After seeing their birthday party at Bayer Leverkusen delayed last season, Bayern Munich made sure nothing like that happened with a narrow win this time around to mathematically seal their position at the top of the Frauen Bundesliga standings with a few games to go. . With this, they become the first consecutive champions of the department in the 2020s.
While the 2023/24 season has been a real sadness for their men’s team, whose record run of 11 consecutive Bundesliga wins came to an end thanks to Bayer Leverkusen, the women’s team is arguably entering its own era of dominance. They have never won 3 consecutive titles in the past, but they will be favourites next season given how things seem to be evolving.
The Frauen Bundesliga has undergone some adjustments in recent years. Frankfurt were the dominant team at the turn of the century, winning four of the first five titles, but then faced a tough festival from Turbine Potsdam. His duopoly was damaged by Wolfsburg’s promotion. , soon followed Bayern, who have finished first and second in one way or another every season for the past decade. Now, however, the disparity between them may grow as Bayern continue to triumph while Wolfsburg appear to be lagging behind. .
Of course, the good fortune of any football team depends on the quality of its functionality on the field. Bayern’s record of 17 wins, 3 draws and no defeats in 20 league games so far this season speaks for itself, but their underlying numbers also underline their excellence. They have the expected goal difference (xGD) in the league this season averaging 1. 68 to 90, with defensive numbers by far and only the second offensive production.
Head coach Alexander Straus has earned a reputation as a master tactician since joining the club in the summer of 2022. While he adheres to the same all-round technique for all fits, he makes adjustment after adjustment and in-game changes to his setups and systems to get the most out of his players and exploit the opponent’s weaknesses as much as possible. When it all comes together, Bayern surely look unstoppable in Germany, as they did in their four-goal win at Wolfsburg last year.
Later this week, Bayern will face Wolves in the DFB Pokal final, where they will not only have the chance to win a double in the league cup, but will also be looking to continue their best head-to-head record against their direct rivals this season.
In fact, it should be noted that while Bayern continued to excel, Wolfsburg also created a lot of disorder on the pitch. Their defense, especially in transitions after wasting the ball, leaves a lot to be desired and makes games much more difficult for them. In the league they have only left 8 blank sheets, which is a far cry from Bayern’s 14.
Perhaps the worst moment of the season for Wolfsburg is not their 4-0 loss to Bayern, which saw them lose their chances of winning, but the announcement of Lena Oberdorf’s move to Bayern Munich.
The 22-year-old defensive midfielder has lately been one of Germany’s most promising young talents, having established herself as a key figure in midfield for club and the national team. Losing such a vital player with such a brilliant long-term trajectory would be a blow to any team, but to squander it to a direct rival is sure to be devastating for Wolfsburg.
He is the epitome of Bayern’s current policy of prioritizing Frauen Bundesliga recruitment. Of course, their overseas recruitment is also very clever and they have recently brought in some attractive signings from leagues around the world, but their most vital players still come from domestic rivals.
Six of their nine most sensible players in terms of minutes played in the league this season have been signed through Frauen Bundesliga clubs, namely young full-back Giulia Gwinn (from Freiburg), striker Lea Schüller (from Essen), defender Katharina Naschenweng (last time from Hoffenheim), midfielder Sarah Zadrazil (from Turbine Potsdam), striker Klara Bühl (also from Freiburg) and German foreigner Linda Dallmann (from Essen).
As has been the case with their men’s team for the past decade, Bayern Munich’s superiority in terms of resources and therefore player quality puts them firmly in the most sensible position in the German football food chain. Wolfsburg does not seem to have the means to stay in them, so Die Roten will be the favourites to continue to regain the Meisterschale in the coming seasons. The real challenge for them will now be in Europe, where the UEFA Women’s Champions League has proved so elusive.
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