Bayern Munich’s chances this season.

Bayern Munich introduced new signing, Mark van Bommel today. Holding a Bayern shirt with #17 on it, van Bommel set his sights high for the new season. Retaining the German Cup, and retaining the Bundesliga Championship are the two most important goals for the season, according to the Dutch International.

When I did my post about the UEFA Champions League draw, I insisted that Bayern were going to end up on the wrong side of the top two of their group and might not even make the UEFA Cup slot. Losing Ballack and Ze Roberto, seemed like huge gaps that Coach Felix Magath would have trouble filling. Looking at the club roster before van Bommel moved over, the two ideal players that Magath should have moved into those roles were Hargreaves and Deisler. Hargreaves seems to be staring in his own “Escape from Allianz Arena,” with Hargreaves playing the Snake Plissken role of Kurt Russell. As the transfer window closes this Thursday, it appears that Hargreaves will not be moving to Old Trafford and will be taking a prominent spot in the defensive midfield role.

Sebastian Deisler has been a quirk in the FC Bayern Munich universe, as well as the German national Team universe to be fair. The kid has got some of the best creative skills anyone has ever seen in a Germany midfielder. He also has a permanent injury bug that is of the likes that not many players have ever seen. His main problem has been the career threatening knee injuries he picked up in 2002 as well as a knee injury that kept him out of the 2006 World Cup and has him in rehab right now. His biggest ailment though is the fact that he suffers from chronic depression, so much that it forced him to miss half of the 2003-04 season. Assuming that his current knee injury heals up, ‘Basti,’ as he is nicknamed, as well as Bayern’s coaching staff, will have to be weary of a future onset of the depression.

Assuming he comes back at full health, a midfield that combines Hargreaves, van Bommel and Deisler will be one that has the potential to match the domestic feats of last seasons, Ballack led Bayern. The three of them should be able to steer Bayern through the group phase of the UEFA Champions League as well, assuming that the work is done on the other two ends of the field, namely Oliver Kahn continues his solid performances in goal and Roy Makaay does not display a howler of a goal attempt as he did against Nuremburg on Saturday. Adding Schweinsteiger, Pizzaro, Podolski and Santa Cruz to the offensive mix and Bayern might be able to match its quarter final run it did last season.

Unfortunately, most of the success this season will fall on the shoulders of Hargreaves, van Bommel and Deisler. If Hargreaves remains a Bayern player, he will need to put forth the effort on the field and not run through the motions and sulk because his bosses wouldn’t let him move on to the land of Boddingtons. Deisler will need to become match fit and ensure to focus on the games, and avoid any depression that might overcome him. Van Bommel will need to fit in with the rest of his new club and provide a good presence in the Bayern midfield.