Records falling and hopes rising at FC Bayern Munich

The holidays are for dreaming – and FC Bayern fans are certainly starting to dream big as the first half of the season winds down, and the race for titles heats up.

The fact that Bayern win nearly every match they play doesn’t come as much of a surprise given their history of success. But this season has been particularly dominant: So far, Bayern have only lost once (to Arsenal in the Champions League) and drawn once (to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga). The rest of their matches have been dominant wins, with an average margin of victory of three goals and several matches where the opponents didn’t score.

“I can't remember a match in which the team wasn't motivated and focused. This is unparalleled quality with a consistency that didn't exist in my days or in Franz Beckenbauer's days.”

Bayern Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

He was speaking after last week's 4-0 shutout of Olympiacos to clinch top of the group in the Champions League, and it was followed this past weekend by a 2-0 shutout of Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga.

Fantastic feats

While the team’s results are quite remarkable, the individual accomplishments that are being collected by the players are astounding as well.

Thomas Mueller became the youngest player (26) to achieve 50 wins in the Champions League with the victory against Olympiacos. He slotted home the 2,300th goal in Bayern history with his opener during the match against Hertha Berlin, and he has already (after just 14 matchdays) equaled his personal best for goals scored in a season with 13.

For Robert Lewandowski, things look even better. Scoring five goals in nine minutes against Wolfsburg earlier this season earned him several entries in the Guinness Book of Records. His official certificates for the records were presented this week in Munich and include:

- Fastest Bundesliga hat trick (3:22 minutes)

- Fastest Bundesliga four goals scored (5:42)

- Fastest Bundesliga five goals scored (8:59)

- Most goals scored by a Bundesliga substitute

“It was wonderful evening for me, historic too,” Lewandowski said of the feat. “It’ll always stay with me, and many fans will remember it too.”

Rounding off the personal accolades for Bayern was coach Pep Guardiola’s inclusion on the short list of FIFA’s Coach of the Year Award. Guardiola previously won the award in 2011 with FC Barcelona.

Even on the merchandising front, Bayern saw outstanding results after their first “Singles Day,” China’s version of Black Friday, with fan articles flying off the shelves of their Flagship Store on TMall Global.

Winding down the first half

With Bayern easily handling just about every opponent that comes their way, it’s easy to forget that the season isn’t even halfway over. Their final match in group F of the Champions League – away against Dinamo Zagreb on December 9 – is just a formality, as Bayern have already secured top spot in the group. Less than a week later, Bayern face fellow Bundesliga side Darmstadt in the next round of the German Cup – a more than manageable task, especially given Bayern’s home field advantage for the December 15 clash.

In the Bundesliga, Bayern have three more tests before the winter break: away against Monchengladbach, home against Ingolstadt, and away against Hanover on December 5, 12, and 19 respectively. They currently have an eight-point advantage over second-place Borussia Dortmund in the league table.

The dream of winning all three titles is still alive, and while Bayern have made it look easy, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer summed it up best: “We know it only gets decided in the spring.”

FC Bayern traditionally spend part of their winter break at a training camp abroad – have a look at some of our behind the scenes footage from last year when the team traveled to Qatar! For more on FC Bayern Munich, check out the team’s playlist on the DHL YouTube page or head into our InMotion archives.