When Bayern Munich’s now-traditional Weihnachtsshow (Christmas show) lit up the Allianz Arena last week after the final game of the year, most in attendance could afford to nod in approval at a satisfying restoration of former realities.
After Bayer Leverkusen mischievously stole the glory in 2024, 2025 has been Bayern’s year.
Ordinarily, a wild 2-2 draw against the team at the bottom of the Bundesliga would cause slight concern, but failing to beat Mainz was more of a minor annoyance than anything likely to derail Bayern’s trophy ambitions. Christmas guest Thomas Müller, in typical fashion, kept smiling despite the contest’s incessant highs and lows.
As sporting CEO Max Eberl stated post-game, everyone associated with the club would have accepted a nine-point lead at the outset. And that is correct.
The Rekordmeister in its current guise appears too strong for its competitors, with Vincent Kompany transitioning from a calculated gamble to the man with a plan fitting the club in every imaginable way.
When the precocious Lennart Karl scored Bayern’s 50th league goal of the season on Sunday, it made Bayern the fastest team ever to hit that milestone in the Bundesliga. Who would bet against them smashing the record of 101 goals set by Gerd Müller & Co. back in 1971-72?
Karl, at 17, recently became the youngest player ever to score in three successive UEFA Champions League matches, adding to Bayern’s positives from the first four months of the season. Several players have improved their standings, notably Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, and Serge Gnabry.
Laimer has transformed from a valuable utility squad member and Pressingmonster to a regular name on the team sheet at right back.
Upamecano has emerged as a re-signing priority, with signals appearing positive regarding a renewal for a defender often criticized for occasional lapses earlier in his career. The France international has smoothed out rough edges and represents a key element in Bayern’s pursuit of future honors.
Gnabry may need to wait for detailed contract talks with Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund, but he has performed superbly during a time when Bayern have been without attacking impulses from Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala due to long-term injuries. Davies is back, albeit cautiously, while Musiala will return just after everyone has exchanged the annual guten Rutsch greeting.
Kompany may soon face a Luxusproblem (problem of luxury) in creative positions. How do you accommodate the superb Michael Olise, the driven Harry Kane, the effervescent Luis Díaz, alongside Karl, Gnabry, Musiala, and Nicolas Jackson? Good luck to a prospect like Wisdom Mike getting significant minutes.
If you’ve read this far, you might think Bayern have no worries. However, that’s not the case. The Champions League remains the club’s ultimate Maßstab (measuring stick), and their lone defeat to Arsenal — Bayern’s only setback in any competition this term — proved they can fall short against excellent opponents. While Bayern are capable of winning Europe’s premier club competition, they could easily fall at the quarterfinal stage. That’s how competitive it can be against Europe’s elite.
Bayern have put pressure on themselves to win the DFB-Pokal, a competition that has not favored them in recent years. Their quarterfinal meeting with RB Leipzig on February 11 shapes up as a tight contest. Even if they navigate that hurdle, quality sides like Leverkusen and holders VfB Stuttgart could still disrupt Bayern in the semifinals or the final in Berlin in late May.
Kompany and his entire coaching staff had their contracts extended immediately before the Mainz game. While they have been praised for their technical and tactical work, as well as on the menschlich (human) front, there is still Luft nach oben (room for improvement).
Should Manuel Neuer get another year? Regardless, should matches start more often with Jonas Urban if he’s viewed as part of the future?
Six of Bayern’s 11 league goals conceded have come from set plays, placing them in the middle of the Bundesliga. Since the end of October, Kompany’s team has trailed in games on no fewer than six occasions.
That the Rekordmeister has found ways to overcome these deficits shouldn’t hide the cracks, not that Eberl, Kompany, and the entire playing staff will fail to notice. Part of being Bayern is never settling for second best.
After the short trip to Heidenheim on Sunday, they can all enjoy a brief recharge before the critical phase of the season begins.