Dante’s Bayern II Faces Historic Crisis After Two Losses

The romance of Dante’s return to Munich has met a brutal reality check.

One week after a shock 1-0 home defeat to promoted SC Eltersdorf in their Regionalliga Bayern opener, Bayern II were beaten again on Friday night, this time 2-0 away at Wacker Burghausen. Two games, zero points, one goal scored, three conceded in the league – and a wider tally of 2-16 across six matches under their new coach.

For a club that treats its reserve side as a talent factory, this is more than just a slow start. It is a collapse out of the blocks.

A First in the Regionalliga Era

Since the Regionalliga Bayern was introduced in 2012/13, Bayern’s second team had never lost their first two matches of a campaign. Across years in the fourth tier, punctuated by two seasons up in the 3. Liga, the second team had always found a way to start with at least some momentum.

Not this time.

With zero points, Bayern II sit bottom of the table. The standings in August rarely decide a season, but the symbolism is hard to ignore: a record club’s reserve side, suddenly looking fragile at the very level they consider the bare minimum.

Outplayed in Burghausen

At Wacker Burghausen, eighth last term and solid but unspectacular, Bayern II were second best from the opening whistle.

The first half was one-way traffic. Burghausen pressed high, forced mistakes, and carved out chances almost at will. The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute, Felix Bachschmid finishing off the pressure with a deserved opener. Bayern II could hardly complain; Wacker might have scored earlier.

The warning did not jolt the visitors into life. Instead, the same man struck again. In the 38th minute, Bachschmid made it 2-0, punishing another shaky defensive sequence. The scoreline reflected the pattern: Wacker in control, Bayern’s youngsters chasing shadows.

That was how it stayed.

Youthful Promise, Harsh Lessons

Bayern II’s starting XI in Burghausen had an average age of just 20. The plan is clear: throw the club’s next generation into senior football, surround them with a couple of seasoned pros, and watch them grow.

On paper, the leaders are there. Benno Schmitz, 31, with Bundesliga experience at 1. FC Köln and RB Leipzig, and 28-year-old Anton Heinz, who has played for the likes of Alemannia Aachen, are meant to anchor the group. On the pitch, especially before the break, the structure around them fell apart.

After half-time, the picture improved. Bayern II tightened up defensively, stopped the bleeding, and finally began to stitch some attacks together. The game, though, never truly sparked into life again. Wacker sat on their lead, Bayern pushed without conviction, and the clock ran out on any notion of a comeback.

“After the break we adjusted a few things and then it was significantly better. Unfortunately, we didn't reward ourselves with a goal,” Dante said afterwards. “Even so, we have to keep our heads up – it's important to me that we learn from this match.”

From Euphoria to Early Doubts

Dante’s coaching story at Bayern was supposed to start differently.

The Brazilian, a treble winner with the club in 2013 and a popular figure from his playing days at Säbener Straße between 2012 and 2015, returned to Munich after ending his career at OGC Nice. The idea was romantic and logical at once: a club legend, steeped in Bayern’s culture, guiding the next wave.

He arrived brimming with optimism. “I want us to play with joy. Young players in particular should enjoy putting their foot down so that they can also be happy after the match. But that only works with a lot of hard work and discipline,” he said shortly before the season kicked off.

The reality so far? Four defeats in four pre-season friendlies, now followed by two losses in two competitive matches. Six games, six defeats. Goal difference: 2-16. The joy has been replaced by a stark learning curve.

Stakes That Go Beyond One Coach

Inside the club, nobody will be panicking publicly after two league fixtures. The season is long, the table still elastic. But anyone who watched the friendlies and these first two Regionalliga matches will have noticed a pattern: a team struggling to defend, struggling to impose itself, and struggling to turn potential into points.

The wider concern is structural. For Bayern, relegation of the second team to the Oberliga would be a serious setback. The club wants its best academy products playing senior football at the highest possible level. The 3. Liga is the target, the environment where talents are properly tested. The Regionalliga is already a compromise – and the minimum requirement.

Drop below that, and the pathway narrows. The gap between youth football and the first team becomes harder to bridge.

Schweinfurt on the Horizon

So the pressure builds, subtly but unmistakably. Dante is not showing signs of panic, at least not in public, but the “nightmare start” label now clings to this opening stretch. His task is clear: restore belief, sharpen the structure, and turn the emotional high of his return into something more tangible than warm memories.

Next up is 1. FC Schweinfurt, recently relegated from the 3. Liga, visiting on Saturday. On paper, it is exactly the kind of opponent Bayern II must measure themselves against if they harbour genuine ambitions of climbing back up.

One win will not erase the numbers that have piled up against Dante. But in a season that has already veered off script, it might be the first step in proving that this is a blip, not the start of a slide.