundesliga.

Thanks to the stunning performances of Serhou Guirassy, they were in terrific form and could have been German champions if Bayer had failed to win the title.

Guirassy scored 28 goals in as many games for Stuttgart as they won some key games and came close to ending Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten run twice during the season.

Sebastian Hoeneß has done a brilliant job in Stuttgart, and his team keeps making good progress. So, next season, they might be even better.

They are threat that many people are ignoring, which is why they have been thriving in the last few months.

While we focus on Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen who will be the top two teams in Germany next season again, Bayern would be mistaken if they write off Stuttgart.

It will be embarrassing if they can stop the threat of Bayer Leverkusen and then lose the league title to Stuttgart instead.

However, the most important thing would be for the Bavarians to focus on their own performance and ensure that they are unstoppable and it will be easy for them to become champions again.

How big a rebuild does Bayern need?

Bayern Munich seems to recognise that their problem is a big one, and they will need a rebuild to become champions of Germany again.

As we noted earlier, the Bavarians have so many players whom they have relied on for so long, and some are probably bored of winning with the team now.

They have appointed an inexperienced Kompany as their manager and he will need his own players to mould the team in his image.

In the last few weeks, there have been reports of high-profile departures like Joshua Kimmich and Kingsley Coman.

On the incoming side, Bayern has secured agreements to sign Joao Palhinha and Michael Olise, among several other stars being linked to the club.

Last season’s disappointment shows that the Bayern team needs a makeover, but it remains unclear how big a rebuild is required to take the team back to the top.

Kompany has several world-class players in his squad now, but he would certainly want to make changes as the season goes on.

Some players will not show a decline during pre-season, so the club will fail to replace them, but when the term begins properly, we will see those whose time are up at the club.

Conclusion

This will be an interesting season for Bayern Munich, and Kompany has a lot of work to do to take them back to the top of European and German football.

However, Bayern must give him time and avoid falling into a hire-and-fire culture because the team needs a proper rebuild, so success is not guaranteed for next season.