The major European leagues have barely started, and it seems that two (potentially three) already have a champions-elect. One of the two is the Bundesliga, where Bayern have started their campaign very brightly, as is characteristic of them.
But, on a more serious note, can they not? Can they seriously not?
Success and prosperity are two things that FC Bayern Munich has experienced plenty of, mostly down to the fact that they buy out their competition year in year out. The best players, with the exception of Marco Reus, do not want to patiently wait for ‘their’ year. The structure of a footballing career is way too short for that sort of thing. Everyone wants to make the most of every season, everyone wants to win everything every season. That’s just the way it is.
Not in England, though.
In the Premier League, whether clubs like it or not, success won’t necessarily from henceforth be measured by league titles. They will be measured by placement and most likely Champions League qualification, no matter the magnitude of the club. And all of this has occurred due to the strengthening that all of the top clubs in the league are now able to do, not to mention the fact that most of them are identical in their strengths (build-up play) and weaknesses (defending). In other words, a perfect competitive environment that is bound to entice and entertain every single viewer out there that’s not biased towards one of Barca, Real, Bayern, or even PSG.
The Bundesliga has been quite successful in attracting a selective group that’s been loyal to them over the years. Most of them, though, are likely not Bayern fans. And this is not a fact, just an observation from the various publishers that are out there specializing in this category.
The attraction may be down to some rocket science that only those folks understand, but it may also be down to the downright simple observation that of all the major European leagues, the Bundesliga is the most similar to the Premier League in terms of style of play.
Some suggest that it is a better version of its English counterpart, but others, like myself, still regard it below the footballing world’s Hollywood due to the simple matter of the aforementioned lack of competition to Bayern.
Lewandowski is one of many who’ve switched to Bayern to win trophies. (Photo via Getty Images)
Borussia Dortmund may yet make a push (after all, the league’s barely started) but so far, it looks like yet another steamroll for Bayern. Of course, the German powerhouse are no fools. They realize that the only metric that matters this season is going to be counted in the Champions League. But if that’s the only thing the club is aiming for, where it’s made crystal clear that the league’s a done deal before it’s even started, why watch Bundesliga?
The league needs some serious adjusting in terms of its transfer deals so that the rest of the clubs aren’t able to sell to Bayern. Otherwise, the future appears to be very screwed.
