As one of the few teams in Europe that are expected to win a treble, Bayern winning the 2015/16 Bundesliga was not much of a surprise.
Another year, another title for Bayern Munich. For the first time, the dominant team in Bundesliga have won the title 4 consecutive times.
After 34 rounds of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season, Bayern sat on top of the pile with 88 points. 28 Wins, 4 Draws, 2 Losses and outscoring opposition 80 to 17.
Borussia Dortmund was once again the team that could give the title holders a good run for the title. Despite a strong start to the season by Borussia Dortmund, and holding the pole position for a brief period in the beginning of the season, Bayern was never far behind. There was at no point in the season that any team had more points than Bayern. And when they rose to the pole position after getting over the goal differentials with Borussia Dortmund, they never looked back.
Bayern Munich started the season strong. They were undefeated in their first 14 matches, winning 13 of them. So it came as a shock when they lost to 3-1 to Borussia Monchengladbach. A goalless draw in the first half was made exciting when Monchengladbach netted three goals in 15 minutes in the second half. Franck Ribery returned from injury to score a late consolation goal in the 81st minute. Very few people expected that scoreline at that point in the season as Monchengladbach had 5 losses to their name, and two of the five were home matches.
MARCH CRISIS?
Bayern was 8 points clear on top of the league. They were looking forward to keeping and hopefully extend this lead. Their next two matches were a home game against Mainz 05, and an away game against Borussia Dortmund. A win against Mainz 05 will maintain their 8 points lead, and allow for a possible 11 point lead if they beat Dortmund. The last thing to do is to cut down the 8 points lead before the Dortmund meeting. For obvious reasons, the match against Dortmund was perceived as the most difficult of the two.
The motive was clear, continue with the regular routine and beat Mainz 05 at home, and then take that 8 point cushion to play Borussia Dortmund away.
You just don’t go to the Allianz Arena and expect to leave without dropping points. Right?! After another 8 undefeated run in the Bundesliga, Bayern suffered their second and last defeat in the league to Mainz 05. Bayern losing a match in the Bundesliga is always a surprise, but it is a shock when they do it at home. Mainz 05 went to the Allianz Arena and walked out with maximum points. They beat Bayern 2-1.
Their lead was cut to 5 points, leaving room for Dortmund to cut it down to 2 points. Match ended in a goalless draw. This was the only time in the season Bayern failed to secure the maximum points in 2 consecutive matches.
Next Season
From where we stand, Bayern looks to dominate the domestic league for another year. They are signing top players (from Dortmund) and bringing in a top manager to replace another. They are in it to win it big. Borussia Dortmund might have something to say about the level of difficulty Bundesliga will be for Bayern. A healthy start to the season under new management will see Bayern go for 5 Bundesliga titles in a row.
