Bayern Munchen picked up a record fifth successive Bundesliga title but Carlo Ancelotti's first season in charge of the club proved to be an underwhelming one as they fell short both on domestic and European fronts. Fans were hoping that Ancelotti's arrival would help them improve their fortunes in Europe, with Bayern having failed to get past the semifinals stage in the previous three campaigns. Bayern got off to their customary quick start, picking up their first silverware of the season by beating Borussia Dortmund in the Super Cup before winning their first five games of the league campaign. A disappointing defeat to Atletico Madrid though exposed a chink in Bayern's armor and, with RB Leipzig putting up consistent displays, the defending champions were not able to really pull clear at the top of the table. Bayern rediscovered their form at the end of November and embarked on an excellent run that saw them go unbeaten in 20 games in all competitions during which they failed to win just twice. Bayern looked to have wrapped up the title following the excellent run and turned their attention towards Europe only to stumble against Real Madrid in the quarter finals, suffering a 3-6 aggregate defeat.
The European exit coincided with another dip in form that saw Bayern win just once in seven games and also suffer a disappointing defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the DFB Cup. Bayern did end the season on a strong note, winning their final four games of the campaign to secure the Bundesliga title but Ancelotti will be aware that winning just the title would be seen as a poor return both by the club and the fans. Ancelotti will have to work on Bayern's consistency if they are to have a successful campaign next season while reinforcements are needed following both Xabi Alonso and Philipp Lahm retiring in the summer. Renato Sanches struggled to justify his huge transfer fee and, with Arturo Vidal and Joshua Kimmich yet to show consistent form, Ancelotti has a mini-rebuilding job to do especially in the center of the midfield.
