The Advent calendars are put away. The Christmas tree has been dismantled. Gluehwein has stained the teeth. Presents have been opened and given. 2011 has been toasted in. OK, so... now what?

Oh, yeah! The return of the Bundesliga!

I'm sure that all of you are salivating over the re-start as much as I am, as the end of the first half saw Bayern Munich clawing it's way back up the Bundesliga table, beat Stuttgart twice in a week's span, advance to the next round of the DFB Pokal and gave us our round of 16 Champions League opponents.

The team has returned from their training camp in Qatar with the new addition of Gustavo from Hoffenheim and minus Martin Gaston Demichelis, who is off to wallow in the depths of Spain's La Liga with Malaga. (Oh, Martin! I'll miss your flowing locks so! And your mask as well!)

Positionally, let's take a look at what's coming up in the second half.

Goalkeeping

As I'm writing this, it's been made official: Thomas Kraft is now the new Bayern Number 1.

Oh, dear. I'm not sure that this is such a wise decision. This is not a knock on Kraft, however. I just fail to see how he is an improvement over, time-and-battle tested, Hans-Joerg Butt between the sticks... especially considering the precarious position we currently find ourselves in the Bundesliga.

This is a decision that could make or break wily-as-a-fox coach Louis van Gaal. He will either be applauded for his foresight. Or fired for a gross mis-step.

Either way, I've got a funny feeling that whoever is starting, with padded elbows, the second half of this season, they'll just be place-holders until Manuel Neuer comes over from Schalke during the summer.

Defense

Whiny Demichelis is out. Daniel van Buyten is benched. Gustavo has joined us from Hoffenheim, which means that Diego Armando Contento will be riding pine as well. The back four looks like Lahm, Badstuber, Breno, Gustavo.

Lahm, the next Bayern captain, while not having a stellar season so far, has been the only defensive player that can be relied on to get the job done. He's not among the best (if not the best) in the world for no reason.

Holger Badstuber, returning from injury, is probably the biggest question on the back line. I've never been thoroughly convinced that he's the man for the job at Bayern or for the German National Team. He seems a bit relcutant to tackle, and that will show out, especially if we progress in to the later rounds of the Champions League.

Breno's come a long way since his loan-spell at Nuernberg. And everything I saw of him live during my trip over has only confirmed that. He does still make mistakes, but he is very aggressive in coming back to make it right. I'd expect, in the future, that he'll start for Brazil.

Luiz Gustavo, coming over from Hoffenheim on a 15 million Euro transfer, will initially be used opposite Philipp Lahm on the back line, although he favors holding midfield. (And doesn't everyone?) The pairing of two Brazilians in the back should make communication easier, which in turn makes defense more fluid.

It looks like LvG has lost patience with Contento, as have most Germans when he consented to play for Italy. Diego's got mad skills, but is still off his line more than on. The kid's got a bright future ahead of him, as well, he just needs his brain to catch up with his feet.

Midfield

Well, the big question seems to come in the form of what will happen with Mark van Bommel? Out of contract at the end of the season, and with no new offer looming, van Bommel seems to be a bit out of sorts. His agent is playing down talks of a move to Milan, but is still in Milan on "other business". Hmmmmm...

I draw parallels with Micheal Ballack's stiuation to his. If the engine runs better without the star- even though it doesn't run badly with- do you bench/trade the star to improve it? In Ballack's case, problem solved because he's oft-injured of late. But, in van Bommel's? He's currently Bayern's captain. You can't sit your captain, can you? I'm curious to see if he's still wearing red and white by the time the transfer window closes. I'm thinking "no".

Bastian Schweinsteiger's re-upping his contract is proof of how much, and universally he is loved. Stepping up to take the 10 spot, holding it down in defensive midfield- the Ballon D'Or finalist did everything that was asked of him. And more. And now that the contract issue is settled, I expect him to have a great second half, distraction-free.

Personally, I would pick him as Bayern's next captain over Philipp Lahm as he's got a bit more fire in his belly. But, this is probably due to the fact that I'm borderline-obsessed...

And you can't mention one without the other... Robbery is back. Finally!

While Arjen Robben is not the be-all-end-all solution to Bayern's woes (that would rest firmly on the back line), I'd venture a guess that the majority of die Roten's supporters find themselves gleefully anticipating Robben on the pitch Saturday against Wolfsburg. I know that I am!

Ribery seems to have finally put a miserable 2010 behind him. I'm sure he wasn't happy about the winter break as his form was quickly coming back, but he'll get plenty of opportunity to sparkle opposite the Dutchman straight out of the gate.

With Toni Kroos out injured, the ten slot seems likely to go to Thomas Mueller--- who is not a traditional playmaker. One might expect the offense to go a little more 4-4-2 with him in. It'll be interesting, however, when Toni comes back, as both young German Internationals should be starting somewhere.

Ah, LvG... it's a problem having so much midfield talent, isn't it? Bayern Munich is blessed with a dynamic, stacked middle. Top 3 in the world, I would say- along with Barcelona and Real Madrid- when everyone is healthy. Feel free to argue about the order of the top 3, as I'm sure everyone has very strong opinions on it...

Forwards

While he's always turned my head, he's finally turned my heart as well... Mario Gomez is finally fulfilling the expectations everyone had of him when he came over from Stuttgart. And, not a moment too soon. With 20 goals in all competitions so far this season, his moniker, Super Mario, is quickly becoming appropriate. I'm betting he'll score the most goals in the Bundesliga this season, for with the return of Robben and Ribery's shenanigans in the midfield, he'll find himself open more than in the first half.

Of course, Gomez's form means nothing good for Miroslav Klose. If he doesn't leave this winter, he'll be leaving in the summer. Not that I want to see him go, by any means. But, his goal is to compete in the EURO 2012, which means he needs to start--- somewhere. This is another case of club versus country for me. And wherever he ends up, I wish him well.

The Rest

The bench players finally geared up and played integral roles to Bayern Munich's return to form--- most notably Antoliy Tymoschuk; who in my mind, deserves to start alongside Bastian in holding midfield.

I can't figure out why Hamit Altintop insists on fighting for a place in Munich's starting line-up--- inflated sense of skills, perhaps? But there is no way I'd rate him capable of starting ahead of Kroos or Mueller. Is he waiting for more injuries?

Danijel Pranjic has shown himself as adept on the wings in midfield and defense, and has proved to be an asset coming off the bench. A go-to-guy for van Gaal, if you will.

So, what does this all mean for Saturday?

Well, Leverkusen toppling Dortmund- again- would be a good start.

And, Steve McClaren's Wolfsburg will be doing without Edin Dzeko, striker-extraordinare, who was sold to Manchester City this winter. Not that he doesn't have a stellar "second" option in Grafite. And a very talented, threatening midfield in the form of Diego and Mandzukic- the latter being a striking option as well. Arne Friedrich also returns from injury, which gives the Wolves defense a lift.

Unfortunately, Arjen and Gustavo will likely not start. But, I hope to see both at some point in the second half.

Starting 11? Kraft - Lahm, Breno, Badstuber, Pranjic - van Bommel, Schweinsteiger - Altintop, Mueller, Ribery - Gomez

Not that I'm one for predictions, but the motors are revving, feelings are high... I'll go ahead and say we're gonna kick some Wolves butt!

In what would be improbable, but not impossible, we're looking to top the table by the end of the season. It all starts tomorrow.

Auf gehts, Bayern!

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