Bayern Munich’s coach Pep Guardiola (left) speaks to Arjen Robben and Douglas Costa during their German cup match against FC Noettingen last week. (Reuters)

DPA/Berlin

A historic fourth straight Bundesliga title is the main aim of Bayern Munich but they no longer have talismanic Bastian Schweinsteiger and face uncertainty about the future of coach Pep Guardiola. Bayern ran away with the league title in the past three seasons and are the overwhelming favourite again.
The summer departure of Schweinsteiger after 17 years at the club to Manchester United has hurt the fans more than Guardiola who has an abundance of classy midfielders to chose from.
In addition, Munich have spent more than 60 million euros (66.8 million dollars) over the past weeks to get fast Brazilian winger Douglas Costa and Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal.
Costa and Vidal, who knows the Bundesliga from a past term in Leverkusen, have made an immediate impact in Bavaria and are likely starters in Friday’s league season opener against SV Hamburg.
The final decision lies with Guardiola but the main aspect around the Catalan coach is his contractual situation. The 44-year-old former Barcelona helmsman is in the final season of his three-year deal and yet to say whether he will stay on or move elsewhere - such as the money-laden English Premier League.
The first “lame duck” references have already been made in the German media while Guardiola refuses to discuss the issue and says “next question” when asked at news conferences.
Guardiola has a 2014 league and cup double from his first season and only a league title from the past campaign. He went out in the Champions League in the semis in both seasons.
Now comes possibly his last chance to get a treble of Bundesliga, German cup and Champions League to emulate the 2013 feat of his predecessor Jupp Heynckes. Captain Philipp Lahm insisted yesterday that Guardiola is “super motivated and engaged. You can feel that he 100 per cents wants the best possible success.”
Sports director Matthias Sammmer said recently that “Bayern Munich will continue breathing without Guardiola.” They certainly still have life in them without Schweinsteiger who may have feared to get little playing time under Guardiola at age 31 and rather chose to be reunited with Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford.
Schweinsteiger was among several Munich players whose career is winding down, with captain Philipp Lahm, wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben and midfielder Xabi Alonso among others beyond 30.  “The current team faces a final joint season ... The approaching rebuilding can already be felt,” the Sueddeutsche Zeitung said last month in an editorial.
“Bayern would very much love to renew the contract with Pep Guardiola. The coach meanwhile leaves it very open whether he can imagine that as well. Instead of insisting on the strength of the club which does not act upon the wishes of an individual Bayern are doing the opposite: They are making themselves dependent of a coach in their plans like rarely before.”
However, there is no arguing about the value of the 24-year-old Costa, who can take the place of Robben and Ribery, and even more of the aggressive Vidal, who is a true team leader just as former Munich players Stefan Effenberg and Marc van Bommel.
“He (Vidal) is a winner thanks to the style and manner in which he plays,” Sammer said. A recent defeat on penalties against Wolfsburg in the German Super Cup showed that Munich are vulnerable, and last season’s runners-up will also lead the charge along with resurgent 2011 and 2012 champions Borussia Dortmund. Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke and Borussia Moenchengladbach are other contenders.
Bayern were also not overly impressive in a weekend 3-1 cup win at fifth division Noettingen but forward Mario Goetze, who appears to be staying in Munich despite two difficult years, is upbeat. “We’re primed for the new season. We’re optimistic and looking forward to it,” Goetze said.
For Guardiola, meanwhile, chasing the record fourth straight Bundesliga title is a major and challenging task because no team has managed this before. “This means just one thing: it is difficult. It is not easy but it is good goal for us. These players can achieve it for the first time,” Guardiola said.
Lahm agreed, saying: “It is never been achieved before, not even the outstanding team from the 1970s managed it. It is a huge motivation.”