There was an unfamiliar feeling going into the last matchday of the Bundesliga. Bayern Munich had not yet sealed their 11th consecutive title and a Borussia Dortmund win would see the holders finally dethroned.

In the event, Dortmund could only salvage a late draw. But it still took Bayern until the 89th minute to find the Jamal Musiala goal that ensured they won the Meisterschale on goal difference.

How did it get to this point? The Bavarians are usually so dominant that it's rare they have anything to fight for on the last day. In fact, they haven't done so since Niko Kovac was in charge of Bayern in the 2018-19 season.

Lacking Lewandowski

The most obvious failing of this team was the lack of a true replacement for Robert Lewandowski. If the league's best player and consecutive top scorer leaves, you would expect him to be properly replaced. Instead of signing someone who fit Lewandowski's striker profile, Bayern decided to build a more flexible squad, hoping that more players would share the goalscoring load. This idea worked out for the first three games but then was altered so Bayern could play a more typical number 9 in Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

It was closer to naive than brave, given that the trend in other big clubs is to have a goalscoring center-forward like Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Erling Haaland (Man City), Victor Osimhen (Napoli) or Sebastien Haller (Dortmund). It was also a poor choice to expect the likes of Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane to replace someone with 30 goals when they average 12 and 8 per season respectively over their careers.

Battles lost in the middle of the pitch

Another criticism of this squad is the positioning and roles of their pivot players, usually Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka. This one has been a problem brewing since Kovac and has spilt over into the German national team. With Kovac and Hansi Flick, this problem was not constant, as the club also had Thiago and Javi Martinez, who both had strengths playing in a deep pivot position and were more comfortable just in front of their defensive line.

Kimmich and Goretzka, on the other hand, have struggled to keep this position and, as such, have contributed to Bayern's weakness; getting overplayed during counterattacks and quality in moving the ball forward in possession to take advantages of strengths higher up the pitch.

These failings have not gone unnoticed. Bayern are currently looking for a striker and a holding midfielder in the transfer window.

Recruitment rocky

But that's not all that they're fixing. Issues at recruitment level have seen some responsibility laid at the doorsteps of former CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, leading to their dismissals.

It has become increasingly clear that Bayern's recruitment since the 2017-18 season has followed a clear pattern. They have decided to replace experience and quality with talent and hope or, as in the cases of Thiago and Lewandowski, not at all.

It started with the likes of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery being replaced by Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman. While these players are obviously very talented, they lack the consistency that previous Bayern Munich teams relied on. The same issue is showing at center back, with Niklas Süle, David Alaba and Jerome Boateng being replaced with Matthijs De Ligt and Dayot Upemecano. You could even say this about Ryan Gravenberch and Mathys Tel, who both arrived this season. And who can forget, Kahn and Salihamidzic also did this at coach level too, putting their faith into an upcoming talent Julian Nagelsmann over someone with greater experience.

With some staggering amounts being spent on replacements who don't fit, the only surprise over Kahn and Salihamidzic's sackings was the timing.

Inexperience costs Salihamidzic

Dortmund on the other hand, have pushed Bayern due to their new sporting director, Sebastian Kehl, having a better mindset on signings and team recruitment. It's no surprise they were in pole position to snatch the league away. The difference between Kehl and Salihamidzic can also been seen as a stain on Bayern's process of recruitment, with Kehl having four years experience of Dortmund's head of first team football before being promoted into the director role. Salihamidzic did not have this type of experience before being given one of the biggest jobs in German football.

Kahn's role has already been handed to finance CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and a suggestion for Kahn's predecessor Karl Heinz-Rummenigge to join the supervisory board has been aired. That leaves the defending champions to choose Salihamidzic's replacement. They need someone who can make smart moves in recruitment and communicate clearly within the ranks of the club. If they don't get that right, they may not be as lucky next season.