Make that two Bundesliga titles in two years in-charge at Bayern Munich for Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard’s side simply blew away the competition as they cruised to a third successive league crown overall. However, this upcoming campaign could be Guardiola’s last in Germany. Will Bayern deliver title No. 3 as a nice parting gift for Pep, or can the other supposed title contenders spoil the Spaniard’s send-off season?
Before the new Bundesliga season kicks off on August 14, let’s first do a brief preview at what could be in-store this year. Aside from previewing five of the top title contenders, we’ll also highlight the key games to look out for, as well as the top headlines that will define the season.
Don’t forget to also check out our French Ligue 1 season preview.
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2015-16 Bundesliga Season Preview
The Top 3 Favorites
Bayern Munich
Is it too early to crown Bayern champions for a fourth-straight year? The Bavarians have run away with the Bundesliga for the past three seasons (the last two under Pep Guardiola), and are overwhelming -1,000 favorites to win it again.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]They arguably got even stronger over the summer as they swapped the oft-injured Bastian Schweinsteiger with fiery Chilean Arturo Vidal, who’s widely regarded as one the best midfielders in the world over the last few years. They also added Brazilian Douglas Costa to provide more cover on the wings after both Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben suffered injury-riddled campaigns.
Basically, health is the only thing that can stop the Bayern machine from rolling to yet another title. If they can finally get the likes of Robben, Ribery, David Alaba and Thiago Alcantara to play a full season, they should be virtually unstoppable.
Borussia Dortmund
After last year’s very disappointing seventh-place league finish, it was clear to all that Dortmund needed a change. Beloved manager Jurgen Klopp graciously stepped down, and was replaced by Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel successfully followed in Klopp’s footsteps in his last stop at Mainz, and will bring some of the same tactics which Klopp utilized to lead Dortmund back-to-back champions at the start of the decade.
The German core of Marco Reus, Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan has remained intact despite much speculation linking them away from the Westfalenstadion in recent years. The club also kept hold of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who led the team with 16 league goals last season.
Dortmund did little to upgrade their squad, though – Gonzalo Castro, who was bought to replace the retired Sebastian Kehl, is the only notable addition – which will be a major impediment in their ability to overhaul Bayern atop the Bundesliga standings this season. Dortmund is currently priced at +1,800 to reclaim the title.
VfL Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg took the Bundesliga by storm last season as they surged to second place, their highest finish since winning the league in 2008-2009. Dieter Hecking’s side played some of the most attractive attacking football in the country en route to scoring 72 goals, second only to Bayern’s 80.
The same squad remains intact for this season. Despite rumors of a possible move back to England, instrumental playmaker Kevin De Bruyne looks set to stay in Germany, as is breakout star Bas Dost (16 goals). Wolfsburg’s also added some more firepower in the summer by acquiring striker Max Kruse. The German scored 23 goals over the past two seasons with Borussia Monchengladbach.
Wolfsburg won the first trophy of the season by beating Bayern in the German Super Cup via penalties, but they will have to play a perfect season to get the better of Bayern in the league.
Sleeper – Borussia Monchengladbach
Lucien Favre did it again. Regarded as one of the best coaches in the Bundesliga for some time, Favre coached his socks off as his Gladbach team finished an excellent third place last season. With the help of Favre’s favored 4-4-2 formation, Gladbach were rock-solid at the back. They conceded just 26 goals, second only to Bayern’s 18.
Favre lost Kruse to Wolfsburg this summer, but he got a suitable replacement in Josip Drmic. The Swiss striker wasn’t a regular starter for Leverkusen last season and scored only six goals, but he did get 17 goals as the first-choice striker with Nurnberg in 2013-2014. Gladbach also added Chelsea star Eden Hazard’s brother, Thorgan, after a successful loan spell last season.
With Favre still at the helm to lead a mostly established lineup, don’t sleep on Gladbach, who are priced at +4,000 to win their first Bundesliga crown in nearly 40 years.
Long Shot – Bayer Leverkusen
After some growing pains early in the season, Bayer Leverkusen finished with a flourish in their first year under Roger Schmidt. Leverkusen won nine of their last 12 games to finish a respectable fourth. Schmidt implemented his fast-pace, heavy pressing system, which suited the team’s more youthful demographic.
Leverkusen kept hold of in-demand stars Karim Bellarabi (25 years old), Heung-Min Son (23), Hakan Calhanoglu (21), and Lars Bender (26), and will have Christoph Kramer (24) back after his loan spell with Monchengladbach. They also added promising defender and German U19 captain Jonathan Tah over the summer.
This young core group is just entering its prime, and with a full season’s worth of experience playing in Schmidt’s system, Leverkusen could be primed to shock a few people in the upcoming season.
Bayern Munich vs. Dortmund (Oct. 3); Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich (Mar. 5)
There’s no love lost between Bayern and Dortmund. Dortmund fans are still peeved that Bayern keep tapping up their top talents, and with speculationgrowing that Jurgen Klopp could be a top candidate to succeed Pep Guardiola as Bayern manager, the flames of this fierce rivalry should be very much alive by the time they first meet in October.
There’s also the small matter of two fascinating games to look forward to. Bayern have historically struggled against teams pressing teams, which is what new Dortmund boss Tuchel does quite a lot. If Dortmund stand any chance of reclaiming the title from Bayern, they need to take points from them during their head-to-heads.
Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Monchengladbach (Apr. 30)
Pop quiz: which Bundesliga team was the only one that Bayern didn’t beat last season? That would be Lucien Favre’s Borussia Monchengladbach. Gladbach held the champions to a scoreless draw at home, before dealing Bayern the first of only two losses at the Allianz Arena.
As mentioned earlier, Gladbach should be pretty good this season, and even has the potential to be a title sleeper. That makes their visit to the Allianz in late April a matchup with possible championship ramifications.
Season Headlines
Pep’s Last Stand?
As mentioned earlier, this campaign could very well be Pep Guardiola’s last in Germany. The great manager didn’t have a picture-perfect ending to his highly-successful spell at Barcelona, as he finished second in the league to Real Madrid. Barring an epic collapse by his Bayern juggernaut, though, he should end his Bayern career with a third Bundesliga crown. With that in mind, this season should be spent savoring the incredible brand of football Pep has given the Bundesliga while it lasts.
Dortmund Revival
Thomas Tuchel has some big shoes to fill in Dortmund, and it’ll be fascinating to see how he goes about restoring the club to its past glory. He’s got the talent in his team to do so, but can he conjure up the sort of spirit and commitment Klopp got out of his players during their peak years? Therein lies the rub.
Wolfsburg Encore
Wolfsburg were a breath of fresh air for the Bundesliga last season. Dieter Hecking’s very attractive and positive brand of football endeared them to the neutral fans. But as they say, it’s much tougher to stay at the top (or close to it) than to stay there. They did keep hold of Kevin De Bruyne, who will be crucial in proving that they aren’t some flash in the pan.
Writer’s Prediction
Pep delivers another title in what will prove to be his last season with Bayern. Bayer Leverkusen soar up to second, while Dortmund finishes third. Gladbach go fourth, while Wolfsburg take a step back and finish fifth.
