Keep calm and carry on

Two goals to nil, 22 shots to four, 11 crosses to six: without Manuel Neuer's heroics against Dortmund, Wednesday's match might have ended in humiliation for Bayern Munich. But let's put the crisis headlines on ice for at least a few more days. After all, Xherdan Shaqiri could have lent a very different shape to the game when he raced clean through in the third minute. Similarly, Mitch Langerak denied Robert Lewandowski moments after the break in a one-on-one.

"I hope that the next game will go much better," debutant Lewandowski, who showed a few flashes despite being isolated up front for most of the night, said on ZDF television after the match.

Should Bayern have similar difficulties in the German Cup first round against third-tier Preussen Münster on Sunday, then it would be time to talk of pre-season problems. For the moment, however, Pep Guardiola's side can take some solace from last year's 4-2 defeat in the Supercup; an early-season blow that was wholly forgotten by the time Bayern wrapped up the Bundesliga in record time. Also beaten in the German Cup final, Dortmund won last season's consolation prize - and nothing more.

The level of experimentation, born partly out of necessity and partly desire, employed by Guardiola on Wednesday evening cannot be understated. At 28, overworked goalie and captain Manuel Neuer was the oldest player to start. Sebastian Rode, Robert Lewandowski, 17-year-old Gianluca Gaudino and 21-year-old Juan Bernat all made their debuts; 19-year-old Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was playing just his 10th senior game.

"We're still in the middle of our season preparations," Philipp Lahm concluded after the defeat.

Three at the back

As in pre-season, Bayern employed a 3-4-3 formation more than a little reminiscent of Louis van Gaal's preferred shape with the Netherlands at the World Cup in Brazil. Youngsters Hojbjerg and Bernat filled the key positions as wing-backs, while the babe of the bunch Gaudino tried to act as the midfield anchor coordinating with the back three.

This transitional area of the pitch proved a problem all night. In attack, Bayern struggled to convert possession into territorial gains and forward movement. Defensively, the back three often looked isolated against the runs of pacy attackers Ciro Immobile and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. If any team is tailor-made to exploit the gaps in an open formation, then it's Klopp's direct, industrious unit. Jerome Boateng ended the game lucky to have just the one yellow card, substitute (on for the injured Javi Martinez) Dante was often left looking at a clean set of heels, while David Alaba could not realize his attacking potential as part of a besieged back line.

Yet with such a versatile squad, changes could be made as early as Sunday's cup tie against Münster. New signing Bernat is also considered a candidate for the back three, and Holger Badstuber finally graced a Bayern bench after more than 18 months out with torn knee ligaments. The left-footed German international, once fully fit, could slot into Alaba's current spot.

Kroos-shaped hole

Less than a day after Bayern's big summer departure Toni Kroos picked up the European Super Cup with his new club Real Madrid, the Munich midfield appeared devoid of a creative director at times. Sebastian Rode was quiet on his debut, and moved out to the right flank later in the game to accommodate Philipp Lahm in the center of midfield.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, one of eight Bayern players involved in Germany's successful World Cup run, was sorely missed in the middle third. Bayern completed 504 passes - almost twice as many as Dortmund - but too few of them displayed the imagination required to break down a top-drawer team. Guardiola's chosen signing of last summer, former Barcelona technician Thiago Alcantara, is the obvious candidate to provide that je ne sais quoi.

News this week that Thiago is not expected back until October, at the earliest, may help explain the decision not to risk Schweinsteiger ahead of the weekend cup game.

Reinforcements inbound

Beyond Schweinsteiger and Thiago, Guardiola can also look forward to the returns of Rafinha - an important option for right wing-back - and star wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery in the near future. Like Lahm, Ribery has even called time on his international career, prioritizing FCB over Les Bleus.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in a recent interview that it was clear that "our eight players who went the distance in the World Cup will certainly not be in optimal condition for the start of the season," saying Bayern would "have to somehow compensate for this."

Compensating against lower league Münster on Sunday should prove a formality, after that Bayern have four rest-days to prepare for the season-opener - a stern test at home to Wolfsburg next Friday.

Guardiola has until November 1 to ready his new squad - and new system - for a Bundesliga match against Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena. Last season, after losing the Supercup 4-2, Bayern smashed their rivals 3-0 in their opening league meeting.