5 things we learned in the Bundesliga this weekend: Curtain begins decent on Guardiola era

With another weekend of Bundesliga action in the books, we take a look back at some of what we learned from the latest slate of matches.

Guardiola news overshadows winning end to Bayern's dominant 1st half

Any other season would have seen Bayern Munich's near flawless first half of the Bundesliga season dominate the discussion going into the holiday season. Instead, news of Pep Guardiola's imminent departure from Bayern has dwarfed his side's accomplishments.

The defending league champion may have not entered the winter break with the most dominant of performances following its narrow win over a struggling Hannover 96 side.

The victory, ensured by Thomas Muller's penalty, gives Bayern 15 wins and sets the club up to eclipse last season's mark of 79 points. It also provided a comfortable eight-point cushion on Borussia Dortmund, which appears to all but out of the title race.

Ancelotti will live up to Bayern's hefty expectations

The pressure facing Carlo Ancelotti ahead of his first season at Bayern may pale in comparison to Guardiola's task in 2013 when he replaced Jupp Heynckes, but it remains a job with expectations rivaled by few teams in the world.

The Italian - who will manage in his fifth different country since 2009 next season after being announced as Guardiola's successor - will be tasked with carrying on the winning tradition that managers such as Heynckes and Guardiola restored.

His transition should be seamless after leading clubs with boatloads of money and talent - such as AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid - in the past.

Muller's new deal means end to relentless transfer rumours

Summers without rumours linking Muller to a host of teams are like Bundesliga seasons without Bayern lifting silverware.

However, the relentless speculation over the German forward's future won't - at least for now - dominate headlines this summer after Muller agreed to a new deal that will see him ply his trade at the Allianz Arena.

Sorry, Manchester United. Better luck in six years.

Managerial shake-ups dominate final weekend of 2015

Besides the "minor" shake-up announced in Munich, there was pair of other managerial changes around the league as VfB Suttgart and Hannover 96 will begin the new year with new leaders.

While VfB Stuttgart knows for sure who will take charge in 2016 with Juergen Kramny's permanent appointment, the search for Hannover's next gaffer has just begun following Michael Frontzeck's departure after his side's failure to remove itself from the drop-zone.

Dortmund's stumble ends title hopes

That should do it for Borussia Dortmund.

The Bundesliga's lone hope to usurp Bayern Munich as champions suffered a devastating blow after seeing its lead evaporate in the space 10 minutes.

Dortmund's 2-1 loss to FC Cologne has virtually gifted the title to Bayern Munich yet again as the defending champions enter the winter break with an eight-advantage - a gap which seems almost insurmountable.