A slow start to their season is something Bayern Munich have been able to cope with over recent years, but on this occasion they left it too late altogether. Retaining their crown by catching Dortmund was out of the question in any case, but the Bavarians almost bagged second place with an amazing late spurt. Conflict between team coach van Gaal and the Bavarian hierarchy following elimination from the Champions league clearly affected the players significantly. It was only after the departure of the coach that the team really began to play, and the point was stressed with 5-1 and even 8-1 wins in the closing stages of the season. Injuries kept top players Robben and Ribery sidelined during long spells, which also affected Bayern´s progress detrimentally. On the plus side, goalscorer supreme Mario Gomez finally came good and ended up as Bundesliga top scorer with 28 goals in 32 games. With Klose, Muller and Olic in the squad, Bayern are certainly not short of top strikers. The Bavarians may have finally solved their goalscoring problems, but not so as far as goalkeeping is concerned. Butt started the season in goal, but was later replaced by Kraft. Butt then took over again, but his place is far from secure due to the probable arrival of Neuer from Schalke.
