After wrapping up the German Bundesliga title with consummate ease, it has quickly become a season of mixed emotions for the Bavarian side. Champions League heartache after their disposal from the competition by Real Madrid has left them with just the DFB Pokal final against rivals Borussia Dortmund left to play for. It seems that the manner in which Real Madrid exploited Bayern's weaknesses has left them dismayed, and eager for Cup final success come May 17th.
Bundesliga:
Bayern have become the Bundesliga's elite side. Streets ahead of any other competitors, they secured the title on the 25th of March, with 7 fixtures still to play. In fact, between then and the start of the season, Bayern had won 25 of those games and drawn just 2, dropping 4 points of a possible 81. They have since lost 2 and drawn one, the loss to Augsburg on the 5th of April ending their 53 game unbeaten Bundesliga streak, stretching back to October 28th, 2012. Predictably, Bayern have scored the most (93) and conceded the least (23) goals to secure their 23rd Bundesliga title, which is astounding and shows the domination the have asserted as no other club has won more than 5 titles in the time (Bundesliga began in 1962-63.) Clearly Bayern have been the best side in the league, and have implemented the Tiki-Taka style of play that manager Pep Guardiola is globally rekowned for.
Champions League:
Quite frankly, Bayern have failed to live up to the high expectations that were brought upon by their performances in last seasons competition, as well as their form in the Bundesliga this year. They had no real issues with the group stage, as they won their first 5 games with relative comfort before going down 3-2 to Manchester City in their final group game. They were drawn against Arsenal, and progressed with a 3-1 aggregate scoreline after a strong first leg showing in London. They then faced up against what has been the weakest Manchester United side in years gone by, and powered through with a 4-2 aggregate victory after a difficult 1-1 draw in the first leg.
What came next was to be the Bavarian's most difficult test of the season, a semi-final clash with “Los Galacticos," Real Madrid. After losing the first leg 1-0, Bayern capitulated in Munich losing 4-0 and being swept aside by one of Los Blancos greatest European displays. The tradition of no club ever retaining the Champions League since it's creation in 1992 lived on as Bayern ran out of steam in their push for yet more silverwear.
DFB Pokal:
Like the Bundesliga, Bayern have steamrolled their way through the German Cup competition, and will face Borussia Dortmund in the final on May 17th at the Olympiastadion. With performances such as those of Thomas Muller (7 goals and an assist in 3 games) and Arjen Robben (3 goals and 4 assists in 4 games) Bayern have crushed all resistance and are odds on favourites to reign victorious for the 17th time in their history.
Key players:
Bayern possess a fantastic squad with an abundance of talent but several of their stars have stood out from the rest this season. German international goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has kept 21 clean sheets this season, Mario Mandzukic's 25 goals have more than proved his value to the side, and the goals and assists of Muller, Ribery and Robben have been crucial to take advantage of the side's attacking prowess.
What they said:
Pep Guardiola: “ To play well, you need to have the ball. You need possession or else you will struggle.” (After first leg of Arsenal tie.)
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: “ We’ll show them that Bayern Munich have real quality at home, and it’ll remind them a little of hell.” (Before Bayern's 4-0 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid. These quotes were lauded upon by the Spanish press after the result.)
Summary:
All in all, it has been a season of mixed emotions for the German giants. They have triumphed on a domestic stage once again, but the Champions League has eluded them in a cruel manner after defeat by Real Madrid. They will come back stronger next season, and look to seize initiative in the transfer market after already securing the services of prolific Dortmund forward Robert Lewandowski.
