Position
They didn't manage to finish the job in March. With a sudden upturn for the rivals from Gelsenkirchen and only the second defeat under Jupp Heynckes away to Leipzig, Bayern had to wait until the first weekend in April to win the German league for the 28th time in the club's history and the sixth on the bounce. A success, only recently confirmed mathematically, but clear to every observer of the Bundesliga by the winter break. The men from Munich swept all before them after the 72-year-old took over as coach in October – for the fourth time in his nearly 40-year career as a manager. Heynckes' third period in charge – and supposedly the end of his career in professional football – came with the treble in 2013. Can the second and probably final retirement five years on end with the same success? The former Werkself coach (2009-2011) is already a legend at FC Bayern and winning the treble for a second time would massively increase his hero status – and the prospects of that are good. A 0-0 draw with Sevilla on Wednesday saw the Heynckes team quietly progress the to semi-finals of the Champions League following a comfortable 2-1 win, although they now face the title holders Real Madrid in the last four. Bayern had a particularly challenging DFB Cup campaign this term but Lewandowski & Co. came up with the goods and overcame the major obstacles: The top teams from Leipzig and Dortmund were knocked out by FCB and now Bayer 04 await in the semi-finals.
Personnel
FC Bayern have made full use of rotation in recent weeks and not just in Saturday's 5-1 win Borussia Mönchengladbach. Established first team players have increasingly been rested in the Bundesliga to ensure they are fully fit for the knockout games in the cup competitions –and that has worked. Another benefit from Heynckes‘ tinkering: Despite playing in three competitions with the all the games involved, FCB had to compensate for having two players injured in the decisive phase of the season: On the one hand, Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, with understudy Sven Ullreich doing a great job in goal since the start of the season, while he battles to recover from a broken metatarsal so he can be in goal for Germany at the World Cup in the summer. And the Frenchman Kingsley Coman is sidelined with an ankle injury. That means Heynckes is missing an alternative to the Robben/Ribéry duo on the wings as well as Thomas Müller not having a rest going into the business end of the season. Wing back Juan Bernat has recently been playing in a more advanced role on the left flank. That is unlikely to be the case against Bayer 04: In the DFB Cup and Champions League Heynckes has usually fielded his strongest team – although that term is very flexible for the team from Munich given the incredible strength and depth in the squad.
ProblemS
In a phase where the biggest problem at a national level has been not winning the league title at home (the last time was in 2000), it almost seems to be the case that Bayern can only beat themselves at the moment. Lapses in concentration and inexplicable dips in form have been evident in the Bundesliga and the Champions League games including the Sevilla tie where the individual quality of the Munich side did not appear to exert their authority and Bayern are occasionally punished for their errors by opposing teams and the referees. Particularly in emotionally-charged games,players like the former Leverkusen midfielder Arturo Vidal (at Bayer 04 from 2007 to 2011) and Franck Ribéry are often on the verge of being sent off. A loss that cannot easily be compensated for even in the star-studded FCB squad.
Potential
With youngsters who discovered an interest in football in and around 2012, there is every chance they only know FC Bayern as champions of Germany. An example that demonstrates the dominance of the record champions at a national level. There is no sign of an end to the run of titles for the Munich team. Even the impending end of the Robben/Ribéry duo does not cause the fans or management as much concern as one or two years ago, as Coman and Hoffenheim's Serge Gnabry, who will join Bayern in the summer, are ready to take over as the next generation of wingers, given that Bayern had to cope with the departure of stalwarts Lahm and Xabi Alonso in the summer. The outcome is familiar. And the future coach in Munich: Niko Kovac, in charge at Eintracht Frankfurt up to now, will succeed Jupp Heynckes in the summer.
Prediction
Will Heynckes win the treble again? That may well happen: Bayern are the favourites against the Werkself. If they succeed in knocking out a third top team in Bayer 04 after Leipzig and Dortmund then the Heynckes team are in with a great chance of winning the DFB Cup in Berlin. The season will only really be special for Bayern if they win the third title, the Champions League. FCB are looking to turn it round on the European stage. Since 2013 Bayern have been knocked out exclusively by Spanish teams. After beating Sevilla in the quarter-finals, Bayern now face Real Madrid in the last four – for many that should be the pairing for the final. Jupp Heynckes won his first Champions League final in 1998 against Real Madrid.
