Bayern's win does little to dispel doubts over Ancelotti's future

At this rate, if the German media is anything to go by, Carlo Ancelotti will be lucky to have a job by Christmas.

On the surface, order was restored with Bayern Munich's 3-0 victory to open its Champions League campaign just days after a disappointing domestic loss.

Yet, the Bundesliga champion did little to quell speculation over the Italian's future Tuesday during a match that resembled the team's previous struggles this season.

A majority of football observers would have anticipated that Bayern Munich would cruise to victory after Anderlecht went down to 10 men just 11 minutes into the Group A contest.

Instead, Ancelotti's men produced the type of underwhelming performance that a full-strength Anderlecht side would have been happy to see, as Bayern once again faced difficulties in the final third despite dominating the chances and possession.

Those in attendance at the Allianz Arena likely expected an absolute thrashing once Sven Kums was handed his marching orders by the match official for fouling Robert Lewandowski in the penalty area.

But, what played out was far from the brand of football supporters have been treated to over the past several seasons.

Bayern, whose late two-goal output in the closing minutes made the 3-0 scoreline more flattering than the team deserved, showed signs of the squad that struggled to find a break during its first loss of the Bundesliga season last weekend against Hoffenheim.

Much like Saturday's 2-0 loss, Bayern produced similar possession stats Tuesday to its performance against Hoffenheim after enjoying a 76 percent advantage in possession compared the 72 percent of possession against its domestic rival.

However, it's the chances on goal that will have some questioning the team's ability to recapture its lethal touch in the final third after Bayern only managed to find the back of the net three times out of a possible 28 shots (11 on target) - an improvement, somewhat, compared to the 23 shots that failed to yield a single goal against Hoffenheim.

Speculation emerged after Bayern's loss over whether Ancelotti is the right man for the job despite leading the Bavarians to the Bunesliga title last term in his first season in charge.

So, perhaps it's no coincidence that Germany's hottest coaching prospect has emerged as a favourite to succeed the Italian, with reports linking the man who beat Ancelotti over the weekend, Julian Nagelsmann, to one of the country's most coveted jobs.

The 32-year-old manager offers a chance for a fresh perspective following his promising start to the season with Hoffenheim on the heels of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the team's history with a fourth-place finish last season.

Nagelsmann even added to the rumours by revealing his desire to manage Bayern in the future.

"Bayern has always played a prominent role in my dreams," Nagelsmann said, courtesy of Mark Lovell of ESPN FC. "I lived in Munich for many years and come from Landsberg am Lech (Bavaria). ...

"I am very, very happy in my life. Bayern Munich would make me a little bit happier, but it is not as if my whole happiness depends on Bayern."

Ancelotti's job may be safe for now, considering that such speculation is common when one hits a bump in the road with one of the world's most notable football clubs.

But the pressure will surely ratchet up if the team's struggles in front of goal continue, and if a back line with Bayern's wealth of experience shows further signs of incompetance against teams it's expected to beat.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)